 By Pepper Parr
August 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It will take place – right here in Burlington – a simulcast of the CBC broadcast of the last stop on the farewell tour of the Tragically Hip band; an event that is pregnant with the knowledge that Gord Downie, the band leader lives with an incurable brain cancer.
The Hip resonated with a certain demographic – they were our band and they spoke our language and we believed that like the Rolling stones they would go on forever.
 He is giving it everything he’s got – and then some! But it isn’t going to work out that way. The last song that is played on the simulcast will bring tears to the eyes of many – probably most.
While the tears might be part of a life experience, what is really necessary is a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.
The Burlington Downtown Business Association, which has been a large part of the driving force behind getting the broadcast to Burlington, where it will be put up on huge screen in Spencer Smith Park, have set up an account at the Royal Bank of Canada Branch downtown at Lakeshore and Pearl.
It is a “deposit only” account; funds collected will be equally divided between JBH Foundation (in support of the Hospital’s cancer care clinic” and The Halton chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society (focusing on education and prevention).
 Gord Downie – The Tragically Hip The event is going to be bitter sweet – there will be a man on the stage suffering. The disease that is eating away at his brain is at this point in time incurable. Cancer treatment has come a long way in the past decade – basically because of the continuing ongoing research – which costs a lot of money.
You get a chance to put your money where your heart is going to be on August 20th. Just walk into the Royal Bank and make a donation. The account and transit number is set out below. Just do it.
Account # 100-427-4
Transit # 00622
The BDBA is working quickly to establish a tool for online donations as well. The Gazette will publish those details as soon as they are available.
 By Pepper Parr
August 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting submissions from local artists for the Culture Days celebrations in the Theatre Lobby to take place on Sunday October 2nd, 2016.
These are curated performances event taking place from 12pm -4pm, in conjunction with other activities. The call is for artists in the community to have a 15-minute performance highlight on the lobby stage. There are only eight slots available.
 The Family room being put to spectacular use – the Performing Arts Centre wants to make the space available to local talent during Culture Days in the fall. As part of the Community Initiative for Culture Days in Burlington, we are looking for amateur talent in Burlington and surrounding areas to showcase our local artists or acts and to introduce these artists to our patrons and to a wider audience as well as to showcase culture in Burlington.
This can also assist any local artist or group who are on their way to becoming better known in the community or even pursuing the goal of becoming professional.
There is an honorarium for these performances and the artists will get an opportunity to promote their brand at that time, while reaching a new audience. The artists may also be added to the City of Burlington’s Artists database, with their permission.
We are looking for singer/songwriters, singers of pop, jazz, blues, folk, musical theatre and classical music, bands or combos, instrumentalists and soloists: classical, jazz, etc.
Please submit by email to: BPACsubmissions@burlington.ca with Culture Days in the Subject line. Includde a couple of photos, a short bio and some background information along with a short description of the act or performer, any links to YouTube videos, if you have them, and of course, contact information.
Dateline for submissions is August 26th, 2016.
There are only eight spots available; only those acts or artists selected will be contacted.
Costin Manu, Community Engagement Manager for the Centre, has been working at getting something going in the lobby of the Performing Arts centre since he arrived. It will be interesting to see how this works out – it will also be interesting to see how the city and the Performing Arts centre manage to collaborate on making the Cultural Days event in Burlington work. There didn’t seem to be all that much co-operating between the two – each sort of did their own thing – and it showed.
The Centre has a strong Jazz program on the plaza during August – details in the next edition of the Gazette.
Earlier this year the Art \gallery of Burlington rented the Main Theatre and put the lobby – which we thought was named the Family Room – and put it to excellent use.
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band took over the Family Room of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre the day the city turned the building over to the community. When the Performing Arts Centre opened there was an afternoon when all of the Burlington Teen Tour Band marched in through the east side sliding doors and gave that space life and energy it has never seen before.
The Centre management has yet to “animate” the space as well since.
By Pepper Parr
August 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It isn’t summer if someone somewhere doesn’t do a Shakespeare play.
Debra Pickfield,of ThinkSpot fame, brought the Driftwood Theatre Company to Lowville for the third year and now the Tottering Biped Theatre is going to be at what Trevor Copp calls RBG’s stunning new outdoor Rock Gardens where they will be staging ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’… “unlike any you’ve seen before”.
 It will be a Mid summer night the likes of which you have never seen before. Copp describes the production thusly: “Spurred on by their amorous and ambitious dreams, aspiring actors, lovers, and fairies meet in the woods of their sleeping minds in this highly physical adaptation of the classic play.”
Copp adds” “We’ve noticed the difficulty emerging artists have here in getting off the ground – and we lose artistic talent to Toronto/further cities every year as a result.
“So in casting this piece, we searched this area’s post-secondary theatre programs for the most talented senior students/recent graduates – and offered them paid theatre work; unprecedented in our area.
“In supporting this show, you’re teaching the next generation that being an artist doesn’t mean moving away.
It will be on at the Royal Botanical Gardens Rock Garden on:
August 10th @ 7pm
August 11th @ 7pm
August 12th @ 7pm
August 13th @ 7pm
August 14th @ 7pm
August 17th @ 7pm
August 18th @ 7pm
August 19th @ 7pm
August 20th @ 7pm
August 21st @ 7pm
Make a dinner reservation at the Rock Garden Cafe before enjoying Shakespeare by Nature’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
$35.00 per person
Seating promptly at 5pm
5:30PM to 7:00PM – Garden opens to those who have purchased tickets and made restaurant reservations
7:00PM to 9:00PM – Performance
Fees:
Non-member Adults: $25.00
Member Adults: $20.00
Non-member & Member children (ages 4-12): $20.00
Child under the age of 3: Free
Tickets available online at:
https://tickets.rbg.ca/PEO/daily_events_list.asp
 By Staff
August 2nd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Progress we think – and as one of those people who lived at the intersection of New Street and Guelph Line – we are all mighty pleased that we no longer have to dodge construction equipment and work our way around pot holes that pull hub caps off the vehicle
Many of us think the Regional chair owes us at least one car wash – the dust was incredible.
 Director of Transit for the city of Burlington, Mike Spicer serving as a Court Jester? The city transit people has announced schedule adjustments that begin August 14 upon completion of New Street construction.
Schedule adjustments effective August 14, 2016.
