By Pepper Parr

November 14^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

City Chief Administrative Officer Curt Benson had explained his position on the recommendation from Rubicon Strategy, a consulting firm hired by the city to review the service that Burlington Economic Development and Tourism (BEDT) was providing.

BEDT is a not for profit corporation owned by the city and operating at arms length.

Now it was time for members of Council to ask questions.  This article has been edited for length and clarity.  It is lengthy.  And it is the toughest grilling I have ever seen a City Manager get from a City Council

Councillor Sharman was chair of the meeting and he was asking who had questions.  It took a moment or two for someone to put their hand up.

Councillor Bentivegna:  Thanks for the comments that you made. My concern is the items that you spoke about.  For example, city staff believes that they will be successful in transitioning to strengthen relationships with the business community. It’s a great statement, and we all want that. How are we going to do it? Are we making a decision here today, one way or the other?   I don’t have the information I need. So, so where do we go from? I need to know, what those next steps?

Curt Benson CAO: As outlined in the report councilor, we’re looking to work in collaboration with the independent organization and establish a transition plan. So you’re right. A lot of the details around the specifics of the makeup of the service agreement are actually going to be coming through the transition plan. So we don’t have that information for you. I think in principle, we feel strongly that we can land on an integrated model that costs less than what’s being cost today to deliver those services. We believe that there are some services that are actually already being provided by the city that perhaps can be integrated, aligned or optimized with the work going forward. That’s what we have here today.

Bentivegna: My second question has to do with efficiencies. You mentioned that you wanted efficiencies and a clear line of sight to the business community.  We all want that’s not an easy task in any business that we get into, or anything that we want to do to follow up on. Is there a plan somewhere that we could see in making these serious decisions moving forward. From my standpoint, I feel comfortable in saying, okay, I get it. I’m prepared to make that move.

Benson: I think the value is in actually having the conversation and the collaboration with the board and staff, and I want to kind of address this.  There are comments made in the report that don’t properly reflect the significant value that many of the initiatives have driven over time. And so I think that what we need to do is really understand where some of the pain points are,  where some of the duplication exists, where some of the clumsiness of the handoffs that should be there, that aren’t there. There’s a lot of room for improvement. And I think the value is in taking stock and the values in having that conversation and coming back to council with the results of that conversation to identify where we can better integrate, where can we improve. That is going to take time and discussion.

Galbraith:  The report talks about a lot of the comparisons to other municipalities, listing some of the internal and external: almost 90% of all municipalities have this as an internal function. What doesn’t compare is, their budgets? Do we have any idea what a similar municipality to Burlington would have in the way a budget for any other internal economic development functions compared to the $2 million we spend?

Benson: Maybe I could ask  Andrew Scott, our Chief Transformation Officer, can come to the lectern to give Council some information on that.

Andrew Scott:  There’s a variety of different approaches that municipalities take. Setting that in context, there are different approaches and different programs and services that are offered, but in terms of a municipality of the size that you’re talking about in Burlington, around 180,000 to 200,000 people is getting close to fully maturing. From a built-out perspective, you’re typically looking at a range of about a million to $1.2 million in terms of the impact on the operating budget. That doesn’t include any capital considerations, capital projects. But in terms of operating you’re typically looking at that sort of range.  Ours isn’t probably identical to others, because we added the tourism function. So you know, what’s a tourism internal operating cost? I don’t know if you’d know the answer.

Scott: I can only speak for the municipality that I worked at previously, there was no tourism function that was in house.  That was something that was left entirely to independent organizations. There was no municipal accommodation tax that was applied by the local municipality either.

Gailbraith: Okay, thanks for that second question. Maybe while you’re up there.  I understand there’s funding available for economic development tourism through the Green Municipal Fund, If we move the operation internally, are we eligible for that?  I understand we’re probably not. Now with an external operation, is that is that correct?

Scott: So there are a number of grant opportunities that are available through the provincial and the federal government, that are available to municipalities.  They are not available to nonprofit or independent corporations or organizations. So by bringing them in, by bringing economic development tourism in house, that would allow the municipality to apply for those funds and allocate those funds to that, you know, to that internal organization, but they can apply now as an external as an independent Corporation, they are not eligible for application directly to those funds. That’s correct. The three that comes to mind, you’re correct, the Green Municipal Fund. There’s also the Housing Accelerator Fund and the Building Faster Fund as well, depending on if we were successful in our in our growth topics.

Councillor Stolte: Back over to you. Curt, so all things be being equal.  I fundamentally and theoretically believe in economic development being internal to the city. But historically, over the last couple of years, , the corporation has had significant struggles with staff morale and staff feeling different levels of support, which has resulted in a lot of turnover and lack of consistency. So as our newer CAO, I’m wondering, how do you believe staff morale is doing, and do you believe that there’s any risk that we would be looking at of bringing active in house, and could there be a negative effect due to some of the challenges that internal staff groups have had?

