Does anyone know where the draft summary budget is?
When I asked COBY “Where is the 2025 draft summary budget”?
I got this response
“The 2025 draft summary budget for the City of Burlington can be found on the official Burlington website under the Budget section. You can access it by visiting the following link: 2025 City of Burlington Draft Summary Budget.”
Earlier this week we did a short piece on the people who were seeking the nomination to be named Progressive Conservative candidate for the Burlington seat in the House of Commons. .
Shaheryar Mian
We had information on two of the three contenders and published what we had.
We had been told there was a third candidate but did not know the person’s name and were unable to find anything on the internet.
It didn’t take long for readers to inform us – and we pass along what we got to you.
Nick Leblovic called to tell me the name of the candidate – surprisingly Leblovic said he had never met Emily Brown who is a shoe in for the nomination.
But Wax Costanza has – he is an essayist and Burlington resident. Costanza said he “ began hearing rumours going around Burlington that this individual: Shaheryar Mian, was buying nomination votes. Now, this is only a rumour, but, where there is smoke, there is fire, and it cause me to look deeper into the candidate.”
You might want to HEAR what Constanza reports. Do click on the link.
There is more – we will try to get in touch Shaheryar Mian and hear what he has to say. There are others who we want to talk to as well.
ABOVE THE FOLD is a news feature that comes out of Queen’s Park; published by Sabrina Nanji.
While the content isn’t relevant to Burlington the way the political game is played is laid out – it’s ugly and not what the public expects of the people elected to municipal, Regional, Provincial and Federal offices. A link at the bottom suggests a different approach is possible.
SCOOP— GRITS GO FISTICUFFS IN COURT — NATE ERSKINE-SMITH, Liberal MP and runner-up in the provincial leadership race, is taking pollster QUITO MAGGI to court and accusing him of making defamatory statements on social media.
The claim: According to the filings at Small Claims Court, Erskine-Smith is arguing that Maggi made false statements about his political nomination controversy from a decade ago, which resurfaced during the 2023 Liberal leadership contest.
As this newsletter reported at the time, Erskine-Smith was accused of engaging in voter suppression that targeted low-income South Asian communities during his first nomination contest in Beaches-East York in 2014. He denies those allegations.
Now, Erskine-Smith is suing Maggi for $35,000 in damages for tweeting about alleged voter intimidation along with a link to the story.
“Mr. Maggi falsely accused my nomination campaign of suppressing Bengali and other minority voters. Worse, he accused me specifically of canvassing those households and threatening people that their permanent residency status would be impacted if they tried to vote in the nomination,” reads his statement of claim. “The defamatory comments are untrue and have damaged my reputation.”
The defence: Maggi — who worked on the campaign for ANDREW NISKER, one of Erskine-Smith’s challengers for the 2014 nomination, and, more recently, on MPP ADIL SHAMJI’s short-lived leadership bid — isn’t backing off.
“My commentary was based on first hand knowledge of the nomination campaign…None of the comments posted were untrue, they were all documented and passed on to the nomination commissioner at the time,” Maggi insists in his statement of defence. “The plaintiff is emotional and confused.”
Maggi also argues Erskine-Smith shouldn’t be entitled to damages because he’s in line for a pretty pension as a longtime MP. “Since the Member of Parliament is not intending in seeking re-election, what damage is he claiming?”
To top it all off: Maggi recently filed an affidavit alleging Erskine-Smith engaged in witness intimidation when he emailed one of the people on Maggi’s witness list.
According to the latest court document, Maggi claims Erskine-Smith emailed the witness with the subject line “Defamation law suit question”, and name-checked CHAD WALSH, who’s co-campaign director for the Ontario Liberal Party.
“You should know that our team is working to help OLP where we can, many have integrated into the overall OLP team already, and that I’m in regular touch with Chad,” reads a copy of the alleged email.
It goes on to ask why the witness would speak on Maggi’s behalf in the defamation case. “The idea that I threatened people’s [permanent residency] status is to suggest that we engaged in criminal behaviour and it’s beyond the pale.”
Maggi says that amounts to intimidation. “The casual paragraph might appear to a layperson or someone not familiar with political campaigns as small talk, but it is quite deliberate and clearly a threat…It is an attempt to intimidate the witness with the possibility of political ramifications as a result of their testimony…This is how the email was received by the witness.”
Both Erskine-Smith and Maggi pointed me to the court documents when asked for further comment.
What’s next: The pair met informally over the summer and came close to settling, but ultimately, they couldn’t come to an agreement. There are currently no hearings scheduled.
Messy, ugly and not what the public wants. What does the public want and how can that be achieved.
TVO is running a six part series that is a primer on what the political process could look like. Well worth watching – it should be required viewing by anyone who files papers to run for public office.
Link to watching the first of six episodes is HERE
David Barker explained to Council on Tuesday that “It is certainly a meaningful amount of money to receive back, and shows appreciation of the additional expense that comes with owning and maintaining a Heritage property.
His concern was with the process used to administer the program that can best be described as cumbersome and antiquated.
The program Barker was describing are the funds paid to property owners that have a home that has been designated as a heritage property and for which the owner has applied for an annual grant offered by the city.
