 By Pepper Parr
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The event was basically over.
 Mayor at an event announcing funding for transit. Each of the politicians that was going to speak had done so – it was time to head on to the next event.
The news was that three levels of government were going to contribute to new transit – buses, infrastructure upgrades that brings new buses to the city.
Throughout the event, which was chaired by the Mayor, she kept referring to this being an event that was worth dancing about.
Little did this reporter know that they would actually do just that – dance.
The video doesn’t lie CLICK here for 20 seconds of politicians kicking up their heals.
Your tax dollars at work for you.
The announcement that they all danced about.
 By Staff
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The City is going to host a fifth Telephone Town Hall on September 23rd that will focus on COVID-19 as we head into the fall season.
The event will be between 7:00 and 8:00 pm when information will be shared and questions answered.
These events have been very useful – it serves as a place for people to go when looking for answers and gives the city a sense as to where the concerns are.
That the Director of Education for both the Catholic and the Public Boards of Education are taking part suggests where the serious concerns are.
The Mayor will host the event; taking part with her are:
Tim Commisso, City Manager at the City of Burlington
Pat Daly, Director of Education at Halton Catholic District School Board
Stuart Miller, Director of Education at Halton District School Board
Eric Vandewall, President and Chief Executive Officer at Joseph Brant Hospital
Mary Battaglia, Director of Roads, Parks and Forestry, City of Burlington
Denise Beard, Manager of Community Development, City of Burlington
Allan Magi, Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services, City of Burlington
Rory Nisan, Ward 3 City and Regional Councillor
Members of Burlington City Council will be present and listening.
How to Participate
Residents who would like to participate in the town hall can do so in the following ways:
1. Register in advance: Burlington residential phone numbers will be randomly selected to be part of the telephone town hall. Residents who would like to be added to the telephone call list can email getinvolved@burlington.ca by the end of the day on Sept. 22.
Please note: if you registered for any of the previous town halls (held on March 26, April 14, June 4 or July 16), you are not required to register your phone number again. To remove a name from the call list, email getinvolved@burlington.ca by the end of the day on Sept. 22.
2. Join by telephone: Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-779-0904 just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 to join the town hall. For those individuals calling in, please be advised more than one attempt may be required due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If the first call does not connect, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again.
Once the call begins, a moderator will provide participants with instructions for how to submit their questions to the leadership panel.
Many of the questions not answered during the call will be posted, with answers, to the City’s website at burlington.ca/townhall, along with an audio file and full transcript of the call after Sept. 23.
 By Staff
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s Student Theatre programs will be returning this fall with opportunities for youth ages 4 to 17 years.
 Actors from Burlington Student Theatre Beginning Sept. 29, participating young actors and actresses will be performing at either the Burlington Performing Arts Centre or the Student Theatre building. No experience is necessary to participate.
Online registration for Burlington residents opens Sept. 12 at 9 a.m. Non-Burlington residents can register on Sept. 18 at 9 a.m.
Student Theatre will meet all the health guidelines put out by Halton Region Public Health, which include lower ratios and capacity, physical distancing, mandatory health screening and enhanced facility cleaning.
The final performances will be filmed, edited and played on-screen.
There will be no live performances.
Burlington Student Theatre Film Festival presents a screening of Matilda and Frozen from Summer Arts Camps.
Two films featuring participants from the summer Student Theatre will be played at the Burlington Student Theatre Film Festival at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
 Rainer Noack – inspirational leader at the Student Theatre Tickets are available online. COVID-19 precautions will be in place for each screening.
• Saturday, Sept. 12 – 12 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 13 – 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 19 – 12 p.m.
Recreation Fee Assistance
Recreation is for all, regardless of financial situation. Recreation Fee Assistance is funding made available to resident individuals or families who need help to pay for City of Burlington recreation programs.
For more information or to apply, visit burlington.ca/feeassistance. You can also leave a confidential voicemail message at 905-335-7738, ext. 8501 and our staff will return your call to assist you.
As residents continue to rediscover many of their favourite spaces and activities in the city, City services may look different as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. The City’s commitment to providing the community with essential services remains a priority.
 Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation Services Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation Services points out that “Student Theatre has a great history of working with our youth and giving them not only a fun time, but also opportunities for them to grow. As with every program we’re offering, things will look a bit different but will still be filled with friendly faces and high-quality service.”
By Pepper Parr
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Nine politicians trooped into a Burlington Transit garage and jointly announced that they were leaving $12.8 million on the table.
 No social distancing with these three, Councillors Shawna Stolte, Lisa Kearns and Rory Nisan look on stoically as politicians from higher levels of office speak. Three federal, two provincial and four municipal politicians.
All the money was for transit stuff.
Sue Connors, Director of Transit for the city, stood quietly at the back of the garage wondering when people were going to begin riding the buses again.
Up to last March Ms Connors had done a superb job of building a customer base that had grown by double digits – the wheels fell off when COVID shut everything down.
Transit was free once the buses started running again. The public has had to pay full fare starting in September.
In her now close to daily publication, A Better Burlington, Mayor Meed Ward spoke for everyone saying:
 The announcement event was led by the Mayor. “Today, the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton; Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Oakville North–Burlington; were joined by Jane McKenna, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure; Effie J. Triantafilopoulos, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care and Member of Provincial Parliament for Oakville North−Burlington; and Her Worship, Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington, to announce funding for six projects that will modernize and improve public transit in Burlington.
 Director of Sue Connors looks on as Milton MP Adam Van Kxxx and Minister Karina Gould, MP for Burlington. “Public transit users will benefit from the purchase of 12 new 40-foot conventional buses to expand the fleet over the next three years. This will make public transit more efficient and convenient for riders by increasing service frequency and enabling connections between bus routes and regional transit. In addition, five new conventional buses will replace buses that have reached the end of their life cycle, helping to maintain a reliable, high quality service.
“In addition, three specialized accessible vehicles will be added to Burlington’s fleet over the next three years to support the community’s need for more accessible public transit. Devices will also be installed on traffic signals and buses to help improve the transit system’s on-time performance, while the implementation of intelligent transit system technology will enable on-demand transit service to be introduced to under serviced areas.
“The Government of Canada is investing more than $5.1 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing more than $4.3 million, and the municipality is contributing more than $3.4 million.
That’s 12.8 million. Most of it will be spent by Burlington but not in Burlington. No job creation out of this bit of pork barrelling.
All the buses are gas driven – pushing the Connors dream of an all-electric fleet that much further into the future.
Where did the money come from and what will it be spent on? First – it came from your pocket – then got passed back to you in the form of a grant to improve the bus service.
 By Pepper Parr
September 8th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
It started as 1-1 conversations that Andrea Grebenc had with trustees on the virtual meetings the Halton District School Board was holding.
Grebenc thought it was time to hold meetings that took place in the Board room and not have all the participants communicating from their keyboards and cameras.
 The technology at the School Board Board Room was at times not up to the demands of a meeting that was live and local for some and virtual for others – they made it work. Once she had canvassed the 13 trustees she met with Director of Education Stuart Miller to look into the possibility of moving back into the Board room.
The question was brought up at an Agenda Review meeting early in August.
“We had to find out if public health regulations would allow us back into the building and how it would restrict us.
“Once we received guidelines from staff and reviewed them, we had a short conversation about it in private session. That resulted in the outline of a plan to see about moving forward. The limitations, physically and technologically, were known. I then posted a sign-up sheet for the first regular board meeting on September 2.”
 Trustee Rocha Trustees Gerrits, Gray, Rocha, Shuttleworth, Vice Chair Ehl Harrison and Grebenc were there as well as Director Miller.
“We were limited by the board room technology in the room right now as it is hardwired to our desks (which are not even a metre apart. The two cameras would not be able to capture everyone because of the social distancing.
“We settled on six as the maximum number of Trustees to take part.”
However after the first run Grebenc is looking at being in the Board room a little differently.
“There were some problems – but after last week’s pilot, that may be reduced as we had some difficulties with feedback and mics not working properly.