Benson: Staff, culture, staff, morale are big issues. There are important issues, and they’re issues that are very difficult to resolve quickly or and they require a great deal of deliberate kind of action and care to resolve them. Since getting into this role, you know, I think it’s fundamental for me to really drive change in this organization. I do think we have many opportunities to get our culture there. I don’t anticipate any negative consequences with an integrated model. I actually see opportunities when I think of an integrated model, empowering staff, having that line of sight to helping a broader segment of those in the community, our business community, I think those are really empowering so but I do think it’s it absolutely is something that would be top of mind in defining what the model looks like. Specifically, I think it’s really important.

Stolte:   Would you be willing to make that commitment? Should the decision go in the way of bringing it internal that you would do? Well, you know what? I think I probably know the answer to that question. You do everything you could to ensure that that staff morale and that positive engagement is top of mind.  I just wanted to build on a question of clarity from councillor Galbraith, because the finance section of this report is pretty much absent, and it could be very compelling to hear that bringing EcoDev and tourism in house would open up new opportunities for funding grants and the two that I heard, which was the Green Fund And the housing accelerator fund. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but did the municipality already receive funding from both of those programs? And would more funding not be a double dip? So I’m just wondering, what’s our Upswing on bringing act dev in house that could potentially equal more upper level federal government funding

Benson: Those funding the intake programs, the way that the federal and municipal government have been permitting applications is that, typically they’re on an annual basis. And so especially with things like the housing accelerator fund or the building faster fund, you have to put forward a suite of projects that are eligible for funding to then be able to determine that so in terms of if Economic Development and Tourism was brought in house, then we would then be able to work with our new division or department in terms of how can we enable leverage that type of funding, put forward project for proposals, for future In for future rounds of intake and future rounds of our evaluation.

Stolte: Do you don’t have a estimate of what we would have been able to get in addition to what we already received?

Benson:  No, I do not as of right now.

Stolte: It makes it hard for me to decide based on that. Okay, thanks.

Councillor Bentivegna: There’s a lot of questions, concerns about what to expect moving forward. It woild seem that everyone has the same concerns? Would it not be prudent to just pause this scenario because of some of the unknowns?

We’re going into 2026 budget. And my it’s my understanding that we’re going to work through the same budget for for 2026 if we’re going to make some changes and we’re going to evolve into something that’s going to be within our organization, there’s a lot of planning involved, because when we see it each and every day, would it not be a good idea to wait? Let 2026, roll as is, work with B, A, D, T, and continue that dialog, work on whether it be agreements on one end, or whether it be operational, internal, and then we can have all the responses answers, and budget, For that matter, for 2027 and then make those decisions that I would feel personally uncomfortable with. What do you think about that?

Benson: What we are suggesting in the report is coming back here with a transition plan. Now the transition plan would be developed with a particular outcome in mind. But that’s not to say Council can direct staff to look at what are those kind of areas of alignment that we want to achieve from from a responsibility perspective or an efficiency perspective, and have because I think that’s that’s where staff are saying there is a little bit of urgency. We do not have a service agreement in place with economic development. We do think there’s value in getting to an executed service agreement quickly if Council chooses to retain that model. So regardless, we’re going to need to work with the agency and arrive at what do the next steps look like. And I think those next steps are different. I think if you know, if you consider where staff’s recommendation is on an integrated model, versus, okay, maybe it’s an enhanced service agreement model. That’s something that I would say regardless, I would recommend against kind of putting things on ice for now, because I do think that there is some urgency to address some of those things with some haste.

Bentivegna: My second question has to do, we’re going to get a report in April on this? Wouldn’t aren’t we putting it, aren’t we delaying this information and whatnot between now and April?

Benson: maybe I misinterpreted the question, Councilor, I thought you were suggesting that we pause completely doing any work over 2026 and revisit it perhaps in 2027 I think in that case, staff feel that it’s more important to continue to do the work, to have the dialog, to come back to council with some direction, as count as we’re recommending it, to transition plan to an integrated model. But regardless if Council is looking at a different model, we still need to fix the fact that we we have deficiencies in the service arrangement,

Bentivegna: I’ll get back in line. Thanks.

Councillor Nisan:  Councillor Gailbrath asked a question that’s been on my mind a lot, which the report didn’t speak to, which is:  can we save money? Is there money to be saved by bringing economic development in house? So there’s no response to that would

Benson: Based on my experience and on the experience of other senior leaders in the organization  have had carriage over economic development functions in municipalities, I do believe that there is an opportunity for savings.  And just to follow up, is there opportunity for savings that wouldn’t be opportunities otherwise? Because, frankly, it does run against the the overall perception, which is that you can run things cheaper outside of government than inside the tent. And what, any evidence at all, like, you know, anything you can provide in that regard?

I think Andy Scott alluded to this in one of his responses, is that the service that council wants to procure needs to be tailored to address the needs of our community. And I think we need to really get into having that dialog with the agency on, perhaps what offerings are being provided now that are little or no value or are duplicative. You know, those are the types of of conversations that get you to an outcome of, you know, driving cost savings or cost avoidance, and that’s what we really would like to focus on as part of next steps.