David Barker wants to get his Heritage property rebate faster.
A property owner has to apply for the funds, which once approved, are paid out annually, which in Barker’s case amounts to about $2000 per year. There does not seem to be an end date – it just keeps being paid out.
Heritage property owners are required to execute the same covenant by which the owner agrees and commits to maintain the property to the city’s requirements, apart from the obvious benefit of reducing the annual tax burden.
“For me at least, and I believe for other beneficiaries, the heritage tax rebate acts as a savings account, which matures in July or thereabouts each year, each year, I get the benefit of an in hand amount of $2,000 roughly. The amount comes in very handy to help manage annual house maintenance costs, such as outside painting, deck staining, which arise in the spring and summer seasons.
“It is a most welcome annual lump sum to receive. The staff report being considered by council and on the agenda, as I believe, a consent item has been produced by staff with the sole goal of improving delivery of the program.
“There is a section entitled engagement. Under that section, staff commits to engage with Heritage property owners to advise them of the changes to be implemented in the method of payment of the rebate. It does not mention any engagement as regards to improving the actual annual process. It is extremely notable that staff have not engaged in any way with Heritage property owners.
“This report is not primarily for the benefit of the Heritage property owner, but for the benefit of city staff. It is my contention receiving the rebate in the form of a credit to the Heritage property owner’s tax account will not be welcomed by the Heritage property owners. I believe, like me, Heritage property owners would prefer a lump sum payment.
“I pay my tax bill each year through the city provided monthly payment plan. The city already has all my banking details. There is absolutely no reason why the city could not pay the rebate through the electronic transfer to the same financial institution from which it takes my monthly tax instalment.
“Why it takes five months to process the rebate each year is incomprehensible. I note staff the staff report does not in any meaningful way enunciate what improvements will be made to reduce substantially the five month time period it takes to get to process the issuance of a physical cheque.”
Barker house on Lakeshore that benefited from a Heritage improvement grant – paid annually.
At this point Mayor Meed Ward advises Barker that his five minutes of speaking time is up. She invites Barker to submit his speaking notes. The Mayor then asks her Council members if they have any questions for Barker.
Councillor Bentivegna starts be telling Barker,” I learn something every day when I’m here. Have you had the opportunity to discuss this with staff, or actually the Heritage Advisory Committee?
Barker tells Bentivegna that he made a delegation to the Heritage Advisory Committee and that they had not been informed or approach by staff in any way, shape or form. They received the by law amendment, and were asked just to be aware of it. There was no discussion. In my delegation, I asked the Heritage committee to send a resolution to council asking that this amendment be put on hold, sent back to staff, and for staff to discuss it with Heritage Committee and to engage Heritage property owners.
Bentivegna followed up with: “The staff report just deals with the mechanism by which we issue the rebates. Are there other concerns?
Barker: “It would be helpful if staff discussed it with the Heritage Advisory Committee. I don’t think the heritage advisory committee knows. I believe there’s only one Heritage property owner on the committee, so the rest of the committee will be totally unaware of the process. I think it’d be helpful for them to understand it.
“I don’t understand why it takes five months I get a notice from staff in January to file my application by end of February, and then I don’t get a rebate until July or August.
“I don’t know the entire process, staff does it. What about electronic transfer?”
Mayor Meed Ward asks if anyone had questions for staff. “I’m interested in hearing from staff around the engagement that was done on this item and to give staff a chance to respond to some of the comments and whether there is any interest in doing a review of the whole program and how we might streamline it further. Curt Benson, Commissioner of Development and Growth Management which oversees Heritage site matters.
Curt Benson: Commissioner of Development and Growth Management for Burlington. Benson was part of the Regional Planning Team.
Benson explains that “As a part of the overall change to provide efficiencies, we’re moving quite quickly and quite broadly to digital platforms, and improving service delivery through digital means and moving away from those, those paper based processes. There was not any significant engagement done with the community. Should Council direct staff to go back and do engagement? We’d be happy to implement that direction. The one caution is, however, the more people we ask the more opinions and specific requests come forward in terms of how we process these things? What I’m told by staff is that the five month lag time from the application to cutting the cheque happened this year because of the implementation of some new software. It’s not expected to happen going forward. That rebate is going to be provided in real time.
Mayor Meed Ward then tells Council “I proactively reached out to the Integrity Commissioner to determine if I would have a conflict of interest in this topic – the response I received was, No, I don’t, because I have an interest in common with other community members who have property who benefit from this property rebate.
Mayor Meed Ward on the front porch of her home preparing to do a web cast during the pandemic.
The Mayor’s home was designated as a Heritage property and she too receives the annual grant. The Mayor did not say how much her grant was but that she had no problem with the process.
“I’m just happy for it to be a seamless take it off the final tax bill, and that’s fine for me. I’d love to get electronic transfer that has been suggested by staff. , I think actually is a really good one. I support the bylaw as is as a Heritage property owner.
“I very much appreciate the rebate, because property heritage properties do cost more to keep up and to renovate, and that’s the incentive we want to provide is share that cost a little bit.”
Councillor Sharman: I have a question with respect to recognizing your comments that we are in the process of updating all of our systems to improve our efficiency and effectiveness. In the course of time, could you send us a memo and put in the council information package as to how you see that unveiling or unraveling, and just give us an update on the when you see that manifested,
Benson: We’d be happy to do that.
