 By Jessica Bell
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Donald Trump’s escalating trade war and threats to our economy should be a wake-up call for Ontario’s Conservative government to bring a robust economic plan that puts Ontario and Canada first. Doug Ford didn’t give us that.
Ontarians want to do their part and support our country and province, and we need to make it easy for them to do so. But instead of a real strategy, the Conservatives proposed to recognize the last Friday of each June as “Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian Day.”
 Jessica Bell is the MPP for University–Rosedale and the NDP’s finance critic. Every day should be “Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian Day,” not just one day. That’s why the Ontario NDP introduced a law to mandate the labelling of Canadian-made products, including food, so Ontarians can visit the supermarket and choose to buy Canadian products, supporting local businesses and local job creation. The Conservatives put politics ahead of patriotism and voted our motion down.
The moment we are in calls for unity of purpose, to take good ideas from all sides of the political spectrum, so we can put our province first.
What a missed opportunity. According to Bank of Montreal economist Robert Kavcic, even a modest shift in consumer spending toward Canadian goods could add $10 billion in value to the economy alone.
This legislative session, Ontario should have flexed its hefty purchasing muscle and made firm commitments to buy, build and invest in local projects, products and services.
Ontario is investing $200 billion in infrastructure projects, including hospitals, highways, transit, schools and child-care spots. These investments should be allocated to public agencies, and Ontario and Canadian businesses first, not foreign companies. The government should also mandate conditions to maximize these investments, such as requiring projects to use resources from our most trade-impacted sectors, such as steel, aluminum and lumber.
Ensuring more government dollars go to Canadian and Ontario businesses and workers has huge economic value. Every year, the Ontario government buys $29 billion in goods and services, but only $3 billion goes to Ontario-based businesses. That number should be much higher.
Over the past few months, trade associations, unions and businesses have been providing examples to the government on how exactly Ontario can support specific workers, public institutions and business sectors.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture recommended Ontario require institutions, like schools, hospitals and prisons, to prioritize buying locally grown food because it would help Ontario farms and strengthen local supply chains.
What the Conservatives have proposed instead is a new $35-million Ontario grape program to encourage wine producers to use Ontario-grown grapes. While support for our wine sector is welcome, our entire agricultural sector needs support to withstand the impact of the tariff war, not just the wine sector.
Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, joined our call for governments to harness our lumber resources and build affordable housing to fix our national housing crisis. This plan should include manufacturing housing in Ontario factories to create jobs, speed up housing construction and lower construction costs.
Unifor also called on Ontario to contract with Canadian companies to build new transit lines and increase the Canadian-content requirements for municipal and provincial purchases of streetcars, subway cars and buses, especially electric vehicles. Ontario has transit vehicle manufacturing plants in Thunder Bay and Kingston that are operating below capacity.
In Ontario, the standard requirement is that transit vehicles purchased with provincial funding must have at least 25 per cent Canadian content. The Conservatives relaxed this rule and allowed the massive Ontario Line subway project to be built by a U.S. company that was given the flexibility to meet a lower Canadian-content requirement of 10 per cent. That wasn’t a good move then, and it looks even worse now.
Ontarians want the Ontario government to have their back during this economically challenging time. Strong “buy local” and “build local” policies will help Ontario keep jobs in our province, keep small- and medium-sized businesses afloat, and help trade-impacted industries, like our manufacturing sector, weather Trump’s economic storm. What are we waiting for?
Jessica Bell is the MPP for University–Rosedale and the NDP’s finance critic.
 By Staff
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Students from the Halton District School Board (HDSB) achieved outstanding success at the 2025 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF), held from June 1–6 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The CWSF is Canada’s largest annual youth science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) event. For more than 60 years, the CWSF has united young thinkers from across Canada to present their research and innovations, compete for prestigious awards and engage with like-minded peers who are passionate about discovery and innovation.
This year, 11 students from HDSB elementary and secondary schools earned 40 awards across a range of categories, recognizing excellence in innovation and research. The following are the Burlington students.
Evan Budz, Grade 9 student at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School for Development of an Autonomous Bionic Sea Turtle Robot for Ecological Monitoring using AI
- Best Project Award – Innovation
- The Beaty Centre for Species Discovery Award
- Excellence Award – Gold
- Challenge Award – Environment and Climate Change
- Youth Can Innovate Award
- European Union Contest for Young Scientists
- Mount Allison University Entrance Scholarship
- Western University Entrance Scholarship
Anish Rathod, Grade 12 student at Burlington Central High School for PIONEER: Pipe Inspection and Observation for Non-Destructive Evaluation and Environmental Review
- Engineering Innovation Award
- Excellence Award – Silver
- Dalhousie University Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarship
- Mount Allison University Entrance Scholarship
- University of New Brunswick Canada-Wide Science Fair Scholarship
- University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship
- Western University Entrance Scholarship
Claire Marsh, Grade 11 student at M.M. Robinson High School for Autism Identification Tool: An AI Approach to Reducing Diagnostic Barriers
- Excellence Award – Bronze
- Mount Allison University Entrance Scholarship
- University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship
- Western University Entrance Scholarship
The impressive results at the Canada-Wide Science Fair reflect the strength of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning across the HDSB. With students from a variety of schools represented, these achievements highlight how the HDSB fosters curiosity, encourages innovation and provides meaningful opportunities that help students develop their passions and deepen their learning.
