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July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON  Locust Street parking lot to be closed while paving is done.
Temporary Closure of Locust Street Parking Lot, between Caroline Street and Ontario Street, starting July 16. The municipal parking lot on Locust Street in downtown Burlington (Lot 7), will be closed for paving beginning Tuesday, July 16, 2019. The parking lot is expected to re-open by Friday, July 19. 
July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
By seamlessly connecting to leading accounting platforms, WayPay specializes in helping companies reduce their payables pain points by improving the reconciliation and approvals process, creating significant time and cost savings. In a statement RBC said: “This acquisition enables us to expand our portfolio of digitally-enabled capabilities and advice for our business clients and further strengthens RBC’s position as a digital leader in the market,” says Greg Grice, Executive Vice-President of Business Financial Services at RBC. “By integrating WayPay’s innovative payment solution, we’re able to provide clients with a secure, simple and automated payables and payments solution as part of RBC’s comprehensive suite of business offerings to help them manage and grow their business with greater ease and efficiency.”
“WayPay was built to allow businesses to automate their payables process regardless of their accounting software and how many, what type, or where in the world they wish to send a payment. We are helping businesses spend less time approving and reconciling their payables and providing greater visibility so they can focus on building and growing their business,” says Robert Bast, Co-Founder at WayPay. “We are thrilled to join the RBC team where we see incredible synergies which will create even more value and ensure many more business owners benefit from the power of automated reconciliation and digital payments.”
WayPay will continue to be an agnostic solution which means users can benefit even if they wish to use products from other financial institutions on the platform. Learn more at www.waypay.ca. Burlington’s approach to economic development has been, in part, to focus on the small, start up tech sector which was the rationale for the creation of Tech Place located on the North Service Road and dedicated to the start up tech community. That approach is being reviewed by the city. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward heard Rob Burton Mayor of Oakville tell an audience that Oakville lost interest in shelling out tonnes of cash but not having the deciding vote on the direction taken by the economic development people. That didn’t hurt the interest the Mayor has in bringing that work in house – after a thorough review is done. What added to the discomfort within city hall was the news that Tech Place is a high rent rate over the six year period they are in the space. They got a year of free rent to get them into the space they occupy on the North Service Road. Expect to see some changes in the way economic development is handled in the city once everyone is back from summer vacation.
July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The 2018-2022 Plan: From Vision to Focus is the City’s work plan that prioritizes key strategic direction from Burlington’s long-term 25-year Strategic Plan. From Vision to Focus details key goals and actions required to move priorities forward during this term of Council and was approved at Council last night.
City staff did a lot of work leading to the completion of the document that now takes on a life of its own. Council members were given the opportunity to talk at length on what they saw as the vision for the city; those conversations were one-on-one which was important. There was a series of joint workshops with the 2018-2022 Burlington Council and the Burlington Leadership Team to reconfirm the specific focus areas and define goals and actions required to execute on the plan. Burlington’s relationship with Strategic Plans in the past was disappointing. The Gazette got to look at documents that were decades old that were not much more than a collection of photographs accompanying clichés and bromides.  The ideas were all over the map – it was the first time there was a deep dive Strategic Review exercise for the city in more than two decades. The 2010 Strategic Plan was a serious effort to pull staff and council together on a vision – it didn’t work out quite that way. When it came to using little coloured dots to indicate choices and preferences it became painfully clear that staff and council were not only not on the same page – they weren’t in the same room.  Councillor Sharman with his back to the camera faces off with Councillor Meed Ward at a Strategic Planning session in 2011 They work together more easily two elections later. The 2014 Strategic Plan was better but the leadership on Council just wasn’t there to ensure that the views of the elected were heard and made front and center.  We started here …  … grew into a 25 year plan. That changed when the Strategic Plan was made into a 25 year document rather than a four year term of council document. It was a huge step forward. There however does not appear to be any record of a debate on doing from four years to 25 years – it just got done. The Strategic Plan has four pillars that were turned into focus areas for the V2V document – with a 5th added. City resources will be aligned to ensure progress is made in the 5 identified focus areas: • Focus Area 1 – Increasing Economic Prosperity and Community Responsive Growth Management (updated based on Council approval on July 15, 2019) • Focus Area 2 – Improving Integrated City Mobility • Focus Area 3 – Supporting Sustainable Infrastructure and a Resilient Environment • Focus Area 4 – Building More Citizen Engagement, Community Health and Culture • Focus Area 5 – Delivering Customer Centric Services with a Focus on Efficiency and Technology Transformation  The vision and a summary of the goals that will get us there. “This plan is a living document. Other updates to this document are in progress and an updated version will be available September 2019. Of note, some initiatives identified in this plan may go beyond the 4-year term and will be carried over into future years for continued implementation. “The 2018 to 2022 Plan: From Vision to Focus will be monitored and reported to Burlington Council on a regular basis and progress evaluated and reviewed. (It wasn’t clear during debates if the review was to be every six months or just once a year – what was very clear is that this initiative is in the hands of council and not something the planners get to keep to themselves. It is perhaps the most ‘political’ document this council has produced.) “There may be changes along the way, such as: global, regional, and city circumstances changing, events occurring, and other levels of government influencing further updates to the plan document.” V2F reflects what Council wants in a way that Grow Bold did not; if Council takes the document seriously it should serve the residents well going forward. Some members of the current Council struggled with the level of detail. Others had interests that took them in a different direction. Others still had different ideas on what a council member is really supposed to do. Mayor Marianne Meed-Wards said: “This work plan lays out what we want to focus on as a City and Council in the next four years to get us to where we want to be by 2040 (our vision). This is a living document that will be re-calibrated year over year — we want to get the wheels in motion to make it easy to fulfill the matters that are top of mind among our residents: the tree canopy, green space, and growth and development. “I believe there is an appetite for visionary aspirations among staff at the City of Burlington, and I can tell you the community is already there — they are ready for this. I’m proud of this plan and want to thank and congratulate staff on all the great work they have put together in it.”  There is a road map with time frames.
