By Staff
August 11, 2015
BURLINGTON,
The seventh game in the first round best out of seven games series between the Burlington Bandits and the London Majors was cancelled due to weather.
The game will be played Tuesday in London, Ontario.
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August 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We called them the good old days – when life was simpler, everything was cheaper and it seem like a “better time” or so we tell ourselves. You made your own fun – you used your imagination because the stuff kids play with today wasn’t in the stores several decades ago. The Halton Conservation organization, besides overseeing the watersheds and regulating many of the environmental rules they also run a number of educational programs; they work with schools getting into classrooms and passing along some of the environment fundamentals. From time to time they put on a program that is just plain fun. “Hey kids”, they ask “have you ever wondered what your parents or your grand-parents did for play when they were your age? They probably spent a lot of time outdoors. They probably went exploring, or built a fort, or skipped stones on a lake, or climbed a tree.”  Crawford Lake – an environmental gem with an incredible story. A program taking place at both the Mountsberg and Crawford Lake Conservation Areas on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will give kids time for fun activities that are not only lots of fun but will get them outside and active, at Amazing Things To Do Before You’re 12 event.  Orienteering – a skill that every young person should know something about – they learn to “box a compass”. Conservation Halton staff will help you to learn how to use a compass, make pottery, hold a snake, start a fire without matches or to skip a stone on the lake, and much more. It will be a great day full of family fun, and who knows, maybe you can prove you are the greatest stone skipper of all time! All the activities engage children and their families with nature in a way that is sure to create long term family memories.  Will your children ever get a chance to skip a stone over water? The program came out of the 2005 book by author Richard Louv who introduced us all to the dilemma of the disconnect between children and nature in his ground-breaking book “Last Child in the Woods”. He coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder which aptly describes the poor physical and emotional health of children and adults due to the lack of direct exposure to the outdoors. Take your kids out for the day – they will sleep soundly when they get home. About Mountsberg Conservation Area
August 10th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Premier and a couple of her Ministers are going to announce some of the design features for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan that Kathleen Wynne thinks the citizens of Ontario need. And why is that news? – Because we are in a federal election campaign and Wynne has made it clear that she is going to work very hard to get Liberal leader Justin Trudeau elected.
 Is he what we want? The name doesn’t hurt – now what has he got in the way of ideas? Of course should Justin Trudeau manage to become the Prime Minister all the work Premier Wynne has had done will be set aside and the new federal government will make changes to the current Canada Pension plan – which is what should have been done in the first place – but the current Prime Minister doesn’t want to be seen cooperating with Liberals and certainly not with Kathleen Wynne. These politicians do play games. We’ll let you know what the Wynne pension plan design features look like.
August 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Leslie Gray over at KooGle Theatre Company is still looking for strong jazz style dancers in their 20’s, 30’s for the Culture Days event on Sept 27 at 1pm.
These are usually fun events – email Leslie at info@koogletheatre.com
August 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Performing Arts Centre has a new executive director. Suzanne Haines will assume her new role effective September 1st replacing Brian McCurdy who has held the position since August 2013.
Haines will be the third person to hold down the job since the Performing Arts Centre opened in the fall of 2011. “We received great interest in this position from across the country and beyond, and feel we have chosen an individual whose experience and qualifications are best suited to lead us into our 5th Season and beyond,” said Theatre Board chair Ilene Elkaim. Haines was previously employed as General Manager of the Gateway Theatre, a $2.4 million operation in Richmond, B.C. As the only professional performing arts organization in that community, which has a large east Asian population, Gateway produced and presented theatre, acts as a cultural venue for the community through rentals and year-round youth educational and outreach programming. As CEO of the organization, Suzanne was the community builder, and the face of the organization to the community. She is credited as being successful in converting the Gateway Theatre into a highly engaged community centre.  Brenda Heatherington had a great pedigree on the content side – many felt she didn’t get the support she needed on the finance and administration side.  McCurdy ran a tight ship took moderate risks that paid off. He is going to be missed – not only because he was a decent guy but because he had the chops to do the job right. “This is an important leadership role and while we are disappointed to see Brian leave us, we are grateful for his contribution and dedication. We wish him all the best and hope he will return to visit soon, as a patron and to witness first-hand the impact he has had here in Burlington and on this wonderful facility”, said Theatre Board chair Ilene Elkaim. “Brian provided great leadership and direction and guided us forward with a strategic focus for the next three years”.  