 By Staff
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The Beachway and that little slip of a beach at the bottom of Brant Street are open for swimming.
Testing for E coli takes place regularly
Beachway Beach in Burlington (1094 Lakeshore Road) tested safe for swimming on June 11
 Lake Ontario is still quite cold – it tends to warm up nicely in August. Brant Street Beach in Burlington (Lakeshore Road and Brant Street) tested safe for swimming on June 12
 This mini-beach on the west shore side of the pier was created naturally by sands that came from as far away as the Scarborough bluffs. It was upgraded when Michelle Benoit, a local swimmer, attempted to swim from Port Dalhousie to Spencer Smith Park in 2012. Heavy waves brought the attempt to an early end.
 By Staff
June 16, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Originally published by Logic,
Mark Carney wants to “build, baby, build” to fix Canada’s housing crisis—but supply alone can’t fix affordability. Decades of underinvestment have left the federal government devoid of expertise on how to effectively fund housing, creating major challenges for a housing boom.
The numbers are daunting. The government plans to create a new federal housing entity to help construct 500,000 homes per year by 2035, and will spend $10 billion to finance organizations that build affordable homes.
The federal government wants to build an unprecedented 500,000 homes per year, but decades absent from the business of building means that expertise now lies with provinces and cities
Canada’s housing supply is overwhelmingly owned by the private sector, with a lack of social housing pushing up prices and dragging down productivity. To change that, experts say Carney must be strategic about what type of home—not just how many—are built.
Carney says the government wants to get “back into the business of building affordable homes.” That business peaked in the 1970s, when the government poured money and resources into boosting Canada’s housing market. In 1976, construction began on a record 273,203 homes—a number the country has never reached since, despite the population tripling. Back then, almost half of those housing starts benefited from some form of public funding.
 The building frenzy was overseen by the federal government’s housing Crown corporation, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The 1970s housing boom had two crucial factors that Carney is trying to revive: big federal funding and a lot of social housing developments.
The building frenzy was overseen by the federal government’s housing Crown corporation, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). By the 1980s, its presence was vast, with about 90 offices across the country. Steve Pomeroy, executive advisor and industry professor at McMaster University’s Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative adds that working relationships with social housing organizations also resulted in the construction of roughly 25,000 affordable homes per year from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
 Steve Pomeroy, executive advisor and industry professor at McMaster University’s Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative. That changed in the mid-’80s when the federal government began shifting responsibility for housing to the provinces. In 1993, Canada’s federal budget removed all new funding for non-market homes—housing that’s not owned by the private sector, including co-ops and housing operated by non-profits or the government. Only B.C. and Quebec continued to provide funding for their non-market housing sectors.
CMHC staff either moved to the provincial level or out of the government-run housing business altogether. By the 1990s, there were 53 CMHC offices, and by the middle of the decade, federally funded affordable housing units dropped from roughly 43,000 per year in 1970 to under 5,000 units in 1995, where they stayed until 2016.
“The non-profit housing sector got quiet,” said Jill Atkey, CEO of the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association. “Without investment from senior levels of government, affordability couldn’t be achieved.”
Atkey said expertise in the non-profit housing sector was eroded or outsourced because projects weren’t happening. As funding went down, so did the number of community housing units. Today, the CMHC has six offices—five regional ones and its headquarters in Ottawa.
Now, Carney wants to create a new federal entity: Build Canada Homes. The Liberals say it will act as both an affordable housing developer and financer, absorbing all relevant programs from the CMHC and building at least in part on public land.
But most of the expertise of how to finance affordable housing—and the local connections to do so—now lies with provinces and municipalities as the levels of government that have been responsible for housing for decades.
 Alexandra Flynn, director of the Housing Research Collaborative. “Municipalities are the knowledge keepers of non-profit and deeply affordable housing in their communities,” said Alexandra Flynn, director of the Housing Research Collaborative, a research hub based in Vancouver, and an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law. These relationships, she said, have been forged through decades of work on zoning, building and funding.
And Carney’s plan to reassert the federal government’s place in housebuilding will fall short if it takes the same approach as his predecessor. The National Housing Strategy, launched by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2017, was, according to Pomeroy, the equivalent of the government jumping into the deep end of a pool with no life jacket and then realizing it had forgotten how to swim.
One of the problems with the strategy was that most of its funding was delivered through new federal initiatives, with developers often waiting almost a year and a half to hear back from the CMHC about their application, let alone start building.