Routes 10 and 20 will return to normal routing upon completion of the New Street construction project. Minor adjustments have also been made to select trips on routes: 1, 11, 80 and 101.
 The intention is to replace water and sewage pipe lines all along New street and add bicycle lanes on a trial basis as well east of Guelph Line. Use the new Trip Planner and Next Bus link to know when the bus will depart in real-time. Add tripplanner.burlington.ca to your favourites or call the automated phone system 905-639-0550 and enter in your Stop ID.
The last we heard was that the Trip Planner and Next Bu link were getting a technical touch up. We never heard back from the transit people.
We will now give that service a test and let you know how it is doing.
 By Pepper Parr
August 2nd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be interesting to see the look on Mayor Goldring’s face when a poem written by Hanz Mirck, Apeldoorn’s resident poet, is read to him at the Different Drummer Books on August 12th.
The poem was commissioned by the Apeldoorn City Poet Committee, a group that is very active.
Our Mayor is a little uncomfortable with things emotional. Sitting in a room while someone reads a poem directly to him will be a different experience.
 Mayors of Apeldoorn and Burlington Our relationship with Apeldoorn is very strong – city staff have met with Apeldoorn city employees and there is the potential for some economic development between the two cities.
 Apeldoorn has this palace – we have Spencer Smith Park A look at the cultural activity in Apeldoorn suggests they are much more advanced than we are with local culture. It is an older society with a richer and more appreciated heritage and culture.
The event takes place Friday, August 12, 2016, 2 to 3 p.m., at the A Different Drummer Books.
At some point in the future perhaps Burlington will commission Tomy Bewick to do a poetry piece that he can present at the Poetry Slam and then have it read to the Mayor of Apeldoorn
 By Staff
August 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The London Majors are the Intercounty Baseball League’s top seed heading into the playoffs.
London (28-9) clinched the pennant with a 4-0 win over the Kitchener Panthers Monday night in a one-game tie-breaker at Labatt Park. It was the fifth time in league history the pennant was won in a tie-breaker (1977, 1994, 1995, 1997).
Majors starter Cory Hammond (5-1) went the distance, scattering two hits while walking one and striking out three.
With Hammond and Panthers starter Matt McGovern going toe-to-toe, the Majors struck first in the seventh inning. Byron Reichstein led off with a line drive single to left field and then went to third on Michael Ambrose’s double past third base.
Kitchener brought its infield in, and McGovern got the next two hitters on a shallow fly out and ground out and was ahead 1-2 on
Brett Sabourin before the Majors’ first baseman ripped a single to left for the winning run.
London added three more runs in the eighth when Reichstein stroked a two-run double off the wall in left-centre field and came around to score on LeJon Baker’s two-out single.
RJ Fuhr had two hits and a run for London, which will face Guelph in the first round. Cleveland Brownlee also had two hits.
For Kitchener, McGovern (5-1) went seven innings and was charged with one run on seven hits, striking out six without issuing a walk.
Tanner Nivins and Mike Andrulis were the only players to record hits.
Defensively, Panthers first baseman Justin Interisano made a highlight-reel play to end the sixth inning. Interisano leapt to snag a soft liner and then doubled off Fuhr at second base.
Kitchener (27-10), which beat Brantford Sunday night to force a tie-breaker, will face Hamilton to start the playoffs. Other matchups include No. 3 Barrie vs. No. 6 Burlington and No. 4 Brantford vs. No. 5 Toronto.
Quarter finals schedule:
(1) London Majors vs (8) Guelph Royals
Game 1:
Game 2:
Game 3:
Game 4:
*Game 5:
*Game 6:
*Game 7:
(2) Kitchener Panthers vs (7) Hamilton Cardinals
Game 1:
Game 2:
Game 3:
Game 4:
*Game 5:
*Game 6:
*Game 7:
(3) Barrie Baycats vs (6) Burlington Bandits
Game 1: Thu, August 4 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
Game 2: Sat, August 6 at Burlington; 1:05 PM
Game 3: Sun, August 7 at Barrie; 7:00 PM
Game 4: Tue, August 9 at Burlington; 7:30 PM
*Game 5: Thu, August 11 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
*Game 6: Fri, August 12 at Burlington; 7:30 PM
*Game 7: Sat, August 13 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
(4) Brantford Red Sox vs (5) Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 1: Wed, August 3 at Brantford; 8:00 PM
Game 2: Thu, August 4 at Toronto; 7:30 PM
Game 3: Sun, August 7 at Toronto; 2:00 PM
Game 4: Wed, August 10 at Brantford; 8:00 PM
*Game 5: Fri, August 12 at Brantford; 8:00 PM
*Game 6: Sat, August 13 at Toronto; TBD
*Game 7: Sun, August 14 at Brantford; 8:00 PM
 By Staff
August 1st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The top team in the InterCounty Baseball League is not yet know – the winner of the game between the Kitchener Panthers and the
London Majors this evening in London will determine the finals standings and then who plays who in the quarter finals.
The Burlington Bandits will play a best out of seven series against the Barrie Baycats. The play dates are set out below:
Game 1: Thu, August 4 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
Game 2: Sat, August 6 at Burlington; 1:05 PM
Game 3: Sun, August 7 at Barrie; 7:00 PM
Game 4: Tue, August 9 at Burlington; 7:30 PM
Game 5: Thu, August 11 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
Game 6: Fri, August 12 at Burlington; 7:30 PM
Game 7: Sat, August 13 at Barrie; 7:30 PM
Burlington might be able to hold their own against the Barrie Baycats – it shouldn’t be a romp for either team.
While the Bandits were a little on the lacklustre side during the regular season they tend to pick up quite a bit when they get into the finals.
By Staff
August 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been a thriller of a season, particularly for those who are fans of the top four teams in the InterCounty Baseball League.
 The Kitchener Panthers’ 9-3 win over the Brantford Red Sox Sunday night created a tie atop the standings, with both the Panthers and London Majors holding 27-9 records. They’ll play a 37th regular season game Monday night at Labatt Park in London at 7:35 p.m. to determine who will face Guelph as the top playoff seed. The loser will face Hamilton.
Tanner Nivins had two solo home runs against the Red Sox. He added a single and scored three times. Justin Interisano went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and two runs, while Terrell Alliman and Mike Glinka each drove in a run. Mike Gordner had three hits and two runs, and David Whiteside and Frank Camilo Morejon each had a pair of singles.