The opening night for the Performing Arts Centre was a glamorous affair – the place has yet to live up to its original billing. Indeed, McCurdy steadied the ship and brought some financial discipline to an operation that was bleeding more red ink than city council could stomach. Haines ran the Gateway for 12 years. She announced in April that she would be leaving the theatre. Brian McCurdy announced his plans to retire the second half of May. The Gateway switchboard said they did not think they should be saying anything about Ms Haines other than that she left in April. The Gateway has two theatres: a 540 seat Main Stage and a 100 seat Studio B. They also offered year-round acting, musical theatre, and technical training classes for youth aged 6 – 18; adults classes were also available. The current Performing Arts Board is working from a Strategic Plan that McCurdy’s thumb prints are all over – that’s the good news. If the board can stay on that course and the marketing team continues to do the job they’ve done in the past – we could be OK – I think
August 10th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Cupcakes from Burlington being sold in Dubai. Wow – could that actually happen?  Erinn Weatherbie and her Mon Kelly Child look over the schedule for the day – their marketing mantra is set out on the white board behind them Well the actual cupcake may not get made in Dubai but the recipe and the concept will have come from the agile mind of Kelly Child who has operated Kellys Bake Shop with her daughter on Brant Street for the past two years. The operation was recently voted 3rd (and only Vegan bakery) on BuzzFeed’s list of top 25 cupcake shops in the world. It’s an amazing story for a Burlington based business. What is BuzzFeed? If you are into social media – and isn’t everyone – you will know who they are. For those who don’t know, BuzzFeed labels itself as the “Most Important News Organization in the World,” BuzzFeed seems to have found a business model that allows it to enjoy “true journalistic independence.” (That model is “sponsored content”—copy that is produced jointly by BuzzFeed and an advertiser to blend in with editorial copy, with a small, inconspicuous identifier of the sponsor.) So BuzzFeed would appear to have clout and worldwide reach – which explains why Kelly and her daughter and their publicist are all a twitter over the thousands of people who walk through their doors.  Delicious – without the guilt – or so they say. Childs wants to become the Martha Stewart of the vegan food world. This all got started with the opening of a restaurant in March of 2010 called Kindfoods, a new restaurant concept conceived from a deep inspiration of healthy vegan (plant-based), and gluten-free eating and ultimately living in harmony with Mother Nature. KindFoods got renamed and is now known as “Lettuce Love Café” ; their food is 100% authentic vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free – the healthier choice is the way Kelly and Erinn put it and add that their business is not just a food choice but a lifestyle choice as well. The restaurant proved there was a market for vegan food in Burlington – the cupcakes were an extension into a product that had become very very popular.  Pink prevails in a spotless kitchen where cupcakes get produced by the thousands. Their publicist says their cupcakes are delicious, stand head to head with the fat and sugar laden varieties, but these are guilt-free – vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free – the healthier choice Kelly has a rapidly growing on-line following; #kellystribe who follow not just for food advice but also for inspiration and to be part of a community of life minded, health conscious eaters. Childs adds that “It’s good for the soul when we know it’s local, fair-trade and organic and kind to living things and the planet.” She adds that great food does make a difference. Kelly and Erinn are both very savvy and walk the talk about their insights and food philosophies. All of their food is 100% authentically Vegan – not just by way of ingredients, but also in the way they think about the planet and being socially conscious – kind food. Kelly is a “marketer” – the product happens to be something she is passionate about but the strength is that of a big picture marketer. Erinn has a degree in political science that she earned at McMaster. Her Mom lived in Toronto at the time and followed Erinn to Burlington where they are in the process of building an empire on cupcakes that are vegan. They are working on their first cookbook which will be published by Random House in 2016. There are literally thousands of cook books out there – to have Random House pick up your book is a big big deal To have investors in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates express a financial interest in what you are doing is also a big deal. Are there dollars on the table – not yet but Kelly and her daughter Erinn are looking far beyond the borders of Burlington.  Exceptional marketing savvy are creating a brand that is becoming known around the world. When a small shop on Brant Street draws several thousand people on a weekend and gets written up in one of the hottest news sources you know something is happening. The underlying product will be cupcakes but that appears to be just the beginning. Kelly Childs, who is exceptionally fit, does yoga and appears to have tapped into all the progressive approaches to running a retail operation, is clearly on a roll. Where does she see all this going? She wants to become the Martha Stewart of healthy food choices and the cookbook is going to be the launching pad for that world reach effort. The Martha Stewart of vegan food eh!, from Burlington you say. Keep an eye on this one
August 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Getting an award from Google is a big deal. For a Canadian to get an award from Google is a pretty big deal. For a Canadian to get the same award two years running is a really big deal For the recipient of the award to be the co-founder of a company based in Burlington is awesome. The Mayor will be out to his office for a photo op for sure.