If the Trudeau government had built on provincial expertise, it would have been fine, Pomeroy said. In trying to take everything over, Ottawa revealed itself to be incapable and incompetent.
“There was certainly a huge amount of frustration from the folks that were trying to access those programs,” Pomeroy said, and many projects didn’t go through. Atkey said non-profits had to stack funding from various programs that weren’t designed to work together.
 Carney says building 500,000 homes a year will require “both the private and public sector,” and the prime minister has acknowledged the need to build more social housing. The government has yet to say much about how it will define and work with the “affordable home builders” set to receive billions of dollars of funding—whether they will be private sector, public or some kind of collaboration.
Right now, 95 per cent of Canada’s housing stock is built by the private sector, compared to just 3.5 per cent for social housing—less than the OECD average of 7 per cent. Ownership makes up a disproportionate share of the housing supply in Canada, with rental demand increasing as more and more people are priced out of buying a home.
Pomeroy’s research suggests that Canada spends huge sums subsidizing affordable home builds only to lose 11 low-rent units for every new one added. The cause, he said, is that rent hikes and demolitions remove affordable homes faster than they can be replaced.
“The model of investor-financed housing isn’t working, and I think we’re in a huge moment to change that,” said Cherise Burda, incoming director of the Ottawa Climate Action Fund and former executive director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s City Building Institute. Burda said there’s a role for private developers, but that, for too long, officials have been asking them to deliver affordable housing when it’s not their job to do so. “Let’s get shovels in the ground that aren’t dependent on that model,” she said.
 Are prefabricated homes the answer? Scaling up not-for-profit housing can help make housing more affordable for moderate- and middle-income families, she added. A 2023 study from Deloitte and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) found that building more community housing drives down real estate costs across the market and boosts productivity across the country.
The report found scaling Canada’s community housing sector to the size found in similar high-income countries would boost national productivity by 5.7 to 9.3 per cent and add $67 billion to $136 billion to Canada’s GDP. These economic boosts aren’t from one-off construction jobs, said CHRA executive director Ray Sullivan, but rather the effect of improved labour mobility, rises in disposable income and more. Sullivan said the analysis establishes that productivity goes up with the share of community homes, and vice versa—but only for non-profit housing, as the relationship “does not hold” for private-sector homes.
The report estimated it would take an additional 371,600 community housing units in Canada to reach that 7 per cent average. That number doesn’t have to be just new buildings—not-for-profit housing developers can purchase properties, and the Liberal plan has endorsed the “conversion of existing structures into affordable housing units.”
 Cherise Burda: incoming director of the Ottawa Climate Action Fund and former executive director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s City Building Institute. Rebuilding the non-profit housing sector may also be crucial to weathering the cost of trade instability, Burda said, since it is not subject to the same speculation as the for-profit housing market, and project costs are somewhat lower without a profit margin. And the sector is financed, meaning the government will get its money back from non-profit housing providers.
Tim Ross, CEO of Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, an organization representing more than 900 housing co-ops across the country, said the group’s research comparing private-sector rents and co-ops estimates upwards of $400 in savings on rent per month. He adds that his organization wants to get building sooner rather than later, as trade uncertainty complicates the business of importing building materials and components.
Carney has pledged to cut red tape to speed up building, including lowering municipal development fees and reducing zoning restrictions. Atkey said that whenever there is a non-profit element to a build, the applications are nearly 100 pages with strict oversight. She welcomes the scrutiny, but doesn’t see the same rigour applied to the private sector.
It’s not just a matter of supply, but what kind of people can actually access it. The 500,000 homes per year might help the upper rental market years down the line, Pomeroy said, “but it certainly wouldn’t get folks out of encampments, and it certainly wouldn’t help people in the middle.” Burda said big targets can result in big projects, but there’s a risk of ending up with a lot of housing that isn’t really affordable.
Case in point: Toronto. The closest Canada has come to its 1976 record for housing starts was in 2021, when the GTA’s investor-backed condo-building boom contributed to construction starting on 271,198 new projects across the country. Yet that boom was a mirage of sorts, with Canada’s condo financiers now fleeing as development charges surge and sales slump. The resulting condo ghost towns are a reminder of what can happen when “build, baby, build” goes wrong.
 By Pepper Parr
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
The criminal trial of the five hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman has ended.
The Crown has presented its case, and the Defence has put forward its arguments.
 Justice Carroccia Justice Carroccia will deliver a verdict on July 24th.
The public has heard far more than they wanted about the antics of boys who were headed for fame, celebrity and annual incomes in the millions, driven by their gonads.
Whatever the decision, it may well be appealed.
We know far too much about what they are accused of doing. As described during the trial – this was disgusting behaviour.
As I followed the trial, I found myself wondering – what do the parents and grandparents of these boys say to their friends and associates about the behaviour?
 We know that Hockey Canada, the national governing body for grassroots hockey in the country, used funds provided by parents to pay out hush money to women who filed complaints.
