 By Staff
April 13, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
A reported sexual assault which occurred in Burlington on March 21st, 2017 is being investigated by the Halton Regional Police Service.
A 16 year old male was walking in the area of Palmer Drive and Bentworth Drive between 11:30pm and midnight when he approached a stopped vehicle. The victim was forced inside the vehicle by a male suspect where he was sexually assaulted by two males. The victim was eventually released a short distance away near Michael Crescent.
 Sexual assault reported to have taken place on the Palmer Drive community. The suspect vehicle is described as a black utility van with tinted front windows bearing a blue and yellow licence plate.
Suspect #1 is described as male, possibly Hispanic, 6’ 1”, heavy set build, wearing a black shirt, mask and a hood.
Suspect #2 is male, possibly Hispanic, 5’ 11”, wearing a black shirt, black mask and a hood.
There have been no other reported incidents involving these suspects to date.
A time delay in reporting the initial incident was encountered and police would like to warn the public to be vigilant with their safety and report any suspicious incidents to police immediately.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding this or similar incidents to contact Detective Rob Todd of the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit at 905-465-8975. Crime Stoppers
“See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web
 By Pepper Parr
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There are going to be two evenings set aside for delegations to the school board on the matter of the Program Accommodation Review the board is currently conducting.
The plan is to hear 25 delegations each evening with the delegator given five minutes to make their case. Five minutes are allocated for the trustees to ask questions or seek clarification.
Dates and times for both registering to be a delegation and dates on which people will be heard have been published.
At a Parent-school committee meeting at Lester B. Pearson high school earlier in the week there was considerable confusion as to just what the process was going to be for the allocation of the delegation slots.
 Parents at a Lester B. Pearson high school – parent school meeting. The selection of the delegations is not being done on a “first come – first served” basis.
All the delegation applications are given to a staff member who prepares a list which is then given to the Chair who will determine who speaks and when they speak.
The concern at the Board staff level is that people provide enough information so that the selection of delegations is based on information. If your application to delegate is not clear – expect a phone call from the Board staff member handling the documents. The Board staff are asking delegation applicants to be as detailed as they can.
 The eleven school board trustees will make the final decision on whether or not a high school(s) is to be closed and if yes – which one(s). There has been a view that the Board might want to limit delegations from one of the high schools. The staff member handling the applications is just shuffling paper and passing it on to the Chair of the school board. The staff member would like to ensure that what she passes on has some detail so that the chair can make fair decisions.
There are going to be literally hundreds of parents who will want to delegate and plead with the trustees to not close the school that every member of the family for several generations has attended and that they all love dearly.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller listening to high school students. While such a delegation may make the person speaking feel all fuzzy and warm – it will do little to inform the trustees or the Director of Education.
There are many voices in the community that do not trust the Board of Education to be fair in the allocation of the 50 slots. It is not the Board staff that will be determining who gets to speak – it will be the trustees you elected.
The Gazette has been given to believe that if there are far too many delegation requests to be heard in the two evenings that have been set aside – additional time might be made available.
The desire, as explained to the Gazette, is to give people a chance to make their case so that the Director of Education can make a recommendation that includes what he hears at the delegation meetings and can arrive at a recommendation that includes the views of the parents.
The trustees need to hear viewpoints that are more than an emotional plea.
In fairness to the schools that are under threat of being closed it is vital that they be given an opportunity to delegate fully. One would think that the trustees would look for a way to ensure that each of the four high schools: Central; Bateman; Nelson and Pearson could be guaranteed a minimum number of delegation slots to make their case with the trustees.
And the allocation of those guaranteed slots should be assigned by the members of the The PAR committee who have worked very hard and know the case that is being made for their school extremely well – the Chair must ensure that they be guaranteed time to speak and not be squeezed out by the running of a clock.
There are some fundamental principles of fairness in play here and the trustees need to be extremely sensitive to the anxiousness in their communities.
 Board of Education Chair Kelly Amos: lead in a fair and impartial manner. The Chair of the Board needs to show some leadership and assure the community that they know they were elected to lead and then to do so in a fair and impartial manner.
This is the time for those people deeply concerned about what happens to ensure that the trustees know what you expect of them.
If the trustees fail to more than adequately meet the needs of the parents who have something to say – there will be an opportunity for the voters to show their appreciation in the June 2018 election.
 By Staff
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
City Hall: Will be closed on Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17, 2017, reopening on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.
 Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities: Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities: Activities and customer service hours at city pools, arenas and community centres will vary over the holiday weekend. Please visit burlington.ca/play for a complete listing of program times and burlington.ca/servicehours for hours at customer service locations.
Burlington Transit and Handi-Van: On Friday, April 14, Burlington Transit will operate a holiday service and the downtown Transit Terminal will be closed. Regular service resumes Saturday, April 15. The administration offices are closed on Friday, April 14 and will reopen Tuesday, April 18. Call 905-639-0550 or visit burlingtontransit.ca for more information.
Roads and Parks Maintenance: The administrative office will be closed on Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17, reopening on Tuesday, April 18. Only emergency service will be provided.
Halton Court Services: Provincial Offences Courts in Milton and Burlington will be closed Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17.