Nisan:  I would agree. I agree with that for sure. I got to sort of pick on this comment about these different funds, and availability for those funds. So building faster fund, we are nowhere near getting that funding because of the way that the criteria housing accelerator fund, we’ve got a ton of funding for Thank you very much. That’s great money over 20 million, as I recall FCM. I was very curious about that, because I’m on the FCM board. So I just want to better understand what green municipal funding is. There a particular example here where a municipality got it for economic development that maybe I’m not aware of. The Green Municipal Fund has multiple portfolios. So if there’s any information about what portfolio would be prime for this, I’d be very interested to know.

Benson: I appreciate the opportunity to clarify. I think all of those funds are derived from senior levels of government wanting to make a difference when it comes to driving economic growth in communities and and we know where we are in the current state of our economy. We know with the recent release of the federal budget and the provincial fall economic statement there there are potential funding envelopes that municipalities may qualify for, and we want to make sure that we’re as best positioned as possible to take advantage of that so so I think generally, you know, we feel that there are opportunities that we that we Want to capitalize on, with respect to the specific sectoral Green Municipal Fund and examples of municipalities in taking advantage of those funds for economic development purposes, we’d be happy to follow up with additional information to council on that.

Nisan:  I would really welcome that, because I, in my role on the FCM executive committee, I actually approve projects for the Green Municipal Fund, and I’ve never seen an economic development project approved. I’ve never approved one.

Sharman:  I’m  going to jump in here for the first time. I want to just pick up on something you said, Curt and that was that there was no service agreement currently with BEDC.  In fact, there has been only one in the last 11 to 12 years. Was that because BEDC  chose not to have one

Benson: no, no, I don’t. I don’t know that that’s the case at all. I think, I think there was the service agreement that expired at the end of 24 I think was kind of a mutual decision of the Act dev board and the city to enter into to ensure that some of the issues were addressed, I would say that that agreement doesn’t address the full suite of things that I would recommend to council to bake into an agreement for certainty and for clarity in terms of how the service is provided. But again, that’s something that you know, we’d be happy to have that conversation.

Sharman: I’m on the board. The directive did not have any part in that decision, so it was a city decision. Thank you. With respect to some comments made by the chair of Economic Development and Tourism, he’s been through many mergers, and I noted from our own Chief Human Resources Officer has been through a number also, and my own experiences. Any any such merger would be done very quietly, initially, with masses of research and thoughtful analytics concerned about the people involved. But firstly, you’d want to look at the goals, and then you’d look at the strategy, and then you go through a complete analysis of the processes and all the functions that would be affected, and the anticipated improvement of KPIs and and I think you’ve been saying that we haven’t done any of that, and so we haven’t been able to estimate the Financial, actual financial implication of this?

Why was that work not done before coming to this conclusion?

Benson:  I think there’s, there are probably a few different reasons why this route was was taken, you know, and I think it was more on the basis of identifying areas of concern, areas of duplication, areas of prospective risk. You know, I think what city staff saw and on the basis of the results of the review that was being provided, this represented, you know, an effective means to address each one of those, those areas. So, you know, I, I agree with your statement that as a part of Council’s deliberation on deciding what an active function should do, what it should look like, what the objectives are, what the performance measures are, those are all parts of an important conversation.

Councillor Galbraith: With regards to the rent that BEDT pays. What? What happens to that like tech place and their head office if they move internally, how does that change the sort of financial picture of the organization?

Benson: Those are all kind of issues that we’d want to work through as a part of a transition plan. Approaching a transition plan with the principle of cost avoidance would be an important piece. The fact that there’s some rent being paid again, we, we, I would say that what staff is recommending as part of an integrated model, I think we’d have flexibility in terms of addressing accommodation needs, for example.

Galbraith: Thanks for that.  Regarding the regional downloading of economic development services, but that happened some time ago, in the last year. I think where did those services go? Who’s Who’s doing them now,

Benson: When those services were downloaded from the region, I can say that the decision was to engage local municipalities, but for the region to just cease doing those services, so providing notice to the local municipalities that the region would no longer be providing any support. With respect to business attraction, Business Retention type activities, the only space, or the only function that the region actually maintains a role in is they do still operate the Halton Small Business Center, and that’s purely primarily because the provincial it’s largely funded by provincial dollars. And I think the funder expressed that it would be challenging for them to break apart that money. There is a critical mass so, so, yeah, no, it’s the decision was made at the region with enough lead time to say, you know, the region would no longer provide those, those economic development services. But each local municipality was left to choose how they would occupy or deliver those should they choose? Thank you.

Councillor Kearns:  I was really interested in hearing the commentary around finding efficiency. I took the pportunity to do some scribing in the meantime, and I took these numbers from our budget blueprint, which identifies a $1.3 million savings identified out of a $491.9 million budget, which equals 0.264% savings using the $1.9 million That’s budgeted for ACT Dev and tourism, that would equate to about a $5,000 savings over the year. Is that the magnitude of what we’re looking at in terms of savings and efficiencies by bringing these organizations in house?

Benson:  We would be looking at achieving the greatest possible efficiencies, so I can’t necessarily quantify it based on not having the numbers in front of us. I think what’s important is having that conversation with the agency to make a determination as to what areas represent good opportunities for efficiency and avoiding duplication.