Co-Founder, Eric Rodgers, is one of 12 people in all of North America to be awarded Google’s prestigious Search Excellence Award. He is the only Canadian to have won the award twice. Rodgers is a pioneer of the digital marketing and paid search space. The award, described by Google as recognizing the top search marketing talent across all of their partner agencies in North America, involves an elaborate selection scrutiny that uses detailed scoring and expert analysis to select the winner.  The wall with the ornaments is the “trophy” wall; beer prevails. Google gives the award to recognize those who use the Google platforms best. Nominations come from within the Google organization and starts with recommendations by Google staff that are then filtered by a panel to get a short list and then judged by people who basically invented to placement of advertising on web sites. Rodgers was surprised to find out he was a repeat winner, “While we aren’t privy to the precise reasons we won Google’s award, we do know that our numbers and our conversion metrics speak for themselves. It’s truly an honour to have our work recognized, like this.”  Orange is the corporate colour – the requisite pool table is done up in orange felt. An open space concept. He and team are the digital agency of record for several Fortune 500 companies and other mid-to-large sized businesses. Digital advertising has outpaced traditional media channels dramatically in recent years. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has forecasted internet ad revenues at 11% growth by the end of 2015, to $4.29 billion in Canada. While traditional large-scale agencies are struggling to understand and keep up with growing commercial interest in digital advertising and performance metrics, this boutique firm has outshone and proven yet again that this specialized channel is best served by math men (and women) not mad men. Direct Access Digital is a rapidly growing, full-service digital marketing firm. DAD’s team members are true experts in all digital marketing channels and platforms, as well as heavy analytics and project management. Rodgers says, “We’re very lucky to have such an engaged and brilliant team of digital marketers and the demand for our services is increasing day by day. We exist to help make sense of a complex marketplace, and assisting our clients with achieving and exceeding business goals. That’s what makes us the best at what we do.” Rodgers will tell clients all they have to do is tell Direct what they want and they will get it done and at a better ROI (Return on Investment) than any other organization they are likely to find. The bravado is typical of the high tech sector – but that Google award two years in a row isn’t the result of a popularity contest. You get recommended for the award if you are seen as a company that is consistently creative and deliver measurable results. The work is exceptionally complex and calls for a mathematical bent of mind. They will be moving into new digs at the entrance to Sherwood Forest Park where they will take up 6,000 square feet AND keep the 4200 they already have.  Strategy conversations with clients take place in a sound proof room. Hiring the kind of people we want is a challenge but we are fortunate in that we draw from a labour pool that runs from Toronto, to Guelph and Kitchener Waterloo. “We draw talent from Toronto who find the opposite direction commute convenient, ” said Rodgers. The “shop” is a pretty even balance between the genders with a very healthy diverse look to it. Canadian marketers have been a little slower than Americans to adapt to what digital marketing can do for them – but the trend is now irreversible. The rate at which change in the technology takes place is equalled only by the speed with which Direct can change direction for its clients. They gather information and apply what comes out of their analysis to the instant needs of their clients – and the do it in minutes. They are in constant communication with their clients. The company describes itself as an award-winning digital-performance marketing agency based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2011, they have evolved into one of Canada’s leading boutique agencies, and now serve mid-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. Known for their expertise in all digital marketing verticals, from search engine marketing (SEM) to search engine optimization (SEO), local search, social media marketing and more, their true hallmark is building strong partnerships with their clients and working diligently to deliver the tools, data and strategies that drive customer conversions and sales while aiding brand awareness. Rodgers has found that people are better users of advertising mediums than the advertisers – those who are on line know how to find and take advantage of what advertisers are offering. It is an exciting time. The company describes itself as an award-winning digital-performance marketing agency based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2011, they have evolved into one of Canada’s leading boutique agencies, and now serve mid-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. Known for their expertise in all digital marketing verticals, from search engine marketing (SEM) to search engine optimization (SEO), local search, social media marketing and more, their true hallmark is building strong partnerships with their clients and working diligently to deliver the tools, data and strategies that drive customer conversions and sales while aiding brand awareness.
August 9th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON A tremendous effort by Pitcher Steven Dressler, earned the Bandits a 9-4 win to even their series against the London Majors and force a game seven. Dressler pitched 7.2 innings allowing seven hits and four runs, while earning five strikeouts. After a scoreless first inning, Burlington exploded for six runs in the 2nd led by a three run blast from Centerfielder Shaun Cooper.  Pitcher Steven Dressler, earned the Bandits a 9-4 win After a back-and-forth 5th inning, Cooper would add two run shot for his fifth run of the series. Cooper leads the IBL with 11 RBI so far in the playoffs. While London would score two runs in the eighth, Burlington had the game in hand. Brandon Catena came in for the save and through 1.1 innings allowed no hits while earning one strikeout. Despite being down 3-1 to the higher seeded Majors, the Bandits have rattled off two straight wins in convincing fashion to force a seventh game in London. Since losing the first game of the series, Burlington has dominated the Majors in London, outscoring them 15-3 in the last two games at Labatt Park.
The Bandits were not able to win a single game against London during the regular season – now they are one win away from taking the quarter finals. The winner of the Burlington – London series series will play the 2nd seeded Kitchener Panthers in the semifinals. The other semifinal series will be the Barrie Baycats vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.
August 7, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON A tight defensive game resulted in the Burlington Bandits shutting out the London Majors 3-0 to force a game six in Burlington.  The bats were big enough on Friday night to keep the team alive in what was a very tight defensive game. It was a much needed win for Burlington, not only to stay alive in the best-of-seven series, but to shutout a Majors team that has scored well against the Bandits so far this series. It was the Bandits first win this season against London pitcher Oscar Perez who earned 10 strikeouts while allowing nine hits and three runs through nine innings of work. Burlington’s Dylan Perego earned his second win of the series. Through eight innings he allowed six hits and no runs with three strikeouts. Leftfielder Justin Gideon got a run in the first as well as bringing in third baseman Levi Larmour for a run in the ninth. Centerfielder Cooper got his second home run of the series in the seventh inning. The two teams get back at it at 1pm Sunday afternoon, at Nelson Park. A Burlington win would force a seventh game back in London on Monday night.  The Bandits had every reason to celebrate Friday evening – it was a remarkable win against London – and the first shut out as well – 3 -0 Marvelous! There are many that didn’t think the team was going to make it out of London Friday night – there is spunk in them yet.