“Bringing the Board room up to the different technical standard was not something we wanted to do. The limited resources (yes, we spend a lot of money – but there is never enough to go around) result in our deciding not to funnel resources from the classrooms and central administration to expedite the technology changes needed for 13 people (11 Trustees & 2 Student Trustees) who are still able to meet and complete their work online. We felt it was more important to have the whole system focused on student and staff safety and the learning environments.
 Ear buds were driving her frantic – the six screen she had to keep an eye on made it a busy meeting. “No worries – we will get there – it is just not a top priority – nor should it be.
“We are following the public health guidelines that were created for the board office. Facilities staff have measured out and designated places we are able to sit to meet the guidelines. There is hand sanitizer available in several places and masks as well. Washrooms are now single person. There are arrows directing us around, etc.
“Personally, I have to say that my set-up at home was a lot easier as I had my three monitors to work with (2 personally owned monitors and my board laptop) and didn’t have to wear the truly uncomfortable (verging on painful) earbuds.
“There are quite a number of screens that I need to use for the meeting to run smoothly:
voting screen,
voting responses,
request to speak form,
speaker’s list,
the google meet screen itself for the meeting,
email for emergency notifications (when someone is having technical issues like getting kicked off.
“The regulation is still in place that would allow the board meetings to happen remotely, so if we have to, we can function completely at a distance again. We are going to be in the board room again on the 16th and probably every meeting going forward.
 Trustee Gray “As for a public gallery, no. At this time, we are not opening the gallery to the public, but are continuing to live-stream and record board meetings as usual. We do not have any broadcast of the Google meeting available in the board room due to sound feedback issues, so the public would have to sit in the room with earphones watching on a personal device to have access to what everyone is saying – people might as well be doing that at home as there is nothing special going on in the room itself.
“We don’t even talk amongst ourselves in the room because we have to watch our screens and wear the earbuds to hear what is going on.
“We don’t have barriers between us physically in the room, but it sure feels that way socially.”
What is really interesting is that it was the Board of Education that was the first to edge forward a little bit and have at least some of the trustees in the room while conducting public business.
If Burlington city council wanted to come out of their closet as it were they could do so easily – there are just seven members of Council – there are 13 trustees plus two student trustees.
.
 By Staff
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
They made it work.
Despite a downcast day a total of 2,751 cars drove into the Burlington Centre, carefully worked their way through a maze and decided which ribs they wanted, paid and drove home with the sweet smell of freshly charred ribs filling the vehicle.
 The flow of traffic was smooth – not even a fender bender. Sami Bogle, part of the operations team at Lakeshore Burlington Rotary Service Club who held their second Drive Thru Rib Fest.
The cancellation of the annual fall Rib Fest was a covid fatality but that didn’t stop Rotary.
 Volunteers are what make event like the Rib Fest work. From left to right) they are: Meiling Menin – grade 10, Maija Fotr – grade 9, Annika Fotr – grade 11 and Margaret Hayes – Rotary Burlington Lakeshore  This is what was on the menu. Bogle said: “ I’d say it was a successful day! We had great feedback on social media about the choice of vendors, live music, and the change in logistics to ensure that the traffic was kept off of the main roads. The 2,751 cars, was just over the number we had on Canada Day.
“Though it was an overcast day, the weather was still great, so we feel very blessed. Our main concern had been the safety of our guests, vendors and musicians if the forecasted thunderstorms had persisted.”
Related news story:
How it all came about – the big pivot.
 By Staff
September 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Helping Business be a Successful Tool for Social, Cultural and Environmental Change is the theme behind the Investment Readiness Program (IRP) which is a $50M national initiative led by Community Foundations of Canada and funded by the Government of Canada to help social purpose organizations (non-profits, charities, co-operatives, hybrid social enterprises, and mission-focused for-profits) go from great ideas to investment ready.
Organizations have the potential to receive from $10,000 to $100,000 in non-repayable capital to develop their enterprise.
 Applications for the second and final round of funding will be accepted starting 9 a.m. EST Tues. Sept. 8th until Fri. Oct. 9th, 2020
Burlington Foundation is excited to be a local partner in the Brant | Halton | Peel Partnership (made up of six Community Foundations, Sheridan College and EDGE), with the partnership allocating $715,000 in Round 1 funding to 23 social purpose organizations impacting our local communities.