The outrage over that practice was so strong that the federal government cut off its Hockey Canada funding and sponsors walked away from the table.
Hockey Canada got a new board and cleaned up their act.
The remark that came from the National Hockey League about whether or not the five boys (now young men) would be able to play in the NHL even if they were found not guilty – reset what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t.
The parties that took place were not something new. They had been going on for years – they were looked forward to as a sort of “coming out” in the hockey business. Young women were as involved as young men.
The question I found myself asking is – who is going to set the standards for the sport?
Could it be that the NHL will determine what the social values are determine what is acceptable?
In the Armed Services, there is a phrase: “prejudicial to good order and discipline” a catch-all provision, used to address misconduct not specifically covered by other offences.
Offences that are prejudicial to good order and discipline can result in disciplinary actions, including summary trials or courts-martial, and potentially lead to penalties such as dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty’s service, fines, or imprisonment.
 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman In February of 2024 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he does not believe the NHL players facing charges will return to their NHL teams this season.
It appears that Bettman might be prepared to rule that the players never return to the league.
 By Nicolai Ryan Klausen
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Progressive jackpot slots breathe new life into online gambling. And when it comes to places where you enjoy such jackpots, Wildrobin casino offers its own selection of progressive slots, each with fresh designs and fun gameplay. Today, these dynamic jackpots are no longer limited to traditional slot machines. They’re now found in online slots, and even some video poker games, with prize pools shared across networks.
What are progressive slots?
Progressive slots are machines where the main prize, or jackpot, grows with each bet. When someone places a bet, a portion of this money is added to the jackpot. And it gets bigger and bigger until someone wins it.
Sometimes the jackpot can automatically “fall” when it reaches a certain amount. But more often it simply grows without limits, and you can win it at any time if you’re lucky.
 There are two types of such games: those where the jackpot is created specifically for this game; those that are connected to a common jackpot (the same prize for several slots).
Here’s what’s important to know about progressive slots before you go to play more than 50+ types of games in Wildrobin:
- Each bet has a small portion that goes into the common prize pool;
- This fund is visible on the screen: it is constantly updated so that everyone can see how big it is;
- When someone wins the jackpot, it starts over with a minimum amount;
- The jackpot itself is formed from the players’ money, not from the casino’s pocket. You all “collect” it together;
- Anyone can win, but usually it’s just one person, like in the lottery.
That’s it. A simple idea, but sometimes it brings someone a lot of money.
Different types of progressive slot
 Progressive jackpots have changed in recent years. Previously, jackpots were only in one game, but now they are collected from many casinos around the world. The more people play, the bigger the jackpots become and the more often someone wins them. For example, there is the Jackpot King feature from Blueprint Gaming. It shows three large jackpots at once, collected from many games at once.
Here are the common jackpots:
 Game jackpot. Some games, like Ozwin’s Jackpots, have their own jackpot. It is also formed by players from different casinos.
Network jackpot. This is when the jackpot is the same for more than 30 different slots. That is, you can play different games, and the winnings will be from one large fund.
Multi-level jackpots. Many games have several jackpots: small, medium, and large. Small ones can be won more often, and large ones, less often, but they are very large. This makes the game more interesting because there is always a chance to win.
Time-limited jackpots. Red Tiger has come up with jackpots that are guaranteed to be paid out by a certain time of day. This means that the prizes cannot accumulate for very long; they are paid out daily.
Canadian players try out two primary categories of jackpots at Wildrobin: hot and new.
Almost all game manufacturers now make progressive slots. But the biggest jackpots are given by big gaming companies like Games Global, NetEnt, and IGT.
To cap it all, progressive jackpots are not just ordinary games; they grow in value with every spin players make. It means the more people play, the bigger the prize becomes. It’s a feature that keeps players coming back, all hoping to hit that growing jackpot.
By Staff
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Tax arrears are an indicator of how healthy the economy of a city is at a particular period of time.
The data below shows taxes for the previous year not yet paid at $14,756,590. The city collects interest on those tax accounts that are overdue – $845,540 for 2025 – significantly higher than the previous year.
The data includes outstanding taxes not yet due.
The total tax levy increased by more than $17 million.
 By Jeannie Løjstrup
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Modern online casinos offer many slots that differ in theme, mechanics, and bonus options. Jackpot slots are especially popular among Canadian gamblers because they allow them to win a large prize. Many reputable online casinos, including Robocat, offer this format of gambling entertainment. In some of them, the jackpot sizes can reach millions of dollars.
What is the difference between fixed and progressive jackpot slots?
Top gambling sites, including Robocat online casino, offer slots with fixed and progressive jackpots. Below, we will explain the main differences between them.
Slots with fixed jackpots
A fixed jackpot is a specific amount of payouts you can receive in a particular slot. Usually, the limit on the win is set by the provider, but there are slots in which the online casino determines the prize amount. The size of the fixed jackpot does not depend on the number of rounds and the popularity of the slot. You need to collect a winning combination or pass levels to get the biggest win.