August 6, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON After a poor outing in game 1 against London, Bandits starting pitcher Matthew St. Kitts could only manage to pitch one inning in Burlington’s Thursday night 9-2 loss to London at a Nelson Park. He gave up one run on four hits Thursday night before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury.  The bullpen didn’t really deliver for the team Thursday night. Exactly what the Bandits had hoped wouldn’t happen, as their bullpen had been shaky the last few games, especially in middle relief. Immediately after the pitching change the London Majors loaded the bases with no outs. Luckily for Burlington the damage was limited to just one run scored thanks to outfielder Justin Gideon. Gideon was able to record an outfield assist when he unleashed an absolute laser of a throw to gun down London’s Argenis Vargas at home; a call the Majors debated vehemently.  Bandit Coach Kyle was expecting more from the team in the quarter finals – they aren’t out yet – but they are real close, Every one of the Majors’ coaches came out to argue with Home-plate Umpire, Chris Walters, claiming that Burlington’s Catcher, Kevin Hussey, blocked the plate. London’s arguments didn’t amount to anything and Burlington was able to escape the inning down only two runs.
After a routine groundball produced an out at first base, Brownlee decided to try and take home, only to be thrown out at the plate by about ten feet. The poor decision got Burlington out of the inning, but not before falling behind 4 to 0. After giving up another run Burlington was finally able to get on the scoreboard thanks to some atrocious fielding by London. First the Majors’ Center Fielder, Julio Guzman, saw a routine fly-ball bounce off his glove; Keith Kandel managed to take second on the error before scoring on the next play – another error, this time coming from London’s Shortstop Paul Lytwynec. London would go on to record a total of four errors in the inning before recording their first out; unfortunately Burlington wasn’t able to take advantage of the sloppy play, only managing to get one run across the plate. Things settled down from there over the next few innings of play before London blew the lead open in the eighth. Even the co-owner of the Bandits, Scott Robinson, was forced to admit that it was “a very good inning for [London].” The Majors’ plated four runs in the inning to take a 9 to 2 lead over the hometown Bandits. The score wouldn’t change from there as London would hold on for the victory.  The kids had a great time running the bases after the fourth inning. The loss leaves the Bandits down 3 to 1 in the series heading back to London tomorrow night; but Justin Gideon, the Bandits Left Fielder, isn’t shy about how he and the rest of the team feel about their chances going forward in the series. “I think we’re better than London. We get base runners, we just need to cash them in and I think tomorrow’s the day.” All in all it was a strong showing for the unlucky Bandits, who feel they’ve played well against London to this point. Coach Kyle MacKinnon knows that his team can win Friday night when they make the do-or-die trip down to London. “We go in with a game-seven mentality from here on out – you lose you go home. Hopefully these guys don’t want their summer to end yet and obviously I don’t either.” Game 5 of the Quarterfinal Series will take place at 7:35 p.m. at Labatt Memorial Park in London. If Burlington is able to stave off elimination Game 6 will be played Sunday afternoon at Nelson Park in Burlington.
August 6, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON If you are of an artistic bent and you have something you would like to say about sports in Burlington there is a call for Expressions of Interest from artists for the creation of a series of permanent public artworks relating to the theme: ‘The Spirit of Sport.’ A series of three (3) small to medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed at three separate sports fields / facilities in the city of Burlington, Ont., Canada. This competition is open to all Ontario-based, professional artists* and/or artist-led teams. Click here to view the full Expression of Interest document (pdf) You can submit your expression of interest on-line  Burlington is currently spending on public art. This one is in the Alton community – there are to be three that are sports related installed and plans in place to put one mural in each ward. Burlington has a long history of sports excellence, on both and amateur and professional level. The city boasts a wide variety of sports facilities, parks, fields and other infrastructure
that provide community-wide access to sport and active living. These opportunities range
from children’s programming to training for high performance athletes.
 Frank Hayden has a rich sports history – he represents what sport can be in a community. Burlington is also home to a number of notable sports figures including: Dr. Frank Hayden,founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of Commonwealth Games; Melanie Booth, Olympian-soccer; Angela Coughlan, Olympian-swimming and numerous professional and Olympic athletes and coaches.  A masterful freestyle swimmer, Coughlan was 16 when she won an Olympic bronze medal in Mexico in 1968 as part of Canada’s 4×100-metre relay team. As such, sport is an important element of Burlington’s unique culture as it touches the lives of people young and old, of diverse cultures and geography. Deadline:
Tuesday September 8, 2015
Budget:$100,000
CAD (maximum, all inclusive)
For more information:
Kim Selman: 905-548-0111 |
kim@cobaltconnects.ca