As we’ve acutely seen in 2020, it is vitally important to have healthy and thriving social purpose organizations, which will also be key in Canada’s recovery efforts as we #BuildBackBetter. Through the IRP, together, we’re helping to build more resilient, sustainable and inclusive communities.
By Pepper Parr
September 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
HDSB may have to pull as much as $8 million from the Reserve accounts. Director is OK with that – no sense yet as to how the trustees are going to react.
The Halton District School Board trustees were given a close and disturbing look at just how big the COVID-19 financial hole was going to be. It was not a pretty picture.
The financial story for the Halton District School Board is far from complete. The $12.4 million in COVID funding came from the provincial and federal government. The drill down on what those funds are going to be used for is set out in the table below.
 Here is how you spend $12.4 million.
The above are expenses the board expects to incur when schools open on the -14th
The spending priorities as the Board sees them at this point are shown in the table below. There are a tasks that still have to be fully costed – at this point they are at $9.6 million
The Board has $40 million in reserves. Those funds are set aside for specific projects and a source of funds for unexpected situations. The COVID-19 virus was one of those. The Board is going to have to pull about $4 million from the reserves to cover the immediate expenses. This is not something they can do without permission from the province. School boards across the province were given permission to use up to 2% of their reserves on COVID related expenses.
Board administrators have not yet asked the trustees to approve the spending – they are just telling the trustees that this is the way they see the finances working out. The HDSB may find itself having to take that 2% from the reserves which amounts to $8 million, which Director Miller said he “is OK with”.
What was of interest was the question Director of Education Stewart Miller put to the trustees on deficits and what they had in the way of a comfort level.
Miller told the trustees that budget shortfalls and the use of reserves are as much a philosophical question as it is a financial matter. What Miller doesn’t have to deal with are tax payers who look askance at increases in their tax bill. That is the ire that falls upon trustees.
What Miller has to cope with are trustees who do their home work and press the Director for details and teach him how to find efficiencies.
 If looks could kill – the Director was toast. Amy Collard, Ward 5 Trustee holding the Director of Education to account during the high school closing discussions. Up until very recently Ward 5 Trustee Amy Collard was the only trustee prepared to and capable of going toe to toe with Miller.
In the past year the Chair, Andrea Grebenc, has gotten stronger and may now be at the point where she can bear down a little harder on the Director and ask awkward questions of some of the Superintendents.
 Trustee chair listening to what Director of Education thinks on an issue. The Chair of the School Board is a job that doesn’t pay very much and for the most part amounts to following staff recommendations. It is a job that takes time to learn – and things can get very sticky if the Chair is having problems – all too often they have to look to the Director of Education for guidance. The biggest job trustees have is hiring and holding the Director to account. It takes several terms as Chair to get to the point where he or she is independent enough to fill the role.
Grebenc showed some of her mettle with the two letters she sent the Ministry of Education; the second had a certain edge to it. Ms Grebenc may soon be ready for a higher level of office. She is the Trustee for Ward 3 – that ward could use a voice like the one Grebenc is developing.
Someone to keep an eye on.
Related background articles:
First Grebenc letter to the Minister of Education
Second Grebenc letter to the Minister of Education
Letters from the Board are sent on behalf of the Board
 By Staff
September 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service has concluded a robbery investigation which occurred at an Esso Gas Station in the City of Burlington on September 6th, 2020.
At approximately 6:10am on Sunday September 6th, 2020, a lone male entered the Esso Gas Station located on Plains Road and proceeded to jump over the counter with a knife in his hand. The lone male lunged towards the store clerk causing the victim to put his hands up in order to defend himself. As a result of this altercation, the victim’s hand was cut by the knife. The male continued to lunge towards the victim who proceeded to run into the main store area to get away from the knife welding male. The lone male then proceeded to grab approximately $550 cash from the till before fleeing the Esso on foot.
 Police attended at the crime scene and were later able to arrest the suspect. The victim immediately contacted 911 and police and ambulance responded. The victim suffered a large cut to one finger and had the tip of another finger cut off. The victim was transported by ambulance to Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital where he received a number of stitches. The victim was eventually released from hospital after receiving medical treatment.
