 By Staff
April 30th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
In the fall of 1992, six hockey wives formed BOWSER (Burlington Oldtimers’ Women Supplying Emergency Relief). Their mandate was to help the less fortunate residents of Burlington with a monthly collection of food and cash, all of which would be donated to the Burlington Food Bank. Each month during the hockey season the “BOWSER BABES” are at arenas collecting non-perishable food items and household necessities.
 From the left: Louise Addison, Robin Bailey, Barb Charron, Michele Wood and Carolyn Park Shown here are Louise Addison, Robin Bailey, Barb Charron, Michele Wood and Carolyn Park presenting the Burlington Food Bank with a cheque for $13,500 which includes the BOWSER cash contribution for the 2017-18 season. Including the Christmas dance donation, it brings the BOWSER season total to $17,075. Missing from the photo are Pat Broadbent and Michelle Koskinen
Through BOWSER, the BOHC (Burlington Oldtimers Hockey Club), members have contributed, 86,215 food and household items as well as $233,970 all donated to Burlington Food Bank for those in need. BOHC is recognized as the major contributor to the Burlington Food Bank.
Thanks go out to the BOHC members from the “BOWSER BABES” – Michele Wood, Barb Charron, Louise Addison, Carolyn Park, Pat Broadbent and Michelle Koskinen.
 By Jim Young, Chair – EcoB
April 29th. 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It is said that “In a democracy, people get the kind of government they deserve”. We believe Burlington deserves better than this.
On Thursday, ignoring the highest number of delegations in its history and some of the best detailed critiques by citizens from every corner of the city and rural areas; Burlington City Council passed its contentious new Official Plan (OP).
 Directly opposite city hall on the north side of James street – 23 storey tower, with a proposed tower to the south. Height for that tower – yet to be determined. While opposition focused on the downtown, widely viewed as belonging to everyone, there was equal concern about over intensification in individual residential communities. The plan, seven years in the making, was seen by most as too developer friendly, too much in thrall to the province and the region and too often dismissive of local concerns.
 A bus terminal and ticket vending site that was once going to be closed got upgraded to mobility hub. Putting aside the fears of over intensification in the downtown, the failure to consider more balanced approaches to intensification, the fact that Burlington is already meeting its intensification goals and the ridiculous notion that the John St. bus stop is a “Downtown Mobility Hub”, then the missing details like the definitions of site specific height limits for some precincts, particularly around the Mobility Hubs and the absence of supporting Transit and Parking plans; the greatest point of contention was always the feeling that citizen input was ignored.
 A packed public meeting at city hall The city claims that engagement on the OP was above and beyond but who gets to define “Real Engagement”? In a seven year planning process the city only started to hold information sessions in late 2017 in the unseemly rush to make the downtown a Mobility Hub and therefore an Urban Growth Centre. Only after citizen anger brought ECoB (Engaged Citizens of Burlington) into being did the city even start to pay attention. ECoB position is that this was always too little, too late and that informing is not engagement.
Numerous meetings with Planning and Communication staff failed to move them on the major issues of importance to citizens. Councillors Craven, Taylor, Dennison and Lancaster declined to discuss the OP or the process. The Mayor and Councillor Sharman met with us but had difficulty accepting any vision of engagement other than the staff line that “Information is Engagement”. Only Councillor Meed Ward encouraged greater citizen engagement and her motions at council reflected this.
 Councillor Rick Craven – wasn’t available to meet with ECoB  Councillor John Taylor wasn’t available to meet with ECoB  Councillor Jack Dennison wasn’t able to meet with ECoB  Councillor Blair Lancaster wasn’t able to meet with ECoB In the final analysis this is another bad plan finalized much too quickly after 7 years of stagnating on staff desks, in an attempt to prevent it from becoming an election issue. It will still be too easy for developers to get sidestepping amendments and it may even favour developers at the newly created Land Planning xxx Tribunal (LPAT) more than the old OP if that had remained in place. Burlington will continue to evolve with much needed resident input. Make this an election issue, change can happen with a new Council.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this, too often, rancorous debate was the self-congratulatory back slapping and high fiving by council on Thursday when they finally approved the new Official Plan. It felt like a council gloating on a victory over its citizens.
Although Council adopted this Official Plan, it requires Regional approval. Staff will be pushing their plan through the Region with additional amendments and the studies that have yet to be completed. Residents will still have the opportunity to demand changes. Until the Region accepts this OP the current OP remains in effect.
 October 22nd is municipal election day in Burlington A new Council can overturn this Official Plan and residents get to choose who fills those council positions in the coming election. You can support candidates of your choice, who reflect your views and work to get them elected in October.
If “The purpose of debate is not to win but to make progress,” then ECoB will continue to seek progress from this debate. If any good is to come from this, it should be in the form of improved citizen engagement; despite the city’s claims, there is much room for improvement.
ECoB will explore all options, and continue to reach out to City Council, Communication and Management Staff. A start point for that outreach might well be the long ignored 2011 council report “Shape Burlington”, which uncannily predicts the present citizen engagement issues.
Shape Burlington Report.
 By Pepper Parr
April 29th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
I’m reading about the vote on the OP; was the Special meeting of Council made known to the public?; asked a loyal Gazette reader.
Well it was and it wasn’t made known to the public that a public meeting was to take place? Could it be null and void? asked our reader.
Probably not.
Here is what happened. Our source is ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and the procedural bylaw.
Meed Ward advises that: “The process to set a special council meeting is to poll council members. This was done weeks ago electronically by e-vote; I did not support it but enough of council did.