“The City has clear focus areas and key actions we need to achieve”; that point is now at least clear. “Our capable staff continue to work hard to move our strategic priorities forward so that our city sees the benefits and residents feel the positive impacts to their quality of life. Staff is committed to letting Council and our community know how this work is progressing and how we have moved the needle for Burlington. ” Staff at this point is to a considerable degree a beleaguered bunch of people. The turnover rate is high – good people are seeking greener pastures – for good reasons. During one of the presentation last week given by Director of Human Resources pointed out that Burlington is at the 50th percentile when its pay rates are compared with their peer groups. Burlington is not paying people terribly well – the benefits are good – but the salaries are not attracting the best and the brightest. The Escarpment and the lake are great attractions but the cost of housing means many of the younger people who are in that 50th percentile cannot afford to live in the city – and have to spend an hour or more getting to their jobs. The only upside is that parking is free. Burlington is looking at ways to get to the point where staff are at the 65th percentile – something that is not going to go over all that well with the voters. Background links Related new story:
July 15th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
At its Annual General Meeting on July 5, 2019, the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) selected its Executive Council/leadership team and members of Work Teams for the 2019-20 school year. Trustees of the Halton District School Board were selected for four of these positions. OPSBA represents public school boards across Ontario and advocates on behalf of the best interests and needs of the public school system in Ontario. OPSBA is seen as the credible voice of public education in Ontario and is routinely called on by the provincial government for input and advice on legislation and the impact of government policy directions.  Donna Danielli – trustee representing Milton. Donna Danielli, HDSB Trustee for Milton – Wards 1 & 2, will serve as Regional Chair for the Central West Region on OPSBA’s Executive Council/leadership team for the 2019-20 school year. Members of OPSBA’s two core Work Teams help advance the Association’s priorities and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors/Executive Council on issues related to education program reform, children’s services and social policy.  Amy Collard – Burlington school board trustee. On the Education Program Work Team, Amy Collard, HDSB Trustee for Burlington – Ward 5 was selected as a member for the Central West Region. Joanna Oliver, HDSB Trustee for Oakville – Ward 4 was selected as an alternate for this committee. Jeanne Gray, HDSB Trustee for Halton Hills, was selected for the Policy Development Work Team, which provides recommendations to the Board of Directors/Executive Council on issues related to the analysis of legislation and the development of OPSBA policy in areas affecting education finance and governance. “It is great to see strong support for HDSB trustees in the provincial organization for initiatives to support all students in Ontario,” says Andréa Grebenc, Chair of the Halton District School Board. “As these positions are voluntary and beyond the duties outlined in the trustee role, it demonstrates the deep commitment to student achievement and well-being.” Donna Danielli brings significant depth at both the Board and classroom issues level. They are lucky to have her. Amy Collard is one of the most direct to the point school board trustees we have seen in more than four decades of covering school boards in Ontario. This woman is being wasted at the trustee level.
July 15th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Joey Edwardh, the Executive Director of Community Development Joey Edwardh, the Executive Director of Community Development Halton advised the board last week that she planned to retire in October. The Board accepted the retirement notice and wishes Joey well as she moves into this next phase of her life. The CDH Board has just completed an exhaustive vision statement process and is now working on a business plan that will deliver on the vision. The CDH Board Executive Committee will begin the process of hiring a new Executive Director once the business plan is in place The CDH is also in discussions with another Ontario, Halton based NGO to share administrative services.
Community Lens and in depth look at social trends, needs and issues relevant to a variety of constituencies in their communities. The most recent of which was data on the opioid crisis. CDH supports the communities of Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills and is funded by the United Way and the Region of Halton. They offer a number of programs that help the NGO sector improve their service delivery and improve their administrative capacities. Community Lens, a regular series of reports on issues vital to the communities they serve; the most recent of which was data on the opioid crisis. CDH organizes a service that connects people who want to volunteer with organizations that need volunteers. They supports nonprofit agencies with training, consulting, and the promotion of volunteerism.
July 14th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON Canada is a federation of provinces but the provincial premiers do not elect the federal government – the people of Canada do. So it was, at best, inappropriate and, at worst, an outrage that Canada’s sub-national leaders concluded their most recent Council of the Federation (COF) meeting in school-child fashion, by writing letters to the country’s federal political leaders.
When Mr. Trudeau came into office the majority of the provincial/territorial leaders were progressives and all but one supported carbon pricing. Only four years later B.C., Quebec and a couple east coast provinces are all that are left in that category. And so this COF had the distinct aura of a conspiracy by the right-of-centre provincial leaders to get rid of Trudeau, the interventionist PM.  Premier Moe of Saskatchewan. There was the eternal musing about reducing restrictions on interprovincial trade. Then, as expected, COF host, Premier Moe of Saskatchewan, found his nerve and addressed the elephant in the room. He wanted Quebec to sign onto Andrew Scheer and Jason Kenny’s dream of a transnational oil highway. But Quebec’s François Legault wasn’t going to be goaded into allowing an oil pipeline through his province. And even Kenny’s argument that Quebec’s equalization payments come from Alberta’s oil revenues, failed to move him. Unlike Kenny and Moe, Legault understands that there is no long term future for oil, and consequently no social acceptability, as he put it, for an environmentally risky pipeline. After all Quebec is currently Canada’s leading jurisdiction when it comes to the environment.  