Noelvis Entenza (9-4) went six innings for the win, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking two.
Benjamin Bostick had two hits, an RBI and run for the Red Sox, which finished fourth with a 20-16 record and will face Toronto in the first round. Chris Dennis and Brandon Dailey each doubled and drove in a run, and Tyler Patzalek singled twice.
Jonathan Joseph (0-1) took the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits in four innings, striking out two and walking two.
Baycats go into playoffs with dramatic win TORONTO – The Barrie Baycats will head into their first-round playoff series with Burlington on a two-game win streak after a dramatic 9-6 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits.
Barrie erased a one-run deficit with four runs in the top of the ninth to finish the regular season 25-11.
Zach Sardelletti hit a two-run home run and Jordan Castaldo hit a solo blast in the ninth as the Baycats went deep five times overall.
Sardelletti homered twice and added a single, driving in five. Kyle Nichols and Kevin Atkinson each hit solo home runs. Jeff Cowan singled and scored twice.
Adam Hawes (2-0) gave up a run on two hits in an inning for the win. Hawes struck out two without issuing a walk. Chris Nagorski threw a scoreless inning for his fifth save, giving up a hit while striking out two. Starter Matthew St. Kitts went three innings and allowed four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out one.
For Toronto, Sean Mattson homered, singled and doubled and had two RBI. Justin Marra singled and hit a solo home run, scoring twice, while Jon Waltenbury added a solo shot.
Brendan Keys had three hits and an RBI as the fifth-place Leafs dropped to 19-17 and missed a chance to pull into a fourth-place tie with Brantford, which will have home-field advantage against Toronto in the first round.
Adam Garner (1-1) was charged with four runs on four hits in an inning, walking one.
Brett van Pelt started and gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings, striking out three and walking seven.
 Future games
Monday, Aug. 1
Kitchener at London, 7:35 p.m.
By Pepper Parr
July 31st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Candidates must have a consistent record of presenting officiating in a positive light as well as exhibiting a “service above self” attitude. Public service to officiating, having a motivating effect on others and/or strong community involvement are considered.
Who would that be in Burlington?
 Ron Foxcroft – recipient of the Gold Whistle Award Say the words sports in this town and you follow it with Ron and those whistles. The guy who knew what it means to hustle before he got out of high school – actually he didn’t really get out of high school – he gave up on them.
If you’ve been to an event that Ron Foxcroft spoke at – you know the story of the whistle that failed him in a crucial basketball game.
From that experience came the spark that lit up his entrepreneurship that rolled into a company that sells a product in more than 140 countries.
All based on a whistle that has never failed him since the morning he blew on the thing in the corridor of a hotel that was holding a conference for sports officiating types.
Of such simple ideas are strong profitable businesses built.
 NASO’s Gold Whistle Award The media release from the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) that will be recognizing Foxcroft with the Gold Whistle Award at their conference in San Antonia Texas said “A primary determinant in awarding anyone NASO’s Gold Whistle Award is this: The recipient has to have a long and meaningful history of ‘shining a positive light’ on officiating. Further, any recipient must be someone who is held with some reverence within the officiating community of which he is a part.
“Ron Foxcroft”, said Barry Mano, NASO president “was an easy choice.”
“There are precious few individuals who place the wellbeing of sports officiating well in front of personal agenda or gain,” Mano added. “Members of this group have made outsized contributions to officiating. Ron is without doubt a member of that elite and critically important group. He is one of those unique individuals who, for decades, has fulfilled all of the requirements above. And, of course, he continues to do so.”
Although Foxcroft is best known as maker of the famous pealess whistle used by officials around the world, he has made his mark in the world in many other ways. As an NCAA and international basketball official, he worked five NCAA tournaments, an Olympic final and numerous other high level international games.
He has shone a positive light on the industry through his many charitable and leadership efforts, including serving as chair of the McMaster Campaign for Athletics & Recreation, founder and former chair of the Foxcroft Family Youth Fund held at the Hamilton Community Foundation and serving on the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation fundraising committee, the first healthcare charity in Hamilton to earn the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy’s Ethical Fundraising License.
He donated thousands of Fox 40 Classic whistles used by search and rescue professionals when they were saving lives following the San Francisco earthquake, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. Foxcroft has received awards from B’Nai Brith Canada and the Burlington (Ontario) Rotary Club.
Foxcroft was named Hamilton’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year, received an honorary doctor of law degree from McMaster University and had an award named for him by Sports Officials Canada. The award is presented annually to recognize excellence from an official in a professional sports environment, their contribution to the development of young officials and their example as a positive role model for officials by virtue of personal involvement at the community level.
 Queen Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, receives Colonel Ronald Foxcroft (Honorary Colonel) at Buckingham Palace in London. He is an honorary colonel in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Canadian Army Reserve infantry battalion. After a member of his regiment was killed in a terrorist attack, Foxcroft met with Queen Elizabeth II and received her personal condolences.
 Foxcroft sometimes found time to shoot a couple of hoops at the office. Fox 40 received the Mel Narol Medallion Award in 2004, presented to a group or individual for outstanding contributions to NASO. Foxcroft is a former member of the NASO board of directors and currently serves as a special adviser to the board.
And he is still a young man.
By Staff
July 30, 2016
BURLINGTON. ON
The Burlington Bandits and Guelph Royals rounded out their 2016 season as the Bandits downed the Royals 8-3. Burlington (10-26) finished sixth while Guelph (7-29) finished eighth.
Burlington will meet Barrie in a first round quarter-final series while Guelph will meet the IBL pennant winner, either London or Kitchener.
 Adam Odd was a consistently strong player this year. Adam Odd led Burlington with three hits and three RBI’s including a two-run double in the first inning. Nolan Pettipiece also added two hits and two RBI’s for Burlington.
Matt Schmidt had two hits for Guelph who managed only three hits off four Burlington pitchers.
Jack Dennis (3-4) was the winning pitcher allowing only two hits in five innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Adrian Yuen (0-4) took the loss for Guelph, giving up six runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Future games
Sunday, July 31
Barrie at Toronto, 2 p.m.
Brantford at Kitchener, 7 p.m.
(End of regular schedule)
 By Pepper Parr
July 30th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Airpark has served notice on the city that it is going to appeal the decision made in the Superior Court of Ontario which decided that they must file a site alteration plan for the air park where thousands of tonnes of land fill was dumped between 2003 and 2008.