 Parking: Free parking is available in the downtown core at all pay machines located on the street, municipal lots and the parking garage on weekends and holidays.
By Staff
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
An investigation that started in 2015 has resulted in a number of criminal charges being laid by the Halton Regional Police – Regional Fraud Unit (HRPS-RFU) against a former Region of Halton employee.
It is alleged the 17 year former employee defrauded the Region of Halton of approximately $770,000 since 2008 by fraudulently administering /awarding Region contracts to a Hamilton based company named Sirron Systems Inc.
The HRPS-RFU became aware of Nicolas REWA’s fraud after the arrest in August 2016 of another former employee, David OHASHI, who was charged with similar offences.
HRPS – RFU have arrested and charged in relation to this incident:
• Nicolas REWA, 55 years, Mississauga, (Halton Region – Public Works Manager) is charged with 2 counts of Fraud over $5000, 2 counts Municipal Corruption, 2 counts Secret Commissions, 1 counts Laundering proceeds of crime, and 1 count of Property obtained by Crime,
• Marion REWA, 45 years, Mississauga, (wife of Nicolas Rewa) is charged with 1 count of Fraud over $5000, and 1 count of Possession of property obtained by crime,
• David NORRIS, 52 years, Stoney Creek, (Sirron Systems Inc. employee) is charged with 2 counts of Fraud over $5000, 2 counts Municipal Corruption, 2 counts Secret Commissions, 1 counts Laundering proceeds of crime, and 1 count of Property obtained by Crime.
The accused are scheduled to appear in Milton Provincial Court on Tuesday May 9th, 2017.
Anyone who may have information about this investigation is being asked to call investigators at the Regional Fraud Unit at 905-825-4747 ext 8739. Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip 201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
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 By Pepper Parr
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We were unable to cover the Open House the city held at the new Go Bold offices that have been set up for the planners that are doing the big think on the four mobility hubs that have become the hot new buzz words at city hall. Mobility hubs seems to have replaced intensification.
 The downtown hub is the first of the four that is going to get the “community engagement” treatment. Earlier in the week the city’s communications people set up a conference call that allowed us to exchange views with Mary Lou Tanner, Director of Planning.
The Gazette had a very poor connection – not sure if the problem was on our end or theirs – but it was difficult to have an in depth conversation with Tanner, who is usually quite willing to explain and put forward the reasons for the decisions made and the work being done by her department.
What we did learn was that the mobility hub intention is for people to be able to walk within the defined area of each mobility hub – and that the longest walking distance would be around a mile in length.
Ann McIlroy and Associates are on a three year contract to work with the Go Bold mobility hub team. The McIlroy team have done a lot of work with and for Burlington in the past. One of the more recent assignments was the detailed planning for the new Beachway Park. A lot of the very early design work was done by McIlroy.
 Much of the original design work for the Beachway Park concepts was done by Ann McIlroy and Associates – they are advising the city on the mobility hub thinking. Tanner described mobility hubs as a “higher order of transit” and said there was some science behind this kind of transportation thinking. The intention was to have “area specific plans” for each of the mobility hubs with the downtown hub being the first to get attention from the planners and the Grow Bold team.
The first meeting, the one that took place Wednesday evening, was intended to introduce people to the concept. A colleague of ours, comes out of the real estate sector, described the event as “underwhelming”
“I went to the Mobility Hub Open House. Just a few maps up on display and an “ask” for emails addresses so we could be kept informed. Lots of treats (cakes and candy) and coffee.”
There is another meeting scheduled for June 2nd that will focus on that downtown mobility hub with additional meetings to follow in the fall. Each of the hubs is to get this multi-meeting community engagement touch.
 The public was heavily involved in community engagement meetings where people poured over plans for a proposal the city had encouraged for the east end Lakeside Village Plaza. When the community engagement and the deep thinking is complete a report will go to city council where the Planner will ask for directions.
The approach for the Official Plan, which also comes out of the Planning department, where Andrea Smith, Manager of Policy and Research has been focused on getting the new Official Plan ready for the public. Smith spent years working on a revision of the old Official Plan. When Mary Lou Tanner was appointed the new Director of Planning she decided to press the reset button, take a pause and ask if the old Official Plan was worth a revision.
 The Escarpment is basically out of bounds from a planning perspective – except for some growth in the hamlets – Kilbride and Lowville. Tanner apparently decided that a totally new plan was needed – and that is what the city is now looking at.
The draft Official Plan that is being reviewed now is meant to align with the Strategic Plan; the approach being that the Official Plan is expected to create rules and regulations for developers to have a clear idea of what the city want to get done on the next 20 years. At this point we know that we are to grow up and not out – and that all this has to be done within the urban boundary. The Escarpment is out of bounds.
There are going to be three months of discussion and community engagement with perhaps ward specific meetings.
Municipal politics is like any other form of government – new brooms can be brought in and the Strategic Plan scrapped – the planners then have to tinker with and revise the Official Plan – an action that drives people in this city bananas.
By Staff
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was the kind of Spring weather we have all been looking for somewhere. The picture we picked up from a staffer in the Burlington office of our Member of Parliament Karina Gould tells us that there was enough sunshine to coax a bloom to take a chance and come out.