August 7, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Some people have no respect.  There was some serious fishing being done … Imagine the PM dropping the writ, calling the federal election, while I was taking a break from my column. And this, the longest federal campaign since we first kicked the tires on a project called Canada, back in the 1800’s. But it’s all legal, the PM made sure of that when he penned it into what Tom Mulcair calls the ‘(Un)Fair Elections Act’. Well, why not change the rules of the game, when you can? And that means we’ll need to brace ourselves for an eleven week blitz of attack ads. Though I wish the Tories would get some new material as I can repeat in my sleep how ‘Justin’s is just not ready’. That inane but obviously effective attack ad has contributed to Mr. Trudeau falling from first to third place in the opinion polls over the last few months. The eleven week campaign is about money – who has it and who doesn’t. Mr. Harper’s war chest is greater than all the other parties combined. Whither the money – well it’s clear that the wealthiest Canadians know where their bread is buttered. And since the campaigns receive post-election rebates the tax payer will end up reimbursing over half. With this newly concocted eleven week campaign that will be twice as much as in the past.  The four federal candidates in the first – and perhaps only debate the public will see. Policy wonks might look at the longer campaign as an opportunity for a more substantial discussion of the direction our leaders would navigate and the destinations they envision. There are big differences, at least between the Tories and the other parties, something which should become even more evident over the course of the debates. Except that kind of broader discussion is not likely to happen. Mr. Harper will not participate in the traditional national leaders’ debate, and if there is no Harper, then there is no Mulcair, and no debate. So there was an early one-off debate last night, hosted by MacLeans and Rogers, which I found in its entirety on the lonely City TV.  Elizabeth May – Green Party And the two hour event was, I believe, one of the better debates of late. Twitter feed indicated that Green Party leader Elizabeth May had been the star performer, calm and cool and to the point. Of course, as driver in a party with still only one passenger seat, she had the least to lose and most to gain. But short of a miracle, she’d need more like 11 years rather than eleven weeks to develop the party infrastructure to win enough seats to form a government. The NDP’s Mulcair and Liberal’s Trudeau delivered decent performances, avoiding much of the annoying cross talk that has too often characterized these shows. Trudeau nailed Mulcair for introducing a bill, defying the Supreme Court’s decision that a 51% plurality is not sufficient for ‘Quebexit’ from Canada, claiming he was bowing to separatists in his Quebec wing. In response Mulcair made a passionate defence of his lifelong dedication to a united Canada.  Thomas Mulcair, on the right – NDP And it didn’t take long for Mulcair to embarrass Trudeau, in turn, for his limited support of the Tory’s anti-terrorism law (Bill C51), widely condemned for its police state provisions which override personal rights and freedoms in the name of security. Trudeau conceded naivety in one of the more touchingly sincere moments of the debate, and claimed he’d remove the objectionable portions if elected. Stephen Harper spent his time trying to defend his government’s record, boasting about how well Canada is doing, supported by, what Elizabeth May termed, ‘cherry-picked’ facts. In the end Mulcair forced him to admit that Canada was indeed entering a recession, May wiped the floor with him over climate change and other environmental policies and Trudeau and Mulcair both savaged him over sending our troops into action in Iraq and Syria without an international mandate, strategy or exit plan. Harper took the attacks seemingly in stride, and kept coming back to his script that all is well – though he must have been hurting inside. So, it is uncertain that there will be any more debates before we get to vote on October 19th. And one can hardly blame the PM for not wanting to face this gang and explain his failures as CEO of Canada before another TV audience. And time, in this long campaign, is not on his side as people start hurting from the latest recession. Plus, you can bet the other leaders would double-down on the PM, next time around.  Stephen Harper – Conservative party But then there is so much to double down on, even if only on the economy. After eviscerating Canada’s environment laws in order to expedite oil pipeline construction, he failed to get a single pipeline built. After slashing public service in so many critical areas he still ran 8 years of deficit, including the current year. Having neglected the rest of Canada’s industrial base in favour of Alberta’s oil sands, the tumble in oil prices has lopped over 25% off our dollar and driven the economy into its second recession in less than a decade – the only nation to do so in the G7. Hell, even leading US presidential candidate and fellow conservative Donald Trump would fire him.  Justin Trudeau – Liberal party Justin Trudeau gave the most eloquent summary of the four leaders, claiming his difference with the PM was about their vision of the future. Harper came to the debate armed with an argument that the state of the nation was good and we should stay the course. Trudeau came with the expectation that we can and should be doing ‘better’.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Background links:
August 6, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The “Fugitive Friday” initiative is in its 16th week – the Halton Regional Police Service love it. It is run by the Burlington Offender Management Unit which releases a new name each Friday and then uses social media to get the word out: Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice. The program has worked so well that people who know they are wanted are now calling the police and coming in on their own
It is alleged: In December, 2014, the accused entered multiple stores in the City of Burlington, selected several items and concealed them on his person in layered clothing and in bags. The value of the stolen merchandise was in excess of two thousand dollars. As the accused was attempting to steal from another store, he was observed by the Loss Prevention Officer, was stopped outside and found in possession of several electronics items taken from the store. The accused was arrested and associated to a vehicle on the parking lot that contained stolen items from several other stores in the area. The accused was scheduled to attend court in February and May, 2015 in the Town of Milton, which he failed to do and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He is wanted by Halton Regional Police Service for: Theft under $5000 x 4 PARCHMENT-YATES is described as 5’8”, 170lbs, brown eyes and black hair. PARCHMENT-YATES has ties to Halton, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and the surrounding area. Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in locating him are encouraged to contact D/C Calvin Bulbrook – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2346 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
