 By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
What would Burlington look like with 100 Strata’s built around the city?
 This is what the Strata looks like. Councillor John Taylor thinks the city is going to need 100 of these in the next 25 years to meet the intensification target set by the province. What’s a Strata? That’s the condominium the Molinaro gropup built on Maple Avenue.
That was the potential ward 3 city Councillor John Taylor tossed on the table during a city council Committee of the whole recently.
 John Taylor, Councillor for ward 3 and the Dean of Burlington’s city council Taylor puts the city’s current population at 175,000 people – the signs as you enter the city say 176,000.
The Growing in Place program – that is a provincial government directive, calls for Burlington to have a population of 195,000 by 2031
That number is thought to rise to 210,000 by 2041. The projection for 2041 number is something that is still being worked out by the Region and the four municipalities in Halton.
We can quibble all we want but the bald fact is that between now and 2041 the city is expected to add 35,000 people to the population total.
And because there is no development north of the Hwy 5 – 407 line – all those people have to be tucked in south of that line
Taylor says his math works like this.
Assume the 35,000 number for 2041 is real – assume two people per unit that means we need 17,500 housing units.
The Strata has 175 units – add two 0’s to that number and you have what is needed
 Are 100 Strata’s really needed to reach the intensification target. Where would they get built> The Strategic Plan and the review of the Official Plan are the documents that will guide and inform these decisions – but they may not see the light of day in their final form until sometime next year. Therefore Taylor points out you are going to need 100 Strata’s to house those 35,000 people.
And that is going to put intolerable pressure on the city’s transportation network.
Those cold hard facts are also why the ADI Development Group bought up the land at Masonry Court in the west end – they will do exceptionally well with that project financially. And they will have little difficulty getting the approvals they need – if city council doesn’t approve the project – off ADI will go to the OMB. That is what they are doing with the 28 storey structure they want to build at Martha and Lakeshore Road.
 The ADI development planned for the corner of Martha and Lakeshore Road will help meet the intensification target – what would it do to traffic and the look and feel of the downtown core if the Ontario Municipal Board approves the project. The city is battling on two fronts – dancing with developers who point out that the housing has to be built and we have just the project for you.
While the transportation people point out that the infrastructure we have in place now cannot handle the traffic those 35,000 people will create.
It’s a tough one, especially for a city council that is one – not united on how to handle this problem and two; a council that has never been transit friendly.
Add to that a city that still doesn’t understand how to communicate with its citizens.
The Mayor is reported to be thinking in terms of a population growth of from 1% to 1.5% population growth. The Mayor hasn’t been available for comment on these number. He has been softening up the public for the intensification that is inevitable.
There is a lot for the public to think about – but before they can think through the issues and arrive at conclusions – they need facts from the city.
Seen any facts from the city on these problems lately?
 By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – they are off and it is going to be a long run – and for the political junkies – they are in heaven. The Jays are doing rather well too – lots of couch time in the months ahead.
There are now 30 additional federal constituencies across Canada – one new one in our area.
Set out below are the boundaries for the constituencies the citizens of Burlington will vote in.
 Rural Burlington Voters south of Derry Road are in the Halton constituency. The city is going to be represented by three different politicians one of which is will probably be a Cabinet minister; Lisa Raitt is expected to be re-elected n Halton. She is the Conservative candidate for the constituency that covers much of rural Burlington.
The Gazette does not yet have the names of other candidates for the Halton federal seat. Is Raitt that strong?
In the event that the Conservatives lose the election and there is a leadership contests – expect Raitt to be in that race.
 The constituency Mike Wallace has represented has been made a little smaller. Burlington will see incumbent Mike Wallace running against first timer Liberal Karina Gould and frequent NDP candidate David Laird.
 The new constituency of Oakville Burlington North – known now as OBN matters to those in the west end of the city The new riding, Oakville Burlington North, stretches across both Oakville and Burlington. Pam Damoff, a member of Oakville’s Town Council is running for the Liberals and Effie Triantafilopoulos is running for the Conservatives with Adnan Shahbaz running under the Green part banner.