Quebec Premier François Legault Manitoba’s Brian Pallister challenged Quebec on its cultural symbols legislation. But again it was a waste of time. Quebecers are committed to a culturally neutral public service – so leave your religion at the door if you want to work for the people in that province. Given earlier discussions of the constitutional division of powers and provincial rights, this was, at best, an inappropriate intrusion into another province’s social policy. There were reports that the premiers ended on a note of unity. But that was hardly the tone Jason Kenny echoed as he went on at length to, once again, threaten secession. “The level of frustration and alienation that exists in Alberta right now towards Ottawa and the federation is, I believe, at its highest level, certainly in our country’s modern history.” Seriously? Where does he think landlocked Alberta would go? Does Kenny really believe that Alberta would be able to move its bitumen any easier through B.C. if it were a separate country? He really doesn’t get it. In any case Trans Mountain is almost certainly the last interprovincial oil pipeline to be built in Canada regardless which political party holds power after October. He should be thankful. The western premiers had already pretty much exhausted their discussion on the evils of the federally imposed carbon tax. But with two courts deciding in favour of the federal government, and the Supreme Court likely to go the same way, it will take an election of Mr. Scheer or Mr. Bernier to get rid of this regulatory instrument. Besides not all provinces disagree with carbon pricing so the issue didn’t get the profile some premiers would have liked. But Quebec is on-side with the Tory ideological struggle against the federal carbon tax. Quebec is exempted from the federal carbon tax, given its California-linked cap-and-trade program, exactly as Ontario had been before the Ford government killed it. So Legault’s position is parochial – solely about minimizing the potential role of the federal government and its policies in Quebec. And in that Quebec has become an odd bedfellow to its Tory-led provincial counterparts. Quebec based Bombardier’s impending layoff of over 500 workers in Thunder Bay provoked calls for the federal government to get the US government to drop its Buy American policy on federal contracts and grant funding. Seriously? Good luck with that in Trump’s America. And it’s not like Canada doesn’t have its own domestic content rules in areas like media broadcasting (Can Com). The Ford government is on the defensive over Bombardier. There might have been additional orders for rail cars if only the province had got its act together and got its paperwork for federal co-funding together. Of course Bombardier has developed an unfortunate reputation when it comes to management and government handouts. So who knows? Perhaps the company is just playing politics…or even economic blackmail.  Jeans, white Stetsons and cowboy boots were the rig of the day for some of the Premiers. Climate change is one of the questions the premiers asked in their letters to the federal party leaders. And this one was a trick question because the answer is found in the preamble. “Provinces and territories are implementing climate action policies that make sense in regard to their distinct needs and priorities.” In other words don’t impose anything like a carbon tax on Canadians in our province or territory. But mind-your-own-business is not going to cut it. Canada is on the hook to meet its Paris global commitment and, if Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta are examples, leaving it to the provinces will only result in failure. Pretty much the way this latest Council of the Federation ended.
Background links: Politics, premiers, pipelines and religious symbols https://globalnews.ca/news/5485954/alberta-kenney-premiers-meeting-unity/
July 13th, 2019
Globe and Mail editorial has a viewpoint on both the character and built form of a community that sheds some light on what Burlington faces. Several words have been set in bold by the Gazette.
It’s time for change – and urgently so. The cost of housing in Vancouver and Toronto is stratospheric, and even in more affordable cities like Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal, it is way more expensive than a generation ago. Expensive housing hinders economic growth. Cities are the engines of the economy but are increasingly inaccessible, and the financial challenge of moving to Canada’s biggest cities, to study or to pursue a career, is daunting. The high cost of housing also leaves a generation of young Canadians facing the prospect of a lifetime of renting, never able to build equity, or shouldering a worrisome amount of mortgage debt that will take decades to pay off. There are many factors at play – British Columbia has done much to address the issue of foreign speculators – but the core problem is the allocation of land. Our zoning is forcing cities to expand endlessly outward, by preventing them from building up.  Alton Village The bulk of municipal land zoned for housing – at least two-thirds of it in many cities – is reserved for detached homes, while multiunit housing is restricted to small designated areas, generally in the city core but often far beyond or on abandoned industrial lands. That leaves the supply of housing artificially limited, particularly in areas near transit lines and city centres. Meanwhile, owners of detached homes, who have the ear of elected officials, argue the so-called character of their neighbourhoods must not be disturbed. The long-standing status quo serves them well, effectively enriching them through government policy. But the argument about character is a smokescreen. Where there is a neighbourhood of single-family homes, there was once a forest or a field. No one mourns the lost character of what had been there before. Character is wielded as a weapon against change. As Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic put it in June, “’Character’ means exclusion.” There is an answer. It’s called the missing middle: small-scale, multiunit housing, from duplexes and triplexes to mid-rise apartment buildings. The missing middle is not a fix-all, but it is an essential step forward. Minneapolis is a beacon of possible change. Last December, city council passed a plan that ended the dominion of single-family zoning. It is regarded as the first of its kind in the United States, but it’s hardly radical. Where a single house was previously permitted, a building with three units, a triplex, is now allowed. The rallying cry has been “Neighbors for More Neighbors.” Oregon was the next to move. State legislators in late June passed a bill that will remake single-family zoning to allow fourplexes in cities of more than 25,000 people, and throughout the Portland region. In Canada, the prospect of change is depressingly dim. In the City of Vancouver, a one-year trial allows applications for duplexes in single-detached zones. This is in a region where the typical house costs $1.4-million and median annual household income is $73,000. Meanwhile, city council is ponderously debating whether to get work started on a new citywide plan that will take three years to complete. This is the opposite of urgency. In Toronto, the story isn’t much better. The province in June approved new rules for downtown and midtown Toronto, after reworking plans the city had submitted, but the geographic reach of change is limited. There is no serious talk of rezoning what’s dubbed the “yellow belt” – the 70 per cent of available land limited to single-family homes. The moves in Minneapolis and Oregon are interesting, but modest compared with what is needed in Vancouver and Toronto. Small apartment buildings – of three, four or five storeys – would go a long way. Then there are important questions about low-income housing and rental housing. And there’s the issue of how cities should benefit from increases in land values sparked by zoning changes. But first we need some political will. There are 10 million Canadians between the ages of 20 to 40, the time of life when people make a first foray into home ownership. Canada’s zoning rules are antiquated. They should be rewritten to serve the present, not the past.