And why are we not surprised?
This is what you do when you need to buy time.
 The black lines show the size of the Air \Park property. The properties on the left side along Appleby Line suffered significant flooding from run off after the land fill had been dumped on Air Park property. The Air Park had 30 days in which to decide what they wanted to do – file a site alteration plan or appeal the decision.
They chose to appeal – and if this appeal is anything like the results of the last court decision the Air Park appealed it will be a very short court case.
After speaking for close to an hour on why the original decision should be set aside (that was the decision that said the air park did have to comply with municipal bylaws) the Court of Appeal decided they didn’t have to listen to the city’s argument. They recessed for a short period of time and chose not to set aside the Superior Court decision.
This second court case had the city of Burlington asking the court to compel the Air Park to file a site plan for the city to approve – and that of course is where the rubber hits the road – what if the city doesn’t approve the site plan that is filed?
The City will now discuss next steps after learning that the Burlington Airpark Inc. has appealed the decision of Mr. Justice M.R. Gibson dated June 30, 2016 to the Ontario Court of Appeal.
 Vince Rossi, president of the Air Park and believed to be the sole shareholder of the private company, met with north Burlington residents. He took all the comments made “under advisement”. The appeal, attached, states:
“THE APPELLANT ASKS that the judgment be set aside and judgment be granted declaring City of Burlington By-Law 64-2014 to be ultra vires, or inapplicable to the operations of the Appellant, Burlington Airpark Inc., and in particular to the placement of soils in and about aircraft runways and aircraft taxiways at the Burlington Airpark (the “Airpark”) prior to April 27, 2013.”
The City of Burlington site alteration bylaw 64-2014 regulates the placing, dumping, cutting and removal of fill or the alteration of grades or drainage on a piece of land. Individuals doing this type of work must first submit an application to the city for a site alteration permit.
 The Air Park at one point had plans to locate a helicopter station on the property. On June 30, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of the City of Burlington’s application to compel Burlington Airpark Inc. to submit an application for a site alteration permit to comply with the bylaw. With the court ruling, the Air Park was required to file an application for a site alteration permit for the fill deposited between 2008 and 2013 before August 31, 2016.
The court has also ordered the Airpark to pay the city’s court costs.
The Air Park itself is not the issue – it is what the current owner of the air park has dumped on the land. They have argued that the land fill was brought in to level the property for future development.
Most people took the position that the land fill was brought in because it was very profitable to do so – and indeed it appears, with what little evidence there is so far that dumping land fill on the site was profitable.
During the first court case lawyer Ian Blue, acting for Burlington, managed to get on record that there were large sums earned from the land fill that was dumped, but that the corporate records were not available to show just where those millions of dollars had gone.
 All the key players in the Air Park dispute: On the left standing is assistant city solicitor Blake Hurley, seated in front of him is Ian Blue, the lawyer the has hired to represent them in court. Leaning over th chairs is former city general manager Scott Stewart along with Roger Goulet, Ken Woodfruff and Monte Denis. Leaning over th three gentlemen is former ward six candidate Vanessa Warren. At one point in these proceedings the Air Park sued three Burlington residents and a local on line newspaper (the Burlington Gazette) for libel. That case is still churning its way through the judicial system. The defendants, Denis, Warren, Parr and the Gazette have asked the Air Park to show their financial records. The Air Park has refused to do so. A Judge has heard arguments from the Air Park and the defendants on why the Air Park should make its financial records available. They are waiting for a decision.
There are people involved in economic development matters who feel the air park is an important part of what kind of development takes place on the 200 acre site. A small regional airport is seen by these people as a useful and there are reported to be people interested in acquiring the air park which is believed to be wholly owned by Vince Rossi.
There are others who feel the airport should become something owned and operated by the Region. However there does not appear to be much in the way of an appetite at the Region for them to become operators of an Air Park. There are a number of municipalities who have done just that.
Might the air park find itself with new owners? There is more than one individual interested in that possibility.
By Staff
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If necessary, Monday’s one-game playoff between London and Kitchener to determine first place, will be played at 7:35 p.m. at Labatt Park in London.
The stage is set for a dramatic finish to the IBL regular season.
 With a dramatic 2-1 win over the first-place Kitchener Panthers at Labatt Park in London Friday night, the London Majors leapfrogged the Panthers and are in first place by half a game.
London finished its regular season schedule with a seven-game win streak and posted a 27-9 mark. Kitchener, which went 8-2 over its last 10 games, sits 26-9.
The two thoroughbreds have been neck-and-neck to the finish line and it’s not over yet.
While the Majors have completed their schedule, Kitchener plays host to the Brantford Red Sox Sunday night. If Kitchener beats Brantford, the Panthers will also have a 27-9 record and move into a first-place tie with London.
League rules say there is a one-game playoff to decide the pennant winner when two teams are tied for first. So if Kitchener can defeat Brantford Sunday night, the Panthers will get a good night’s sleep and head back to Labatt Park for the first-place showdown Monday night.
What a way to cap the long weekend!
London, because it has the better head-to-head record, is the host for the tie-breaker. Monday night’s game, if there is one, is scheduled for 7 p.m.
But don’t expect the Red Sox to roll over Sunday night because the game also means a lot to them. The Red Sox are 20-15 and are sitting in fourth place. The Toronto Maple Leafs are hot on their heels at 19-6.
 The Bandits whooping it up after winning a double header – in the 2015 season where the ended up in 5th place. So … if the Maple Leafs defeat Barrie Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits, they finish the season 20-16. If Kitchener defeats Brantford, the Red Sox are also 20-16, meaning those teams would be tied for fourth place.
Toronto has the edge in the season series against Brantford with three wins versus two losses.
So … a Toronto win Sunday afternoon versus Barrie and a Brantford loss to Kitchener Sunday night would give the Maple Leafs fourth spot and home-field advantage in their opening round series against the Red Sox.
And there’s also drama at the bottom of the standings. Guelph, which is in eighth spot, plays host to the Burlington Bandits tonight.
A win for the Royals would have them finish the season at 8-28 and pull them into a tie for seventh spot with the Hamilton Cardinals.
Guelph holds the edge in the season series, 3-2, against the Cardinals. So Guelph can lock up seventh-place with a win tonight.