“The special council meeting was duly scheduled and advertised as being “immediately after the committee meeting” – so no clear start time.
“As it turned out, committee extended to Thursday morning – that hadn’t been scheduled, just the Wednesday session. Then the special council meeting was to follow.
“So, residents didn’t know about either the committee meeting extending to Thursday or the special council afterward unless they were in attendance or watching the live feed (the video of the meetings is not posted till a day or two later).
 Councillor Meed Ward – did not support holding a Special Meeting of Council immediately after a Standing Committee meeting. Meed Ward said she “ didn’t have the Thursday extended committee meeting time booked in my calendar. It was scheduled late afternoon on Wednesday.”
“Technically, one could argue the process to call the special council meeting was followed, but it left the public shut out.
Meed Ward said she “ tried to bring a motion to council to refer the council meeting to Monday, a scheduled committee meeting time, but could not get a seconder in advance to put it on the floor.”
Mayor Goldring always make a point of telling the watching audience how many hours each Standing Committee spent and he explains how many bylaws were passed.
On a critical thing like public engagement on the most important piece of legislation this council has passed (technically all they did was approve it) the public was shut out. Deliberately?
It would have been a small matter for anyone with a real sense democracy to have explained to the audience that was in council chambers and those watching the web cast that a motion to waive the required time between the calling of a council meeting and the holding of that meeting had been waived. It was done electronically directly between the Mayor and the members of council – the public didn’t get to see the vote take place.
Not sure how legal that is – matters not; there isn’t a lawyer in town prepared to hustle up to the County Court and ask for a ruling.
 Mayor Goldring at a community engagement meeting. As for the Mayor and that Special Council meeting – he was too busy handing out proclamations – some of those who were to be given their proclamation didn’t bother to show up.
Let’s see what the readers think.
Meed War’s closing comment on this was: “Not a great day for democracy. Calling out the small number of residents in attendance that morning added insult to injury. If this had been held at the regular council meeting in May, or even at the scheduled committee meeting on Monday, April 30 residents would have filled the room and the podium – because they would have known it was coming and could plan to be there.”
 Mayor Goldring handed out Proclamations during a council meeting with a packed council chamber c
 By Staff
April 28th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
On April 28, 2018 shortly after 1:00 a.m. an altercation took place inside of Club 54 located at 3345 Harvester Road in Burlington.
 It’s a “happening” place. As 30 year old male was unintentionally stabbed by a person known to him. The victim was transported to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
A 33 year old male from Hamilton was arrested and charged with Weapons Dangerous and Unlawfully Causing Bodily Harm.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Constable Olewniczak of the Burlington Criminal Investigations – Robbery Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2364.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca .
Any person charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
 By Jack Dennison, Ward 4 Councillor
April 28th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington city council heaved a sigh of relief Thursday afternoon and approved an Official Plan. The 400 page document now goes to Regional Council where it will be debated again, perhaps revised and sent back to Burlington. The Gazette has asked each member of council for a copy of the remarks they made after the Official Plan had been approved. Comments made by Jack Dennison, ward 4 council member. are set out below.
I recognize the desperate need to get our new Official Plan approved so that we are more in line with the Provincial Policy statements on growth and intensification. Our current Official Plan and Zoning By-laws are out of line with those Provincial plans. We the city should be able to successfully defend our new official plan heights and densities, where we were unsuccessful with 374 Martha/ADI/Nautique.
 Councillor Jack Dennison at a Strategic Planing meeting at LaSalle Park. That said, I still have difficulty with the proposed Official Plan where entire city blocks downtown have an Official Plan height of 17 storeys or less. Every property owner thinks their property can be developed to that height without consideration for variety of heights.
To solve this problem, we have to be site specific for tall buildings and shorter variety heights. This would allow movement within the blocks to create variety.
We need to:
• In the Downtown Core Precinct, identify that not every site will be suitable to accommodate a tall building and that design guidelines and the Zoning By-law will establish the minimum criteria which may accommodate different forms of buildings.
• Incorporate an effective transition between development within the Upper Brant Precinct and adjacent low density residential.
• Develop policies that will ensure that the conservation of existing heritage buildings is a priority by retaining heritage buildings on site; and ensuring new development must be compatible with adjacent cultural heritage resources.
• Consider implementing a phasing plan for development which could have significant adverse impact on the downtown infrastructure including the road network affecting motorists and/or pedestrians.
• And earlier we modified the 17 storeys to 12 storeys up to 17 based on additional public parking and employment spaces in the Downtown area, and increased the setback between tall buildings to 30 metres, and we do still have area specific plans and zoning bylaws through which we can continue to shape our community including our downtown.
Further, I want the OP and zoning bylaws to be in lock step and we aggressively defend the new OP and Zoning.
We do not want walls of buildings on our primary roads, Lakeshore, Brant and throughout our downtown.
 Jack Dennison the day he announced the sale of Cedar Springs. But as I already said, I feel I have no choice but to support the approval of the proposed Official Plan which has been substantially modified through the excellent input from many constituents, including ECOB as well as the Council and staff as a team with the residents – This has been a 7 year process that we had to complete. Thank you to staff for their willingness to listen and amend where they could. We are #1 and we will continue to be #1.
I totally disagree with the east side of Brant Street north of Blairholm Avenue having heights of 7 – 25 storeys, immediately adjacent to single-family residential.
The west side of north Brant is proposed at 10-25 storeys but at least has a 3-storey podium next to Brant: with review in 10 years re: additional capacity to add more tall buildings.