June 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON At a few minutes before 4:00 pm yesterday afternoon Council adjourned and will meet again on the 15th to approve (or not approve) all the reports that were debated. It has been a mammoth session for this crowd. On Monday they went from 9:30 am to 10 pm In June Council revised their working schedule and had Standing Committee meetings start at 9:30 am instead of the standard 1:00 pm start. The work load and the amount of time to read, think about the reports, discuss them with constituents and then stay at a desk for those lengths of time is going above and beyond. This is a determined bunch of people – Mayor Meed Ward is right in her element – she is just loving it. Others however, are wondering if this is the best way to run a municipal government.  Bentivegna – “Agenda just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.” Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna said that the agendas are “getting bigger and bigger and bigger” and keeping up is a challenge for both Bentivegna and several others. We are seeing some quality work being done and we are also seeing some shifting as to where the decision making is actually being done. City manager Tim Commisso has adopted a style that has him commenting on a matter rather than leading the discussion. When council was in the process of determining what they needed in the way of a city manager the Gazette suggested someone with depth and experience who wasn’t necessarily going to be around for ten years or, someone younger who was ready for the kind of challenge Burlington is and could put in the time to rebuild the ranks and develop a different culture. Commisso – doesn’t say much, tends to lean into his chair and listen. Doesn’t pick up his cell phone that often and rarely speaks at any length. The only time the Gazette saw him fussed at all was when it looked as if council was going to empty all the cookie jars (known as reserve funds) and leave him and the Treasurer to figure out what to do when there was a real crisis.  The Commisso stare. Our view of Commisso’ s approach is not intended to suggest he is slack or not paying attention. When he becomes aware that a staffer is not really answering the questions adequately they get what can only be called ‘the Commisso stare’. At one point he chose to lean forward and point to a document to direct the staffer – who we understand might be leaving the position he holds. Commisso is fully engaged – but he is not immersed the way former city managers tended to behave. He is prudent – he will spend when he has to but he doesn’t reach for the wallet all that quickly. Too early to tell, but he likes the people he is leading, and make no mistake, Commisso is leading. He serves at the will of council and this council is very happy to have him lead them – certainly at this stage of their political careers. The round of Standing Committee meetings this council just completed some vitally important recommendations that will go to council Monday evening. The downside to all this is that there is not much time for the public to be aware of what was done and then time to reflect and discuss with their neighbours what is being recommended. The agenda itself is five pages long. This approach is not what one would describe as “fully engaging the public”. Given the recommendations coming forward there is no obvious reason why the council meeting could not have been held on the 22nd or the 29th. We asked the Office of the Mayor for comment – our contact is away until Monday. Are they that anxious to get started on their vacations? which by the way they deserve, but let’s complete the work and then start the vacations.
July 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Seems like everything is being held up by the federal election expected to take place in October. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario has been told to dummy up by the federal Conservatives; now we learn that the Provincial Review that was looking into what could be done to “improve efficiencies at the Regional level” will not produce their report until after the federal election. The big concern for municipalities in Halton Region was that they would be taken out of play and the whole kibosh turned into a city of Halton.
All the changes being made at the provincial level are somehow going to find their way to your tax bill. City council, in a frivolous mood, came up with some ideas to let the taxpayers know who was causing the financial pain. Tax bills are produced by the city treasurer and have some room for an extra line or two. There is currently a line showing people what portion of their tax bill goes to the Hospital levy as well as a line for the Infrastructure levy. There is still some room for a third line – this council has asked Joan Ford to get back to them on adding a line that might be referred to as the “Ford” levy – pointing to increases that were necessary when the province changed the rules of the game. Tax bills look like they may becoming pieces of campaign literature. Will the city have to seek status as a Third Party advertiser?
July 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Karina Gould, on the right, with some of her 2015 election campaign team. Karina Gould Campaign Kick Off & Office Opening will take place on Saturday, July 13th at 1pm. Speeches will start at 1:15pm. Location: 3485 Fairview Street There wasn’t much more than that in the media release. Expect a good turnout -Gould campaigns hard and has a solid team.
July 11th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Paul Sharman – a private sector advocate In his heart Paul Sharman is a private sector advocate; he is of the belief that the private sector has always been a better producer of results that the public sector. He chafes at the process many city issues get put through when the direction comes from the bureaucrats. An opportunity to put forward a private sector approach to a city issue popped up in his ward when Endress + Hauser (EH) Canada Ltd., a world leader in high technology process control systems decided to increase their Burlington operation from 27,000 sq. ft to 46,000 sq. ft, expandable to 55,000 sq. ft. The new building is planned to be state of the art, LEED GOLD level, Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon.  Shovels in the ground in October for an application that will be in front of the planners on Friday – aggressive The scheduled development goals are ambitious as EH wish to be “in the ground” by October 2019 to install geothermal infrastructure. “This schedule” may be achievable said Sharman, “ if City processes are adapted to accommodate and process applications within the speed of business.” In a memo to his colleagues Sharman advised that: “City staff are currently working with a company in Ward 5, Endress + Hauser (EH) Canada Ltd., one of several corporations who have successfully implemented Project Management, Lean Management and integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement. Several of their staff are Black Belt Six Sigma qualified and members of their senior management team are Green Belt Six Sigma.  It’s the E&H mantra – the planners at city hall will be gobsmacked with this stuff. It is proposed that the EH application be engaged by the City of Burlington as a prototyping initiative to learn from EH about how to successfully implement leading practice Project Management, Lean Management with integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement. What this means is that city Council is being asked to let the private sector into the kitchen while city chefs put together a meal. Sharman loved the idea and said he “wished to put forth the following staff direction: “Direct the City Manager, Director of City Building and staff to engage with Endress + Hauser on their application to develop land on International Boulevard taking advantage of their Project Management, Lean Management with integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement expertise in order to enhance City Planning and Development Application approval processes and achieve the applicants desired construction timeline.” Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns was excited – mention Sigma 6 and green belts and you’ve got her attention. City manager Tim Commisso – happy to have a discussion. The city manager didn’t seem quite as excited as he watched two people from E&H take Council and some staff through a presentation that had more energy than circus performers and more than enough corporate gobbledygook to require a different dictionary. City manager Tim Commisso said he would be happy to have a discussion. Sharman commented that “you improve processes by actually managing them” and managing the process of what E&H is all about. They are intense, direct and they will be all over the planning staff. The tag team from E&H were impressive. While one member was talking the other was scanning the faces of the audience to see who was paying close attention and who wasn’t. They were good – and in the corporate world they would be welcomed with open arms.  Tony Varga and his side kick Lisa paying very close attention to what is being said. City hall is not the corporate world. When the people from E&H start working with people in the City Building department (that’s what they are calling the Planning department these days) the clashing of cultures will be painful. Tony Varga, the lead presenter for the delegation said that a first step is to identify the “Apostles” in the planning department E&H is hoping they can get the planners to move with a level of dispatch they need to get shovels in the ground by October of this year – yes this year.  Lisa and Tony doing their dog and pony show – council doesn’t get to see they kind of energy these two people pumped out very often. To be fair, E&H was able to get the purchase of the land they are going to build on in close to record time; the BEDC was able to help them get around most of the obstacles. The Gazette will be watching this one carefully – perhaps a real change in the culture at city hall will be seen, experienced and made permanent. If that does happen – the young people who work as planners will want to come to Burlington – too many of them have left for what they hoped were greener pastures. Promise is the word that will carry this one forward. Proof will be in the pudding. The formal application will be given to the Planning department on Friday.