The Mayor then turns to the Clerk and asks for a recorded vote.
That vote carries.
The item that was debated was originally on the Consent Agenda.
Craig Millar: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
The City now has a Treasurer and a Deputy Treasurer.
Craig Millar was officially appointed as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for the City of Burlington. Miller was the Director, Finance and Treasurer effective November 3, 2014 for Mississauga and then the Chief Financial Officer at City of Barrie,
Ann Marie Coulson; Deputy Treasurer
Ann Marie Coulson was officially appointed Deputy Treasurer for the City of Burlington.
Enacted and passed this 17th day of September, 2024.
Ann Marie Coulson has been with the city for more than a decade. She certainly knows her stuff.
Mayor Meed Ward did tell a Budget meeting last week that a draft document “might” be available last Friday. It wasn’t – and has yet to be made available to the public.
Mr. Trudeau’s detractors have pointed to US president Biden as a model of what one should do when the sun has set on your future as leader. Justin may be some thirty years younger than Biden but he has been prime minister for almost ten years now – more than twice as long as the US leader. And apparently a decade can be a lifetime in this job.
Justin Trudeau: No word yet on what he will do after the loss in Montreal. Don’t count him out.
Mr. Trudeau is only a couple years younger than former PM Brian Mulroney was when he read the tea leaves and decided to fold up his tent. He waited too long however, and ended up driving his political party into the toilet. Despite a fresh face replacement, parachuted in at the last moment, the Progressive Conservative Party was decimated forever in the subsequent election. Yet, while folks almost hated Mr Mulroney at the time, there was little but praise for Mulroney’s achievements after he’d passed.
That is pretty much the situation before Mr. Trudeau today. His government has transformed our society in so many ways that have benefited Canadians, even before that alliance of convenience with the socialists. Yet between the vitriol coming his way and the polls, it is pretty clear that enough of the electorate want to change the channel.
Perhaps Canadians don’t care about those progressive policies, many of which Mr. Poilievre has threatened to cancel should he become the next PM? But is that really the case? Or is it just that Mr. Trudeau is the problem? Are we offended and/or bored by his speaking style; his privileged upbringing; his unabashed feminism; his perceived elitism; his passion for climate change solutions and justice for the indigenous and the downtrodden?
One would have expected Trudeau, with his impressive political legacy, to have seen this situation coming, seen the light and moved on with the Mulroney experience in mind. Trailing almost 20 points consistently behind the Tories in national polls, most Canadians, seem ready to vote anything but Liberal in the next federal election. But he’s not a quitter, at least not yet.
Justin Trudeau
The by-election loss in Liberal stronghold St. Pauls was arguably a clear harbinger of what is lying in store for his party so long as Mr. Trudeau remains its leader. Then, the miserable showing in the Manitoba by-election, confirms just how hopeless it is for the PM to make any progress in the west. And yesterday’s loss of the eternally Liberal Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun was just another testament to that reality.
Perhaps Trudeau has a secret plan to endear Canadians, bring them back to the fold. But as it stands now the federal Liberals may be headed for a miserable third or even fourth place finish come the 2025 election, barring a miracle. But miracles don’t always happen no matter how much you hope. And miracles are not any more likely if one just waits for them.
Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
The Appleby Line Street Festival, I am trying to promote the event. This is a volunteer organized not for profit event.
The Appleby Line Street Festival brings families and neighbourhoods together by making the streets come alive with activity on Appleby Line between New Street and Fairview Street.
The Appleby Line was Car Free
The festival has grown to be a significant event in Burlington, last year an estimated 7000 people enjoyed the day.
This year there are 150 vendors and sponsors, the biggest ever.
Has anyone seen the draft of the 2025 budget that the Mayor said last week could be available on Friday ?
Nothing has been released yet.
There has been a report that the document is around 20 pages long and is more of a summary than a full blown budget document.
Whatever is going to be released – each day it is late means the public is robbed of a day to review and discuss the contents with their neighbours. When tax increases approach the double digit level the public has every right to have as much detail and as much time as possible
Many have complained that the 700 + page budget was more than most people could handle – including at least one Council member who was quite vocal about the document being too long.
That full blow budget had at the data, all the details.
If public pressure calls for a shorter document what you will get is a document that the city chooses to release – will it include the hard to accept expenditures.
Are tax payers expected to trust their Council members? Not with this lot.
Five of the seven members of Council took part virtually. City manager, top left was virtual and a city staff member, bottom right was in the Council chamber.
Featured below are companies that have experienced recent insider trading activity in the public market through their direct and/or indirect ownerships, including accounts they have control or direction over.
The list below features insider transaction activity for today’s date; it does not convey total ownership information as an insider may hold numerous accounts.
Buying and selling activity by insiders may reflect perceived value in a security. Selling activity may or may not be related to a stock’s valuation. An insider might want to raise funds for personal reasons. An insider’s total holdings should be considered because a sale may, in context, be insignificant if this person has a large remaining position in the company. Some people put great weight on insider transaction activity when they see multiple insider trading’s of a company’s shares.