39 proposed by OP team is more than 4 times present and approved.
26 proposed by Jack is less than 3 times present and approved.
Further I want the OP and zoning bylaws to be in lock step and we aggressively defend the new OP and Zoning.
The specific blocks I take issue with include:
1. Gore Variety: instead of 17, 6 and 3 ; have 6, 8 and 3.
2. 421 Brant Street North to Birch Avenue: instead of 3,6,8 and 11 ; have a variety of 3, 6, 8 and 11 with only every second block having an 11-storey building.
 Revenue Properties proposal for the former Elizabeth Interiors location. 3. 409 Brant Street (Elizabeth Interiors): instead of 3 to 17, have a maximum of 3 to 14 storeys and certainly not 24 storeys.
4. Esso Station at Locust and Lakeshore Road: specify 17 storeys at the back by the Parking Garage and 3 storeys at Lakeshore Road.
5. Modify the block at the northwest corner of James and Elizabeth have a maximum height of 8 storeys like City Hall, not 17 storeys.
6. Modify the block on the south side of Caroline Street between Brant and Locust to have a podium of 3 storeys and not exceed 6 storeys instead of 11 storeys.
 No Frills Plaza 7. Modify No Frills plaza to have a maximum height of 14 storeys, not 17, and the Brant Street building to not exceed 4 storeys instead of 6.
8. Modify the Leggat property to have a maximum height of 14 storeys, not 17, and a maximum at Brant Street of 4 storeys, not 6.
We do not want walls of building on our primary roads, Lakeshore, Brant and throughout our downtown.
But as I already said, I have no choice but to support the approval of the proposed Official Plan.
Dennison closed his comments with the observation that there were only four members of the public in the Council chamber. That was because for the most part the public did not know exactly when the special meeting of Council was to take place.
By Staff
April 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
On Friday afternoon, there was an Open House at the Freeman Station in Burlington. Local MPP Eleanor McMahon congratulated the members of the Friends of Freeman Station on receiving a $36,100 Capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to install a permanent ramp to the door of the building.
“The Friends of Freeman Station is an incredible group of hard-working volunteers who are dedicated to restoring Freeman Station, a building that greatly contributes to Burlington’s heritage and culture,” said Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon. “Our government is pleased to invest $36,100, over five months, to improve the station’s infrastructure, ensuring that the space is accessible for everyone in our community.”
 From the right: Brian Aasgaard, MPP Eleanor McMahon,Ron Danielsen and Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster Aasgaard
In addition to the ramp, accessibility upgrades will be made at the primary entrance and modifications to existing washroom facilities. The Station when it is ready, will be used by a variety of community organizations for meetings; and education for students to learn about the history of early transportation and communication in Canada. And thanks to the grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, people of all abilities will be able to access the main level of the building.
“Friends of Freeman Station are thankful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and to MPP Eleanor McMahon for this grant, which will make the main level of the station wheelchair accessible, so that everyone can participate in the learning experience the station will provide. Its impact cannot be underestimated.” said Ron Danielsen, President of the Friends of Freeman.
The Friends of Freeman Station are an all volunteer non-profit charity comprised of members of the community committed to saving, restoring and repurposing the original 1906 Burlington Junction – Grand Trunk Railway Station – known locally as Freeman Station, to be an interpretive centre for the community centre.
An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is one of Canada’s largest granting foundations. With a budget of over $136 million, OTF awards grants to some 1,000 projects every year to build healthy and vibrant Ontario communities.
By Staff
April 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington City Council has adopted Grow Bold: Burlington’s new Official Plan. A report recommending adoption of the plan was presented at a meeting of the Planning and Development Committee on April 24, 25 and 26, followed by a special meeting of City Council on April 26.
The policies in the new Official Plan bring to life the key directions in Burlington’s Strategic Plan 2015-2040, approved in April 2016. Through the strategic plan, Burlington City Council made the decision to protect the city’s rural area and grow up in key parts of the urban area. In the new Official Plan, five per cent of Burlington will see growth, targeted to the Mobility Hubs – the areas around the city’s GO stations and in downtown and uptown Burlington. Fifty per cent of the city will continue to be protected rural land; 34 per cent will remain established residential neighbourhoods; and 11 per cent will be land for employment.
 Mayor Rick Goldring sitting in on a public meeting to review the draft Official Plan Work to revise the city’s Official Plan began in 2011. Significant community consultation in the form of 120 meetings and workshops with the public and other stakeholders helped shape and revise the policy directions in the new Official Plan. Since June 2017, four versions of the Official Plan have been released, each incorporating changes brought forward by the public, stakeholders, agencies and Council.
Next Steps
Following adoption by City Council, the new Official Plan is now subject to review and approval by Halton Region. Until the plan is approved at the regional level of government, the City of Burlington’s current Official Plan remains in effect and will be enforced. The new Official Plan will be used to inform land-use decisions.
Revisions to policies in the new Official Plan, as directed by Council at the Planning and Development Committee meeting this week, are currently being made by city staff before the Official Plan is sent to Halton Region.
Mayor Rick Goldring said: “I want to thank all the residents and contributors who spoke to Council and shared their ideas and concerns about the new Official Plan. Conversations about how and where our city should grow can be challenging, and throughout this seven-year process Council has listened and learned a lot from those who participated. Your input has resulted in an improved Official Plan for Burlington.