The Burlington Bandits have a pretty secure hold on sixth place. Last year they managed to hold onto 5th place at the end of the IBL season with a final record of 15-21.
And, after all that, we have the playoffs.
By Pepper Parr
July 29th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a difference in interviewing the local MPP who sits as a back bencher with a couple of pet projects and interviewing a Minister of the Crown who has also been appointed to Treasury Board and runs a Ministry that has three sections: Tourism, Sports and Culture; each important to not only the well-being of the people in the province but significant sectors of the provincial economy as well.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon at her first public meeting after being named a Minister of the crown in Ontario. It has been almost a world wind experience for Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon and it is far from over. Recruited to the Ontario Liberal Party by Kathleen Wynne personally, McMahon went on to win the riding that had been held for more than 70 years by Conservatives. She brought the ability to connect with people on a deep personal level that was sincere and recognized immediately by people she met with. She is a formidable campaigner.
The public didn’t know all that much about McMahon other than a little about a personal tragedy in her life and a strong commitment to teaching the public to share the road with cyclists.
Her maiden speech in the legislature was pretty standard. Where the city might have seen some of the energy and drive was in August of 2014 when she worked tirelessly to bring the province onside and involve Burlington in the ODRAP – Ontario Disaster Relief and Assistance Program that matched the close to $1 million raised by citizens to aid the more than 300 home owners whose houses were severely damaged.
When the Burlington Community Foundation (since renamed the Burlington Foundation) needed a place for people to be able to donated funds, McMahon was on the telephone and within a very short period of time convinced the national offices of the United Way to let Burlington use their web site. Connections at that level are what McMahon is very good at- she had once worked at the United Way national office.
She can be partisan, listen to her at a campaign meeting, she has a positive streak that exceeds that of Mary Poppins
McMahon works from a strong relationship base with people – but don’t cross her. She has a strong Irish streak in her that remembers. That Irish streak is conditioned by a strong Catholicism and rooted in a family that is very very close. You don’t see much of the family all that often but they are there.
When the Premier let it be known that she was going to change some of the names on the Cabinet room chairs McMahon’s name got mentioned in the media. The Gazette didn’t see McMahon as Cabinet material but when the list came out her name was there.
We saw McMahon as more of a booster and wished that she would come across as more of a legislator.
There are many people that grow into opportunities that let latent skills and talent come to the surface. That seems to be the kind of experience McMahon is having.
 McMahon took to a loom during a tour of the Art Gallery. she has an exceptionally strong working relationship with Member of Parliament Karina Gould – they share a number of public events – they are actually quite a tag team. The Ministry she was given is a good fit for her. Being made a Minister of the crown brought with it a steep learning curve. As she worked her way through the briefing binders we began to see an Eleanor McMahon that hadn’t been visible before.
She wasn’t exactly a policy wonk but she wasn’t going to be a wall flower either. All the signs so far point to a woman who has rolled up her sleeves and getting into the job.
She jumped right in and became a team player picking up where her predecessor in the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and Culture had left off. In unveiling the province’s first detailed culture strategy the public heard her close to flawless French and her ability to get her tongue around the language the aboriginal world speaks when she unveiled the strategy.
“I am all about words” said McMahon in an exclusive interview with the Gazette.
 McMahon wears a quiet smile as she takes part in a cheque presentation during the massive community effort to raise funds for 2014 flood victims. McMahon was a quiet, unrelenting advocate for the city. In commenting on the province’s decision to sell a portion of Hydro McMahon said the government wanted to see a “tougher, tighter” corporation and having the private sector at the table would result in a more responsive corporation. That’s not something a lot of people in the province are going to agree with.
The belief that “change for the better” is what will improve life for everyone works itself into just about everything McMahon does.
She has bought into the advice a former head of the Toronto Dominion Bank, Ed Clarke gave the Premier when he said: Ontario needs to “catch up to keep up” which has led the provincial government into spending $160 billion on improving the transportation system so that goods and people can move efficiently.
McMahon spoke of thinking “beyond the election cycle” which is good news copy but the voters are always the big elephant in the room.
McMahon is a big picture person. Asked what the Brexit (the United Kingdom pulling out of the European Union) decision is going to mean she will tell you that isolationism is not the answer. Partnering with as many countries as possible is what will keep the Ontario economy strong as it adjusts to the changes taking place in the province’s economy and how it fits into a larger North American and world economy.
McMahon will tell you of the trade mission the Premier recently took to Israel that resulted in an agreement that will see students from that country working at the McMaster University DeGroote School of Business here in Burlington.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon and MP Karina Gould do a Cogeco interview at a public meting that dealt with how Burlington would welcome the Syria refugees coming to Canada A number of months ago McMahon sat in on a discussion with parents who had older autistic children. There are a lot of programs in place for younger autistic children but once they pass the age of 18 there is literally nothing for them.
The group of parents took part in a day long exercise to think through just what the problem was and what might be possible in the way of programs for autistic people who are in their forties with parents who are in the 60’s and 70’s.
When the parents are gone – what happens to these now middle aged people who need help? They fall between the cracks which terrifies the parents.
McMahon listened, and then worked with the group to obtain a Trillium grant that would allow them to do some research and come up with ideas and possible approaches to providing the services these autistic people need.
The provincial government has begun to make changes in the services available to young autistic people. We will follow those developments.
The practice of large corporations basically paying for access to Cabinet Ministers was brought up. McMahon said she was not on the committee that put forward the recommendations the Premier appears to want to follow.
She is however now a Cabinet Minister and there are people who will want to bend her ear. McMahon will tell you she will be transparent and adds that unions and corporations and individuals have a right to be heard. “Why shut them out?” she asked.
She points to the large sums that were raised by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in his drive to win the Democratic presidential nomination and adds that the American’s have Super Pacs – which are organizations created to raise funds and make them available to candidates that share their views.
I don’t think Ontario has heard the last of how political parties are going to handle the raising of funds to pay for their elections. It was interesting to note that McMahon didn’t talk in terms of spending less on elections.
 During the 2014 flood McMahon was out into the community meeting people and listening to their concerns. she was instrumental in convincing the provincial government to march the funds raised locally. She didn’t do it all by herself but when she made those phone calls few could say no to her. The Ministry McMahon leads has a deputy minister and four associate deputy ministers; that run a Ministry that may not seem all that vital on the surface. Tourism, culture and sports reach into every municipality in the province. It is clear to those who have thought it through that culture is an economic driver and that it is tourism that brings people to Ontario.