Kearns: A higher lower would have been a good answer too. I’m just going to go on to my second question. We have identified here that there’s a service deficiency, and that this is a service that council wants to procure that is reflective to the community. One of the things that I found absent in the report was any examples of goals or directives that had been failed to meet by act Dev and tourism. Obviously, I’ve mentioned that earlier in my comments related to vision to focus.  Can any examples be identified at all? I heard about the fumble handoff in both the report and in the verbal portion of today, but I’ve never seen a root cause corrective action or a quantification of missing that hand off. So is there anything concrete that can be provided today?

Benson: We have lived experience with respect to the model.  The model has, in staff’s opinion, not, allowed us to have the greatest line of sight to the business needs and how the city is addressing business needs in the community. We think that there’s a better way. That’s why we put the recommendation for it. We stand by the recommendation.

Kearns: If I could follow up, is that, is that a personality issue, or is that a process issue?

Benson:  It’s governance, its structure, its process.

Mayor Meed Ward:  Chair, always like to start with what we can all agree on collectively. So in your comment, you said that your perception, or that  your conversations were that there was general agreement from all stakeholders that there is room for improvement. And can you? Can you share a little bit more about where we collectively, community, active board, city and your report align?

Benson:  In hearing the delegations, I think that was a common element that represents a common position. I think there is alignment with respect to wanting to realize the opportunity for addressing some of the deficiencies that we’ve seen. And I think what we’re trying to get at is we’re trying to optimize the resources that exist that are dedicated to this function. We’re trying to minimize duplication, we’re trying to enhance operational effectiveness. We’re trying to mitigate risk and really aligning economic development, aligning and embedding economic development objectives in the city business. And I think those are points I think that represent common ground or common interest, based on what I’ve heard from the delegations,

We agree that there’s room for improvement, and so I guess the conversation is how best to achieve that? You’ve heard from the delegations, you’ve heard the questions. There was fairly extensive consultation that was done. It’s outlined in the third party review, including a survey with residents. Over 800 people took that. Is there anything that you’ve received through this process, which has really been underway for the better part of a year now, almost a year, that that causes you pause or to change the recommendation that that you have that the best path to address the concerns that we all recognize and share is the in-house model,

Staff stand behind the recommendation that we have before you, and we recognize that there may be some concerns with that pathway, and you know, happy to engage with council to ensure, again, the best possible outcome here.

Sharman: Thank you,  I’m going to ask a question: You just said there was evidence of duplication and operational efficiency, but you haven’t done that very detailed analysis that I suggested, in my last question, would normally have been done befor any merger, but you did mention alignment. So is there more agreement around the lack of alignment, or is this something I’m missing?

Benson: Council has elected to procure economic development services from an independent not for profit board. I think staff are suggesting that there are other ways that we can affect a greater degree of alignment with the balance of services that city staff provide xxx that actually where there actually is an interplay with economic development. So so I think that’s where city staff’s recommendations are coming from, where they’re coming from an area where we think that there are advantages in having an integrated in house model.

Sharman: Thank you for that. Had staff in the past 12 to 14, years, delivered on its ABC commitments and done all the service agreements and perhaps not blocked from speaking to council that we might have been in a better place.

Benson:  Again, I can’t, I can’t speak for choices the organization made prior to me being here, but I do think that there is a way to address that. And I think what I had suggested in my earlier comment was a greater line of sight, greater oversight, and accountability. I think those are all things that working in collaboration, I’m sure we can get a better outcome, a better model.

Sharman:  I’m seeing no further questions. Does anybody else have any further questions?  Go ahead Councillor Kearns:

Kearns: Thank you very much. I’m just concerned about the employee morale piece, because, as you know, our investment in human capital is our biggest asset across the city.  I think it’s been since 2022 2023 that we did an employee engagement survey. And I’m just wondering if we have any updated data, or when that’s coming through, because we would want to be sure that we’re bringing this level of an organization and house to a really positive organization. But when will we see that? And I can just remind you, I can’t remember if this is an open or closed so I won’t say the scores from the past.

Sue Evfremidis:  We are planning to do another employee survey in 2026 that being said with regards to culture and turnover. In other words, some other comments related to culture that were made is that we have a very good turnover rate. We certainly were at. We’re sitting at similar to to last turn. I think there are two pieces that are relevant to this at 4.81 and then you take out the retirements in relation to turnover, it’s 2.53 and the reasons why people are leaving are not related to are not related to culture. They are primarily rated. We’re still gathering this information through our exit surveys and so forth, but primarily it’s for opportunities, promotion pieces. It’s due to, I’ll say again, the size of our organization. We don’t necessarily have those those opportunities, and we’re also we’ve also lost a couple of folks with regards to the return to Office. So we are getting those pieces of data to find out more about what why people may be leaving voluntarily. That being said, that’s a very small snapshot of our employee of our employee population, and we are certainly going to be running an employee survey in 2026 so that we’ll be able to come back and also analyze that data.

Kearns: So just to follow up with the last time it was done, this was 2022 we’re intending to do it again in 2026 when was it supposed to be done?