 A new Official Plan determines what can be built where and how high the building can rise. The picture will look a lot different in five years. The adoption of the new Official Plan is a significant accomplishment. It marks the first time a city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area has adopted a new Official Plan at a time when communities are saying no to urban sprawl. I am proud of Burlington City Council for showing leadership to ensure 50 per cent of our city, which includes the Niagara Escarpment, will remain protected land for years to come and for laying out a path for Burlington that will manage growth in a way that is sustainable and livable for everyone.”
Mary Lou Tanner, Deputy City Manager said: “On behalf of the city, I would sincerely like to thank the community for their participation in the new Official Plan process. Discussions about growth are hard and while there may not be alignment on every issue, we all want the same things for the community we love – jobs, an affordable place to live and a good quality of life.
The adoption of the new Official Plan is an important step forward for Burlington but it is not the end of the planning journey. More work lies ahead to fine tune and detail how and where the city will grow in the future.
The development a new zoning bylaw and the area-specific plans for the Mobility Hubs will provide more opportunities for public engagement. I hope we will continue to hear from residents and that they will continue to ask us tough questions. It is this type of debate that will contribute to a healthy and vibrant future for Burlington.”
Quick Facts
• Burlington’s new Official Plan is the city’s community vision and will guide decision-making on how we use land, manage growth and invest in infrastructure to 2031 and beyond.
• Burlington’s population is growing. The 2016 Census data shows Burlington grew by 7,535 people between 2011 and 2016 – a 4.3% overall growth rate.
Related links:
By Staff
April 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service – Human Trafficking Unit have arrested a Toronto male for exploiting an adult female for sexual purposes.
On April 26th 2018, Imani NAKPANGI (35 years of age) was arrested and charged with the following criminal offences:
Exercise Control, Living on the Avails of Prostitution
Trafficking in Persons and Material Benefit Resulting from Trafficking in Persons.
This investigation began as a result of information brought forward to police by the victim in this circumstance. NAKPANGI has been held pending a Bail Hearing.
Anyone who may have any additional information pertaining to offences related to this accused are asked to contact Det. Dan Ciardullo (905-465-8723) or D/Sgt. Anita Laframboise (905-825-8710) of the Halton Regional Police Service Human Trafficking Unit.
The Halton Regional Police Service is a member of the Halton Collaborative Against Human Trafficking along with several other stakeholders and agencies. This Collaborative is dedicated towards providing services and support to those who have experienced Human Trafficking in Halton and surrounding regions. Local organizations such as “SAVIS” (www.savisofhalton.org) are able to provide first response care and support to victims of human trafficking.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something?” Contact “Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
Any person charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By Blair Lancaster
April 28th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington city council heaved a sigh of relief Thursday afternoon and approved an Official Plan. The 400 page document now goes to Regional Council where it will be debated again, perhaps revised and sent back to Burlington. The Gazette has asked each member of council for a copy of the remarks they made after the Official Plan had been approved. Comments made by Blair Lancaster for Ward 6 are set out below.
The Official Plan will lead our City into a time of prosperity, sustainability and affordability while ensuring our city will continue on its current healthy, vibrant and livable path.
 Councillor Blair Lancaster In fact, this plan will create over 3,500 jobs, which is important to residents of Burlington. The majority of this growth will occur around mobility hubs and in the downtown. It also addresses the fact that over the next decade, we will be receiving over 1,800 residents per year (most of them being new immigrants). This plan also looks to address the challenges of future generations, the millennial and their families.
This being said, different points of view have caused significant changes to the Official Plan as residents and stakeholders asked some very difficult questions. This caused us to pause and re-think the plan at every stage. I want to thank the residents and stakeholders who also have invested countless number of hours into the process.
The community engagement on this plan has been unprecedented reaching every ward. I want to congratulate our professional staff team who have stick handled all of the input from residents, council, and stakeholders. I shutter to think of the number of hours that we have all dedicated to this important initiative. It has touched every department from planning, legal, transportation, clerks, recreation, capital works, and more.
This plan was not only informed by residents and stakeholders but also by many other plans that we are legally required to conform to, such as The Niagara Escarpment Plan, The Green Belt Plan, Places to Grow, and new Provincial Policies. The existing Official Plan was out-of-date and does not comply with new provincial legislation and therefore was not defensible.
 Councillor Blair Lancaster The Official Plan document is a high level document that uses blobs on a map to indicate what might be possible. I emphasize what MIGHT be possible because we have just established a vision and now the work will begin to define more closely what is possible and what will be compatible on each site. The exciting part is that the work has just begun, as we now move into more detailed plans that will address important issues, like a housing strategy, and transportation plans.
Additionally, the plan we have just adopted at Council must be approved by the Region of Halton before it will be in effect. This will take approximately 210 days. The approval process is not automatic and City of Burlington Council must prepare a strategy to fight for many of the changes that are outlined in the new Official Plan.
The changes in this plan represent leading practices that look into the future and the fact that our economic development plan, strategic plan, and the new Official Plan all work together establishing a future that embodies affordable, sustainable and slow growth. Looking into the future takes leadership and a willingness to make decisions that are good for the long term even though they maybe disruptive today. This plan is bold but rational, and most importantly defensible.
www.burlington.ca/newop
By Staff
April 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
In a note on a web site she maintains ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward said:
“Burlington’s new official plan was adopted by council today by a 6-1 vote. Though council supported over two dozen motions I brought or co-sponsored to make the plan better, the plan as it stands represents over intensification: in the downtown, the GO stations and established neighbourhoods.
 Brant street looking north from city hall. “It will deliver a future city that erodes what makes Burlington unique and special, what we love about our city, and why we live, work, play here and welcome new residents who come every year, drawn by our great city to join us.