The most popular slots with a fixed jackpot, which are offered by a random online casino:
- Electro Coin Link. This slot from Fugaso allows players to win one of four fixed jackpots (Grand, Major, Minor, Mini), which are activated by the Running Wins bonus feature. Each of them has a fixed value, which depends on the size of your current bet. The maximum win in Electro Coin Link is up to 5000× of the bet.
- Immortal Ways Sweet Coin. You can win one of four fixed jackpots by launching this colorful and dynamic slot. To do this, you need to activate the Prize Wheel bonus feature. It is triggered by collecting six or more gold coins on the reels. RTP of the Immortal Ways Sweet Coin slot is 96.28%. Volatility: medium.
 Juicy Win. This slot allows players to win one of four fixed jackpots (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) activated during the bonus game with the Hold the Spin mechanic. You must collect three coin symbols on the reels to launch the bonus game. The maximum win is up to 3600× of the initial bet.
In addition, reliable online casinos offer other slots with fixed jackpots. The most popular are Coins of Ra Power— Hold & Win, Power Coin: Trinity Series, and Eagle Strike.
Slots with progressive jackpots
 A progressive jackpot is a cumulative prize, the size of which consists of deductions from each bet. With each game round, the size of the progressive jackpot increases. This means that the more bets gamblers make, the higher the maximum payout. Another feature of progressive jackpot slots is that winnings do not depend on the bet size. A player who has made the minimum bet can win.
The most popular progressive jackpot slot on sites like Robocat online casino is Super Wolf from Skywind Group. It allows players to win a progressive jackpot, which is activated when five multi-colored gems fall on one active payline. The slot’s RTP is 95.34%, of which 0.4% goes to forming the jackpot. Super Wolf has medium volatility, which ensures frequent but moderate wins.
Try to perceive large prize payouts in online casinos as a way to get bright emotions and pleasure from the game, not as a source of income. Rationally manage your bankroll and adhere to the principles of responsible gaming.
 By Pepper Parr
June 15th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 The structure on the right, 19 Bloor West, is the third-highest tower in Toronto. At the Bay Area Economic Summit held recently in Burlington Mike Moffatt said: “we need to get away from the mindset that a unit is a unit when we are counting. The 400 to 600 square foot condos that attracted investors are not housing for a family. We need three and four-bedroom units if families are to be accommodated.”
Moffatt is an assistant professor of business, economics and public policy at Ivey. In 2018, Moffatt was appointed director of policy and research at the progressive think-tank Canada 2020.
He is the Founding Director of the Missing Middle Initiative.
A news item out of Toronto made mention of the units in the tower being built at 19 Bloor Street West’ “The residential units themselves will range from studios to three-bedrooms, with some of them getting pretty tight, even by Toronto standards.
According to design plans, a number of the studios will measure as small as 287.8 sq. ft, with many of three-bedrooms being as snug as 863 sq. ft. The largest unit shown in the plans is a three-bedroom measuring 941.8 sq. ft.
One-beds will take the lion’s share of units (48%), followed by two-bedrooms (36%), three-bedrooms (10%), and studios (7%).
Related news story:
Mike Moffatt at the Bay Area Summit
By Pepper Parr
June 14th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The story of the week has to be the announcement by the Art Gallery that they wanted to tear down the existing building and erect a new three-level structure – at a cost of at least $116 million.
 Art Gallery Chair Susan Busby on the right wanders where Executive Director Sankey is going with the presentation. While the gallery leadership did its best to assure council they had consulted far and wide on their plans, that wasn’t the feedback we have been getting.
Whatever changes are going to take place – it won’t happen overnight. Two things became very clear from the people we talked with – no one wanted their names used and every said they didn’t think the $116 million was a realistic number.
 View from the parking lot at the rear of the property.  Intersection of Lakeshore Road and Brock There is a Strategic Plan out there somewhere that the Art Gallery has yet to produce. Two people we talked with said they had seen the document. Staff at the AGB have yet to find it.
What we were able to get was the financial picture as it stood at the end of 2023.
There was an infographic on what took place in 2023.
By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) works to enhance the downtown experience for all its many residents and visitors, we are thrilled to introduce The Green Lanyard Project.
 Green lanyard with badge holder This newly launched program works by freely issuing a green lanyard to business owners and staff, patrons and visitors of our downtown. The use of this lanyard is to signal to others that the wearer of the lanyard (or a member of their party) has an invisible atypical ability. This suggests they may need more time, more patience and more empathy as they navigate their environment.
So why a green lanyard? Green is often seen as the colour that most widely represents mental health. It also provides a gentle and comforting nod to neurodivergent community members as well.
What does neurodiversity mean?