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-3,000
$4,236.03
-$12,708,090.00
Scotchmer, Stephen
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-2,000
$4,267.91
-$8,535,820.00
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce —–Sell Quantity: -223,415 Average cost: $82.90 Total: -$18,521,859.64 Options Issued: 223,415 Average cost: $55.57 Total: $12,414,466.09
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
51 – Exercise of options
09-10-24
600
$55.84
$33,507.00
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-600
$82.30
-$49,380.00
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
51 – Exercise of options
09-11-24
49,400
$55.84
$2,758,743.00
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-49,400
$82.44
-$4,072,536.00
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
51 – Exercise of options
09-13-24
47,430
$60.01
$2,846,274.30
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-13-24
-47,430
$83.41
-$3,956,136.30
Kramer, Christina Charlotte
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
09-16-24
37,022
$48.90
$1,810,560.91
Kramer, Christina Charlotte
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-16-24
-37,022
$83.40
-$3,087,634.80
SHARMAN, SANDY
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
09-11-24
88,963
$55.81
$4,965,380.88
SHARMAN, SANDY
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-88,963
$82.69
-$7,356,172.54
Topicus.com Inc —–Sell Quantity: -40,670 Average cost: $133.96 Total: -$5,448,153.20
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Scotchmer, Stephen
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-40,670
$133.96
-$5,448,153.20
Gildan Activewear Inc —–Sell Quantity: -72,780 Average cost: $61.17 Total: -$4,451,843.43 Options Issued: 72,780 Average cost: $39.43 Total: $2,869,955.06
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Harries, Rhodri
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
09-13-24
32,500
$39.43
$1,281,582.02
Harries, Rhodri
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-13-24
-32,500
$61.17
-$1,987,976.25
Masi, Benito
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
09-13-24
40,280
$39.43
$1,588,373.04
Masi, Benito
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
Burlington is inviting residents and visitors to enjoy three weeks of free, interactive in-person or online events and activities during Culture Days.
This year’s annual celebration is Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, 2024.
Burlington’s Culture Days features local arts and cultural professionals, creative organizations and businesses that host free events for the community.
Featured installations and events
Beachway Public Art, Sept. 20 to Oct. 13
The City of Burlington public art program has curated a temporary art project featuring the work of twenty local visual artists and writers. The temporary signs will be installed near Beachway Park.
Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) Exhibits and Events, Sept 20 to Oct. 8
The AGB is exhibiting David R. Harper’s MIDNIGHT, Magdolene Dykstra’s Exchanging Presence and Jose Luis Torres’ The place as an object and the object as a place. Everyone is invited to take part in Burlington Culture Days Family Open Studios on Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 3 and 6.
Burlington Public Library (BLP), Sept. 21 to Oct. 8
BPL is hosting free music and meditation sessions for adults, art and writing workshops for kids as well as author sessions. Meet Indigenous storyteller Jim Adams on Sept. 28, author Lisa Moore on Oct. 1, and former astronaut Marc Garneau on Oct. 5.
Burlington Seniors Centre, Sept. 27, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Arts and Culture Council of Burlington is hosting local artists and performers to celebrate the diverse talents within Burlington’s arts and cultural community.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC), Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BPAC is removing barriers to performing arts participation with a full day of free and accessible community programming. This year BPAC offers a combination of performances and interactive events that will showcase performing artists and organizations from Burlington and the surrounding region.
Joseph Brant Museum, Sept. 28, 1 to 3 p.m.
Museums of Burlington is partnering with the City and regional municipalities to present a community art project. Harmony in Culture is a collaborative ceramic mural project designed to celebrate cultural diversity and unity through art. Artists Yvette Garcia-Mier, Shahrzad Amin and Lauren Sinett will lead a clay workshop at Joseph Brant Museum and create unique artwork that will be incorporated into a larger community mural.
Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture. For three weeks, beginning each September, millions of people attend thousands of free arts and culture events across the country, both in-person and online. Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture in our communities.
In Newsletter sent out by Emily Brown, the Conservative candidate in the last federal election (Karina Gould won by a 45% to 38% for Brown).
The headline asked:
ARE WE HEADED FOR A FALL ELECTION?
That was followed by a statement:
Conservative Party of Canada says, “Pierre Poilievre will force a confidence vote on Trudeau’s Liberal government AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The House of Commons returns on Monday – we might see an election this fall. We need to act fast to prepare for a carbon tax election – but we need you to help Bring it Home.”
Brown continued with: “Exciting times are ahead with the dissolution of the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement and the return of MPs to the House for the fall sitting of parliament today!
A better campaign and a better leader would make a difference for Brown this time out.
“This brings us to a pivotal moment with an election edging closer and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre poised to call a non-confidence vote at the first opportunity.
“For those of us in the Burlington Riding, it is imperative that Conservatives unite by joining the Conservative Party, to be eligible to vote in the upcoming nomination to elect Emily Brown, a candidate who truly represents our community’s values and who is dedicated to addressing our community’s unique needs.
“Take this important step today and become a Conservative Party member at emilybrown.ca/membership to make a difference in Burlington and beyond.”
The rifle was a hobby – not a political statement – Brown’s campaign failed to make that point.