Scheduled for across the street from city hall. “In the focus on quantity of people (which goes well beyond our growth requirements from the province), our quality of life is at stake.
“What’s next? The plan goes to the Region of Halton for approval. Amendments can still be made to the plan by this council – or the next – to scale it back.”
Meed Ward has said that she will be filing nomination papers as a candidate for Mayor of Burlington.
 By Staff
April 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Does the arrival of spring weather have your thoughts turning to your garden? Perhaps you’re thinking of a way to incorporate native plants and don’t know where to start?
There is a workshop at Royal Botanical Gardens on Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Designing Your Native Landscape workshop at Royal Botanical Gardens.
 Will your garden look like this after the workshop? You will be taught how to choose and maintain native plant gardens and what type is right for your property.
You will learn about how to work with the soil you have and how to incorporate raised garden beds into your design.
You will also have a chance to speak one-on-one with a garden expert about a plan for your property. The cost of the workshop is $40 (including HST) and includes a tour of a native garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens, a catered lunch, resources and giveaways.
The speakers include:
Erin Mallon, Stewardship Technician, Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark
Charlie Briggs, Staff Gardener, Royal Botanical Gardens
Tara Nolan, Author and Raised Garden Bed Expert
Crystal Bradford and Liam Kijewski, Native Garden Designers and owners of Wildlife Gardening
Sean James, Master Gardener and owner of Sean James Consulting and Design
To attend the Designing Your Native Landscape workshop, you are asked to pre-register. You can find the link to register at the event listing on the Events Calendar at www.conservationhalton.ca/events.
The Designing Your Native Landscape Workshop is on Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Classroom 5 in the RBG Centre, 680 Plains Road West in Burlington.
 By Ray Rivers
April 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Liberals have been in power now for a decade and half, even though Kathleen Wynne has been premier for less than half that time. But people are saying it’s time to change, time for a change. They’re tired of the Liberals.
 Doug Ford Doesn’t everything need to change at some point – it all eventually gets old and tired and needs to be replaced. It’s called transition and life – it’s normal, right? ‘Choose Change’ was the slogan Dalton McGuinty used when he whomped the tired old Ernie Eves Tories back in 2003 with an impressive 46% of the popular vote. That is the ballpark that Mr. Ford now finds himself in as he prepares to take over the reins of Ontario’s provincial government – the pre-emptive premier.
And there are so many reasons to give Premier Wynne the boot. Take education. Did you know that not every student who enters into secondary school graduates from it. Only 86.5 % of adolescents end up with a school leaving certificate in this province. Places like Ukraine actually score over 100% on some of their graduation statistics, though that may just be old Soviet-style statistics still at play.
 Of course 86% is better than 69% , which was the graduation rate Ontario used to be so proud of back in the days when Mike Harris was in power. But a lot of things have changed. Ontario now has an early education program with universal junior kindergarten, so those little rug-rats can get into the learning mode earlier – something which will benefit them later in life all the experts agree. Although it’s a bit of a stretch to credit our improved graduation rate entirely to the relatively few early educated represented in this statistic.
xxx
 Early education – for two-and-a-half year olds will mean a sea change to the notion of day care and child minding. The latest Liberal budget would see children as young as two and a half be eligible for free, presumably, Montessori-style early education. Free early education for two-and-a-half year olds will mean a sea change to the notion of day care and child minding. Even the early educators themselves will need to be better educated. A big bonus is the extra pocket money saved by working moms and dads struggling to keep their financial heads above water.
Labour peace may also be a factor that has influenced this double digit climb in graduation from Ontario’s high schools. The last major teacher strike was back in 1997. It’s possible that happy teachers make better teachers and more motivated students. And it’s also possible that the stress of labour-government infighting took its toll on the desire of students to stay in school back then. After all, if your government has no respect for teachers…well… And Mike Harris and ‘create-a-crisis’ John Snobelen, having dropped out of university and high school respectively, may not have been the best role models in those dark days of the nineties.
Perhaps tuition-free university for those in financial need also has had an impact. Students who may have once thought…”what’s the point of finishing school, I can’t afford to go on to higher education anyway”… may have found new motivation to succeed. Apparently 235,000 students have benefited from free higher education, including 10,000 single mothers.
86.5% is just above the Canadian average in high school graduation rates, with only Nova Scotia and PEI slightly ahead of Ontario. Those provinces are also governed by Liberals, but then so is Quebec which is quite a way down the list. The gospel is that an improvement in Ontario’s education outcomes will lead to a more productive economy and more prosperous population. That will be critical as the province faces its future.
 There has been a lot of talk about removing sex-education from the elementary school curriculum. It takes time away from other topics, like Lego or computers. Shouldn’t it be left to the parents to talk about something so sensitive? And hadn’t these children’s parents eventually figured it out on their own anyway, one way or the other. After all, it’s as natural as having a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. Your body will tell you what to do – right?
Sexual relationships are one of the most significant aspects of a young teenager’s development. So will getting the basics right help students better get on with/over with sex and leave more time and effort for concentration on their studies? The issue is a muddy pool teeming with education psychologists and the religious moralists each eating the other for lunch.
But teen pregnancies, which can increase school drop out rates, are on the rise in Canada and there is still inconclusive evidence that early sex-ed alone mitigates that effect – despite the logic of it all. Economics and economic opportunities seem to play a larger role in this matter, and fortunately for any new government today’s Ontario’s economy is booming. But perhaps even more importantly, young people, who don’t usually have a lot of pocket money, are now entitled to free pharmacare, so at least they can afford prevention.