Investigation by Halton Police revealed that the lone male had attended the Esso Gas Station on September 5th, 2020 at approximately 6:00am and had attempted to break in through the back door. The male was confronted by the victim at that time and fled the scene. As a result, police identified a 16 year old male responsible for the robbery.
On Monday September 7th, 2020, investigators located and arrested the 16 year old male outside of his residence in the City of Burlington.
Police executed a search warrant at this residence and as a result of the search; Halton Police located and seized a knife, cell phone, clothing and recovered Canadian Currency.
Investigation by the Burlington Criminal Investigation Bureau has led to the following charges against a 16 year old young offender from Burlington whose identity cannot be released:
 The Young Offender Act was designed to attempt to intercede in the lives of young men and women who are in conflict with the law and treat them differently by protecting their identity. • Robbery
• Aggravated Assault
• Disguise with Intent
• Attempt Break and Enter
The Young Offender was held for bail and will appear in Milton Court on September 8th, 2020.
Anyone with information in regards to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Colin MacLeod of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2357.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously 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.
Please be reminded that all persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By Staff
September 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is what we are getting from the front lines at Rib Fest – taking place at the Burlington Centre (formerly the Mall).
Just back from Rib Fest (they let us put up some signage to advertise Terry Fox event), reports Craig Gardner who is heading up the 2020 Terry Fox Run. He faces the same problem the Rotary was up against – their events were cancelled and everyone had to scramble to come up with an alternative.
“People started showing up at 9 for RIBS – by time I left shortly after 11 am the lineup was getting rather large. Looks like a great day for Rotary.
“Everything is nicely laid out easy to navigate and will hold lots of cars. Appears to be much better lay out than July 1.
Another Halton resident sent us a note about her visit to the “Valhalla of Ribs” adding – I attended at about 11:10 by which time 500 or 600 had already preceded me.
The volunteers do an excellent job of answering questions and keeping the long snaking lines of vehicles moving toward the Valhalla of ribs.
I wanted to get try ribs from two vendors but that’s impossible with the current, but necessary, setup. And how to choose the ribs you want to try?
Advice to me, which I followed, was to choose the shortest line.
The entrance is off Fairview – lots of signage – you can’t miss it.
By Staff
September 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
BurlingtonGreen is doing it again.
They are reminding us that despite the pandemic and the serious concerns parents have with the way Return to School is being handled – Climate Change is the biggest issue before the whole world.
On September 25th Burlington residents will demand more action from different levels of government with a Shoe Strike.
Starting Mon. September 21st, you can drop off shoes to three locations around town. We will bring them to the demonstration site on Friday the 25th.
They will be silent reminders to politicians that we need CLIMATE ACTION NOW. Details to follow.
In the past few months Burlington Gazette columnist Ray Rivers has shifted his focus from political issues to the biggest issue facing the world. The first in a three part series on climate change – what it really is, what it is going to mean to every one of us and what we can do individually to being about change.
The Shoe Strike is one step – the Rivers column is another. Link below to what Rivers had to say; he will be following up on climate change.
 By Staff
September 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
When asked how they were coping with the weather – which wasn’t all that good while the folks setting up the Labour Day Rib Fest at Burlington Centre (formerly the Mall) they came back with:
“For now, we are all set up and ready to go. Hopefully the weather cooperates for us. So it is very much a go.”
If the Rotarians can do the hustle when things looked doubtful at 7 in the morning – the least the rest of us can do is get into the car and make a point of picking up some of those Ribs.
Entrance to the event will be off Fairview this time – look for the directional signs – they will be everywhere.
Jay Bridle, Canada’s Largest Ribfest Co-Chair described the event this way:
“We are excited to keep our Labour Day tradition of delivering delicious ribs & fantastic entertainment live during these challenging times” says Brent Paszt, a Past President of Rotary Burlington Lakeshore, and Co-Chair of Canada’s Largest Ribfest. “While the event may look different from what we are all used to seeing, you can still expect award-winning BBQ Teams to be on hand serving the ribs, pulled pork, and chicken that guests have come to expect from Ribfest” added
“Canceling our annual long weekend event that attracts upwards of 175,000 guests was a huge disappointment and really impacted our ability to support those charities and individuals who need it most, now more than ever” says Rotary Burlington Lakeshore President, Jay Thomblison; “Proceeds from this event, along with those generated from our successful inaugural Canada Day Drive-Thru, will enable us to continue that support”.