The New Democrats have yet to announce a candidate
The Gazette will undertake to provide regular reports on the progress of the various campaigns.
 By Staff
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
After two near death experiences the Burlington Bandits stuck it to the London Majors with a resounding 12 – 3 win in London last night.
 No one expected the Burlington Bandits to win against the London Majors in such a resounding way Tuesday evening The Bandits have struggled with the London team all season. The win last night was the first for the Bandits.
 Scott Robertson – in full array, is one of three Burlington Bandits owners. The two teams meet again in Burlington at Nelson Park for a 7:30 game. Expect to see a pumped up team.
Part owner Scott Robinson will be wearing one of his flashier pair of trousers for this game.
Schedule for the balance of the quarter finals for the Bandits and the Majors|:
(4) London Majors vs (5) Burlington Bandits
London Leads Series 2-1
Game 1: Friday, July 31 @ London – LON 12-2 – Boxscore
Game 2: Monday, August 3 @ Burlington – LON 7-4 – Boxscore
Game 3: Tuesday, August 4 @ London – BUR 12-3 – Boxscore
Game 4: Thursday, August 6 @ Burlington; 7:30pm
Game 5: Friday, August 7 @ London; 7:35pm
*Game 6: Sunday, August 9 @ Burlington; 1pm
*Game 7: Monday, August 10 @ London; 7:35pm
 By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Just after 6:30 on April 4th – yesterday, there was a short burst of close to torrential rain that sent shivers of fear through the hearts of hundreds of residents in Burlington
 What is normally a parking lot became a pond of water close to a foot deep – commercial operations were hard hit in some areas. It was exactly a year ago yesterday that the city experienced a rain storm that started at around 1:30 in the afternoon – seemed to be intermittent – but later evidence showed that it was actually three rain storms that were half to a quarter of an hour apart, that hovered over parts of the west end of the city and brought havoc into the lives of hundreds of households.
 Radar images later revealed that there were three storms that came into the city and hovered over the west end. The rest of |Burlington suffered very little compared to the south east sector where the damage was devastating. Downspouts that fed into the waste water system didn’t help either. MPP Eleanor McMahon describes the day as the unthinkable that happened. A powerful and localized rainstorm saw two months of rain fall in Burlington in just three hours.
McMahon said 205mm of rain fell – the record rainfall was 192 mm. The Burlington Community Foundation printed up 500 T shirts with 191mm – but let us not quibble.
They Mayors house was flooded; the home of the Member of Parliament home was flooded.
The home of the woman who was tasked with the job of overseeing the application for ODRAP (Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program) funding had her home flooded.
The storm sparred few.
 The accumulation of natural vegetation in the creek beds was thought to b good conservation – it proved to be what plugged up creeks forcing water over the banks and into the streets Creeks overflowed, parts of roads were washed out, and anxious residents saw their homes filled with water in a matter of minutes; many fleeing their homes with little time to escape the rising water.
“In the water’s destructive wake thousands of Burlington residents were impacted. Returning to devastated houses homeowners began the difficult task of cleaning up, securing what they could of years’ worth of treasured memories, and assessing the damage to critical infrastructure.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon taking part in a street festival held to raise funds and celebrate how well communities could gather together for a common cause. “The sudden nature of the storm left many in shock and disbelief at the power of the water that engulfed their homes and yards. For so many, the toughest days lay ahead as they struggled to discern how and when much-needed assistance would arrive” said McMahon in her newsletter.
The Mayor was out of the city, the city manager was also out of town. Hurried returns to the city and everyone asking questions. What do we do; what are the options and what are the first steps?
The Mayor asked the Burlington Community Foundation to lead the Disaster Relief program once the city had declared itself a disaster area.
McMahon and Regional Chair Gary Carr along with Mayor Goldring got out into the community and met with people.
“I wanted to know what role the province plays in these instances: said McMahon whose home was not impacted.