July 11, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
An early look at what the 2020 municipal budget is going to look like had a couple of gulps and let the public see what the city council sense of humour looks like.  Director of Finance Joan Ford told Council that she was hoping to deliver a budget that will require a tax levy lower than last year. The early projection for the city is 4.27 over last year with the actual impact on the tax bill amounting to 2.67 which City treasurer Joan Ford said that her staff were working on getting that down to 2.45 – which would get the number under the 2.92 for 2019
Couple of problems there – Ford said that she was running out of space on the tax bill and then told us that the province determines what the tax bill must look like. These are early days in the budget process – we can see what is coming. Meed Ward proudly tells anyone who asks that the council in place from 2010 to 2018 was never able to lower taxes. This council expect to bring in a lower tax levy – despite what the provincial government has done to make life at the municipal level as tough as it can get.
July 11th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Those who have the time to watch Regional Council meeting and debating issues (there are times when it is entertaining) will have seen a politician working the system while others did as much as they could to not get too close to the motion that was being debated.  Burlington Mayor Meed Ward sits beside Councillor Rory Nisan at Regional Council meetings – he made a friendly amendment to the Meed Ward/Bonnette motion. Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward buddied up with Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette to sponsor a motion that would ask the provincial government to abolish the Local Planning Act Tribunal /Ontario Municipal Board. The motion was passed unanimously on a recorded vote. The motion will be circulated to the 440 municipalities in Ontario with the hope that they too will endorse the motion. Meed Ward was the mover and did most of the talking (are you surprised?). She went through the usual arguments; the legislation is dated, Ontario is the only province that has provincial legislation overseeing development decisions made at the municipal level.  Developer wanted 26 stories – was given 24 – City Official Plan permitted up to 8 Meed Ward argued that all the legislation does is add to the cost of a development and used the legal tussle over the ADI Group Nautique development that took two years to resolve to make the point. The developer was allowed up to 8 stories; asked for 26 and was given approval for 24 stories by the OMB. Municipalities are spending tens of thousands on legal and planning consultant talent. More to the point said Meed Ward was that these development are pushing up property values which impact the taxes home owners have to pay. Meed Ward said she knew that her motion was not going to result in an immediate change of mind at the province – she added that the only way a change can come about is if there is a strong movement at the municipal level. Start a movement and in time it will be eliminated. Make it a 2022 election issue – it has to go said Meed Ward.  Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonette Rick Bonnette said he supported the motion completely. “We have become slaves to the lawyers” said Bonnette. In the past three years Bonnette reported the the Region of Halton had spent $5 million on legal fees. He used the Hidden Quarry in Halton Hills as an example. The hearing lasted 26 days, there were 41 witnesses and it cost $780,000. While the vote was unanimous – there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm. One Mayor, who just could not utter Meed Ward’s name said that if the LPAT/OMB legislation is eliminated there had better be a Plan B in place. It would not be difficult for the developers to turn their financial guns on to a community and elect a very pro-development council and push through whatever they wanted. Look at where the development money in Burlington went and keep in mind the 50 storey development proposed for Stoney Creek and Milton. Meed Ward pointed out that there is a Plan B – it is called a Judicial Review. Other Regional Councillors pointed out that with the LPAT/OMB legislation in place the province has become the planning department for all the municipalities.  A Burlington Happy Camper – The Mayor Meed Ward wanted the politics taken out of development. One of her colleagues suggest that (in the best line heard) if you take the politics out – you are talking about us. That was a hammer hitting a nail right on the head. What became evident is that Burlington’s Mayor has spread her wings and is preparing herself for the world of provincial politics – the elections in 2026 looks like the time frame during which she will begin taking the GO train to Queen’s Park. Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette
July 11, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON  Second of two structures on Brock now under construction.
Beginning Thursday, July 11, 2019, a portion of Brock Avenue, between Ontario Street and the entrance to the Brock Avenue parking lot, will be closed for a period of two years to allow for the construction of a development at 490-492 Brock Ave. In accordance with to the City’s Delegated Authority ByLaw 99-2012, a full road closure request longer than five days requires Council approval. The Brock Avenue road closure was approved by Burlington City Council at the Nov. 12, 2018 meeting of Council in report TS-15-18. During the construction: • Pedestrian access to the sidewalk on the west side of Brock Avenue will be closed There are no residential accesses within the proposed closure limits.