Great question! As education is a great first step to breaking down barriers and building understanding, let’s talk about it! Neurodiversity is medical framework designed to consider and understand the human brain within sensory processing, motor abilities, social comfort, cognition, and focus as neurobiological differences. Autism Spectrum Disorder ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette’s, Dyspraxia, Synesthesia, Dyscalculia, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, and chronic mental health illnesses such as Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression.
How does the program work? Starting June 20th, you will be able to submit a request to the BIA for a lanyard, for free, which will then be mailed to you, to use at your discretion. The lanyard can then be worn when visiting and exploring our downtown. Through a series of community and public education pieces, our downtown businesses will remain as they are, providing you with the incredible hospitality and warmth our community is known for – we’re just adding a touch of green! Lanyards also proudly feature a BDBA branded pin, complete with emergency release mechanism. Lanyards will take 7 to 10 business days from day of request to arrival.
The Green Lanyard Project was developed in partnership with Stefanie Peachey, Peachey Counselling and Family Support. Our dual commitment to this program, along with the support we have received from our small businesses, clearly demonstrates that your BIA is working to make our community more accessible, inclusive, and comfortable for those in need.
For more information, please visit https://burlingtondowntown.ca/thegreenlanyardproject/
 By Pepper Parr
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Liberals put on their fanciest shoes and deepest pockets earlier this week for leader Bonnie Crombie’s banner fundraising dinner, where tickets topped out at a sizzling $3,400 a plate. Sources inside the room tell QPO it was equal parts schmooze-fest and war-chest flex, with a smattering of quiet leadership tension. And yes, I got my hands on the menu.
 It looked like a walk to a Coronation when Bonnie Crombie walked to a Liberal Party meeting in Hamilton – the momentum stalled – not being able to win a seat in the Legislature hasn’t helped. The party’s comms team is touting a $5 million haul so far this year — a $500,000-chunk of it thanks to last night’s glitzy affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. That number would put the Grits ahead of their usual pace — the party claims to have raked in $5.4 million last year — and is a not-so-subtle message to anyone still questioning Crombie’s pull with the party’s donor class. Case in point, the official line: It’s “a clear sign of a party on the rise.”
But while the cash was flowing, the vibes were…complicated. Crombie is staring down a leadership review in the fall, and not everyone in the red tent is convinced it’s going to be a coronation. As I previously scooped, her inner circle is now holding regular Monday meetings focused squarely on making sure the review doesn’t turn into a full-blown referendum on her rookie-ish leadership.
One insider described the mood as “strategic” but not “panicked” — though others were tittering about a shadowy group of grassroots Grits that has emerged, setting the bar (and the trap) for the leadership review.
 The energy now goes into keeping the job instead of building the party. Crombie’s 66% problem: The anonymous group calling themselves the “New Leaf Liberals” says that unless Crombie gets 66 per cent of delegate support for the leadership, it’ll be time for her to pack it in.
In their words: They want “the resignation of the current party leader at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, should they not reach a two-thirds majority (66%) of the delegate vote.” Oh, and they want the party not to fill vacant delegate spots in the meantime — translation: no parachuting in last-minute Crombie loyalists. As of this morning, the petition had 75 signatures.
The party line? Everything’s fine. Some are brushing off the New Leaf Liberals as noise from the cheap seats. They’re quick to point out that Crombie still enjoys the public blessing of the entire caucus and party executive, and technically speaking, she only needs 51 per cent of delegate support to survive.
But insiders know all too well: 66 per cent is the quiet cutoff in Canadian politics. Fall short, and the knives tend to come out.
When the leader of a political party fails to win a seat, the tradition is for a sitting member in a very safe seat resigns and lets the party leader run for office. The Poilievre situation is an example. It is interesting to note that so far none of the 14 Liberals has stepped forward. Telling
 By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The news on the fund raiser that brought in xxx for the Ontario Liberals was less than a day old when word of a group, described as a “grassroots movement,” is planning to mount a push to defeat the Liberal leader at the party’s annual general meeting in September.
 Bonnie Crombie: charged with an “inability to undertake the necessary steps to rebuild our party.”  They go by “New Leaf Liberals,” and they’re gearing up to challenge Bonnie Crombie’s leadership in the fall.
While organizers wouldn’t disclose the full strategy yet (“stay tuned,” we’re told), the group launched an online petition calling for “renewal” this morning.
Aiming to grow the rank-and-file, “win back” trust, expand the candidate and volunteer base and modernize campaign infrastructure, the group is calling for a ground-up overhaul — and new leadership to lead it.
They blame Crombie for her “inability to undertake the necessary steps to rebuild our party.”
“We believe that there needs to be some accountability from Bonnie Crombie and her team,” the organizers wrote in a document reviewed by this reporter.
What they want: The group is asking Crombie to quit if she is unable to clinch a two-thirds majority at the convention, and to pledge to freeze the delegate list and leave any vacancies as-is. They don’t want the Crombie crowd to pad the delegate list with their supporters..