One of her first calls was to Dan VanderLelie, President of the Burlington Professional Firefighters Association whose home was fine. The two of them began to tour the community.
It was immediately clear to McMahon that a lot of help was going to be needed. Almost before the need for help became evident help began pouring in.
One resident was going door to door in the Regal Road area offering to take dirty clothing home and wash it for people.
 Not a day this man wants to remember. “A fundraising campaign, an opportunity to make a difference by donating to help neighbors became an emergent priority” said McMahon.
McMahon who at one time worked for the national office of the United Way put in a call to Jeff Valentin, the CEO of the United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton and he agreed to explore the possibility of the United Way stepping in, leveraging their website as a fundraising portal for community donations.
 The T- shirt told the story about a community effort – and also raised a decent amount of cash. In one of the most moving moments in the aftermath of the flood, Elwood Road residents Glenn Nicholson and Kara Vanderkooy, their own home severely impacted by the flood, decided to host the “Up the Creek” fundraiser on their street. Working tirelessly with their neighbours, securing donations from local businesses this amazing and heartwarming event raised $20,000 for the flood relief fund. The Burlington Teen Tour Band’s arrival brought an emotional tone to the event as community pride was on full display.
 Catherine Brady put in an untold number of hours raising funds and distributing coin boxes, With the community’s annual RibFest a few weeks away, the local Rotary Clubs announced that they would lend their efforts and this hallmark event as an opportunity to fundraise for flood relief. Thanks to their efforts and leadership – and the generosity of those who attended, thousands of dollars were raised.
In Burlington City Hall, just three months later the dignitaries gathered and announced that the province would provide the City with up to $3 million for flood recover efforts through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program, helping residents and businesses with much needed financial assistance.
It was a proud moment that had been preceded by some tough conversations when the province at first told the city that ODRAP support would not be available.
There was a lot of arm twisting going on that no one wants to talk about these days.
When it was eventually made available it was only for those who were under insured or could not buy insurance at any price.
In the weeks that followed the setting up pf the Disaster Relief Committee, Ron Foxcroft and Collen Mulholland, began the difficult task of reviewing hundreds of claims, assisting hundreds of Burlington residents in the process.
One hundred days after the rain stopped falling – there was$905,788 in the bank.
 There wasn’t an arm Ron Foxcroft didn’t twist. Even the Minister of Municipal Affairs and housing wasn’t immune to the Foxcroft treatment. Burlington had done a magnificent job.
On September 15th there will be a public dedication of a plaque naming those who donated more than $5000 and the screening of the video Cogeco television was filming throughout the flood.
The next step for Burlington’s MPP is to push the province to produce an ODRAP program that is less confining and more realistic to the real needs of the public
Unbeknownst to many is the 10% hold back the province applied to the funds they provided – that 10% was to cover “risk mitigation” – where was the risk?
By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When the draft of the Transportation Master Plan was put before city Council, which was meeting as a Committee of the Whole, Councillor Taylor commented that “it was a lot to take in at one sitting – and indeed it was.
The presentation itself took well over an hour with Interim Director of Transportation Vito Tolone working as a tag team with planner Kaylan Edgcumbe.
The gist of it all was that the intensification the city was going to have to undergo to absorb its share of the 1 million additional residents the Region of Halton was going to have to accommodate between now and 2031 meant a level of congestion “Burlington didn’t have much tolerance for”.
In surveys done by the Transportation department there were two almost diametrically opposed sets of comments – one from the over 55 set and another from high school students.
Using the dictum that a picture is worth a thousand words the two graphics below tell very different stories.
 Hundreds of students responded to the questionnaire that asked for comments on modes of transportation. The planners and the transportation experts needed to know how high school students looked at public transit. They knew that the older than 55 set thought – getting them out of their cars was going to require crow bars.