July 11th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The report was received and filed after more than an hour of discussion and debate. The version that council heard yesterday will not return to council in the same form.  Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan thought that more than the colour grey was needed to suggest a nautical theme. During the discussion Councillor Nisan asked why there was no mention of design excellence in the report that was about the Downtown Streetscape designs. The Staffer explained that Design Excellence was inherent throughout the document. Nisan came back with – he was thinking in terms of something a little more attractive. Things went downhill from there. Burlington is currently working with design standards that were last reviewed in 1982 – it was time for another look. The document presented by Staff was a framework for a transformation from the old design standards to whatever the new design was going to be.  Streetscape design standards to apply to the area shown above Reference was made to the colours that were put forward – black, grey and a wood effect. The grey was going to be used on the Lakeshore Road part of the downtown that the guidelines were to be applied to – Nisan said that he thought the look of the Lakeshore area should be a little more “nautical” and was told that’s what the grey was for – to which Nisan came back with –”I suppose grey could apply to ships”. Mayor Meed Ward asked if the staffer had gotten any feedback from the public on the design standards – he hadn’t, he said. Meed Ward later added that she had heard from dozens and dozens of people and the people of Burlington didn’t want a steel and glass look to the downtown core. They wanted the heritage feel of the core to be reflected in the streetscape – and that look wasn’t in the designs that were put forward.  This bench could qualify as the most uncomfortable ever built. Ward Councillor wants to know who decided on the design Nisan asked about benches that would be installed – those he had experienced were not very comfortable and had very little in the way of back support. He wanted to know who chose the design in the pathway through the parking lot south of Kellys. Most uncomfortable bench imaginable – certainly not something you would sit in for very long. Meed Ward, Nisan, Kearns and Stolte had taken the position that streets become animated when people use them and putting park benches out is a way for people sit and talk with friends. If that concept exists within the Planning department – it wasn’t reflected in the report that was presented.  The city has design standards that it wants to apply to downtown streets. Lisa Kearns, ward 2 city Councillor wanted to know where the road fit into the design plans. She said that parts of downtown have deteriorated significantly and she wanted to know if there were funds to do some immediate upgrades. She mentioned later that some of the money the city is not going to be able to spend on the revitalization of Civic Square – could perhaps be applied to fixing up the scruffy look in parts of the downtown. The City Building department had missed the mark on this one. What they presented just didn’t resonate with this council. We saw much the same when the Capital Works people were unable to anticipate where Council’s thinking was going on a revitalization of Civic Square. Related news story. Most uncomfortable bench ever made.
July 10th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Councillor Rory Nisan brought a friendly motion to the Meed Ward – Bonnette motion. Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette sponsored a motion at Regional Council asking that the province abolish the current Local Planning Act Tribunal – Ontario Municipal Board process that reviews development decisions made by city councils. The motion had an amendment from Councillor Nisan that was seen as friendly and was included. Meed Ward argued that it would take a movement to bring about a change at the provincial level and she saw the motion as the beginning of that movement.  The motion was passed unanimously on a recorded vote at the Region. It was passed unanimously at the Region.
July 10th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
From its onset, we have opposed both the spurious rationale and the forced process of Bill 108; particularly the unilaterally imposed amendments that it makes to duly enacted, existing legislation. As such, we endorse the motion of Mayors Meed Ward and Bonnette to abolish the Local Planning Advisory Tribunal or LPAT, both a creature of the past and a monster of the present. Our delegation is very brief and speaks to a single fundamental concept – that actions that affect people’s lives and community should have the active involvement and informed consent, or at least awareness, of those people. In other words, citizens have a fundamental right to know about and participate in actions that touch them.  Burlington Mayor and Regional Councilor Marianne Meed Ward Halton Hills Mayor and Regional Councilor Rick Bonnette One of our tag lines, recently coined, is “Burlington’s Future Determined First and Last by Burlington”. Although this may seem simplistic or parochial we firmly stand by the precept that Burlington’s citizens should always be principal in decisions that involve their interests; that Burlington’s Council – duly elected and representing all the citizens – has a far stronger natural right, an obligation, to influence the City’s future than does an unelected, external tribunal appointed by a government more removed and distant. The government that governs best is not only that which governs least but that which is closest to those to whom it must answer; that is accountable to its neighbours and shares not only their concerns but their physical community. We fundamentally agree with current wisdom that suggests that the OMB and more recently LPAT is a creature of the past, and no longer serves the interests of the citizens of the province. Any quasi-judicial construct, such as the LPAT, that has decision authority over a duly elected body such as a municipal council is a flawed creature, the product of a patronistic, dated and closed world view. We strongly advocate that Ontario take its place with the rest of Canada and enable municipalities to have a determinate role in their future. Abolish the LPAT.
Call put out for indigenous artists to submit ideas for outdoor art for the transformed Brant Museum
July 10, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington has invited Ontario-based Indigenous artists or Indigenous-led artist teams to submit an Expression of Interest to create a permanent public artwork for the exterior of the Joseph Brant Museum.  Rendering of the Brant Museum transformation – opening pushed back to September. The museum is currently undergoing a major transformation, which will add more than 12,000 square feet to its current size. The artwork will be integrated into one of the garden areas (exact location TBD) and will serve as a landmark feature of the new museum. In April 2019, a Steering Committee comprised of project and community stakeholders and representatives from Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River came together to determine the goals for this public art project. Staff noted that the intent of this project is to build on efforts to create awareness of the rich Indigenous cultures, peoples and heritage that are at the root of our territory, city and province. This commission is not intended to be a memorial or monument to Joseph Brant.  Indigenous dancers taking part on the ground breaking of the museum site. The Steering Committee suggested that the theme of the artwork focus on Indigenous language. Language is a through-line by which we are connected to our past, present and future. Language is crucial to the development of community and the sharing of knowledge. However, Indigenous languages are under threat. Amongst the many efforts to protect and revitalize Indigenous languages, UNESCO has declared 2019 to be the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Application Click here to learn more and submit an application:  In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum. Finally – something that actually represents the Indigenous world that Brant represented for so long – with not all that much in the way of success. The challenge here will be to ensure that the community stakeholders and representatives from Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River maintains control of the process and the selection. Keep the bureaucrats out of it. The intent of this project is to build on efforts to create awareness of the rich Indigenous cultures, peoples and heritage that are at the root of our territory, city and province. This commission is not intended to be a memorial or monument to Joseph Brant.