Brown ran a disappointing campaign in 2022. Her campaign team kept her hidden – there was never an opportunity to interview her. Instead the campaign positioned her as a “shootin – tootin” female. The truth was that guns for Brown were a hobby – something she enjoyed doing and was good at.
I got to know Emily Brown after the election: she is a smart woman, quite accomplished and would be a good MP once she had learned the ropes.
It would not take this woman long to become a junior Cabinet Minister – if Poilievre were to become the Prime Minister – and that’s where the problem rests. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have leadership problems and Jagmeet Singh isn’t going anywhere.
The results of the by-election in Montreal, where the ballots have 90+ names, will tell us a lot. We should know by midnight if Singh has any life left in him and if Justin Trudeau has any oxygen left.
In a conversation with Brown during a Remembrance day event last year she told me she was part of a military family who was “a conservative in the womb”
I tried to convince she could be a very good Liberal candidate.
Featured below are companies that have experienced recent insider trading activity in the public market through their direct and/or indirect ownerships, including accounts they have control or direction over.
The list below features insider transaction activity for today’s date; it does not convey total ownership information as an insider may hold numerous accounts.
Buying and selling activity by insiders may reflect perceived value in a security. Selling activity may or may not be related to a stock’s valuation. An insider might want to raise funds for personal reasons. An insider’s total holdings should be considered because a sale may, in context, be insignificant if this person has a large remaining position in the company. Some people put great weight on insider transaction activity when they see multiple insider trading’s of a company’s shares.
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT CORP —–Buy Quantity: 471,153 Average cost: $9.16 Total: $4,317,337.28
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Liberty 77 Capital L.P.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
109,314
$9.17
$1,002,038.81
Liberty 77 Fund International L.P.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
85,632
$9.17
$784,955.15
Liberty 77 Capital L.P.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
154,880
$9.16
$1,418,861.84
Liberty 77 Fund International L.P.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
121,327
$9.16
$1,111,481.48
Cenovus Energy Inc —–Buy Quantity: 100,000 Average cost: $22.25 Total: $2,225,000.00
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
McKenzie, Jonathan Michael
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-13-24
100,000
$22.25
$2,225,000.00
Canadian National Railway Company —–Buy Quantity: 6,200 Average cost: $162.38 Total: $1,006,756.00
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Monaco, Albert
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-13-24
6,200
$162.38
$1,006,756.00
TELUS International (Cda) Inc —–Buy Quantity: 200,000 Average cost: $4.91 Total: $982,690.00
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
TELUS Corporation
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
100,000
$4.98
$497,700.00
TELUS Corporation
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
Extendicare Inc —–Sell Quantity: -429,500 Average cost: $9.06 Total: -$3,893,195.50
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Barazzuol, Renzo
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-27,500
$9.00
-$247,401.00
Barazzuol, Renzo
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-43,400
$9.06
-$393,377.60
Barazzuol, Renzo
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-15,000
$9.19
-$137,860.50
GILL, NAVDEEP KAUR
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-27,500
$9.00
-$247,401.00
GILL, NAVDEEP KAUR
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-43,400
$9.06
-$393,377.60
GILL, NAVDEEP KAUR
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-15,000
$9.19
-$137,860.50
Manji, Salim
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-27,500
$9.00
-$247,401.00
Manji, Salim
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-43,400
$9.06
-$393,377.60
Manji, Salim
6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-15,000
$9.19
-$137,860.50
Manji, Samir Aziz
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-27,500
$9.00
-$247,401.00
Manji, Samir Aziz
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-43,400
$9.06
-$393,377.60
Manji, Samir Aziz
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-15,000
$9.19
-$137,860.50
Sandpiper Asset Management Inc.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-10-24
-27,500
$9.00
-$247,401.00
Sandpiper Asset Management Inc.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-11-24
-43,400
$9.06
-$393,377.60
Sandpiper Asset Management Inc.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
09-12-24
-15,000
$9.19
-$137,860.50
Power Corporation of Canada —–Sell Quantity: -75,000 Average cost: $41.64 Total: -$3,123,067.50 Options Issued: 75,000 Average cost: $31.79 Total: $2,384,250.00
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Orr, Robert Jeffrey
4 – Director of Issuer, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
09-12-24
75,000
$31.79
$2,384,250.00
Orr, Robert Jeffrey
4 – Director of Issuer, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
Connor Fraser is throwing his hat into the ring as he seeks the Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination as the candidate for the riding of Burlington – making it three people who want to get sent to Ottawa.
Fraser Connor – seeking the Conservative Party for Burlington
A lifelong resident of Burlington with deep roots in the community through volunteering and public service; he graduated from Aldershot High School School in 2015, attended the University of Toronto where he completed undergraduate studies in Engineering Science then completed an MBA and Master of Global Affairs.
His work experience spans semiconductor design in the private sector, working for the federal government advising on aerospace policy in the public sector. He believes that public and private interests must work together to deliver for Canadians.
He is arguing that “our institutions and leaders have failed to adapt to new challenges— be they social, economic, technological, geopolitical, and environmental. Outdated governance and an “Ottawa knows best” mentality have led to economic mismanagement. Industries like telecom and banking continue to reap untold profits while Canadians are left to their fate – one fee at a time. International organizations report that Canada’s anticipated productivity growth is the lowest among developed nations, threatening future living standards for us and our children.”