 The Senior set didn’t appear to be ready for much in the way of change. Transportation staff made the observation that “Burlington doesn’t have much tolerance for traffic congestion” Without a change in the use of transit – congestion is about all we have to look forward to. The transportation met with the principal at Charles Beaudoin school and asked if they would participate in a “bike” week program with the city. “The principal wasn’t all that keen on the idea at the beginning” explained Tolone “but he came around and we learned a lot – they also learned what they needed to know, which was that younger people weren’t married to the car to the same degree as their parents.
 Bike to school week at the Charles Beaudoin school saw a very strong uptake on bike use that held after the event. Can it be made an ongoing habit? The week before “bike week” there were 60 students at Beaudoin using their bikes to get to school. During bike week there were 260 using their bikes. After bike week more than 75% of that additional 200 were riding their bikes to school.
 This is the kind of congestion the transportation department wants to see. Tolone saw hope on the horizon. His research tells him that with intensification now an inevitability and no room to build additional road capacity – and no desire on the part of the city to do so either – other ways had to be found to move people around.
Expect to hear a lot of the phrase “complete streets” added to the “modal split” we are already hearing about.
Last week the province introduced that acronym HOT for high occupancy toll lanes – if you want to use those lanes intended for high occupancy vehicles with just one passenger in the car – you pay a toll.
The longer term objective is “behaviour change” we just don’t have the road capacity to handle the traffic that intensification will bring with it.
Councillor Taylor opined that the number of people the Region is going to set as the Burlington target will amount to 100 Stratas – a bit of an exaggeration perhaps but he made his point.
Councillor John Taylor said there would have to be an additional 100 towers the size of the strata on Maple Avenue – claims he has the data to back that up. Strata is the name given to the Molinaro condominium of Maple Avenue.
The Committee of the Whole meeting was short two of its members – Councillors Dennison and Meed Ward were not present. Meed Ward was recovering from the concision she suffered when her car was rear ended.
At the conclusion of what was a long meeting city general manager Scott Stewart made the comment that “this is a web cast we will be looking at more than once”. Indeed they will because there was no clear sense of direction from the five members of Council in the room.
Transportation and intensification are words that are now linked together and we are going to hear a lot more about both in the years ahead. In order for the needed changes to be made behaviour is going to have to be changed and in Burlington that is no small matter.
Cine Starz Upper Canada Place
460 Brant Street
WWW CINESTARZ.CA
SHOWTIMES August 7 to 13 , 2015
INSIDE OUT G
Fri to Thur 11:10 1:05 3:00 5:20 7:20 9:15
MAGIC MIKE XXL 14A
Fri to Thur 11:00 5:15 7:40 9:45
TERMINATOR GENISYS 14A
Fri to Thur 11:00 1:00 3:00 5:05 7:20 9:35
SPY 14A
Fri to Thur 11:00 1:10 3:20 5:30 7:20 9:30
AMY 14A
Fri & Sat 1:10 5:00 7:20
Sun to Thur 1:10 5:00 7:20 9:15
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS PG
Fri & Sat 11:10 1:15 3:30
Sat to Thur 11:10 1:15 3:30 7:30
SAN ANDREAS PG
Friday 1:00 3:15 5:10 9:40
Sat & Sun 1:00 9:40
Mon to Thur 1:00 3:20 5:30 9:40
WATER DIVINER 14A
Fri to Thur 11:00 3:00
 By Justin Lethbridge
August 3, 2015
BURLINGTON. ON
Friday: – in London, Michael Ambrose and Brett Sabourin each homered and drove in two as the Majors beat the Burlington Bandits 12-2 in game 1 of their quarter-final series Friday night.
Both Ambrose and Sabourin finished with three hits and combined to score three runs.
London shortstop Paul Lytwynec had four hits, an RBI and run, centre-fielder Humberto Ruiz had three hits, two RBI and scored three times, first baseman Cleveland Brownlee drove in a pair, second baseman Cody Mombourquette had three hits and three runs, and Chris McQueen added two hits and two runs.
Luis Pina (1-0) went seven innings for the win, giving up two runs on three hits, walking three and striking out two.
That was the first game of the quarter finals in the InterCounty Baseball League where Burlington is battling the London Majors.