Sue Evfremidis:  We were looking at possibly doing it at the end of this year, Councilor Kearns, but due to a lot of the changes that have taken place, we’ve had to push it into 2026

Kearns: Okay, but the foundation for this report is governance structure and process. So are we following our own governance structure and process if we’re moving really critical surveys about our employee engagement?

Sue Evfremidis: Absolutely, because we have to ensure that we have the resources that are that are in place to be able to launch an employee survey due to some of the changes that have happened at the senior level as well. We want to make sure that they are they have been orientated and on boarded to the organization. So we’re not talking about pushing it out extremely like far out into 2027 it’s 2026 and it is absolutely a priority that you also see identified in the budget presentation this week.

Councillor Gailbraith: I was just prepared to move the report if there’s no other questions.

Sharman: Okay, the report has been moved.

In the event that this fails, there is another proposal being brought forward, another motion, which I guess we’ll just wait to see how this one does first.

__________________________

Sharman was a little too quick in trying to have the Motion moved.  Councillors still had some questions.

We will pick this up in part 3 of the debate on whether Economic Development and Tourism should be moved in-house and operate as part of the city administration or should it remain as an arms-length not-for-profit corporation.

Related News Story:

CAO Benson explains his position on bringing Economic Development under city hall control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Pepper Parr

November 13^th, 2025

BURLINGTON. ON

 

Every Ontario school board will have to open a “student and family support office” that will be expected to respond to parents’ concerns within five days, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced yesterday.

And just what is a “student and family support office” and who will it be run by?  Isn’t that the job school board trustees are in place to do?

The Minister of Education said the process is being “Set up as the way for parents to have a “clear, effective way to get help regarding their child’s education and find solutions faster,” it comes as the government is looking to reform the education system, possibly eliminating the position of trustee.

“Better access for parents means better outcomes for students,” Calandra said in a written statement. “Student and Family Support Offices will give families clear answers and timely solutions when it comes to their child’s education. We’re going to continue overhauling an outdated school board governance model so that more resources go into classrooms, teachers have better support and students have the best chance to succeed.”

In the supervised boards — Toronto public, Toronto Catholic, Dufferin-Peel Catholic, Ottawa-Carleton public and Thames Valley public — trustees have already been stripped of all their powers with a provincial appointee in charge instead.

The support offices will open in all other boards next fall, and will have to acknowledge parents’ requests within two days and aim to respond within five.

“The offices will act as an additional way to help families get answers on broader community concerns, as well as contentious or complex issues that need to be escalated after speaking with the school,” said the news release from Calandra’s office.

Typically, parents must approach the teacher, principal and then superintendent when issues arise, and some turn to their trustee for guidance, especially when administrators have been unresponsive or they are unsure how to navigate the system.

Non-supervised boards will have to have plans submitted to the ministry by the end of March, and open the offices in September.

In the boards currently supervised, it is expected that existing staff will be redeployed. For all other boards, staffing plans will be a part of their submissions to the ministry.

The Gazette will reach out to the Chair of the School Board trustees for comment; in the past they have chosen to say very little.

 

By Nelson Nikolson

November 13th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington residents are doing things differently these days. Whether you’re grabbing coffee on Brant Street or walking the pier at Spencer Smith Park, you’ll notice people video-calling into meetings. You’ll spot people checking phones for food delivery, or managing investments with a few taps. What started as a temporary adjustment, a necessity due to the pandemic, has become just how we live now. It’s no surprise that most residents actually prefer it this way.

The Roseland neighborhood, like many Burlington communities, has seen professionals trading their commutes for home offices. Working remotely has been a game-changer for those of us who originally spent hours commuting into Toronto. Instead, people collaborate with clients across the country from their Burlington homes, finally getting to know neighbors they never had time to meet before.

Burlington businesses have gotten creative, too. Walk into any shop downtown and you’ll find QR codes for online stores, Instagram handles posted prominently, and staff who can help you order something special through their website. From longtime bakeries to family hardware stores that have been here for generations, local businesses now blend physical and digital shopping experiences.

Money matters have gone digital in a big way. Residents in neighborhoods from Tyandaga to Millcroft check investments on their phones and handle banking through apps. Video consultations have replaced many in-person meetings at downtown financial offices. Digital tools have opened up financial services that were once harder to access for everyday investors.

Entertainment has evolved far beyond Netflix and streaming services. Burlington residents are exploring a range of online activities — from casual games to skill-based challenges that add a social element to leisure time. As more people spend time online, digital safety has become just as important as convenience, especially in spaces that involve money or data exchange. That’s why examples like those found with PokerStrategy stand out, offering clear insights into how online casinos in Canada operate under secure and transparent conditions. Gaming now spans generations, with people of all ages enjoying poker, puzzles, word games, and interactive platforms that make staying entertained through long Canadian winters easier than ever.

Burlington schools are preparing students for this digital reality. Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School, Nelson High School, and M.M. Robinson High School have expanded their computer science and digital media programs. Schools throughout Burlington now teach coding alongside traditional subjects, recognizing that digital literacy has become essential for future careers, including many remote work possibilities that didn’t exist a decade ago.