Food vendors will take orders and payment (cards preferred) and will deliver each completed order to your vehicle. Gloves and masks will be worn by all staff, vendors, and volunteers.
The four award-winning rib teams in attendance will include Camp 31 BBQ, Billy Bones BBQ, Pistol Pete’s Smokehouse, and Silver Bullet BBQ. There will also be food offerings from East Side Mario’s and Blaze Pizza, Twisted Tomato, Tiny Tom Donuts, and Ontario Corn Roasters, ensuring that there’s something for the entire family. The event will also include live music for guests to enjoy while they wait in the comfort and safety of their vehicles.
Over the course of 24 years, Canada’s Largest Ribfest, a fundraising initiative of Rotary Burlington Lakeshore, has raised over $4.5 million for local, national, and international charities.
By Staff
September 6th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
They have been collecting food and passing it along to the agencies that have a client base that needs it.
They won’t be open this Monday.
By Staff
September 6th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Just a day away.
The Labour Day Rib Fest or how a local service club turned a disadvantage into an advantage.
 This was the way it used to be – when times were normal. The Rib Fest, approaching its 25th year of operation had to shut down its plans to celebrate the raising of funds for the community and feeding a really large crowd.
That wasn’t something they were very good at doing – so they did a big pivot and put on an event on Canada Day that was a success and decided to do it again on Labour Day – that will be Monday,
Entrance to the event will be off Fairview this time – look for the directional signs – they will be everywhere.
By Staff
September 5th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Thousands of students will be trooping back to school – some will not have a shiny new backpack filled with the things needed at school.
Doesn’t sound like a big deal but for the kid with no backpack – it can be devastating.
Those of you who have been there understand.
 This is what goes into 300 Back Packs.  Burlington Together, a group that is steered by Beth Martin Snooker, pulled together a group earlier today and packed supplies into 300 Back Packs – no small feat.
Snooker ensured that mentions are made and sponsors recognized.
“A HUGE thank you to everyone who volunteered at St. Christopher’s this week and at the backpack program today. We prepped over 300 backpacks to help kids be ready for heading back to school! Thank you also to everyone who donated backpacks, school supplies, sanitizer, masks, toys and general good vibes!
“MASSIVE thanks to community partners Open Doors of St. Christopher’s, Food4Kids Halton and Compassion Society of Halton.” A special shout out to Mike McMillan for his donation of over 70 hand sanitizers this afternoon! And a huge thank you to Bill Leggitt and the Rotary Club of Burlington North who gave us a very generous donation which we used to fill the gaps in needed items.
 These are the ‘packers’ – some spent most of the day getting the job done. “Thanks to Corrine Batchelor for the donations of toys and games for the JK/SK/Gr1 bags. And thanks to Lisa Kearns for the donation of 300 masks and for stopping by with delicious treats for the volunteers.
“Thank you to Wellington Square United Church and Burlington Food Bank for sharing your backpack donations with us. Thank you to the Women’s Giving Network for the amazing hygiene kits. Thank you to Umicore Autocat Canada and RCAP Leasing for very generous donations of Walmart gift cards, backpacks and supplies. Thank you to Staples Canada store #14 for your donations of backpacks and supplies!
“Special shout outs to Christina Mulder for rocking this program, Julie Lansley who helped us ALL DAY today, volunteers Nick, Andrea & Danny, Adria, Melanie, Jess, Christine, Lisa D, Jackie B (all day!!), Lisa F, Marie, Gwen, Carmela, Sandi, Judy, Sandra, Michelle, Charlene, and Nick. I’m so sorry if I’ve missed you, it was a long day!
“As usual, NONE of this could have been accomplished without YOU, so my eternal thanks for your community generosity.”
By Staff
September 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The furniture has been loaded on the moving truck and you are on the way to your new residence.
The men driving the moving truck pull into a gas station – you are following the truck.