Monday: The Burlington Bandits put up a good fight but dropped game two 7-4 to the London Majors. Unlike the first game in their best-of-seven playoff, the Bandits gave London all they could handle on Monday night.
 Pitcher Rick Corrente came out in the 7th inning After going down 1-0 early, the Bandits fired back in the bottom of the first. First basemen Jim Martin hit a ball right to the back fence to bring two runners in and give Burlington their first lead of the series. Shortstop Keith Kandel would add to the lead in the 2nd inning with a home run.
While the Majors would answer with runs in the 3rd and 5th innings to tie the game, the Bandits pitcher Steven Dressler held his team in the game. Through six innings of work, he gave up six hits and three runs while striking out three batters for a 4.50 ERA. Unfortunately for the Bandits, London’s Oscar Perez was better. Through eight innings, Perez allowed only six hits and four runs while earning eight strikeouts for the win.
With the score tied at 3-3 in the 8th, Bandits pitcher Rich Corrente would allow four runs on four hits to give the Majors the 7-3 lead. The Bandits wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring a run in the 9th while loading the bases three times in the final two innings. They just weren’t able to capitalize and now face a two game deficit in the series.
Game three is at 7:35pm, Tuesday August 4th in London before the series returns to Nelson Park for game four on Thursday at 7:30pm. For up-to-date information on all the playoff action, go to www.theibl.ca.
Portions of this report were taken from the IBL web site
By Staff
August 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
In the mid-afternoon Saturday, August 1, a 40 year old Burlington male was seen to be travelling east along Fairview Street, close to the Burlington Mall, while operating a blue electrically-powered bicycle, when his vehicle collided with a silver Jeep SUV that was making a left turn into the parking lot at a traffic light controlled intersection.
The male’s injuries were such that he was transported to Hamilton General Hospital where he remains in serious but stable condition.
 This make of e bike is what the injured rider was believed to be driving. They have a significant amount of power and Are seen by many as more like a motorbike. Friends of the bike driver report the rider was riding a $10,000 ‘e-bike’ that was capable of travelling up to 85 km/h.
The rider’s group of friends are all pretty concerned for his health and recovery at the moment. ”It might be worth mentioning that his ‘e-bike’ was more akin to a motorcycle.”
Due to the serious nature of the incident, the Halton Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) attended and assumed control of the investigation.
No details regarding the involved parties are being released.
Anybody who witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit on 905-825-4747 ext 5065.
 By Staff
August 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Joseph Brant Day Festival will be the place to be on the August holiday Monday.
Besides partnering with the Toronto 2015 PanAm / Parapan Games the event has taken on a significantly different tone.
It will be a lively day at LaSalle Park where events start at 11 am and runs through to 5 pm.
The captivating Beshano Bike Trials will be featured, the Burlington Soccer Club field games and a slew of music, art and cultural performances of the “Americas” will also be featured.
The day will have an Americas flavour to it recognizing the diversity that the PanAm games brought to the Region. Included in the bill of events are:
 The Beshano Bike Trials will be something to watch – expect crowds larger than those in this picture.  Saúl Torres is capable of seamlessly tying together Latin, Funk, Rock, and Flamenco! Beshano Bike Trials – 3 shows complete with incredible bicycle stuntmanship!
Musicians from the official band of the Toronto FC Major League Soccer accompanying dancers choreographed by the dance instructor and performer who opens the Mas Band launches for Carnival!
Saúl Torres who has emerged as one of the most singular talents of Spanish Rock on the continent, capable of seamlessly tying together Latin, Funk, Rock, and Flamenco!
 Dan Secord native dancer in full dress White Pine First Nations Drum and Dance participants.
Dancescapes Studio with Salsa and Latin dance demonstrations and lessons!
Laura Spada
Farrucas – a Latin Fusion Duo of Laura Spada and Jorge Cuama hailing from Ecuador!