Getting online isn’t a problem anymore. Most Burlington neighborhoods have high-speed internet, from waterfront condos to suburban Millcroft. Burlington Public Library has evolved beyond books. The Central Library on New Street offers technology workshops, while the Alton branch provides digital creativity programs. Libraries have become digital resource centers serving all ages.

Burlington has become attractive for home-based businesses. Entrepreneurs launch companies from spare bedrooms, artisans sell crafts globally through online marketplaces, and consultants serve clients nationwide without leaving the city.

Not everything has been smooth. Some residents still prefer traditional ways of doing things. Internet outages can derail entire workdays. Screen time sometimes replaces face-to-face interactions. But overall, Burlington has found a balance between embracing technology and maintaining community connections.

Young families appreciate being able to work from home while children attend Burlington schools. Parents can make it to activities at places like the Brant Hills Community Centre. Empty nesters stay connected with family through video calls. Technology serves to enhance Burlington life rather than replace what makes the city special.

Looking ahead, Burlington continues adapting thoughtfully. The new Skyway Community Centre will feature modern technology alongside traditional recreation facilities. Downtown development plans include enhanced connectivity in public spaces. When the Festival of Lights illuminates Spencer Smith Park each December, families still gather in person while sharing the experience digitally with those far away.

Burlington demonstrates that going digital doesn’t mean losing community character. We’ve kept the waterfront walks, local festivals, and neighborhood connections while adding tools that make daily life more convenient.

By Axel Blanc

November 12th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

While there are many reasons Canada is one of the most sought-after travel destinations on the planet, we also must admit that winter temperatures are far from accommodating . When the mercury begins to dip below zero, it makes perfect sense that countless Canadians begin looking for ways to keep the cold at bay. One common option is to book holidays associated with warmer portions of the world .

Considering the fact that Black Friday will often represent a long weekend away from the workplace, why not take this opportunity to visit one of the many tropical paradises the world has to offer? ☀️ We will first discuss some of the most impressive deals to keep an eye out for before moving on to highlighting a handful of practical travel tips.

This year, Barceló Hotel Group stands out ️ for opening up its most attractive Black Friday rates to all travellers — not just loyalty members. On the official Barceló website, guests can explore limited-time packages that combine strong discounts with valuable on-property extras like free nights, resort credits, upgrades and flexible cancellations. Clear booking terms, real-time availability and broad travel windows make planning easy and worry-free . If you’re looking to explore the best Black Friday travel offers Canada has to offer, start your search directly at Barceló’s Black Friday deals. ✨

Personalised Discounts at a Glance

There are literally hundreds of Black Friday travel deals available, and well-known brands such as Barcelo Hotel Group will often provide a great deal of flexibility when it comes to the packages travellers can access. So, how can you make an informed decision? Let’s examine some common bargains, and the benefits associated with each.

Group discounts ‍‍‍

If you and your family plan on escaping old man winter, it could be a good idea to search for offers that provide reduced prices for groups. These lower the average rate per person, and they can even equate to hundreds of dollars in savings when compared to standard rates. Note that it may also be possible to combine these packages with other all-inclusive travel arrangements.

Hourly flash sales ⚡

Limited-time bargains, often known as “flash sales”, are also used by hotels during the run-up to Black Friday. A flash sale is essentially a short-term offer associated with substantial rebates. These may also be augmented by other perks such as free gifts, or complimentary hotel meals ️. The main point here is that flash sales provide a means to get in on the proverbial “ground floor” when it comes to Black Friday deals, so be sure to keep an eye out for any opportunities .

Early bird bargains

Early bird specials are some of the most well-known Black Friday offers, and these appeal to a wide range of audiences. Individuals who confirm reservations well in advance can leverage significantly reduced pricing packages. If you hope to take advantage of such possibilities, it is a good idea to begin researching the options at least two weeks before Black Friday . You might otherwise find that the deals have already expired.

Surf, Sun, or Sand? Your Choice

Most Canadians avoid travelling to locations such as Northern Europe, as the climate here often represents more of the same. On the contrary, why not take a short-term dip in paradise, and enjoy a dose of much-needed sun before returning home? ☀️

One extremely popular destination is the Iberian peninsula . Boasting pristine beaches, amenable winter temperatures, and plenty of tourist attractions, Spain is a distinct possibility that should never be taken for granted.

If you are instead not a fan of long-haul flights, you can instead visit one of the numerous Caribbean islands ️. The temperatures here are truly balmy, and there are few chances that your plans will be interrupted by a rainy day. Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Martin, Antigua, and Saint Kitts truly represent tropical bliss.

Finally, do not discount your friendly neighbours to the south . Those who are dealing with a limited amount of time before returning home could always visit Central American destinations such as Cozumel, Panama, and Cancun. Either way, you will not be disappointed with what is in store.

Travel Tips and Tricks

We will now assume that you have chosen the most appropriate Black Friday hotel deal. There are still some important concerns to address. Planning will ultimately determine if you can make the most out of your holiday, so keep these expert recommendations in mind:

✅ Make certain that your passport is valid.
✅ Determine if any type of travel visa is required.
✅ Check weather conditions well in advance of your departure.
✅ Bring along all important travel-related documents.
✅ Speak with a travel agent to determine any other obligations that might need to be addressed.