July 9th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
It is not bed time reading but if you find at some point that you don’t like what your city is doing – flip back to this Vision to Focus (V2F) work plan to learn when they said they were going to align the work they do with the Strategic Plan and determine if they are on target. In a preamble to the document Mayor Meed Ward said: There are many new faces around the table at City Council and I’m excited and proud of what we are committing to accomplish for the people of Burlington over the coming four years. The chart below sets out what this city council wants to get done before the end of its term. The Srategic Plan had four pillars – Staff added a fifth. The five areas of the Strategic Plan city council wants the bureaucrats to focus on during the balance of their term of office October 2022 The City’s long-term 25-year strategic plan reflects many of the priorities we identified in our respective campaign platforms said the Mayor. The plan will continue to evolve as our city changes, and our new council responds with new ideas. We are also committed to taking action in our four-year term to begin to implement the plan, where it aligns with our collective vision for Burlington. That is why we have created a four-year work plan: to focus on what actions we can take in this term of council to deliver on the commitments we made during our respective election campaigns, many of which are captured in the strategic plan. The good news is that there is already a high degree of alignment among our individual campaign platforms, and with the elements in the 25-year Strategic Plan. The citizens of our community voted for change in the last election. They told us on the campaign trail, and through their votes, that they wanted to see limits to over-development and intensification, better traffic management, protection of our green spaces, and more respect and civility at City Hall. In the short time we’ve been privileged to serve you, we have implemented an Interim Control Bylaw to pause development in our downtown core and around the Burlington Go Station to better evaluate the long-term vision we have for growth in this area and ensure it represents the wants and needs of our community. We launched the Roseland Private Tree Bylaw to help protect and preserve the tree canopy in one of the oldest parts of our city. We passed motions at City Council to make it clear to the Provincial Government that we would not support development in our greenbelt, and that we are opposed to amalgamation with neighbouring municipalities. We debated the hot topic of allowing retail cannabis stores to operate in our city and voted how our constituents asked us to, with respectful debate as we reached a final decision together. We launched the Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force to bring together business owners across all industries to identify obstacles to relocation and growth here in Burlington, and work together to remove them. We worked together to pass a new budget that provided the lowest tax increase for our residents in 8 years while still adding new services that add value to our city. Most importantly, we have prioritized connecting with our constituents and making sure everyone feels that their voice matters. We attend community fundraisers, local sporting events, flag raising and proclamations, new business openings and school tours, and meet 1 on 1 with constituents every day to help engage people from every corner of our city. Our vision for the next four years is to continue on this very path. We will focus on key priorities like the environment and climate change, transit, and the health and well-being of our residents and businesses. We’ll deliver the customer service levels you deserve and ensure every voice in our community is heard and valued. We’ll do it all while operating with integrity, transparency and respect in everything we do. This 2018-2022 Burlington’s Plan: From Vision to Focus document is the corporate work plan for the term of Council to align with the long-term vision of the 25-year Strategic Plan. Burlington’s corporate alignment and accountability is built on Service Management and Results- Based Accountability Frameworks. A Results-Based Accountability Framework takes into consideration two types of accountability. The following are the services the city currently delivers.  These are the services the city currently delivers. Not every city delivers the same in the way of services; leaf collection is an example. Now – just what is it they are going to do? The Priorities and the Action that needs to be taken to achieve these priorities are set out below
The actions that will be taken to achieve this priority. Priorities for Focus Area 1
Actions for Focus Area 1
Priorities for Focus Area 2
Actions for Focus area 2
Priorities for Focus Area 3
Actions for Focus area 3.
Priorities for Focus Area 4
Actions for Focus area 4
Priorities for Area 5
Actions for Focus Area 5
The intention is to report to the public in June on each of the targets: were they reached and is it working. The Road Map to getting all this done in time to decide if you want to re-elect this city council that looks like this.  This is a massive document that council spent hours going over in great detail and revising to be certain they got it right. It was referred to as a “living document”; one that would change with the stresses, needs and desires of the community. Staff will report to the city at least once a year where they are on the Actions side – they are determined to deliver on the bigger picture plan. We will report later in the week on the debate and discussion that took place – it was interesting and refreshing to watch this council pull together as a group towards a common goal.
June 8th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Meed Ward issued a statement earlier today pointing to factual inaccuracies in published by Burlington’s MPP Jane McKenna and published in the Burlington Post and, in a slightly different version on the We Love Burlington Facebook page. In her statement the Mayor said:  She was Mayor elect in this photograph but clearly quite prepared to step into the ring and battle it out. Democracy is the foundation of our country, and accurate information is a key pillar of it. It’s therefore essential that our residents and local elected representatives have the facts when commenting on community matters and advocating to Queen’s Park on our behalf. To that end, I’m writing to correct factual inaccuracies in an advertorial by Burlington Member of Parliament Jane McKenna, titled “Setting the Record Straight on Bill 108,” published in the Burlington Post newspaper on June 20 — and a slightly different version of the article posted on the local group WeLoveBurlington Facebook page (June 17) and to the MPP’s website (June 19). I have also requested a meeting with MPP McKenna and Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos to ensure they both have accurate information, to best represent our interests at Queen’s Park as our elected representatives. Here are the facts: Bill 108 makes changes to 13 pieces of legislation. It was introduced in May and received Royal Assent in June — and much of the concerns raised by mayors and their residents across the province were ignored. The Region of Halton and the City of Burlington both passed resolutions detailing the problems with Bill 108 in advance of passage. You can read those here: https://bit.ly/COBResolutionBill108 and https://bit.ly/HaltonRegionResolutionBill108. Many other municipalities have also passed resolutions expressing their concerns with the legislation. Two key changes are in the areas of development charges and the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). Development charges are intended to ensure growth pays for growth. It doesn’t now — paying roughly 80% of the costs of growth, while taxpayers pick up the remaining 20%, for everything from community centres to parks and transit. The changes in Bill 108 will make that worse as certain items we used to be able to collect for have been removed from the development charges and are now included in a new “community benefits” formula that is to be determined. However, that new formula has a “cap.” If the actual costs of growth are higher, taxpayers will again have to pay the difference. There are certainly challenges with the current development charges system and related to that is the determination of Section 37 benefits, which are cash or in-kind payments for things such as park amenities or parking — these are negotiated for extra height and density. As noted in the MPP’s article, I have long been a critic of Section 37 benefits. However, Bill 108 does nothing to make this system better and for the reasons I noted above, it will, in fact, make it less likely that growth will end up paying for growth. You, the taxpayer, will get the bill. Further, there is no guarantee that the savings to developers from reduced contributions to the costs of growth will, in fact, be passed on to homebuyers.  