We desire higher grad rates because that should deliver a more productive economy and a more prosperous society. And a better educated population should be expected to make better decisions, especially when it comes to election issues and elections. Many of those new grads will be eligible to vote or at least in a position to influence how their friends and family vote. And that may help determine whether there is a new Ford government which will have the choice of lifting the province’s grad rate closer to 100%, or letting it fall back towards the 68% the last time the Tories were in power.
 Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
High School Graduation – Teacher Strikes – Disparity in Grad Rates – Teen Pregnancies –
By Pepper Parr
April 26th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
And so it is done.
City council meeting in a special meeting of council voted 6-1 to approve the draft city plan and send it along to the Regional government.
Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was the lone dissenter.
There were 11 Staff Directions issued – work for staff to do in the months ahead.
There were a number of motions changing parts of the draft.
The Gazette will report on both the Staff Directions and the amendments made to the draft Official Plan. The document that was approved today began in 2010 when this council was first elected. Staff changes, the decision to craft a 25 year Strategic Plan instead of the traditional four years plan and the realization that the city had to grow UP and not out due to the limited greenfield land that is available made what was arrived at inevitable given the council that is in place and the leadership within the planning department.
The plan moves Burlington from a suburban community to an urban one. With the plan in place to effect that change in the decades ahead the city now needs to come about, like a large ocean liner, and begin to sail in a new direction.
 The small town feel – how much of it can be kept? That direction will shift but the “small town feel” that Councillor Meed Ward spoke of in her remarks may be a thing of the past.
Deputy city manager Mary Lou Tanner noted that the last time Burlington had a vigorous a discussion on the direction the city was going to go in was in the early 60’s. She added that when the Urban Boundary was set in 1969 the future of Burlington was cast in stone. There was going to be a rural community in a sleepy suburban bedroom community. And that is what Burlington became.
 The 1969 decision to create an Urban boundary left a rural community a short drive from the downtown core. The next phase of the evolution of the city is now underway – a city that will have high rise towers 20 minutes from farm fields.
We now have an urban city that wants to be vibrant and at the same time have a rural area; few in the world have this kind of mix. Having a lake at the foot of it all is what makes the city it is.
Now high rise towers become a part of the picture.
By Staff
April 26th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
On Wednesday April 25th 2018 shortly after 10:30 PM, two unknown suspects entered an unlocked rear door at a home on Bonnieview Avenue in Burlington (Aldershot).
 The suspects, one armed with a handgun and an aerosol weapon believed to be bear spray or pepper spray, confronted two elderly homeowners and demanded their bank cards and pins numbers.
The suspects then forced the homeowners into a bathroom before rummaging through the home in search of valuables.
The suspects stole several electronic items and a purse before fleeing the home.
Several minutes after the suspects fled, the homeowners exited the washroom unharmed and immediately called police.
Uniformed officers, Criminal Investigators and a police canine flooded the area in search of the suspects with negative results.
The suspects are described as follows:
Suspect # 1: White male, approximately 6’2″ tall, medium build, wearing a black ski mask, black jeans and black shoes.
Suspect #2: White male, thin build, approximately 5’9″ tall, clean shaven, wearing a black hoody, trapper hat with fur ear flaps, black jeans and dark glasses with metal frames.
Police are vigorously investigating this crime and are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Phil Vandenbeukel of the Burlington Criminal Investigations – Robbery Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2343.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca .
Police are encouraging residents to always lock their doors and watch for suspicious vehicles and/or people in their neighbourhoods. If you see something out of place in your neighbourhood, immediately report it to police.
By Pepper Parr
April 26th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
They have been at it for two days.
 After a grueling session on Tuesday planning staff returned to their desks in the evening and worked through much of the nigh to craft responses to questions that were asked during the day.
It was much the same for some of the members of council. Just about everyone is going flat out.
With all this going on the members of council begin to move into election mode – nominations open on Monday.
The Standing Committee has worked its way through three different tables that list the matters that have to be debated and discussed. The planners have been working on the language that they feel should be used in any changes that are made to the current draft of the new Official Plan which they hope to get approved and shipped off to the Region.
The work being done now is the foundation on which development and construction will be done. The developers have been sending in developments almost weekly; one was dropped off at city hall last Friday; Deputy city manager Mary Lou Tanner said it was 1000 pages long.
The Standing Committee met at 9:30 this morning, handled one concern and then did their Receive & File process and adjourned. They will meet at about 10:30 this morning as a city council and apparently approve the draft city plan. Not much notice for people who might want to delegate on this critical document.
There is a question that has lingered over the way this new Official Plan has come to be and that is: What’s the rush?
We may never know.
 By Staff
April 26th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
They don’t stop.
The reason they don’t stop is that someone bites the bait and these thieves who reside who knows where can clean you out financially.
Set out below is one of the more recent attempt to steal your identity.
If you look at the message carefully you will see a significant grammatical error.
Anything you get from a financial institution should be ready carefully – and follow that Golden Rule – If in doubt – don’t!
By Staff
April 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The meeting was running late and everyone on council wanted to adjourn and go home.
They had already agreed to extend the meeting for an additional half hour – then the Mayor advised council that they needed to take a break and approve a bylaw that would allow for the collection of taxes.
They did that – here are the results:
 Burlington City Council approved the 2018 Tax Levy Bylaw at its meeting on April 23, 2018. The bylaw allows the city to bill 2018 property taxes and set payment due dates for final tax bills on June 20 and Sept. 20, 2018.