August 6, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The annual Sandcastles Festival that takes place in the Beachway Park Saturday August the 8th will get a big dollop of the city’s Pan Am spirit. That Pan Am spirit is being poured onto and into almost everything going on in the city.  Can you improve on this? Then get yourself down to the Sandcastle Festival in the Beachway Park. The city issued a media release that said: “Burlington is proud to be part of the TO2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games celebrations and felt that the Sandcastles Festival would make an ideal Panamania event,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “As the games come to a close, we encourage everyone to come out, see sand sculptures take shape and enjoy a day of Pan Am-themed activities on the beach.” This year’s Sandcastles Festival will feature a Pan American theme. Saturday’s main attraction includes a sandcastles competition held at Beachway Park and Pavilion, 1100 Lakeshore Rd. Sculptors of all ages and abilities are encouraged to register in one of three categories: Family, noon to 4 p.m. Friends, ages 13 and older, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday also includes sand-sculpting demonstrations by sand-sculpting masters Sandi “Castle” Stirling and Nick Blandin (winners of several North American sand sculpting awards), Sharon Nesbitt, (2010 First Place Adult and People’s Choice award winner), Raymond Poirier and Dale Andrews (2014 First Place Adult and People’s Choice award winner). Their creations will incorporate the Pan Am theme of this year’s event. The Sand Sculpting Competition will award first, second and third prizes in each category as determined by the master sand-sculptor judges. A People’s Choice Award is selected by festival attendees who fill out a ballot. Prizes include a custom sand-sculpture trophy for first prize for each category and great prizes provided by Canadian Tire Burlington stores for all prize levels. A nominal fee is required to enter the competition. Entrants are strongly encouraged to preregister at any city facility or via RecExpress to guarantee a spot. On-site registration opens at 9 a.m. and is first-come, first-served, if any spots are still available.  This has the look of a production line – serious stuff and a lot of fun as well. Imagine families from different parts of the city competing against one another. Saturday event attendees are encouraged to use active transportation and bike, walk or roll to the festival using the Waterfront Trail. There is also a free shuttle to Beachway Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two shuttles will be running between the beach and two free parking locations: Inland Waters, located at 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington and the City of Burlington parking garage at 414 Locust St. This shuttle bus will be waiting in the bus lane at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (located north of the parking garage). Parking is free on Saturdays in all downtown municipal parking lots (with the exception of the Waterfront east and west lots at Discovery Landing/Spencer’s Restaurant).
Halton Police Capture a Fugitive on the Run for over Five Years and bring him back from Newfoundland
August 6, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It is the combined efforts and partnerships of several services that have led to the success of locating and arresting a wanted man who has evaded police for over five years.
It is alleged, in February 2009, MUGFORD committed a break and enter at Main Street Donuts in the Town of Milton and stole money from the cash register. It is suspected that he may be responsible for numerous other break and enters in Halton. A warrant was issued for his arrest, however efforts to locate him were unsuccessful. MUGFORD was also wanted on four additional warrants held by the Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and Peel Regional Police for a variety of offences including Theft over $5000, Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Flight from a Police Officer, Fail to Appear Court, Theft under $5000, Breach of Probation and Break and Enter. As a result of ongoing efforts, the search led police to St. John’s, Newfoundland where it was believed the accused was residing. Officers from the Halton Regional Police Criminal Investigations Bureau worked closely with the Halton Crown Attorney’s office and the Harbour Grace detachment of the RCMP in Newfoundland to confirm MUGFORD’s location. Working in partnership, and through extensive follow-ups, the accused was located and arrested during a traffic stop on July 28, 2015, in the province of Newfoundland, by members of the RCMP. On August 3, 2015 Halton officers attended Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and took custody of the accused. MUGFORD was arrested for break and enter and breach of probation. The accused was escorted back to the Halton Region to face the outstanding charges as well as the other outstanding warrants in the Province of Ontario. Question: How much money did the Regional police spend in getting this suspect back to Burlington; will he be given bail and if not how much time will he spend in a remand centre at significant cost to taxpayers. Would it not have been better to just leave him in Newfoundland and wait for him to commit a crime there?
August 5, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON A huge comeback victory by the Burlington Bandits has given this first round series a whole new complexion. While the Majors have outscored Burlington all year, the Bandits have stuck around in most games including in Game 2. Despite losing 7-4, Burlington went toe-to-toe with London up until an eighth inning collapse. A Bandits win on Thursday would even the series but it won’t come easily. Especially if London turns to Oscar Perez to pitch. Perez was not only their season leader in Strikeouts with 49 and 2nd on the team in wins with six, both marks good for 3rd in the league, but is 3-0 with 17 Strikeouts against Burlington this year. Will the Bandits be able to do the high fives Thursday night when the game is over. They have a solid chance of evening up the series. While London has outhit the Bandits so far this series, Burlington’s 12 runs in the 9th inning of game three gives them the momentum. The last two games have shown Burlington that they can hold their own and if the Bandits can get it an early lead in game four, it could give them the confidence they need to overcome the higher seeded Majors. Two things are clear going into Thursday night’s game 4 between the London Majors and the Burlington Bandits in the Quarterfinals of the IBL Playoffs. One is that there will be a lot of runs scored; the two teams have combined to score 40 runs in the first three games alone. The other is that this series is a long way from over. After Tuesday night’s comeback in the ninth-inning by Burlington, the Bandits still find themselves trailing 2 games to 1, but with a revitalized team that will look to make some noise going forward. “The Box Score doesn’t really show it, but we actually hit the ball hard all night,” said Coach Kyle MacKinnon, who admits that the team was starting to become frustrated after not being rewarded for their good approach at the plate. “Once it did happen, the floodgates kind of busted open. Hopefully we can carry that over into Thursday night.” If the Bandits do want to make a serious run at this series on Thursday night, they’re going to have to slow down two of the leagues hottest hitters – Cody Mombourquette and Paul Lytwynec, who have a combined batting average of .538 so far this series. The man who is tasked with slowing them down is Matthew St. Kitts.  