Canada will begin its sesquicentennial celebration in 2017 – the federal government will go nutso on this one and Ontario will be running alongside them to make the celebration a sound success.
McMahon was recently appointed to the Treasury Board – that’s the table at which the financial decisions are made. No fuzzy thinking at that table. Someone has recognized the McMahon talent.
Ontario Place is part of the file McMahon manages. She recalled riding the water slides when she was younger and wants to see the Children’s Park, which were closed some time ago, put back into Ontario Place that is going through a major upgrade.
The Toronto International Film Festival is something she has a small hand in and she is interested seeing an NHL Winter Classic take place in our part of the world.
And she mentioned that she is working on seeing more “tailgate” parties during Grey Cup week
Expect McMahon to promote local festivals; next year the promoters of the Lowville Festival might manage to get her to one of their events.
 McMahon gets out into the community – she speaks straight from her hart and listen with both ears. She can also glam up when she needs to – but for the most part what you see it shat you get. The demands of the job are close to brutal. McMahon has a very supportive family and a tight circle of friends and associates that are there to help out.
Most weekends she finds herself taking a shopping bag filled with Briefing books to her cottage where she can share time with her family, refresh and get caught up.
There is more to tell you about what McMahon wants to get done and how she thinks she can “change for the better”.
By Staff
July 29th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The London Majors won their sixth straight game, beating the Burlington Bandits 10-6 Thursday night.
 RJ Fuhr went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs. Michael Ambrose had two hits and drove in three and scored a run, Keith Kandel and Humberto Ruiz each singled twice and drove in a run, Chris MacQueen had an RBI and two runs, and Byron Reichstein drove in a run.
Owen Boon (5-1) went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out three and walking four.
The second-place Majors improved to 26-9.
For Burlington, Robert Tavone doubled and drove in a run, Kevin Hussey singled and had an RBI, while Justin Gideon and Brad McQuinn each drove in a run. Julian Johnson and Carlos Villoria each singled twice.
Christian Hauck (3-5) took the loss, giving up six runs (three earned) on six hits, walking six and striking out four.
Sixth-place Burlington fell to 10-25.
In Barrie, the Baycats beat the Hamilton Cardinals 10-2 Thursday night.
Kyle DeGrace homered and drove in four and drove in two, Ryan Spataro singled three times, doubled and scored twice, Kevin Atkinson homered and had two RBI, Branfy Infante hit a solo home run, singled twice and scored three runs. Kyle Nichols and Jeremy Walker each had an RBI.
Adam Rowe (3-0) picked up the win, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings, striking out three and walking one.
Liam Wilson had a single and solo home run for Hamilton. Marcus Dicenzo had an RBI, and Geoffrey Soto had two hits and scored once.
Chris Lazar (1-5) allowed seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits over seven innings, striking out four and walking three.
Third-place Barrie improved to 24-11, and eighth-place Hamilton fell to 7-28.
Future games
Friday, July 29
Guelph at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Kitchener at London, 7:35 p.m.
Toronto at Brantford, 8 p.m.
 By Tom Harris and Tim Ball
July 29, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is an opinion piece from the International Climate Science Coalition on climate change. In the interest of open public debate on a matter of critical importance we give then space to put forward their views.
The best answer to many of the claims being made in climate change town halls across Canada this summer is simply: of course!
At the meetings, one of which will be held at 7:00 pm on August 4 at the Mainway Arena in Burlington, the public will be told that “Climate change is real.” Of course it is! Gravity and sunrise are also real. But that doesn’t mean we cause them or we would be better off without them. Climate has been changing since the origin of the atmosphere billions of years ago.
But, “man made climate change is a fact,” they respond. Of course! It is obviously warmer in urban areas than in the countryside because of man made impacts. However, the only place where carbon dioxide (CO2) increase causes a temperature increase is in computer models preprogrammed to show exactly that. Records show that temperature increase precedes CO2 increase.
All that should matter to public officials is whether our CO2 emissions are in any way dangerous. Since they are almost certainly not, the $1 billion spent every day across the world on climate finance is mostly wasted.
“Scientific organizations across the planet agree with the climate scare,” say eco-activists and politicians. Of course! Many science entities have strong political and financial motivations for agreeing with political correctness. But none have demonstrated that a majority of their scientist members actually support the alarmist stance. And no reputable world-wide survey has demonstrated that a majority of scientists who research the causes of climate change support the hypothesis that our CO2 emissions will cause dangerous climate change.
Next activists tell us, “2014 was the hottest year on record, until 2015 surpassed even that. The last two decades include the 19 hottest years on record.”
Of course! One would naturally expect the warmest years to be at the top of a warming record. And thank goodness we have been in a gradual warming trend since the depths of the Little Ice Age in the late 1600s.
Regardless, 2014 set the record by about four hundredths of a degree Celsius; 2015 by 16 hundredths of a degree. These amounts are too small to even notice and one is even less than the government’s uncertainty estimates of about eight hundredths of a degree.
But “observations of extreme weather events are increasing. Insurance claims are skyrocketing,” we are told.
Of course! As human habitation increases in areas that were previously sparsely populated, there will naturally be more reports of extreme weather and more related insurance claims. But there is no convincing evidence of a rise in the incidence or severity of extreme weather events in Canada in recent years.
The next alarmist claim? “Sea levels rose 7 inches in the last century!”
Of course! Sea level has been rising since the end of the last glacial period, 15,000 years ago. There has been no recent acceleration, and the current rate of rise is less than one tenth that of 8,000 years ago.
As their climate change claims fail, activists change targets: “The oceans are becoming more acidic!”
Of course! But the change is very small. There are regions in the ocean where pH varies more in a day than the most extreme forecasts for the 21st century, yet ocean life adapts.
Overall, the oceans have never been acidic (i.e., a pH less than 7). Dr. Craig Idso, founder of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change in Tempe, Arizona explains, “Forecasts of future pH come from unproven, theoretical postulations by models based on absorption of CO2 by the oceans. Regardless, there really is no such thing as a representative pH for the whole ocean. It varies vastly near the coast and in upwelling regions, much more than the projected increase in acidity.”
Climate campaigners are upset that fossil fuel companies support some of the groups who question political correctness on climate change.