The 2018 Tax Levy Bylaw reflects the budget processes of both the city and Halton Region. The province provides the education tax rates. The overall tax increase is 2.64 per cent or $20.93 for each $100,000 of urban residential assessment. Tax impacts will vary by property based on actual changes in the assessed value of the property relative to others.
While the overall tax increase is reported as 2.64% – the tax increase imposed by the city is slightly less than 4% – well above inflation. The city collects the Regional taxes and has some impact on the Regional tax levy and absolutely no impact on the school board tax levy.
It is a little disingenuous to quote that 2.64% number – but they do it every year. Tax discussions apparently don’t come under the transparency rule.
The City of Burlington collects property taxes for the city, Halton Region and the Halton district school boards. The total combined tax levy for all three entities is approximately $405 million. The city’s levy is $160 million; the city collects $130 million on behalf of Halton Region; and $115 million on behalf of the Halton district school boards. The taxes levied for Halton Region and the Halton district school boards are remitted to them.
 By Gary Scobie
April 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
I want to apologize for some wrong information I presented earlier to Council. I stated that both Downtown Burlington and the Burlington GO Station were Urban Growth Centres assigned by the Province.
I have been corrected by Planning staff and I thank them for this. Only the Downtown has an Urban Growth Centre designation, much like downtowns in other cities. Oakville did move their Growth Centre to the Mid-town Trafalgar GO Station.
We need to do the same in Burlington.
There is a rush to replace our Official Plan with a new one. There is also the feeling that the new Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, or LPAT, along with a new OP will help us gain control of our downtown redevelopment. Unfortunately this is not the case.
 Gary Scobie Developers are opportunistic. They see a current situation of a very flexible and malleable OP along with the protection of Urban Growth Centre and Mobility Hub designations for the downtown as guaranteeing the height they want to build over many blocks of the downtown. They are absolutely correct in their assessment.
The designations provide no height limits whatsoever on buildings.
They provide minimum resident and job standards only, which the developers capitalize on with their arguments for continued height growth and proliferation of tall buildings downtown, against resident wishes.
The new Official Plan, without Transit and Transportation Plans will only be a shell of a document when it comes to protecting the downtown from over-intensification. Packing many people in a small geographic area of Burlington without a way for them to better move to the GO Station will not solve any problem of the downtown, only worsen the congestion problem.
The ideas of many precincts in the new Official Plan, each hand-picked for certain heights is the gift to developers that just keeps on giving. Developers know that their one-off projects in one location each time only need justification for that certain location.
The City must defend every precinct they have set up with complete, detailed proper justifications unique for each one. These they do not have. Developers need only point to the Urban Growth Centre and Mobility Hub minimum growth targets and other nearby buildings already approved or constructed, even in neighbouring precincts, as justification for height beyond what the City wants. The City will get no help from the Province in defending their new Official Plan as long as the twin designations
loom above us, just as the twin gateway buildings will soon loom above us at the James and Brant corner.
 A bus terminal has grown to become a Mobility hub. We are currently stuck with a pretend Mobility Hub in the Downtown. We have a Council that says it cares about the downtown redevelopment, yet approves inappropriate height on Brant Street and cannot present a valid case to the OMB to stop inappropriate height on Lakeshore Road. The over-arching demand of high density through proliferation of high buildings in the downtown is guaranteed to continue as long the Province has the hammer over our heads. Everything we do downtown in the future is governed by these intensification demands placed by the Province through the twin designations. The LPAT rules acknowledge this and the multi-precinct approach in the new Official Plan will lead to undefendable reasoning against the
precedents already set and the lack of justifications to stop tall buildings where developers desire them.
 Urban Growth Centre boundary We have only one defence available to regain control of our downtown for sensible, controllable growth. That is to petition the Province to remove the Mobility Hub designation from the Downtown and to move the Urban Growth Centre designation from the Downtown to the Burlington GO Station.
You can’t do that effectively if you are passing a shell of a new Official Plan at the same time. You need to at least keep the current Official Plan in place as an example of our attempt to manage growth downtown in a gentler manner while you argue our case to the Province for removing the high intensification rules from the downtown.
Will you show the citizens in this meaningful way that you do care about our downtown and what it is to become and set this new Official Plan aside while you pursue a better avenue to protect our downtown from the over-intensification that is currently heading toward us like a freight train that will come off the rails?
By David McKay
April 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
David McKay taught science to many of the people who help run the city. Now retired from classrooms – he appeared before city council to put some of the city’s history in perspective.
I appreciate you taking yet another round of delegations on this matter. My comments will be
made from the perspective of someone who has been involved as a citizen with planning issues
in Burlington for some fifteen years, as a member of city advisory committees, community groups and as an individual. I have followed and on occasion participated in the development of this plan for seven years as it followed a windy and sometimes unpredictable road.
One cannot of course, comment on the entire plan, and I shall confine my remarks to three aspects:
 First, I must commend council and staff for realizing and accepting that so much had happened and was happening since the completion of the previous plan that amendments alone would not suffice, and for having the courage and commitment to build an entirely new plan.
The process of developing this ambitious document included an extensive amount of citizen
engagement with numerous public meetings on various aspects of the plan and finally on the
document as a whole; with frequent opportunities to appear before committee or council.
While some of these events were not entirely amicable, there was opportunity to comment
or suggest and these meetings did result in alterations to the final plan. The amount of time
given to the engagement process and numerous revisions and rewrites of parts of the plan
were much greater that had occurred during the development of previous plans.