By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
An alarming number of Canadians — over 414 — are diagnosed each day with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
By 2050, this could add up to more than 1.7 million cases, translating to 685 new diagnoses every day or 29 every hour.
That’s why reimagining Alzheimer’s care in Canada is not just important for the system — it is imperative for all Canadians.
 The data comes from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.
It’s going to take more than reimagining? Families are going to have to learn how to care for people who will be close to or at the point where they cannot care for themselves.
 By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The weather is going to be decent.
The breeze off the lake will make it a wonderful day.
And the bands will be on the stages.
Add the great deal on getting to Spencer Smith Park and you have as close to a perfect day as you are likely to get.
Park at the Burlington Centre and take the free bus to Spencer Smith.
By Eric Stern
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
In Ontario, municipalities are required to conduct ward boundary reviews. Reviews are undertaken every 12 to 16 years. In Burlington, a review was conducted in 2005 when the city’s population was approximately 139,000. Recently, our council completed a new review, resulting in new ward boundaries for Burlington.
Burlington has the smallest number of councillors in Halton Region and the second-largest population. Have a look at this table.
Before the ward boundary review, some councillors represented over 12,000 more people than other councillors.
Burlington has one councillor, on average, for 26,707 people, compared to one councillor, on average, for every 14,513 people in Oakville and Milton.
In addition to their responsibilities as councillors for both Halton Region and Burlington, our councillors oversee a significant number of Agencies, Boards, and Commissions. Ranging from Burlington Hydro, through BEC, to the Sound of Music Festival. Each Burlington councillor has an unelected full-time assistant to help manage this workload.
The region controls the number of regional councillors through a separate ward review process. Burlington can’t independently add more regional councillors.
This chart shows the makeup of the Halton Region council.
If Burlington were to increase the number of local councillors, not all of the new councillors would be regional councillors.
What do other municipalities in Halton do?
Oakville and Milton: Each ward has a local councillor and a regional councillor; the regional councillor is also a local councillor.
Halton Hills: Each ward has two local councillors and a regional councillor; the regional councillor is also a local councillor.
In Oakville, a local councillor earns $53,964. A local and regional councillor earns $115,276. Mayor Burton earns $204,368. Mayor Meed Ward earns $202,712.11.
What are the issues associated with more councillors?
Cost: On the surface, more councillors will cost more money. There are some counterarguments to this. When comparing councillor salaries, we can see that Oakville councillors earn slightly less than Burlington councillors. More councillors should mean less work per councillor. Each Burlington councillor has a full-time unelected councillor assistant; arguably, these positions should be elected, resulting in better representation and accountability for taxpayers at no additional cost.
What was the result of Burlington’s ward review?
Burlington will not follow the model set by Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills. Each councillor will continue to be a local and regional councillor. Burlington’s councillors will represent almost twice as many people as councillors in other municipalities in Halton. Major decisions impacting the future of the city will continue to be made by as few as four councillors voting for an issue. Four councillors constitute a majority on a 7-member council.
Without citizen action, this will be the status quo for the next 12 to 16 years.
Burlington spent at least $220,000 hiring consultants to conduct the ward review. The result is the new ward boundary map shown below.
 The boundary lines on this map will be effective when the 2026 municipal election is called. Eric Stern was a member of BRAG – Burlington Residents’ Action Group. He formed Focus Burlington when BRAG was dissolved.
 By Pepper Parr
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario’s information and privacy watchdog has blasted staff in Premier Doug Ford’s government for using code words and private emails to discuss the controversial Greenbelt land swap.
 Patricia Kosseim: Ontario Privacy Commissioner. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC)’s 2024 annual report highlights a call for the provincial government to address regulatory gaps and secure public trust. The report, titled “From Vision to Impact: Five Years of Privacy and Transparency in a Digital Ontario,” emphasizes the need for better protection of Ontarians’ personal information from cybersecurity attacks, commercialization of children’s data, and the use of AI technologies without clear rules or oversight
The RCMP is working its way through a criminal investigation of the $8.28 billion Greenbelt scandal, Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said the government’s tactics “frustrated” searches under freedom of information legislation and broke laws requiring proper records on official decisions.
The Toronto Star, picking data from the Privacy Commissioner’s report, published the following:
“When key government decisions are not properly documented, when code words are used, or when records are stored in fragmented ways across personal and official systems, transparency suffers and with it public trust,” Kosseim wrote in her annual report released Thursday.
“Ongoing oversight remains essential to ensure corrective measures are not only implemented but sustained.”
Code words included special project, SP-GB, GB and special project — GB, all of which made it difficult to search for documents using standard search methodology.
Even worse, the use of G* as a code made it “virtually impossible” to find records because the use of the asterisk returns any word starting with G, resulting in a deluge of records “wholly impossible to sort through,” Kosseim noted.
New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles said the dodgy practices are “disturbing.”
 New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles “Today’s report makes it clear that the Ford government broke the law while trying to cover up their Greenbelt carve-up,” she added in a statement.