Is it an offensive game or a defensive game: the Bandits need to get early runs and then keep the momentum – they have been 9th inning heroes in the past though St. Kitts gave up 8 hits and 6 runs before he was pulled in the middle of the fourth-inning when the two teams opened their series on July 31. Even though the numbers sound terrible, Coach MacKinnon isn’t worried. “I was talking with someone else in the league; they were saying that we’re probably in pretty good shape because they haven’t seen Matt St. Kitts have back-to-back bad starts. Now obviously you don’t want to bank on that, we’ve got to do our part as well, but it’s always good knowing that the rest of the league sees how good he is and hopefully he can bring it Thursday night.” Giving St. Kitts that help will be Keith Kandel, Justin Gideon and Adam Odd, all three are new to the team this year. Gideon and Odd have been absolute superstars this season and this series especially. Adam Odd has hit 0.333 so far this series, while fellow IBL rookie Justin Gideon has hit an outstanding 0.571 with eight hits and three runs scored. Veteran Keith Kandel has been chipping in as well, batting 0.500 in the series so far, but it’s his leadership that’s helped the Bandits more than anything else so far. “Keith Kandel, he’s our shortsop, he’s an import from the States. He’s played the last two years in Guelph and the year before that in Kitchener – so he knows what it’s like to be in the league and to go deep in the playoffs and make a run. He’s added a calming veteran influence to our team, which is nice.” Said Coach MacKinnon.  This is about to become an exciting series – will the public fill the stands? All that’s left in Coack MacKinnon’s eyes is the bullpen. The Coach seems confident that the Bandits can win a close game if they take a lead into the eighth or ninth-inning, but is quick to point out that his middle-relievers need to step up and deliver on Thursday. If they’re able to do their job, there is no reason that the Burlington Bandits couldn’t come from behind and shock the London Majors, but for now they’re going to take it one game at a time. The game will get underway Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Park.
August 5th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Our report late in July on the fence being down on a piece of property in the west end of the city next to the railway lines resulted in some action. Denise Davey has been a tireless advocate for ensuring that access to the rail lines are secured and young people don’t have the opportunity to scoot across the train tracks thinking g they can beat the oncoming train.  Vince Fiorito holds up part of a fence that had been trampled into the ground due to a lack of maintenance. There have been too many deaths – “a fact which the city recognized a few years ago” said Davey ” when they set up a pedestrian rail safety committee to discuss these problems.” Three railway crossing deaths in three months – intolerable Click for more. Part of the problem is the problems have to get to them- they don’t have any way of communicating with the people who have properties along the rail line. Davey said she was told that city staff investigated the issues with property access to the rail line through the creek that runs under the rail line that cuts through Sherwood Forest Park. Some of the properties are owned by the City and that they will be installing fencing. Davey said: “This is good and it’s what I asked for all those years ago! Hopefully they do it right as there’s a lot of land that needs to be blocked off. Minister of transportation holds meetings to look for answers to railway crossing deaths. Click for more “Where there is private ownership, the owners are being notified and the city Building Department will be following up with them. I don’t know if there is any regulation that will force them to put up fencing or not but hopefully they’ll do it regardless.”
August 5, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It is a bit of an experiment – one that should produce excellent results for the Performing Arts Centre. Free public Jazz concerts that will start at 6:30 pm on the plaza of the of the Centre  Jude Johnson, a Burlington native, is a vocalist, songwriter and performer Jude Johnson, a Burlington native, is a vocalist, songwriter and performer and is Hamilton’s Special Music Ambassador. She was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction in 2009. She also received the Hamilton Arts award for Arts Education in 2011. Jude has released nine recordings including her most recent Live on Pine (2013) with Mike Malone on horns and Carl Horton on piano. “How can I keep from Singing” is a collection of vintage inspirational gospel/spirituals. Reaching Indie Gold is her CD, “This Heart of Mine” (2001) featuring Carl Horton on piano, guests Jackie Washington on vocals, Carlos del Junco on harmonica, Brian Lee Griffith on guitar and the string quartet “Panache”. This classy, entertaining CD is a collection of classic jazz compositions performed with intimacy, grace and joy.  Free Jazz on the plaza of the Performing Arts Centre – an opportunity for people to see the Spiral Stella and take in some fine music. Jude has also been the unseen voice on many radio and TV commercials, been featured on CBC radio and sung on over 50 albums with such diverse artists as Daniel Lanois, Raffi (more singable songs), Paul Langielle and Stan Rogers (Turnaround), and performed across Canada at countless festivals, schools, libraries and community events. The performance takes place on our plaza from 6:30pm-8:30pm and our bar will be open! In the event of rain, we will move from the plaza into the lobby.