Of course! But the amounts being funneled to entities which support the climate scare is enormously greater. The latest Foundation Center report (2010) shows that the California-based William and Flora Hewlett Foundation alone donated over one half billion dollars to climate change programs in 2008, over one hundred times as much as the average annual donation activists complain that the conservative Koch brothers have given to skeptics.
All this would be humorous if it did not have such serious ramifications. In the vain hope of stopping trivial changes in climate, activists and compliant politicians are working hard to force us to switch from coal and other fossil fuels, our least expensive and most abundant power sources, to unreliable and expensive alternatives such as wind and solar power. The public need to ask them,
“Why are you doing this? Who are you trying to please?”
 Tom Harris is executive director of the Ottawa-based International Climate Science Coalition. Dr. Tim Ball is an environmental consultant and former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba.
By Pepper Parr
July 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The craft maker residency is more than a year away – but the opportunity is something worth looking at – the – applications are due September 30, 2016 .
The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB), in collaboration with Craft Ontario (CC), is hosting a residency for up to six makers who work in craft disciplines as part of the inaugural Canadian Craft Biennial and Canada 150 celebration.
 Former MP Mike Wallace on a tour of the Art Gallery – looking at bowls made by potters. The residency will take place at the AGB in Burlington, Ontario. The AGB is home of seven guilds—Potters, Woodcarvers and Sculptors, Photography, Fine Arts, Fibre Arts, Rug Hooking Craft, and Handweavers and Spinners.
Each guild has their own fully equipped studio including ceramics with three different types of kilns (Raku, gas and electric), and a weaving studio with looms of many sizes. The residency aims to engage with the themes of the Biennale which include identity, materiality and the topical issues concerning Canada today.
 Six residencies are being created for craft makers at the Art Gallery The residency will provide a unique opportunity for the selected makers to exchange processes and ideas of their own medium and try new ones. A large open studio will provide each participant with a working table and materials, outdoor space will also be available, as well as access to the AGB studios and the possibility to work and exchange with guild members. We are looking for a range of makers both in terms of experience, and materials and processes used. A writers’ residency will take place at the same time doubling the opportunities to exchange with curators, scholars and critics.
Residents will:
Reside in shared accommodation with other members of the residency.
Attend workshops in various mediums
Engage with craft practitioners and theoreticians in a variety of settings
Actively participate in discussion with co-residents (makers and writers) in both structured and informal environments.
Attend the 2-day conference, part of the Can Craft? Craft Can! Biennale.
At the conclusion, residents will have the opportunity to discuss their experience as part of a round-table discussion that will be presented during the 2-day conference.
The residency will pay for travel to Burlington, Ontario, housing for the 10-days of the residency and will provide a per-diem allowance.
 Denis Longchamps, Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington. To apply, submit the following by September 30, 2016 to Denis Longchamps, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, Art Gallery of Burlington, by email at denis@agb.life
A CV (3 pages max.) outlining your education, and working and exhibition experience as you see it relating to this residency.
A 300 word letter of intent outlining your hopes for the outcome of your attendance and how the residency fits into your broader career aspirations.
Written documents should be in Word or PDF and PC compatible format.
Up to 5 images of your most recent works (JPG, 1024 x 768 dpi) and a list of images.
 By Staff
July 28th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Bandits are part of the bottom three in the InterCounty Baseball League standings. Hamilton and Guelph are beneath Burlington.
The London Majors won their fifth straight game and can still finish first after their 12-3 win over the Burlington Bandits Wednesday night.
 London (25-9) trails Kitchener by a game but has two games remaining, including a showdown at home Friday against the Panthers.
Michael Ambrose led the offence against Burlington, going 3-for-5 with two singles and a triple. He added two RBI and a run. Chris MacQueen also had two singles and a triple, driving in a run and scoring twice. Keith Kandel had two hits, two RBI and two runs, while Kyle Gormandy and Tristan Buntrock each had two hits, an RBI and run.
Byron Reichstein had an RBI, and Carlos Arteaga added three hits and three runs.
Oscar Perez (6-3) went six innings for the win, scattering eight hits and two earned runs while striking out five without walking a batter.
Ryan Beckett (2-6) took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking three.
At the plate, Kevin Hussey singled, tripled and scored twice as Burlington fell to 10-24 and is locked into sixth place heading into playoffs next week.
Canice Ejoh had three hits, Robert Tavone doubled twice and drove in a run, Julian Johnson had an RBI, and Carlos Villoria singled twice and scored once.
In Brantford Brandon Dailey had three hits and three RBI to lead the Brantford Red Sox to a 7-1 win over the Guelph Royals Wednesday night.
Benjamin Bostick, Chris Dennis and Mike Burk all had a hit, RBI and run, Wayne Forman drove in a run, and Tyler Patzalek had two hits and a run.
Nathan Forer (7-2) picked up the win, throwing five innings and giving up a run on three hits, striking out six and walking two.
Fourth-place Brantford is 20-14 but three games back of Barrie.
Jeff MacLeod had the Royals’ RBI. Matt Schmidt picked up two hits and scored the lone run, while Adam Rossit singled twice.
Marc Andre-Major (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking five.
Seventh-place Guelph is 7-27 and tied with Hamilton at the bottom of the standings.
Future games
Thursday, July 28
Hamilton at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
London at Burlington, 7:30 p.m.
By Pepper Parr
July 28th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
If there was any doubt as to what is going to happen to this city in the next 20 years – that doubt was dispelled in a media release issued by the city today.
We are going to grow and we are going to do it as boldly as possible.
 Director of Planning coined the phrase: Bolder, Smarter, Beautiful. That is how she plans to lead development in the city and has the full support of city council behind her. Director of Planning for the city Mary Lou Tanner underlined that point at a recent city council meeting when she said we will build “Bold, Smart, Beautiful.”
City City Council approved the Official Plan Review reports that lay the foundation for how and where the City of Burlington will grow for the next 20 years, inspired by Burlington’s 2015-40 Strategic Plan.
Two Official Plan Review reports that will help establish how and where the City of Burlington will grow over the next 20 years were given the stamp of approval.
Those reports set out where growth will take place and the kind of growth that will take place. There are a couple of locations that are intended for one type of growth when the owners of the property want to do something different. Is that another “OMB here we come?”