Furthermore, it may be a good idea to purchase travel insurance if you happen to be heading to an unknown destination . This type of protection will provide you with an additional peace of mind, and there are many short-term plans that are available. Consulting a travel agency could provide even more insight if you are not certain where to begin.

Remain Proactive

It is rather unfortunate that Black Friday only occurs once per year. However, there are still plenty of possibilities to escape the early Canadian winter; even if only for a handful of days ️.

The best way to move forward is to research the latest Black Friday hotel offers, and determine where it is that you wish to visit. It will then be much easier to plan ahead, and to create memories to last a lifetime .

By Gazette Staff

November 11^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Despite the cold, the citizens of Burlington stood on the sidewalks and in Veteran Square to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Tanks and jeeps were at the head of the parade that rolled down Brant Street, followed by the Teen Tour Band.

The occasion had Bob Ankrett, Legion Liaison officer to the city at the podium most of the hour and a half ceremony.

The chill in the air was enough to keep the sign language facilitator rubbing her hands to keep them warm.

The five women who made up the choir kept their mitts on as well.

The laying of the wreaths took up much opf the time. Ankrett explained that many of the more than 45 wreaths were from ordinary people who wanted to remember.  Several parents had six and seven year old setting up the wreath.

Most of the political parties laid a wreath, as did every official in Veteran Square.

There was a wreath laid by the people who had worked with Ann Marsden – her passing had been announced earlier in the day.

 

Perhaps the most beautiful part of the event was seeing Gordon Schottlander , more than 100 years old,  standing with others at the parade reviewing stand.  You can see him on the left side of the photograph below.

By Gazette Staff

November 11^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The swimming pool allocation issue and the Audit that will take place once Council approves the motion at a meeting on the 18^th.

In the meantime, the newly minted Burlington Aquatic Devilrays(BAD)  executive had been meeting with people at City Hall as they prepare to make the case for a change to the swimming pool allocation agreement that is in place.

Seeking a decision at the judiciary level is not out of the question.

We are advised that their Executive Vice President – Zohair Khan has met or talked with Emilie Cote, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture.

Many feel decisions made at that level are what got the city into the mess it is in.

Council knows that if anything is taken away from Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club (GHAC) will result in a lawsuit.

If this matter is to be worked out, it is going to have to be at the municipal diplomatic level.

Mayor Meed Ward has yet to say she was wrong on an issue in the 12 years I have been covering her political career.

I was in the room when she held her first meeting with supporters who were getting ready to run Meed Ward for the Ward 2 council seat.

The woman we heard that evening in 2012,  is not the woman who is currently Mayor of the City.

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them…

 

 

 

By Pepper Parr

November 10th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Jason Marsden advised us that Ann Marsden passed away this evening.

She passed at her home peacefully after being diagnosed with colon cancer back in June.    Her husband Dave, sons Dale and Jason were by her side.

She had a renewal of vows back in September, which was also her celebration of life.   “In my moms true fashion if she was paying for a party she was gunna be there and enjoy it” said son Jason.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Ann was a consistent and persistent citizen who delegated at City Hall frequently.

She once ran for the office of Mayor and for the office of chair of Regional Council.

She deserves much of the credit for the recent work at Veteran Square and for getting the fountain refurbished.

More later

 

By Pepper Parr

November 10^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Special Council meeting that took place this afternoon was a continuation of the meeting that took place November 4^th that heard comments from the Burlington Economic Development & Tourism Corporation who were responding to a report from Rubicon Strategy, a consulting group that was hired by the city to do a review of BEDT’s operations and the value they city was getting for the $1.9 million they spend each year.

BEDT has a staffing complement of 15 people and a 13-member board that includes two members of Council, along with the Mayor.

Why is this an important matter?  Attracting new business to the city is vital toits growth; retaining what we have is equally as important.  Having a tourism unit that can attract visitors and play a major rile in making the city a tourist destination.

This is a complex story that needs to be told in pieces.

A conclusion was reached.  Staff were instructed  to come back in April of 2026 with

Direct Staff to report back by April 2026 on two options for Council’s consideration.

1: Fully detailed options for integrating economic development and tourism functions within the municipal structure and

2: Provide a draft Services Agreement that retains an independent entity while permitting a collaborative decision-making relationship with Council.

Getting to that point was the roughest experience CAO Curt Benson has experienced since he took up that office several months ago.  Benson was appointed CAO on very short notice when Hassaan Basit  resigned after serving just 16 months of his five-year contract; he left Burlington to join the provincial government

During his time with the city, one of the things Basit did was merge the existing Tourism department with BEDT. Why?

The province created a 4% Municipal Accommodation tax that is collected by the city.

The city keeps 50% of what is collected in a reserve fund to be used as Council directs.

The remaining 50% is made available to eligible tourism entities to be used to promote tourism, including product development.

Council designated an eligible tourism entity, governed by a board, to receive and spend these funds in the community. That entity was Tourism Burlington.  The tourism community and city hall came to the conclusion that they were not up to the job.