August 5, 2015 BURLINGTON,ON If you happen to be driving along the rural roads in north Burlington you will know what we mean when we say – a lot of cowboys drive those roads. Wonder who the traffic engineer who designed that intersection  Councillor Taylor has been consistent in his battle to have the speeding on rural roads lessened. He’s been the only council member fighting that battle. It is at times truly dangerous along some of the rural roads – ward 3 Councillor John Taylor meets with the police regularly and is always asking for signage and thicker police coverage. We don’t hear the same concern from the other member of Council with rural territory. Halton Regional Police continue to implement the Reducing Rural Speeds Project throughout the north end of Burlington. This is a traffic safety initiative that utilizes education and enforcement strategies to reduce the speeds of vehicles travelling along rural roads in order to promote safe driving habits. Residents of rural Burlington worry about an accident happening that results in a fatality – and with the speed that some of those cowboys drive on those roads – it is scary. Speed enforcement projects have occurred annually under various names (BEARS in the Woods, BRRaKE). Speed enforcement on rural roadways has indicated that a significant portion of the problem is from commuters using rural routes to avoid more heavily travelled main thoroughfares such as Highway 401, Highway 6, Highway 403, QEW, and Dundas Street. The continuing volume of complaints indicates that drivers continue to disobey speed limits and have little regard for the safety of the people who reside in these communities. Since July 1st, officers have issued 460 provincial offense notices for driving related offences along these rural roadways, 363 of those were for speeding. Officers will continue to patrol the rural roads to deter drivers from speeding along these roadways.  There was a time when municipal people referred to these police cars as Holsteins – the result of their markings. The colour scheme changed to more white – the traditional colours are returning. Expect to see more of these on the rural roads – unmarked perhaps. In order to increase safety it is necessary for the public to recognize that speeding is unacceptable and can have catastrophic repercussions. As a result, police are hoping this campaign will remind drivers that as their speed increases so does the risk of a collision. If any citizen would like to report a traffic concern they can do so by visiting our website and making a Road Watch complaint. ROAD WATCH is a community driven program encouraging anonymous reporting of incidents involving dangerous and/or aggressive driving. This program is an opportunity to bring an aggressive driver to our attention. Be the extra eyes and ears and learn more here: https://www.haltonpolice.ca/PRC/Pages/ROADWATCH.aspx
August 5, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Dates for people who know how to handle a hammer or are comfortable just tidying up a small construction site and have some time to pitch in and take the Freeman Station to the next level are Saturdays August 8th 15th & 22nd from 8 am to 2pm The volunteers will get a personally guided tour of the station and a close up view of some of the artifacts that have been donated. • Paint scraping and sanding If you decide to show up – wear sturdy shoes and bring work gloves and a hat. It could be hot! This is a construction site so please do NOT bring children under 14 and NO pets.  This is the windows in the Station Master’s office which was also the ticket selling room. The space at the far end is where the mural will be done. What’s New and Exciting!  The ceiling in the waiting room is the kind of thing they don’t build anymore. It will be restored to what it looked like in 1906. We are delighted to announce that Darren Sanger-Smith of Structured Creations has volunteered his expertise to help us complete this project. He will assist in selecting the materials and finishes to replicate the original station to the best of our abilities. Some of the highlights of our accomplishments to date are: • the station now has new shingles; the roof and the entire roof deck have been repaired as well as the soffit and fascia. Roofing was installed by Desi’s Roofing But there is still a lot of work to be done – and work gets done by workers.  The station sat on wooden pilings for the longest time – it wasn’t until Ashland, a company right next door stepped up and made space available. It took the Friends of Freeman station a couple of years to actually save the station – the city wasn’t able to use the federal funds they were given to move the building, the then Burlington Art Centre didn’t want it; an idea to set it up along Lakeshore Road in the downtown core wouldn’t fly. The sense many people had was city council just didn’t want the thing. The engineering department staff said the thing was going to just fall over real soon. It took joint efforts by Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster to convince council to give the volunteer committees a little more time to find a home.  Ashland made the space available – then the company got bought by a large conglomerate – the deal is still in place – but it isn’t a twenty year lease. The Friends of Freeman will have to develop a really strong bond with the new owners. While the building really belongs in the Beachway Park that wasn’t on – but a home was found on a piece of property next to the fire station on Fairview. The building was moved the coupled of hundred yards to its new location, a foundation was put under the building and work on the roof and the outside walls began. What you see today – while far from complete – is some distance from what was in place two years ago when it was a pile of rotting wood sitting on wooden pilings.  The grill for the ticket counter has been found – it wasn’t part of the original station but does come from the same period.  The floor for the basement will be poured very soon. The hope is that negotiations with a model railway club will work out and that there will something for people to watch. That would make the Freeman Station a very attractive destination Help to complete the restoration of this beautiful old 1906 Grand Trunk Railway Station is now needed. The vision is to develop an interactive railway display depicting the impact the railway had on the development of Burlington. The Station will also house a model railway and meeting room for public use. The Friends of Freeman have raised about $250,000 dollars to date and will need about the same amount to complete the project. Over 1700 volunteer hours have been donated to the actual restoration. More than 2400 hours of administrative, planning, and fundraising have also been donated by our members. We are looking for volunteers in the following areas and there are many opportunities to participate! • Membership Interested in Becoming a Member? You can send a cheque to; Friends of Freeman Station, P.O. Box 91536 Roseland Plaza, 3025 New Street, Burlington ON L7R 4L6 There are still naming rights opportunities. Wiser commercial WORDS will realize that the Friends of Freeman Station are actually going to pull this off – and when the place is officially opened – all the politicians that failed to help make it happen will be there to cut the ribbon.  John Mello wants to see you one of those stones – and he will tell you why they are worth the $100 asking price. Naming Rights Sponsorships start at $100.00 and you can go right on up to $15,000 for the waiting room. Please contact me for sponsorship opportunities. brianaasgaard@sympatico.ca If you decide you want to show up on either the 8thj, the 15th or the 22nd – the address is 1285 Fairview Street – next to the fire station which is undergoing a major renovation. Use driveway on east side of the Burlington Fire Department Headquarters
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