Fraser believes we can bounce back. His decision to run for Burlington’s Conservative nomination stems from his commitment to making housing more affordable, addressing climate change through investing in technology and infrastructure, stopping the crime wave that is eroding public safety, and cutting wasteful government spending on consultants. He wants to see a Canada that “competes fiercely by being assertive yet fair.”
Fraser says he is driven to help others realize their potential. “Better is possible if we have the courage to reach for it.”
The Conservative Party in Burlington is expected to announce a date for the nomination of their candidate soon.
Emily Brown, who was the candidate the last time around; add Connor Fraser to the list. We are advised that a third candidate seeking the nomination is out there somewhere – that’s all we can find at this point.
When the New Democrats pulled their support for the current Liberal government all bets were off. Pierre Poilievre wants what he is calling a “carbon tax” election after he which he has promised to “axe the tax” should he defeat Justin Trudeau.
Fraser is knocking on doors asking people to purchase a Conservative Party membership (https://secure.conservative.ca/en/membership) and vote for me in-person at the nomination meeting – date and location TBD.
The meeting will be held on short notice and the candidate who brings the most members wins – simple as that. Fraser is asking people to email: fraser.candidate@gmail.com so they can send you a confirmation form.
The weather was as good as it was going to get. The breeze off the lake made it rather pleasant.
There were hundreds, hundreds of people milling about and getting read to do their 5k walks or runs.
The day went off without a hitch – no one that I was aware of needed medical help.
Hundreds head west to the canal – carrying their thoughts with them.
There was plenty of flavoured and fruit and snacks for those that needed an energy boost.
There was energy bursting out all over the place.
The “warm up ladies kept things moving at a healthy pace.
Two women, I call them the “warm up” ladies. They shared the microphone and kept people informed and at the same time kept things moving.
People registered and took their turns when the kind of walk or run they were doing was going to take place was up.
The walk was from the rear of the Waterfront Hotel westward to the canal and back to the hotel.
From there people went to the picture stand where groups got to make up their sign: Team MVP or whatever the group was. Numerous families were out as Teams.
Jeanette is the Run house photographer
Then the group picture was taken.
Each Team had sponsors who paid an amount for every km walked.
Some of the Teams were walking months before the actual Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research – for make no mistake about it – this event was to raise funds for cancer research and for individuals and families to remember people they had lost.
No word yet on exactly how many people ran or walked – we don’t know yet how much was raised.
The group that made the event happen is large – we will pull together a follow up report later in the month.
For today – enjoy the pictures of those that took part.
One gentleman was in the walk for the 44th time – he has run every race since that first in 1980.
The “warm up ladies” made numerous mentions of next year being the 45th. Expect the crowds to be as good.
Imagine what Burlington will do on the 50th anniversary and wonder about how close we might be to actually curing cancer.
Dr. John Goffin; Associate Professor, Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences.
We know now that if caught early enough cancer can be beaten. Much of the credit goes to the medical practitioners and the scientists who do the research that has gotten us to where we are; additional funds were raised today to pay for more research.
Dozens and dozens of young people worked at different tasks. This young man handed out fruit and snacks to people.
The Run has always been a family event; from those in strollers to those old enough to take on some of the work that has to be done.
The Run isn’t just an occasion to raise funds. For many it is an opportunity to pause and take the time to remember those who were lost. There is a Remembrance board that people write a note on and a sticker that is given to people who want to name the person they lost and put it on their T shirt or on a stroller.
There were 25 people attending – with about five people from City Hall and three Council members.
Mayor Meed Ward will be meeting with the public in each ward during September and October.
There are two things the Mayor would like people to do:
Take the Survey and do the exercises in the Workbook.
The responses from the Survey and the Workbook will inform the creation of the Budget. Mayor Meed Ward told a budget meeting earlier this week that she hoped to get the document out before the end of the week. That hope wasn’t met.
The Strong Mayor Powers Meed Ward now has comes with a strict schedule that she explained at the budget meeting.
The city used to hold public budget review meetings that drew 50 people sometimes – seldom more. That practice fell out of favour. Putting questions about the budget on line and letting a panel of 3,000 people respond would give city hall a much bigger picture. They may not like the response they get but the public needs to be informed in a realistic way.
Sept. 13 – Draft 2025 Budget
City provides summary of the draft 2025 budget for public consultation and input. Has yet to be released
Oct. 25 – Mayor’s Proposed Budget Report posted
Nov. 4 – Burlington City Council Meeting The Mayor, under the Strong Mayors legislation, will present the 2025 proposed budget to Burlington City Council. Council members can bring amendments to the budget for a council vote. The public will be given time to review and provide input on the proposed budget.
Nov. 7 – Budget Telephone Town Hall
Residents can join the call starting at 7 p.m. to ask questions about the 2025 proposed budget. The telephone town will be hosted by Mayor Meed Ward and run until 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 and 21 – Budget Committee Meetings
Nov. 25 – Special Council Meeting for budget approval.
The dates for the balance of the Mayor’s ward level meetings are:
Monday, Sept. 23, 7 to 8:30 p.m., La Salle Park Pavilion, 50 North Shore Blvd. E.