 Sunny ways! We don’t know where this brave tree decide to show us her stuff (all trees that bloom are female just like all ships are female) but seeing those blooms tells us that, in the words uttered by our Prime Minister there are “sunny ways ahead”.
Justin Trudeau borrow them from Sir Wilfred Laurier.
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 The third annual Bfast Forum had its highest attendance ever. Just the one city Councillor plus the Mayor bothered to attend. The Gazette met with Collin Gribbons and Doug Brown to talk about what got achieved during the Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit (Bfast) event recently.
The event was the third Open Forum held on transit and recorded the highest attendance ever. “But have they gotten anything done” asked one commentator.
Good question and both Brown and Gribbons had much to say.
“First” said Brown, “is that the transit people were in the room. We have never been able to get them into the room and say something to the audience.”
The issue about transit has always been about funding – more money has to be put into transit to increase the level of service; to add additional services and to begin to come to the realization that transit is a serious part of every urban city, said Brown.
Everyone thinks that means adding to the tax base explained Brown. There is all kinds of money going into transportation and road maintenance. We have situations said Brown where some maintenance work is being done on a cul de sac that gets less traffic than my driveway.
 Ridership has fallen – due, according to Doug Brown, to the changes in the schedules and the level of service. Anyone attending the April Form on transit would have needed two hours to get from the north east part of the city to the library on New Street where the event was held,  Burlington has not adequately funded transit for close to a decade.  On almost every metric Burlington fails. Burlington has been consistent in always being lower than comparative municipalities in terms of how much it sends on transit.
Doug Brown has tried his best to explain to city council how much damage they do to transit when they change schedules or kill a transit route. It takes years for people to return to a service that gets arbitrarily changed.
What irks the Bfast people the most is that city council talks of modal splits and includes transit in that split but then fails to fund it adequately.
When given an opportunity to try to some changes on a pilot basis – city council finds a way to get out of trying anything different.
Advocating fr better transit is a disappointing task – that the Bfast people keep at it is a testament to their tenacity. These people are volunteers – many of them know more about transit than people at city hall – yet they continually fail to get the hearing they deserve.
There has been a small improvement – the city manager is now at least meeting with them.
The city does maintain an asset status system that sets out the condition of every street in the city including when it is due to have some work done on it.
It is that list which is used to determine how far behind the city is in keeping the roads up to a pre-determined standard. City council just has to give the Director of Transportation a Staff Direction – cut back on road maintenance by a specific percentage because we are moving those dollars into transit.
It is really that simple.
  What isn’t as simple if finding the political will to do that. Phone calls to a Councillor from a large house in that cul de sac has more weight than a call from a single parents who has trouble getting to work because the bus schedule was changed.
 Collin Gribbons, a Toronto transplant who was stunned when he found that he really couldn’t get around the city without a car. That’s not part of the story the city tells when they use the tag line: Burlington is one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive in all their media releases. They seem to believe that if they say it often enough it will become true. Bfast as a grass roots organization has grown. Collin Gribbons, a Toronto transplant who used public transit everywhere he went in that city, was a little stunned when he realized how limited public transit is in Burlington. He got involved in Bfast.
His background is in communications within the union sector – work he said he can do from almost anywhere. He moved to Burlington with his family to be closer to his wife’s Mother.
The Gribbons approach to community organizing is to create coalitions that can collaborate to achieve an objective.
The car drivers have a voice – listen to the complaints about the road diet that is being played around with on New Street Gribbons suggested.
His approach is to create coalitions of people who don’t have a voice and join them together to take a case forward to city council – that is where the change is going to get made.
Doug Brown has been toiling away at doing just that for years. When Bfast was formed they began to invite speakers to Burlington to talk about transit issues. “We were never able to get anyone from city hall or the transit service to attend these events. It was almost as if they didn’t want to hear ideas from leading transit thinkers, said Brown.
He will have some difficulty pulling the Burlington city council into that circle where they coordinate and collaborate.
 If Gribbons is right and he can succeed in creating a coalition that is large enough to offset the impact of those who believe that God gave them the right to drive their cars to wherever they want to go the Bfast people might manage to bring about some change in the way transit is funded.
The city -will spend $24,785,000 on roads in 2017 – the budget for 2018 is projected at $32,065,000 and in 2019 they want to pump $45,428,000 into roads. Council consistently argues that they are years behind on keeping the roads up to the expected standard.
The transit people would like to see some of that roads maintenance money sent their way. Brown thinks that about $6 million would solve a lot of the transit problems.
Burlington Transit is currently without a Director. Jeff Black serves as the Acting Director. He is one of the staff at transit that is worth keeping an eye on.
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They are relentless.
Millions, tens of millions of email like the one below get sent out to lists of email addresses.
When you get one – read the address it came from very very carefully – they are all false, phony messages sent to you in the hope that you just might click on the message.
 Read the address this phony email came from. The name between the < > is the sender – not the Royal Bank. If you don’t recognize the name of the sender – don’t open the email. When you do that they have got a bit of a hook in you and they will slowly try and reel you in to the point where they have enough information to begin stealing your money.