Secondly I would comment on a specific part of the new plan which is indicative of a realization that our City is big enough and varied enough that different areas need different treatment in a City Wide Planning Document. My community was involved in the “Neighbourhood Character Study” which resulted in specific planning requirements and control by-laws for particular communities with a particular history and particular needs. This was achieved through an extensive consultative process between city staff , neighbourhood associations, outside consultants and individual residents. The process was lengthy, challenging, and at times frustrating but in the end it brought positive results for all parties involved. There are other areas of the plan which reflect this type of community based planning.
Finally I wish to give “my take” on a portion of the plan which has been the focus of much of the recent discussions – The Downtown Transportation Hub. To fully evaluate this part of the Official Plan it is necessary to know and understand how we got to where we are at present.
It began, really, with the Provincial Greenbelt Plan, developed in the middle of the previous decade by a Group headed by our then mayor, Rob McIsaac. This plan, while needed and beneficial in its curbing of urban sprawl, had a profound and immediate effect on our City as virtually all of its undeveloped land (about 50% of our area) became part of the Greenbelt or the Niagara Escarpment Lands and Alton became our last subdivision.
Then of course came “Places to Grow” – a detailed outlining of where the millions of new residents of the “Greater Golden Horseshoe” were to be accommodated over the next 20 years. Municipalities were not given any say in this allotment, and Burlington received its quota of new residents to be accommodated; and this would be need to be through “infill”.
In addition, the municipality had to establish a “designated growth area” where the number of jobs and residents per hectare would be the highest. Burlington chose to designate its downtown as this growth area. Here, Mr. Chair, is exhibit A from an event held almost 10 years ago. The Mayor’s Downtown Summit was a daylong event that brought together council, staff, invited speakers and interested citizens to talk about how the requirements of the designated area could be met within a downtown area of limited size, surrounded on three sides by residential communities. One conclusion at least was clear – growth would be vertical, not horizontal as is true in the core of any City. The questions were how high and how often.
The implementation of Places to Grow went relatively smoothly for some years – high rise buildings were erected on the north side of Lakeshore, with one now being built on the south. Existing high rises on Elgin and Ontario were joined by the Strata on Maple and another high rise on Brock and the Berkeley on John St. is now well underway. In the main the heights of these buildings were peacefully negotiated and put the city well on the way meeting its targets.
Two recent events have created challenges for the City and suddenly made citizens aware of just how much growth others would like to thrust upon us. First the direct appeal to the OMB of the proposed building at Martha and Lakeshore where a height far beyond that planned by the city was requested; and to the astonishment and dismay of almost all of us it was granted. Clearly the OMB continues to worship at the Altar of the Provincial Policy statement, whose  mantra is “Intensification above all”. Second, the deadline for OMB referrals to be heard under the ‘old’ system brought forward a raft of applications by companies, some of whom did not have a clear idea of just what they were going to do, but didn’t want to deal with the new system. Visualizing all that infill in an around our core is quite unsettling.
So what to do? Certainly the growth that has taken place and will take place in the core is significant and will change the tenor and tone of our downtown streetscape. We do not need all the proposed structures to meet the Places to Grow requirements; indeed there are not enough prospective downtown condominium owners to fill them all if they were to be built.
Burlington did not ask for the Federal Government to add four million immigrants to the Greater Golden Horseshoe area; Burlington did not ask for growth quotas: Burlington did not ask for an unending supply of developers with deep pockets who all think that they can make a good profit out from yet another condo tower; Burlington did not ask for an outside arbitrator who seems wedded to intensification regardless….But that’s what we got.
We are seven years into formulation of this plan and have included as much input from as many people as possible. There are no clear alternatives to its proposed directions. It is time to approve it and get on with the business of doing as much as we can to make it work .
By Pepper Parr
April 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
They were determined to make it a bigger part of the public record – they just had to find a way to do it.
A delegation was being given by the son of Lesley Imber, a family that lived in the downtown core west of Brant.
Remy Imber was one of two boys who had constructed a 3D model of the downtown core out of Lego. It was part of an ECoB initiative to give the public some idea as to what the city around city hall would look like once several of the high rise towers were completed and occupied.
Remy was giving the delegation, which he did very well. Part of his delegation was on the belief that the city would not create a 3D model that would show what the city core would look like. At that time city manager James Ridge said that he didn’t have the staff, the financial resources or the data to create a model of any kind. It wasn’t something Ridge wanted to do but he did say that if he were able to have a model created it would be sometime in 2019 – late 2019.
That wasn’t going to deter the ECoB people – somewhere along the way they came up with the idea of making a 3D model out of Lego – the idea may well have come from the boys. The struck me as the type that had creative nimble minds.
When Remy had completed the delegation ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward made mention of the 3D model and asked where it was – “out in the hallway” replied young Remy.
 Remy Imber during his delegation along with his 3D model of the downtown core. Bring it in suggested Meed Ward. That wasn’t something chair Craven wanted to do but Kelly Childs, part owner of Kelly’s Bakeshop, had used a copy of Money Magazine to illustrate how important her Bakeshop was to the image of the city in her delegation. There was a two page feature in the magazine which she had on hand to show everyone.
If Kelly could use a visual prop then Remy could certainly do the same thing.
Within minutes it was being carried into the Council Chamber and set out for the Council members to see and get included in the web cast of the meeting.
Both sides of the downtown core debate were getting in every debating point they could.
Politics had become theatre – which of course it always has been.
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