Mayor Meed Ward was with Burlington MPP Jane McKenna and Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos on Canada Day – they could have had a little chat at the swearing in ceremony and gotten the facts straight then. The second change is to LPAT. The previous provincial government worked extensively with the development industry, municipal governments and citizens to reform the powers of the former Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to overrule local planning decisions and speed up the process of approvals so that housing could get to market faster and cheaper. Bill 108 essentially reverts the LPAT back to the older OMB rules where, once again, there will be extensive hearings with lawyers and witnesses that start from the beginning of the planning process and redo all the planning analyses completed by municipal governments and their trained and knowledgeable staff. This will add more time and more costs to the delivery of housing — the exact opposite of the stated intent of Bill 108. It is clear that as long as the tribunal exists (in whatever form), not only will housing be more expensive and slower to market, but democratic decisions will be overruled by an unelected body. Ontario is the only province in Canada with such a tribunal — and communities across the country are successfully being built without one. It is time to eliminate the LPAT entirely, and I will be introducing a motion to Halton Regional Council on July 10. Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) NOTICE OF MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED: Council Meeting – July 10, 2019 MOVED BY: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward SECONDED BY: Mayor Rick Bonnette WHEREAS The Government of Ontario, on June 6, 2019, passed the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019, (Bill 108); and WHEREAS the changes to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), contained in Bill 108 will give LPAT the authority to make final planning decisions based on a subjective “best planning outcome” approach rather than compliance with municipal and provincially approved official plans and consistency with provincial plans and policy; and WHEREAS Bill 108 restricts third party appeals of plans of subdivision only to the applicant, municipality, Minister, public body or prescribed list of persons; and WHEREAS Bill 108 takes local planning decision-making out of the hands of democratically elected municipal councils and puts it into the hands of a non-elected, unaccountable tribunal; and WHEREAS the LPAT adds cost and delays delivery of affordable housing by expensive, time consuming hearings, contrary to the intent of the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019; and WHEREAS Regional and City Councils have spent millions defending provincially approved plans at the OMB/LPAT, including more than $5 million over the last three years; WHEREAS the reverting back to de novo hearings adds delays and costs to the housing delivery, as planning decisions start from scratch requiring lawyers, experts and witnesses, repeating the planning analysis already done by local councils; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: THAT in the short term, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing immediately restore the amendments to the Planning Act that mandated the evaluation of appeals on a consistency and conformity with Provincial policies and plans basis; THAT in the long-term the Government of Ontario eliminate the LPAT entirely, as an antiquated body that slows delivery and adds costs to housing supply via expensive and drawn out tribunal hearings; AND THAT this resolution be forwarded to the Premier, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Halton’s Members of Provincial Parliament, Leaders of the New Democratic, Liberal and Green parties; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario, Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario and Halton’s local municipalities. Finally, some facts regarding Burlington’s Official Plan (OP). As required by legislation, the City’s OP is regularly updated, including an extensive update in 2008 to incorporate the intensification measures proposed by the Province in its Places to Grow Act. Burlington was allocated a population of 185,000 by 2031. As of the 2016 census, we were at 183,000. With known and approved developments underway and recently completed, we have already reached our population target — 12 years early. Further, there are specific density targets that are required in certain areas of the city. Downtown Burlington is designated as an Urban Growth Centre, with a density of 200 people or jobs per hectare by 2031. According to multiple analyses by staff, we are well on track to meeting and surpassing that density. The most recent was included in the staff report for the 421 Brant Street development, which calculates the current density at 174 people or jobs. It also states that we are well-positioned to meet or exceed the density following the existing Official Plan provisions. I have gone into more depth and details about how the changes Bill 108 will affect Burlington residents in previous posts on my website, mariannemeedward.ca. It is critical for residents to have accurate information, and especially for our local representatives, to have the facts of Burlington’s situation and fully understand our concerns so they can best represent our interests to the Premier and Cabinet. We will be scheduling meetings to ensure that correct information is circulated to the public and will be circulating this information publicly, as well as to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Premier.
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The dream, at least a part of it, came true for HalTech and Tech Place, when RBC announced the acquisition of WayPay, a cloud-based payments fintech from Burlington, Ontario that offers business clients a best-in-class solution for accounts payable automation and payment optimization.
“Many businesses are already planning the transition from paper cheques as manual reconciliation is a time-sensitive process prone to errors. The acquisition of WayPay will add new capabilities for RBC to bring all payment types together onto one platform, providing clients with a more comprehensive view of their accounts while facilitating the shift from manual, paper-based processes to digital payments.
Anita Cassidy, Acting Executive Director at Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) is thrilled with the announcement. “Since its launch in 2014, WayPay has been an innovation ecosystem leader in Burlington,” she said. “Our team has had the opportunity to get to know the leadership team at WayPay and witness firsthand their dedication and enthusiasm for what they do. We are incredibly excited for them because being acquired by a larger company is an incredible achievement for a start-up. WayPay was founded with the goal to scale, and so being acquired by RBC demonstrates the value in their technology.”
In the media release the city sent out there is very little in terms of detail. The Gazette put together a lengthy piece setting out what the city wanted to get done in each of the five focus areas. That article can be accessed 
Mary Lou Tanner, Deputy City Manager, the woman who gave the city the Grow Bold concept said: “The commitment from the Burlington Leadership Team and Burlington Council to work towards common objectives in partnership with our community is at the root of this important four-year plan.
Community Development Halton is a leader in social planning activities in the Region and has, in the past produced research on social trends, needs and issues relevant to a variety of constituencies in their communities. They have undertaken independent research and publish on a regular basis
These impertinent letters each contain eight questions covering: economic competitiveness; skills training; immigration; healthcare; climate change; the Arctic; indigenous reconciliation; and federalism. Interestingly Maxime Bernier and his People’s Party didn’t get a letter. Was that an oversight or because a vote for Bernier would end up as a vote for the centre-left parties?
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
The defining feature of North American cities is the single-family detached home. It is the least efficient way to house people, yet municipal zoning laws have historically served to ensure its primacy.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
Oakville and Burlington were mighty upset and formed local advocacy groups.
Mayor Meed Ward wanted to see several lines added to the tax bill and had a line saying “Ford Levy” showing which increases were the results of changes by the Ford government that are going to whack us in the wallet.
WeLoveBurlington is a small, non-partisan, grass roots organization that advocates on a broad range of issues that affect the City of Burlington and its citizens.