The recipient of this message does not have an account with the Royal Bank
Dear (name erased to protect the recipient)
 When these computer hackers get enough information from you – they can access your bank account and remove funds. During our usual security enhancement protocol, we observed a payment was placed on pending status due to the recent upgrade in our database. In order to receive this payment you are required to verify your account from our secure verification link.
To Receive payment kindly click :
Log on to www.royalbank.com/cgi-bin/rbaccess/rbunxcgi
Remember,RBC Royal Bank is committed to your security and protection. To find out more, take a look at our
Information Security section under Privacy and Security on the Web site.
© Royal Bank of Canada Website, © 1995-2017 All rights reserved.
Banks in Canada do not use email to advise you of any problems with your account.
 By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
REVISED and CORRECTED
It was a regular Parent School Council meeting at Lester B, Pearson high school where principal Loraine Fedurco was taking the audience through what had been happening at the Board of Education where Staff had put forward a recommendation that, if voted for by the trustees, could result in the closing of the school in June of 2018.
Lester B. Pearson high school, named after a former Prime Minister, is the newest of the four high schools that are named in the five options on closure choices that will go before the trustees later this month. It is also the smallest high school in Burlington. One of the five options is to not close any of the high schools in the city.
 Ward 4 trustee Richelle Papin The School Board trustee Richelle Papin was in attendance – they gave her a rough ride.
 George Ward George Ward, a resident was blunt and direct – are you going to vote to keep this school open – Yes or No.
Papin didn’t give a yes or a no answer – she said she wanted to wait until she had all the evidence.
Ward asked again – he asked a total of five times but never got a direct answer
Papin said she wanted to hear what the delegations had to say and she wanted to read what the Director of Education had to say in his report that will be released April 21st.
Unfortunately for Papin she didn’t have an answer ready for the audience. Their question – are you going to support us – was one that had to be expected.
The difficulty for Papin is that she is also the trustee for Nelson high school and there is amongst the five options now before the Director of Education a recommendation that Nelson be closed.
 Trustee Papin in a tough spot – two of the four schools that have been named for possible closure are in her ward. Papin is in the very uncomfortable position of having two schools in her ward that could be closed. Tough spot to be in.
This is Papin’s first term as a trustee – it may well be her last. It all depends on what the Director of Education puts forward.
 By Staff
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The elevator at the Waterfront Parking Garage at 414 Locust St. is out of service until further notice.
 Until further notice doesn’t sound very promising. The picture is dated – there is a new graphic on the building.
 By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Work begins on Spencer Smith Park Promenade improvements
The Gazebo we knew and loved is gone – replaced by something that looks like it came out of an assemble-it-yourself kit. I suppose we will get used to it.
 It was small, in-accessible but it had character. The tree trunk stumps that were once magnificent willow tress that were planted by the man for whom the park was named after. Even the trunks were removed. The willow trees went with it. All part of improvements being made to Spencer Smith Park and the beginning of the implementation of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan, which includes both Spencer Smith and Beachway Parks,
 The new gazebo – bigger – hard to say it is better. The work is being done in two phases – the first was the upgraded gazebo at a new location; hard-surfaced walkway, pedestrian lighting and benches, tree and perennial planting then grading and drainage improvements.
The location of the old Gazebo was in a bit of a bowl of land that did have poor drainage.
Phase 2 will see a re-surfacing on the promenade, a new shade structure at the cobble beach and concrete surfacing at the seating nodes.
The promenade surface replacement with new asphalt will upgrade the surface to an accessible pathway that is smooth, durable and suitable for walking, cycling and use by mobility devices, such as wheelchairs.
A dashed centre line will be painted down the centre, which is the current industry standard for a multi-use path, to provide separation based on the direction of travel. This is the same principle as driving on the road where you keep to the right and allow faster traffic to pass on the left.
So much for a pleasant stroll.
 The new shade structure is at that point where Spencer Smith Park becomes the Beachway; once a community of more than 200 homes, many of which would not meet the building code today. Spencer Smith Park will stay open during the construction, with sections of the promenade closed from April to December 2017. The closures will happen in phases to allow annual major festivals and events, such as the Sound of Music Festival and Canada’s Largest Ribfest, to use the park to host their events.
The Regional government is part of the planning and design work for a project that was very controversial because it eventually leads to the destruction of all the homes currently in the Beachway Park.
 The first public showing of the plans for the Beachway that will change the way the public uses the park. While the long term plan to re-develop the Beachway Park is grand and involves many stages it brings to an end a part of the city that once defined a large part of the Burlington character. There are no plans to keep any of the housing or to leave any sense of the city’s heritage.
The price of progress!
By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There are six flag poles outside city hall. We aware of them, especially when they are at half-staff – we wonder who died.
The city frequently uses the lead pole – the one closest to city hall, when it wants to raise a “special Interest” flag. The Rainbow flag is an example.
 City hall with its six flag poles. Last week the Mayor raised the autism flag. People tend to either shrug or think “that’s nice” and move on if they happen to see a special interest flag.
For the families that have children whose health is somewhere on the autism spectrum the raising of that flag is much more than a passing event.