They tell you that it is going to take an additional $2000 to complete the job – the movers had already been given a cash deposit.
The customer didn’t like the look or feel on what was taking place and called the police.
 Police unloaded the furniture and household items from a van that was suspected of being used in a moving scam. A very grateful citizen. Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) officers attended a gas station for what is now being investigated as a moving company scam.
Police officers emptied the moving truck and helped the victim get their possessions to their new home.
A criminal investigation is still ongoing into this occurrence and charges are expected.
The HRPS is investigating similar style scams that may have taken place throughout the region. If you believe you may have been a victim of a moving scam within Halton please contact Constable Sarah McCullagh at sarah.mccullagh@haltonpolice.ca or call 905-825-4747 ext. 2405.
 Do the Regional Police now have a new unit – The Ace Moving company? Great public service on the part of police detachment. Police would also like to offer the following tips to residents looking at hiring a moving company:
• Do your research (search the company online). Look for reviews from customers and/ or a website. Be wary of a company that has no online presence.
• Where is the moving company coming from? A company travelling from another province to complete the move is suspicious. Also be suspicious if the company is using a rental truck with out of province licence plates.
• Read your contract prior to signing.
By Staff
September 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Deciding to send your children back to school has been an anxious exercise for most parents.
 Deciding what is right for your child – and changing your mind later. It has been a challenge for school board staff who have to figure out how many students will be taught in a classroom and how many will be taught virtually.
Will there be split classes – possibly was what trustees learned earlier this week. They were assured that there would not be any three different grades in a single classroom.
Where is the wiggle room for parents who have not yet made up their minds or who want to change their minds.
Parents can change their minds: The last day to switch between in-person and virtual learning is Tuesday, September 8. You must call the school and advise the principal.
Every school goes through a bit of a re-organization during the second half of September – there is sometimes a need to move students around to balance the load.
The opportunity to change a delivery model (i.e., in-person, virtual) will be: November 30 or end of Term 1 (mid-February).
For Secondary students (Grade 9 – 12) the time to change delivery model (i.e., in person, virtual) will be aligned with the end of quadmesters: November 12 or February 5.
School office staff will follow up with every family who has not completed the survey as the survey requires parents/guardians to complete the Self-Assessment Acknowledgement form (part of the survey).
 By Pepper Parr
September 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board Elementary students will get to do a dry run on returning to school next week – the “letting students experience” a return to classroom takes place on Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th.
Those students with family names that begin with A through to those whose family name begins with L will go to their school on Thursday the 10th.
 The Halton District School Board has a secure supply of PPE They will be met at the school door, have their hands sanitized and get a face mask test to ensure the thing is being worn correctly.
Then they are taken to their class and given instruction on how school will operate for the foreseeable future.
Parents will not be allowed to enter the school.
On Friday, those students with family names that begin with M through to the end of the alphabet, will go through the same routine.
There will be no curriculum taught on those days.
Nor will there be school bus service to the schools.
Director of Education Stuart Miller asked parents to be patient and careful as they approach the school entrance.
 Classroom spacing will be different. No passing notes from desk to desk. The focus will be to teach them the importance of staying within their cohort and “exposing them to the new reality”.
The Board is working at making video material available to parents so they can prep their children for these introductory sessions.
 Teachers are encouraged to get students outside as much as possible and to ensure that they stay within their cohort. There will be washroom rules, recess rules, lunch rules and exercise outdoors rules.
Walking around the school will not be what it was when they left school in March. There will be direction markers along the hallways.
Intent to Return Survey
Parents/guardians (and students 18+) were asked to complete the Intent to Return survey by Aug. 23. If you have not completed the survey, or if you have completed the survey and would like to change your response(s), please contact the main office at your child’s school. The last day to switch between in-person and virtual learning is Tuesday, Sept. 8.
By Staff
September 1st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
They are referred to as service organizations. Lions, Optimists, Rotary – and several others.
They are clubs whose membership gets together to do things for the community they live in. Some are international organizations.
Burlington has four different Rotary clubs.
Twenty five years ago John Thorpe and Bob Penning came up with the idea of bringing a Rib Fest to Burlington. The two had seen several in the United States and thought it might work in Burlington.