Basit merged Tourism Burlington with Economic Development to create BEDT.

The problem was that important City Hall staff did not feel Economic Development was doing a very good job, and they brought in Rubicon Strategy, a consulting group to do a review. They issued a devastating report which recommended dissolving BEDT.

Benson wanted to act on that recommendation and explained his reasoning at the Tuesday Special Standing Committee meeting saying:

“As a part of a continuous improvement approach, it’s important to do periodic reviews of services to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, value for money, and to address areas of alignment to strategic objectives, policies and practices here at the city. The work to review the economic development function was initiated back in May 2024 through the endorsement of a report that identified an opportunity to address deficiencies and agreements between the city and the agency partners that deliver important services that our residents and visitors depend upon.

“Having detailed agreements in place helps to ensure mandates and services are aligned with Council’s expectations where there is discretion. The report recognized the need to advance this work in Priority sequence.

“There has been feedback shared on this approach, namely that we need to look at all agreements for city agency partners, comprehensively and staff will get there. We have been deliberate in addressing our approach with economic development as the highest priority. It represents the greatest opportunity to correct the alignment and integration challenges that have persisted under the model. The learnings from this work, in particular, the collaboration and consultation in developing a new arrangement will provide the clarity and accountability that can serve as a model for agreements with the city’s other agencies. It’s important that, based on staff’s initial assessment, there is no intent to assume or internalize the valued functions of any other city agency.

“Most of the other agencies have a mandate that are either back stopped by existing arrangements derived from parent legislation that drives governance and accountability, or they are at a point in maturity that reflects a steady or stable state, given some of the change over in city leadership roles. Work needs to continue to strengthen the relationships with all agency partners. It’s important that progress is made before coming back and providing council with an update on this work early next year.

“For Burlington Economic Development and Tourism, from my perspective, there is a strong desire for the city to have a clear line of sight to the full range of activities associated with business retention, business attraction, and leveraging of tourism in driving business outcomes. The line of sight currently does not exist. To address this gap and to address other issues of alignment we recommending that council in principle endorse the integration of Economic Development and Tourism services and operations into the city’s organization structure.

“There are other recommendations to ensure that this is done in a careful and coordinated manner through the development of a transition plan. That transition plan would be prepared and provided to council no later than April 2026, highlighting key milestones, timelines, resource implications and options for a model to ensure effective oversight.

“This represents a material change, and we do not take these recommendations lightly. The changes proposed in the report are two governance and structure, and are meant to build on accomplishments made under the current model and to seize an opportunity to keep what works, the business insight, the relationships, the tourism partnerships, but place it in a model that gives Council clear line of sight, gives businesses a single front door, and uses public funds in a transparent and effective way.

“The review and its recommendations are by no means a reflection on the commitment and significant value driven by the volunteer board or its staff. We are quite fortunate to have a highly skilled, engaged board of volunteers who are passionate about supporting businesses in our community.

“There are a few points addressed in the report that were also raised by the delegations on Monday that I’d like to address really briefly. Comments on the review itself.

“For example, some question the process, its independence, the fact that it did not take stock in the positive outcomes delivered by the model, or did not address the significant effort or value of the merger. While many had comments and criticisms about the nature of some of the statements in the report, none of the delegation suggested there was there wasn’t room for improvement.

“As staff, we take stock in that, and as was mentioned by a couple of the delegates, we also want the very best for the city and the business community to thrive. We’ve heard from delegates that the current model is superior from the perspective of agility and speed and working in the gray area, that means independence and minimizing bureaucracy or politics.

“Well, if speed is a concern, there are remedies to design a fit for those purposes, tools within that framework, standing offers, pre qualified vendors, templated scopes, rather than operating outside of municipal controls.

“Unwinding: We’ve also heard that unwinding, the model led by the independent board could come at significant cost. It could be disruptive, and it could include an issue of garnering compliance with the MAT tax rules. City staff maintain that all these things, can be solved as a part of a new model. If specific barriers are identified, the intent was always that we would review them and propose targeted fixes as a part of a transition plan.

“There is an opportunity through the work of a transition plan to define how best to leverage the value and community based business perspectives through different models. It’s really important to take stock in where we are in our growth and maturity as a municipality. For example, in 2019 After launching the red tape red carpet initiative, there are key lists of a long list of recommendations on how the city can be better partners with businesses and developers, you heard from us in July 2025 through a report that nearly all the recommendations falling out of the red tape red carpet initiative have been operationalized.

“There has been significant process reviews undertaken and many of those overhauled. There’s been an establishment of a small team to address support for high impact files and also support for Main Street small businesses, as evidenced over the past two years, our relationship with the development industry is strong. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for our relationships with the business community. We have no direct opportunity to build those relationships and strengthen those relationships without going through an intermediary. Board, council has important levers under the system, under its decision making under the municipal act, we want to make sure that our plans, policies, incentives are there to support business in our community, and that that is done in a way that represents accountability over budget and defining key service standards to support.

“Those are my opening comments.”

Much of the questioning from staff that followed could not be described as a pretty picture.   We cover that in part 2.