It is the community’s acceptance that an acknowledgement has been made and that there is some level of acceptance and understanding.
 Coincidentally, last week – maybe a little longer than that – Sesame Street introduce “Julia” a child with autism to the program. The creation of this character and her introduction to the program was five years in the making.
But there she is – very real in the minds of young children. It is hard to explain how the parents of autistic children feel about this change in a social norm.
A year or so ago, a group of parents with older – more than 18 years of age – family members met in a day long workshop at ThinkSpot in Lowville to think through an approach they wanted to make to the provincial government about the care and welfare of their children.
For these parents there is a terrible, dreadful fear over who will care for their autistic children. They worry about who will take care of their children when they are no longer able to do so. They have special needs that are not provided once they are past the age of 18.
“They just get dumped” was the way one parent put it. Out of that workshop came an application for a Trillium grant that allowed the creation of a plan for a different approach to the care of older autistic people.
That flag going up a pole at city hall in Burlington was more than a simple flag raising occasion – it was a sign and an acceptance that change was needed and that change was taking place.
Who would have thought that Julia, an autistic child, would become a main character on a hugely popular children’s television program.
Raise more than a flag to that step forward.
 By Staff
April 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington artists and cultural groups from all disciplines that would like to perform at one of the Doors Open Burlington sites on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are invited to submit a proposal for consideration by May 12, 2017.
The events may include, but are not limited to: craft, dance, literary arts-spoken word, media arts-film, music, theatre, visual arts and performance art.
Doors Open sites.
Artists and performers must be Burlington-based. An honorarium will be provided for each selected proposal.
Doors Open Burlington is part of the eighth annual Culture Days weekend which will take place Sept. 29 to Doors Open is a program of Ontario Heritage Trust.
The event will promote free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate behind the scenes to discover the world of artists, performers, historians, architects, curators, designers and other creative individuals in Burlington.
For more information about Doors Open Burlington, Culture Days and the proposal, please visit contact Adam Belovari at 905-335-7600, ext. 7335.
Previous Doors Open events have disappointed. The Historical Society mounted a sad looking collection of four large photographs put up on stands outside the Tourism office.
The Friends of Freeman Station fully understood what Doors Open was all about and they had both a display and people who would talk your ear off if you let them.
A list of the events taking place at various locations will get released later on in the season. We’ve not yet gotten used to the idea that winter is over and that Spring is here.
 By Pepper Parr
April 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The public gets to see what the newly formed Arts and Cultural Council of Burlington (ACCOB) wants to look like and what they would like to achieve.
The Board of the organization announced that the organization will be formally launched at a free public event at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday April 18th, 2017 at 5:30pm.
The Arts and Culture Council is a private initiative formed by the arts community; it has been a long time in development. In 2013 Trevor Copp appeared before city council saying he wanted to be able to work in the city he lived in. Council agreed with him – and that was when the ball began to roll.
 The cultural community wanted to be in on the ground floor of any decision making – they made their voices heard – then waited to see if city council will fund culture in a meaningful way. That was in 2013. Sometime after that a number of Burlington artists came together to form the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington (ACCOB), in an effort to provide support for the many artists and artistic organizations that call Burlington home. This first ACCOB grew to include over 600 members on its Facebook page.
It became clear to the group that a more formal organization should be created; that resulted in the creation of a not-for-profit corporation.
 Robert Missen with his Hall of Fame award, Former Performing Arts Centre president Suzanne Haines on the left and PAC chair Ilene Elkaim on the right. Robert Missen, the 2016 recipient of the Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame award, said ACCOB joins the community of arts councils that has existed across Canada for many years. “The fact that it has taken some time to make this happen has meant that our Council is unique in Canada in representing the concerns of the various multicultural communities in our city.”
“ACCOB invites all artists and all Burlingtonians that are passionate about arts and culture to gather in the Lobby of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday April 18. Representatives of the ACCOB Board of Directors will provide a brief introduction to the organization and it’s Board. They will outline some of the initiatives they plan to undertake over the next few years, services they plan to provide to the city’s artists and artistic and cultural organizations, and benefits that will accrue to members of the organization. Attendees will be encouraged to become members of the organization.” No mention was made of any membership fee.
The occasion will include brief performances featuring several city performers. These include singer-songwriter Andy Griffiths, violin prodigy Yoanna Jang and the children’s choir Enchorus, conducted by Catherine Richardson. Hors d-oeuvres will be served, catered by Ampersand, and there will be a cash bar.
BURLINGTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE LOBBY; TUESDAY APRIL 18TH, 2018 5:30-7:00pm
With decent wine swilled to augment the swallowing of those hors d-oeuvres – then what?
 City Culture manager Angela Papariza chats up Trevor Copp during the unveiling of the Spiral Stella outside the Performing Arts Centre. Part of the mandate will be to influence city council and where it puts the several million dollars that go into the operation of the Art Gallery, the Performing Arts Centre and the museums along with the money being pumped into public art.
Chances of getting new money into the city’s budget might be a bit of a stretch – but there is an election in 2018 and that usually tends to loosen the purse strings.