The growth of the Rib Fest was phenomenal – there are now Rib Fests across the country – but there is only one CLR – that stands for Canada’s Largest Rib Fest – and large it is.
When Covid-19 knocked everything off the calendar – Thorpe and Pennington kept hoping that the province would open things up in time for them to hold their 25th annual event.
“When we learned that CNE was cancelled we were toast – we had to put away all the hopes” said Thorpe.
These two don’t give up very easily. They came up with the idea of holding a smaller event – made it a Drive-Thru and convinced the people at Burlington Centre to let them use the parking lot for Canada Day.
If you looked around there was still some sitting room. The weather was close to perfect and the music was good – great way to bring a summer to a close – that was in 2017 Close to 3,000 cars later and a lot of cash in hand – they didn’t rest on their laurels – they wondered – could they do it again on Labour Day.
They can and they are going to.
The Rotary promotional people got into gear and everyone had something to say.
The public is invited to stop by the Burlington Centre parking lot, at 777 Guelph Line from 10am to 7pm to experience the fun and flavour of Canada’s Largest Ribfest in a safe, socially-distant way.
Looks like an obstacle course – it’s the only way to get great ribs on Labour Day. “We are excited to keep our Labour Day tradition of delivering delicious ribs & fantastic entertainment live during these challenging times” says Brent Paszt, a Past President of Rotary Burlington Lakeshore, and Co-Chair of Canada’s Largest Ribfest. “While the event may look different from what we are all used to seeing, you can still expect award-winning BBQ Teams to be on hand serving the ribs, pulled pork, and chicken that guests have come to expect from Ribfest” added Jay Bridle, Canada’s Largest Ribfest Co-Chair.
“Canceling our annual long weekend event that attracts upwards of 175,000 guests was a huge disappointment and really impacted our ability to support those charities and individuals who need it most, now more than ever” says Rotary Burlington Lakeshore President, Jay Thomblison; “Proceeds from this event, along with those generated from our successful inaugural Canada Day Drive-Thru, will enable us to continue that support”.
 John Thorpe and Bob Penning – brought the Rib Fest to Burlington 24 years ago – this was to be the 25th anniversary. Guests are asked to enter Burlington Centre from the Fairview Street entrance and to remain in their vehicles for the duration of their visit. Food vendors will take orders and payment (cards preferred) and will deliver each completed order to your vehicle. Gloves and masks will be worn by all staff, vendors, and volunteers.
The four award-winning rib teams in attendance will include Camp 31 BBQ, Billy Bones BBQ, Pistol Pete’s Smokehouse, and Silver Bullet BBQ. There will also be food offerings from East Side Mario’s and Blaze Pizza, Twisted Tomato, Tiny Tom Donuts, and Ontario Corn Roasters, ensuring that there’s something for the entire family. The event will also include live music for guests to enjoy while they wait in the comfort and safety of their vehicles.
Over the course of 24 years, Canada’s Largest Ribfest, a fundraising initiative of Rotary Burlington Lakeshore, has raised over $4.5 million for local, national, and international charities.
Where does all that money go? Rotary has a scholarship program that really helps a lot of graduating high school students get to college or university.
And the community sees a lot of that money work its way into the small organizations that makes Burlington the city it is.
 Some of the organizations in Burlington that have received financial support from the Lakeshore Rotary.
By Pepper Parr
September 3rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Wednesday evening the Halton District School Board met – it was another long meeting.
 The number of students in the elementary classes is low – not the 15 many parents would like but nowhere near the 30 that was feared. The fear that the school board would be jamming as many as 30 children into the elementary classes is unfounded
There are 244 kindergarten classes in the Halton Region. The regular class size in the past has been as many as 29 students. The average for the kindergarten classes starting September 14th will be 20 students.
In the primary grades 1 to 3 there are 450 classes in the Region. 90% of those classes must be capped at 20. There are 16 classesthat have more than 20 students.. The average is 18 ½ in each class.
The Junior Intermediate level there are 809 classes in the Region. The Board is funded for 24 ½ students. The average for the Junior Intermediate is 22.6
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