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Haber Recreation Centre, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr., Room 1
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Central Arena, 519 Drury Ln., Auditorium
Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Appleby Ice Centre, 1201 Appleby Line, Community Room 1
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Brant Hills Community Centre, 2255 Brant St., Community Room 1
The link to both the Survey and the Workbook are HERE
The 4th Annual Food for Feedback went very well the weather was fine and the attendance was good.
The layout of the tables and booths was very good – an improvement over previous years. There was a lot of room for people to mill around, think about where they wanted to put their dots on large poster boards and just mill about talking to neighbours.
Tablets were set up for people to register – all electronic.
If you ever wondered just how diversified a city Burlington is – you had only to see the racial mixes.
The Food Trucks did a very brisk trade – the line ups were half an hour at most of the trucks. One attendee thought it was almost too good a deal. The meal would have cost me $20 at the Sound of Music.
There were tables set out for people to east at away from the crowds. There were play stations for kids that needed a place to sit for a while.
Councillor Bentivegna pulled popcorn stand duty.
The Mayor had a booth set up – Councillors Sharman and Bentivegna were seen; Sharman talking up any number of people – Bentivegna pulled popcorn stand duty.
There was a senior staff person assigned to move staff around; if there was a booth that had a line up he or she would move staff from table to table.
The BurlingtonGreen teams were on hand taking care of the waste that included someone walking around the grounds with stick picking of pieces of paper.
There was data galore being collected. We didn’t hear anyone complaining about a specific concern. If the different coloured dots are added up the city should have a pretty good indication as to how people feel about different services and the delivery of those service.
Transportation data – was the facial expression communicating a point of view ?
Heritage often a contentious subject in Burlington. No black dots on this one.
I suspect that what made this years’ event the success it was is due to the several people who planned the event and then were on site to ensure the bumps that may have cropped up were quickly and efficiently handled.
Figuring out what the sign means?
That is not where the pop corn was supposed to go.
It is going to take a bit of time to pull the numbers together and do an analysis – and maybe even tell the public what it all cost.
As for that $20 price mentioned – I didn’t get a burger – I was there to cover the event and report on what took place.
On the way home I stopped into Wendy’s, had a Double Dave with fries and two half pints of milk – came to pennies over $15. The city would have done better than that.
There were five food truck – line ups at some were close to half an hour.
There was plenty of food; the choices were good as well.
One observer noted that “the food trucks ran spewing diesel fumes while the city asked for our input on how to reduce greenhouse gasses.”
Director of Burlington Transit
Transportation was an issue that caught a lot of attention. There was one of the brand new buses parked behind the booth where Director of Transit Catherine Baldelli put together one of the cardboard models of a bus.
There she was sitting on the upholstered bench CHCH television uses for its Morning Show with the interviewer prepared to toss softball questions.
Interviewer: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward joins us this morning for a Burlington check in; before we find out what’s going on in the city. What are you wearing right now?
Mayor Meed Ward: I am wearing a pin that is part of the King’s Medal Award that I just got. It was total shock. I cried when I got the notice. Somebody nominated me. I don’t know who. There’s an actual coin. It’s got King Charles on one side, the other side is this. It’s a 13 pointed star with a crown, and that’s for all of Canada’s provinces and territories. But I can only wear the medal at military events, formal council meetings, or, you know, very ceremonial or Speech from the Throne, which in my case would be a State of the City address.
But I can wear this pin every day. It was very unexpected, a huge honour. I’m just, so overwhelmed with, with the support and the community has been very kind and saying, you know, you’ve earned this. So it’s awesome.
Interviewer: This is the King Charles coronation metal. And what’s it for? Is it for service to community ?
Mayor Meed Ward: It’s for service to community country.
So it can be a local community. It can be nationwide. One of the reasons that I was given this was really an initiative that I started off the side of my desk, something beyond being the Mayor.
“It’s a Her Halton group; elected representatives who are women. We’ve been talking about the toxic nature of politics, and we developed a pledge that we commit ourselves to respectful debate, and we ask others to take the pledge as well. This was picked up by the Canadian feminist parliamentarians across the country – we’ve had dozens and dozens of people sign their name to the pledge.”
A concern a lot of people have with Mayor Meed Ward is with what she says and what she actually does. There was an occasion when she chose to manipulate a Council Agenda that she was chairing virtually and attempting to coerce a member of Council into apologizing for the treatment of a staff member. It was a brutal occasion. Link to that event is HERE.
Mayor Meed Ward: The formation of the group is something I did outside of my role as Mayor, over and above the usual duties that I have. That was one of the reasons, another was raising awareness about mental health, addictions, homelessness in our well, really in our country, but certainly in municipalities here, large and small, rural, urban – everyone’s facing it. We launched a campaign through the Ontario Big City Mayors to solve the crisis. Those were some of the things that they thought were worth acknowledging. So, you know, this is work I do because I love it, and I just want to make the community better, make Burlington better. It was nice to get the award, and I wear it with pride. I did cry a lot, rightfully so.
Interviewer: You want more people engaged? You want people to learn about how their council impacts them because Municipal Affairs, when you think about it, that is the level of government that affects your day to day living.
Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff presenting Burlington Mayor Meed Ward with the certificate that accompanies the King Charles III Coronation Medal
Mayor Meed Ward: Absolutely, you know, I was a community organizer before I was elected. I’m a huge believer in bringing people together and where we agree on the issues and where we can advance something.
Interviewer” You want to hear their take on free transit.
Mayor Meed Ward: Yes. We have chipped away at free transit: it’s free for youth under 12, seniors, 24/7, low income residents, young people, evenings and weekends. We’ve already we’ve seen massive increases in ridership because it just eliminates the barrier to get around.
We directed our staff to actually consult about, should we just go the whole, you know, full nine yards, right? And make it free for everyone. A survey is out there. We will be getting a report back, and I’m really looking forward to what the community has to say.
Interviewer: Okay, deadline to respond ?
Mayor Meed Ward: No deadline, respond any time to the survey. We’ll be deciding in the fall, and you can come to delegate at committee and council to get your views in on that one.
Interviewer: Marianne Meed Ward Mayor of Burlington. Thanks very much.
There you have it – the Mayor’s explanation as to why she was given one of the King’s Coronation Medal that was handed out to her by Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff.
Burlington has twinning agreements with the City of Itabashi, Japan and the City of Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. To celebrate this unique relationship, the public art program commissioned two Ontario artists to create mural wraps installed on electrical boxes located in Spencer Smith Park.
Each of the two artists explains what they set out to achieve.
Ann-Marie Cheung
Harmony Across Horizons serves as a visual celebration of the unique bond between Burlington and Itabashi, promoting the values of peace, unity, and global understanding. The design encapsulates the essence of Itabashi’s meaning, “plank bridge,” while celebrating the beauty of cherry trees, swirling water energy, and employing a woodcut-like style. The mural’s focal point is a gracefully arched plank bridge, symbolizing the connection between Burlington and Itabashi.
This is mirrored on the back of the design, with a representation of the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge. The bridges serve as a visual metaphor for the cultural ties that unite the two cities.
Julia Prajza
My concept showcases the beautiful and harmonious relationship our two cities have formed through the representation of nature. The artwork includes illustrations of the Tulip ‘Apeldoorn,’ the Ontario trillium flower and other flora that is native to Ontario. Although you would never see these unique flowers blooming together, as they grow in different seasons in different conditions, here they are paired together organically as a symbolic representation of the friendship between Burlington and Apeldoorn.
This design is a continuation of my stained-glass series, where I deconstruct an element and put it together with various organic shapes, outlining it for contrast. This stylization brings visual interest, intrigue, and a modern-meets-traditional feel to my work.
The administration of the arts program is led by Jeremy Freiburger, an arts promoter based in Hamilton.
The Mayor, the City CAO and members of the Mundialization Committee are to travel to Japan later this year.
One could justify just the public art and not the travel to Japan given the tax increases the city has had to adjust to for the past two years – 2025 doesn’t look as if it going to be any better.
The CDH Educates workshop series continues with their 2nd workshop focused on volunteer engagement fundamentals: Position Design.
Creating position descriptions can help you attract – and retain – great volunteers. In this session, learn how to design your volunteer positions with risk, retention, and recognition in mind. We’ll also explore example position descriptions to help you learn what to avoid and what to highlight.
You’ll leave this session with:
Ideas and suggestions for successful positions
Templates and tools for effective position description writing
Tips to help you avoid common mistakes and pitfalls in position design
POSITION DESIGN: Creating volunteer position descriptions
Wednesday October 9, 2024
10:00am – 11:00am
Via ZOOM
Sammy Feilchenfeld, Senior Manager, Learning with Volunteer Toronto.
Featuring Sammy Feilchenfeld, CVA, Senior Manager, Learning with Volunteer Toronto.
A short video was presented by Lou Frapporti at the Bay Area Climate Council (BACC) where the subject was: Cities in Action: The Power of Collaboration. The Mayor of Burlington and the Hamilton Mayor signing an agreement. Alinea Lands was a sponsor of the event.
The City of Burlington is one of the several municipalities that funds the BACC – an issue that Burlington City Councillors vote on each year.
Frapporti used the phrase “my friends as he introduced the video that was about the King Road property that is being developed by his client Alinea Lands.
Then he played a short video.
Did you cringe the way I did when Councillor Kelvin Galbraith said: “the sky’s the limit.”
One would expect that from the developer – not from the member of Council sworn to protect the interests of the people who elected him.
It appears that neither Galbraith or ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan understand what their job is, who they are working and who is paying their salaries.
Galbraith has always had the mindset of a developer; at some point the properties he owns at the intersection of Waterdown Road and Plains Road will get developed and something in the order of 30 storeys will rise on the property. And good on him for making some smart land purchases.
You can’t be both a developer and a Council member, especially not in the ward you represent.
As for Nisan – he’d love to be a developer – just doesn’t have the skill set needed.
Give Lou Frapporti credit for getting these two politicians to do his bidding. Lou knows who he is working for – he’s doing a great job for Alinea.
By Staff
Eric Stern, president of BRAG – Burlington Residents’ Action Group, wrote about just where the draft version of the 2025 budget is;