 The Artists Collective was very clear – they wanted the Parks. It has taken more than four years to get to the point where the arts community has its own formal organization – now they have to fund it. Arts and culture have always had a hard time finding place where real roots can be put down. Thy were always stuffed into Parks and Recreation where things just didn’t work out. Splash pads and swimming pools dominated.
Former city manager Jeff Fielding found a way to keep the cultural manager on staff and former General Manager Scott Stewart had that role reporting to a General Manager.
When Mary Lou Tanner was made the Director of Planning she brought Culture into her department where it has at least been kept alive.
Quite how the Manager of Culture will fit into ACCOB is something that only time will tell – they will want funding the Culture manager will want to keep.
By Pepper Parr
April 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
City council has decided that growth and development is, to a large degree, going to be centered around Mobility hubs and they want you to help them do that work.
 Four mobility hubs – expected to be the preferred locations for future commercial growth and development. There are two meetings taking place.
The city has invited the public into their new Locust Street Grow Bold offices on April 12th. “Individuals interested in learning more about the Mobility Hubs studies are welcome to drop by to meet the city staff working on the Mobility Hubs studies and to ask questions. Refreshments will be provided along with fun activities and games.”
Takes place on Wednesday, April 12 – 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Mobility Hubs Office, 1455 Lakeshore Rd., Unit 7 (across the street from the ESSO gas station)
 Mary Lou Tanner, Director of Planning and Building for the city. Mary Lou Tanner, Chief Planner and Director of Planning and Building explains the purpose of the meeting: “The city needs to hear from the entire community about what they love and value in their downtown so that we can create a long-term vision that continues to make downtown Burlington a great place to live, work, shop and play.
“There is a lot of interest in our downtown from developers. As our city grows, we will receive more and more requests for new buildings of all sizes. With input from the community, the land-use policies created through the Downtown Mobility Hub study will help ensure we have the type of growth in our downtown that we want.”
Once approved, the policies created through Burlington’s Downtown Mobility Hub study will be adopted as part of the city’s new Official Plan.
The offices on Locust Street are not that large – if the weather is good the overflow can spill out onto the side walk cafes on Lakeshore.
 Home to the people who are going to focus on our growth. On April 20th, city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward will return to her Downtown Visioning project and focus on mobility hubs and the role they play. This meeting takes place at Burlington Lions Club Hall, 471 Pearl St., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Halton Region is anticipated to grow from 530,000 to one million people by 2041. The Province of Ontario’s provincial growth plan, Places to Grow, mandates the City of Burlington plan for a population of 193,000 by 2031.
Just what are mobility hubs? There is a general idea but specifics and details are far from being worked out. The prime objective will be to find ways to move all these people around efficiently.
To get this worked out in the next 18 months is a challenge and include it in the Official Plan
A number of years ago Burlington Transit decided they would shut down the small terminal office on John Street where people were able to buy bus tickets and update their Presto cards. That idea didn’t last very long – what was stunning to many who know something about transit was that the idea actually got to a city council meeting.
 John Street transit station was at one point thought to be past its Best Before date. Clearer minds looked at the property again and decided it could get an upgrade to the status of a mobility hub. What the city has done is set out where the mobility hubs are to be located and have produced a draft Official Plan that focuses on the four locations.
Mobility Hubs locations are around the city’s three GO stations, Aldershot, Appleby and Burlington, and the downtown bus terminal; this is where new growth and development over the next 20 years is to take place.
The city plans to hoist a number of engagement opportunities over the next 18 months to gather input from residents and businesses about how they’d like to see these areas grow and change in the future.
By Pepper Parr
April 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The battle lines are being drawn.
Homes in the downtown core got a mail drop recently setting out where Progressive Conservative candidate Jane McKenna stands on the issue of closing high schools in the city.
 Side 1of a flyer dropped off at homes in Burlington.  Side 2 of a flyer dropped off at homes in Burlington. City hall may have been reluctant to get involved but the smell of blood in the water has Jane McKenna focusing her efforts on turning minds in ward 2.
The facts need not bother getting in the way – there is an opportunity to exploit and it doesn’t appear it is going to be missed.
There was a debate in the provincial legislature and the Liberal party did vote to take no action at this point in time.
 Ward 2 city Councillor Meed Ward who is a member of the Program Accommodation Review Committee took part in a media event at Queen’s Park with Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown. Meed Ward has always identified herself at a Liberal in the past. PC leader Pat Brown held a media event the day of that vote with Burlington’s ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward at the microphone appealing to the provincial Liberals to do something about the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) taking place in the city.
Meed Ward and most of the parents involved in the school closing issue believe that the PAR process being used is badly flawed and that the quality of the information the school board is feeding the public is both not reliable and subject to frequent changes.
The Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) has completed its work and the matter is now in the hands of Board staff who are pulling together the numerous documents that Director of Education Stuart Miller will use in preparing the report he will deliver to the trustees and the public on April 21st.
We are going through a bit of a quiet time while that report goes through what will probably be several drafts before it is placed in the hands of the trustees and the public on April 21st at 6:00 pm; a Friday on the Board of Education’s web site.
All the senior people at the board will have quietly driven out of the Board parking lot and headed for home – no one wants to be around for whatever the backlash to that report is going to be.