“This is an important time for our city,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “We have the opportunity to plan the type of growth we want in the locations we want to ensure we continue to be a thriving city. We will grow responsibly, with detailed planning that will result in new neighbourhoods that provide public amenity space, walkability, cycling infrastructure and public transit options, while minimizing the carbon footprint.”
Getting all that done is critical if the city is to be the kind of place the public seems to want. Sitting in on public meetings and hearing what a developer wants and noting how much they vary with what the city has set out as its model points to some stiff battles ahead.
 The Air Park learned that a developer cannot do whatever they choose to do nor can they apply their own interpretation to the regulations. It has been said that you can’t beat city hall and the Air Park has certainly learned that lesson. There are developers putting up impressive, large in scale projects that are well within what the city wants to see. There are others battling the planners at almost every yard. The city asked residents what to call the new direction for growth in Burlington. Two-thirds of the hundreds of people surveyed chose “Grow Bold” over the other option, which is “We Are All In.”
“After months of engagement with the community, City Council made the decision earlier this year, in the city’s Strategic Plan, that Burlington is going to grow,” said James Ridge, Burlington’s city manager. “With this direction, the city’s planning team has been hard at work updating the city’s Official Plan, the blueprint that defines where and how growth will happen over the next 20 years.”
Of the two reports approved by City Council, the Urban Structure and Intensification Policy Directions report contains a policy direction for an intensification framework that clearly outlines the parts of the city that are being targeted for growth and those areas that will not see a significant amount of development. Among the primary locations for intensification are the areas around Burlington’s GO stations, called mobility hubs.
The second report, Burlington’s Mobility Hubs: A Work Plan for Area-Specific Planning, addresses the need for a dedicated mobility hub planning team.
 Mobility hubs at the GO stations is close to a no brainer. Which of the four identified hubs should be first – thatis what planners will be figuring out in the immediate future. City Council approved $2.5 million in funding for four full-time staff who will work to ensure future developments around the mobility hubs reflect the city’s vision for new neighbourhoods that are walkable, offer a variety of affordable housing choices and have easy access to transit, shopping, parks and recreation centres.
At one point it looked as if Aldershot was going to be the first mobility hub for the city. They seem to have backed away from that and are looking at all four hub locations to determine which should get the focus and attention
“We have the opportunity to plan the type of growth we want in the locations we want to ensure that Burlington is a vibrant 21st-century city,” said Mary Lou Tanner, chief planner and director of Planning and Building with the city. “We are going to grow bold, which means we are going to build up, we are going to build smart and we are going to build beautiful.”
These are exciting times for the planners. Will enough of the work have been done to have something to take to the public before the next election in 27 months?
 By Pepper Parr
July 27th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – they know how to put a damper on a vacation – don’t they?
The city wants to know what you think about the two budgets they are preparing. The Capital budget which covers the cost of the things they build and repair and the Operating budget which covers the day to day expenses for all the departments.
The average taxpayer might want to pass along the following words: “Less would be better.”
 In election years public budget meting attendance is pretty good. Candidates for office show up while everyone goes through a workbook the city prepares on what they plan on doing. Rarely do the comments made at the public meetings make into into the budget. For the most part they are a public relations exercise. Burlington’s Finance department is exceptionally good at pulling in the numbers from the different departments and then crunching those numbers and turning them over to the Leadership Team that works at cutting where they think they can cut.
“The budget is your tax dollars,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “It is the basis for all our city services and everyone should have the opportunity to review and provide comment before the budget is approved.”
The 2017 capital and operating budgets are in the early stages of development. They are expected to go to City Council for approval in December 2016 and January 2017 respectively.
Lori Jivan, co-ordinator, budget and policy, “… encourages more people to learn about the budget and provide feedback”. “We hope to do this by surveying the residents to better understand the ways they would like to become involved in the budget process.”
A short survey is available at www.burlington.ca/budget, or through Insight Burlington and Let’s Talk Burlington until Aug. 12, 2016.
The rub for those people who follow the budget setting process is that the budget is basically determined and all but cast in stone by the time the city holds the Public Information meetings.
 Lori Jivan, co-ordinator, budget and policy, standing, explaining a piece of information in the handbook that was prepared for the meeting Any changes made to a budget get done at the Standing Committee level at which people can delegate but they aren’t allowed to ask questions of Council members
The city does have a Committee of the whole where the rules are more relaxed and there is a much more open flow of information.
If Burlington is serious about getting input from the taxpayers then hold the meetings at which the public can comment before the budgets get to the Standing Committee level.
This is one of those things the Mayor could actually show some leadership on.
The early projections for the 2016-2017 budget nudge the 4% level.
By Pepper Parr
July 26th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
The drive to work each day for Halton Regional Police Service Detective Joe Barr is not easy these days. The question – where is she, comes close to haunting his thoughts
 Helen Robertson. Helen Robertson has been missing since 12:45 PM on Tuesday July 5th
In a telephone conversation with Detective Constable Joe Barr he said “what baffles me is that with all the resources we have available to us – we still have not been able to find this woman.”
Barr spends a good part of his time reviewing videos of places Helen might have been.
“The woman was a walker” explained Barr – “we’ve no idea just how far she could have gone. It is worrisome, it is very hot out there and she has been missing a long time.
“This is emotionally hard work and it isn’t what we signed up for but it is what we do.
“We try very hard not to invest ourselves in this kind of a situation emotionally – what everyone needs is clear, sharp minds that look at the evidence.
“She is out there somewhere.”
Just about a year ago the Regional police unveiled a Security Camera Registration and Monitoring program, ( S.C.R.A.M), a community based crime prevention opportunity and investigative tool that enlists the help of Halton residents.
S.C.R.A.M. enables community members to voluntarily identify and register their residential video surveillance equipment.
Joe Barr would love to see anything in the Millcroft area where Helen lives. “We might see her on video captured by a home security system and be able to get some idea of the direction she might have been going in.
 Helen Robertson loved to walk and frequently slipped out of the house to walk. She has been missing since July 5th “We need access to every tool we can get.” Detective Constable Barr can be reached at 905-825-4747. If you can’t reach him – ask for Detective constable Julie Power, she is his partner on this case.
A number of people wonder just what giving police access to your home security means. You are not giving the police any access when you register – what you are doing in letting the police know that you have an electronic security system. Your camera may have captured an image of Helen Robertson.
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