“Deleting government records is illegal. The last time this happened, someone went to jail. Enough hiding. It’s time for the premier to come clean,” she added in reference to the conviction of David Livingston, chief of staff to former premier Dalton McGuinty when natural gas-fired power plants were cancelled in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election.
Almost three years ago, Ford rezoned 7,400 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the 2-million acre Greenbelt around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area despite promising not to do so.
An investigation in November 2022 found eight of the 15 parcels slated for housing construction had been bought up by developers after the Tories were elected in 2018 when the land was still protected.
In August 2023, the auditor general and the integrity commissioner each released reports that revealed property owners with ties to Ford’s Progressive Conservatives were “favoured” in the rezoning process.
 Premier Doug Ford A month later, against the backdrop of plunging poll numbers, Ford cancelled the land swap. The Mounties launched their criminal probe weeks later.
Despite all this, Doug Ford got re-elected.
What will it take to bring an end to this?
The RCMP report.
By Pepper Parr
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
It may not be readily apparent, but what follows is, in my opinion, the first part of a run for the office of Mayor by Lisa Kearns.
Based on what I know and what I have concluded, Lisa Kearns is not going to run for the Ward 2 in 2026. She will work hard right up to the last day – but being a Council member is not on her radar screen.Being the Mayor is on her radar screen. A final decision has yet to be made.
Standing outside the empty parking lot on Old Lakeshore Road opposite Emma’s Back Porch, Kearns said:
 Lisa Kearns standing in front of the empty parking lot at 2083 Lakeshore Road where the developer wants to build a 24 storey mixed use tower “It’s important that I am accountable and transparent to the community I serve. I voted to uphold a planning recommendation by staff in support of 27 storeys at 2083 Lakeshore Rd.
“I know there is a different planning vision the community thought possible for quite some time, our own Staff report says it’s “no longer achievable on this site”.
“I reviewed and challenged every technical report, agency, and staff on this file and ultimately found the position of both staff and the applicant defensible – heavily due to the planning context that was the result of OLT (Planning Tribunal) decisions.
“This is what happens when precedent is set.
“I believe in fighting for our community, but I also heed the loud desire to respect our tax dollars.
“I’ll fight for you, but I won’t fight just for the sake of a fight. And I won’t spend your tax dollars when I can’t justify the return. And when we really need to mount a fight, I’ll be there, and make sure we have the funding to do so.”
Final report goes to Council June 17 where a decision will be made.
By Pepper Parr
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
As the Member of Parliament for Burlington Karina Gould sits on the far right side of House – some distance from the front row seat she had when she was the Liberal House leader. By the way, she did a fine job as House leader.
 If you’re going to throw your hat into an election ring – make it something fashionable. When the Liberal Party went looking for a new leader (Justin had said he was going to resign) Gould surprised many when she threw her hat into the ring and campaigned across the country to be named the leader of the Liberal party, which would automatically make her the Prime Minister.
It was always a long shot.
When Mark Carney formed the government after winning the April 25th federal election – he chose not to invite Gould into Cabinet.
So as a Member of Parliament she does what good parliamentarians do – stand up in the House and xxx
Yesterday she said the following:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to celebrate the Hon. Irwin Cotler, who is in Ottawa to be honoured by the Pearson Centre tonight for his lifetime of service to Canada and his work on human rights and justice.
 Irwin Cotler: a former member of Parliament and cabinet minister, an emeritus professor of law at McGill and an international human rights lawyer. “He is a former member of Parliament and cabinet minister, an emeritus professor of law at McGill and an international human rights lawyer, and I am very proud to call him a friend. As minister of justice and attorney general, Irwin enacted same-sex marriage equality laws, appointed two women to the Supreme Court, tackled wrongful convictions and launched anti-racism initiatives.
“In his so-called retirement, he founded and now actively chairs the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, which advocates for political prisoners, human rights, justice and democracy. He also served as Canada’s first special envoy on combatting anti-Semitism. Irwin is today, as he has always been, a powerful advocate for the marginalized and a champion of progress and justice.
“I speak for all Canadians when I thank Mr. Cotler for his incredible and ongoing service.”
By Staff
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 Community Development Halton has served the needs and interests of the not for profit sector very well the past few years.
They are now doing a survey to get a better understand how nonprofits in Ontario are faring
The 2025 NonProfit State of the Sector Survey from the Ontario Nonprofit Network takes about 15 minutes to complete
Without data from ALL nonprofits, including charities, grassroots groups, volunteer-run organizations, nonprofit social enterprises, and nonprofit cooperatives – they cannot paint an accurate picture of our shared struggles and opportunities for progress.
In 2024, 90 Halton nonprofits completed the survey. This year, our goal is 100 nonprofits. Help us match and beat that goal AND provide valuable information to help ONN and CDH advocate for our sector.
The ONN is the independent network for Ontario’s 58000 nonprofit organizations.
Click HERE to start the survey
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