The report will get discussed at a school board trustee Committee of the Whole on Wednesday April 26, 2017 starting at 6:00 pm.
Between now and then everyone with any skin in the game will do everything they can to influence the outcome of the debate and discussion that will now take place in front of the 11 school board trustees.
The literature that went out to households in the high school catchment areas across the city might be just the start.
Politics, especially local politics are called a “blood sport” for a reason.
The Burlington Progressive Conservatives are fully funded for the next provincial election. Former city Councillor and Member of Parliament Mike Wallace is running the McKenna election campaign.
Wallace wants and needs to win this campaign if he is to get back into local politics; his eye is believed to be on the office of Mayor for Burlington.
By Staff
April 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
According to Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward Burlington has 73% of the intensification it is going to have to take on by 2031 – which is beyond the scope of the much vaunted Strategic Plan. She seems to be saying we are already there.
Does that mean we can stop building? The developers certainly don’t think so. There are currently a number of developments taking place in the city – and not all of it is in the downtown core.
The Adi Development Group is in what looks like close to the mid-point in their Link – a rather adventurous looking set of buildings on Dundas and Sutton; cheek to jowl to Bronte Creek.
The Adi group has always had strong design; nothing beige about these people. Their buildings should take awards for the look and, except for the Martha and Lakeshore project that is mired down in Ontario Municipal Board hearings, locations.
The project on Guelph Line just north of Mainway is a fine building.
The Link will appeal to the people who like to live in buildings with a smart progressive look. No word yet on just where the project is in terms of sales. But the cranes are in place and the building is rising floor by floor.
 Link2 – seen from the corner of Sutton and Dundas.  Link – seen from Dundas Street. The eastern side of the project borders on a path that runs along the side of Bronte Creek. The development does have some OMB history attached to it.
If the information on the ADI Development web site is accurate this project is very close to be sold out. The offered 1 BED, 1 BED + DEN, 2 BED, 2 BED + DEN, 3 BED + DEN and 4 BED + DEN.
Not much of anything left but developers may play the game the big show entertainers play when they announce that a new block of whatever they are selling has been released. The development business calls for a lot of cash up front – they do what they have to do to manage the demand for their product and keep the prices where they want them to be.
As scrappy as they can be on matters regulatory and legal – no one can take away from them the design flare they have shown. The are brash, direct and know where they want to go – and are in the process of creating a brand that will signify value and a certain flare.
Linx2 will have 154 units and is scheduled to open Fall of this year. That could actually happen.
The Molinaro Paradigm project on Fairview is in the process of changing the city’s sky line. Tower A has reached its full height with just the mechanical that will sit on the roof to be completed. Towers B and C are under construction.
 Tower A of the Paradigm project has reached its peak while Tower B and Tower C to the east begin their climb to 21 and 19 storey heights.  Towers B and C of the Paradigm project on Fairview next to the GO station and across a parking lot from Walmart.
It is a large site that will eventually consist of five buildings.
In the downtown core the Carriage Gate people are close to the bedrock level they need for the three levels of underground parking. The condominium will be a combination of a 3 storey stone and precast podium that will accommodate a select group of upscale retail establishments at ground level and professional offices on levels two and three. Atop the podium there will be a 17-storey glass tower with condominiums.
 This is a three part development with a condominium tower, a parking garage and a medical center. Each has its own name. Berkeley for the condo – garage for the garage and Medica One for the medical centre. The development will get build in stages. The project is to consist of three buildings when completed. The condominium will be the first to get built, followed by the eight level parking garage and then the eight story medical building that will border on Caroline.
 The Berkeley at bedrock – bottom floor of the three levels of parking with 19 storey’s of condominiums. The yellow line at the top is the demarcation point for the condominium and where the eight level parking garage with a grass roof will be. The project will give John Street a bit of a much needed boost in terms of what the street looks like.
Parts of the street look more like a back alley than a street that will have one of the mobility hubs at its base.
The city is going to get a chance to learn more about just what a mobility hub is and how it fits into the development of Burlington in the longer term. The draft of the Official Plan that was released last week suggests that major development is going to be located around the four mobility hubs.
At least one developer who was coaxed into putting funds into a creative and much needed development in the east of the city got a bit of a shock when they learned that the project might not get lift off. There are others that see the mobility hub concept at somewhat limiting.
 By Staff
April 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 It wouldn’t have been quite this bad. Just not all that nice. The opening of Tyandaga Golf Course for the 2017 season has been postponed until Friday, April 14 due to this week’s wet weather.
With climate change we may well have to get used to a much different kind of seasonal weather.
For more information, please call 905-336-0005 or visit www.tyandagagolf.com.
 By Staff
April 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Just two weeks away – citywide community litter Clean Up 2017 – taking place on Earth Day, April 22.
The event has grown to include 11,000 – 13,000 participants annually. BurlingtonGreen wants to reach a goal of 15,000 registrants for this year’s event.
 Last year these two worked in their neighbourhood. Where will you decide to work? The organization has partnered with the City since 2011 to co-ordinate an annual event to keep our city clean. A total of 63,000 Burlington residents have participated in the six events led by BG since 2011.
It’s easy to participate:
1) form a group, big or small;
2) choose a clean-up area in Burlington (eg. field, park, creek, woodland, your schoolyard, etc.);
3) register your group on our website (link ), and reserve supplies if needed (bags, gloves);
4) do your clean up on April 22nd (schools and businesses may participate April 17-21).
 The weather often determines how many people show up for the celebration after all the work is done. Last year Councillor Paul Sharman, on the left and BG board member Carol Gottlob selling raffle tickets attended. With the work done everyone is invited to take part in the Eco-fair Celebration at Central Park/Library for a BBQ, eco-exhibitors, kids’ activities and live music.
 By Ray Rivers
April 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Were the 1960’s classic film ‘The Graduate’ being shot today, the one word of career advice for our Benjamin would be robotics, not plastics. It’s coming and fast. There are already a number of cars which can park and drive better than you and I. And those cars will obediently come when beckoned more consistently than my dog. The modern day soothsayers and prognosticators are telling us that the future is here and now. And it won’t be long before we’ll all be out of work thanks to automation and artificial intelligence.
Last year one study estimated over 40% of our jobs are at risk, as automation has now moved beyond performing mundane repetitive tasks to the “cognitive, non-routine tasks and occupations, such as driving and conducting job interviews.” And if job interviews can successfully be undertaken by robots, is any management or executive job safe?
 Is this the shift supervisor managing the robots? Robots vary in price but some industrial ones fall into the $50,000 to $100,000 range. That compares well with the annual salary of an assembly-line worker when you include benefits. Providing the robot lasts more than a year, automation can be a good financial investment for a company. And the robot won’t talk back to you, can’t complain of workplace harassment, nor organize a union to demand higher wages.
Bombardier seems to be in the news a lot these days. It used to be a compact family run affair, and apparently still is, though big time acquisitions have transitioned it into a multifaceted corporate monster. And the truth is that non-linear thinking and multi-tasking can be best done more often by some kind of computer than a well reasoned human being. Even intuition, without that fickle human emotion or greed, can be programmed into its logical memory.
 A fortune in subsidies but these aircraft do keep Canada in the high end aircraft business which is where many hoped the Avro Arrow would have put us. That may be Bombardier’s problem – it got too big for its britches – or at least the britches of the family compact that grew this little snow-cat enterprise into the mega transport world. Things go wrong and stuff happens when you lose your focus. And that may account for the bleeding red ink and the backlog in production that has been plaguing its air carrier and rail product lines. It has got so bad that the City of Toronto is contemplating killing its long over-due orders.
So the company went cap-in-hand to the governments and banks and dug up two and half billion dollars in Quebec, in exchange for non-controlling equity trades. And the feds have responded to the company’s earlier request for another billion by awarding it around $400 million in an interest free loan. Ironically the federal money coming after the other investments is considered surplus to requirements. But, it was interest free, so they took it anyway and found a use for it.
 Some of these sleek looking transit vehicles are having a hard time keeping on schedule. Basking in the glow of all this green cash the company decided it was high time to share some of the wealth among its six top executives. It boosted their annual compensation packages by a whopping 50% – to a total of $35 million – almost $6 million each. In its defence, Bombardier drew comparisons to exec comp packages at would-be competitors Boeing and Airbus. And the best way go head-to-head with the big leaguers was match them. And if you don’t have the planes to sell, try matching senior management salaries instead.
Timing is as important in public relations as any other aspect of management. So you’d think the Bombardier exec’s could have paced themselves a little before proclaiming how they were spending this new government money on themselves, acting as if they’d actually earned it from product revenue. So the fact that they were laying off almost 14,000 employees globally with about half of those cuts in Canada, never crossed their minds.
“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, are the words attributed to the infamous French Queen Marie Antoinette, on hearing the complaint that the peasants had no bread. Clearly this was not Bombardier’s finest hour. It took the roar of an angry public for the embarrassed execs to announce they wouldn’t immediately be hauling in their new-found loot, but rather phase-in their pay raises over three years.
As if delaying their inevitable bonanza would appease those now contemplating feeding their families on federal EI payments. It would be interesting to know how many workers are being replaced by some kind of machine. And perhaps some of those now unemployed are wondering when somebody will invent a robot which can better manage an entire company, like the one they used to work for.
 Will they be given the right to vote? Still the governments of Canada and Quebec are standing behind the company and the wisdom of their investments. The PM shrugged off the exorbitant compensation packages claiming he respects the workings of the free market. Except government subsidy is usually not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the free market. Still economic nationalists would be hard pressed to argue against public financial support for one the most significant Canadian companies ever.
And according to Transport Minister Marc Garneau “the C-Series is an extraordinary plane”. So as this country celebrates its 150th birthday we should take a moment to recall another extraordinary plane, the AVRO Arrow of some 60 years ago. The Diefenbaker government will long be remembered for failing to support the development of this advanced jet fighter.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington in 1995. 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:
Robots –
Automation –
Replacing Workers – Machines Taking Jobs –
Bombardier – Federal Money –
Bombardier Subsidy –
Trudeau Defends Subsidy –
Bombardier Pay –
More Pay –
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