Throughout the day the Children’s Area, Museum Educational Crafts & Activities, Giveaways, PanAm Sports Challenges, Games and Obstacles, Interactive participant events including: Crossfit Altitude, Oakville Fencing Academy, Burlington Youth Soccer Club, Monkeynastic Gymnastics, Bradbury, Splitsville Entertainment & Better State Crew! Splash Park for Kids available, Hands-on Activities, Artisans and Vendors, the Famous Brant Day Silent Auction will be part of an event filled day.
And this year the food offering will be going far beyond the traditional hot dogs and burgers. Sylvia Hentz, Special Events Programmer has arranged for a food truck rally with delicious offerings from gourmet food trucks!
 Taste buds will be in for a real treat given the selection of Food Trucks that are being brought in for the Brant Day Festival at LaSalle Park The rally includes
LUCHADOR – Mexican Fusion / International Cuisine
DOBRO JESTI – Slovenian / German-inspired Cuisine
NUDULZ – Italian Food
MANGO CHUTNEY – Indian Food
URBAN EXPRESS- North American & European-style Steakery
CAFE DU MONDE – French-Parisian & International Crepes
PAPPAS GREEK—Greek Food
TROPICAL TEMPTATIONS –Premium drinks & desserts
Burlington’s taste buds are in for a treat.
 ilaria-spada- Laura Spada will perform at the festival. Parking is always a challenge at LaSalle Park on Brant Day. Shuttle buses will be available to transport visitors from Aldershot GO Station once limited onsite parking at LaSalle Park is filled.
First shuttle bus run leaves the Aldershot Go Station at 10:00 a.m. Last bus leaves at 5:00 pm
 By Staff
August 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Two years ago, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church on Headon Forest Drive had one of its air conditioners stolen.
It was a bit of a shock because the unit was several years old and not considered of any real value.
 Air conditioners stolen from outside a Headon area church. As well, there was a clearly signed daycare in the church. The congregation replaced the air conditioning units and securely fenced all of the church’s units.
Two weeks ago, the fence was cut and another air conditioner was taken – this one dating from the church’s construction in 1993 and considered to be of very little value.
 Thieves cut through the wire enclosure – made off with an air conditioner that might have gotten them $100 as junk. The unit has been replaced and security has been enhanced, all at considerable cost to the church. The congregation is dumbfounded – what value do ancient air conditioners have that would make them worth stealing from a church with a clearly signed daycare?
Do churches now have to set up security cameras?
 By Pepper Parr
August 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington has received complaints from a number of residents regarding what they believe to be disturbing material delivered to their mailboxes.
In a statement from the city, it is not attributed to a specific person, the city said it is not in a position to affect the distribution of these materials and add that they have received the following statement from Canada Post:
“We are responsible for the physical delivery of all mail in Canada. We do not have the legal right to refuse delivery of a mail item because we or other people object to its content. Anyone who has concerns about the content should either contact the publisher or simply dispose of it.”
And that’s it – not another word. The Gazette has received dozens of complaints and comments on this repugnant literature.
 Some of the comments on social media:
“You know what really sucks about this all? The images are very painful reminders for many parents who never had a choice. This organization is obviously run by a group of uneducated, immature kids with too much money to blow on junk mail.”
“Well that was nice. My 13 year old just handed me the flyer during dinner. She fished it out from behind a desk because she was worried her 9 year old brother would see it and be scared. Disgusting.”
“Us too. Beyond disgusting and obviously oblivious to the fact that this government just legalized the pill version of said procedure.”
 There are thousands of comments like this being made on social media. What we haven’t seen or heard are public statements from the office of the Mayor expressing concern over what can only be described as vile.
There is such a thing as community values that are put forward by our leaders be they political, pastoral or prominent people who have earned the respect of the community.
This is the time for these men and woman to stand up and express the dismay, disgust and inappropriateness of this kind of stuff on behalf of the community.
Most people have a view on abortion; many people discuss this subject amongst themselves and arrive at a moral decision they are comfortable with. My own view is that life is the biggest gift mankind has been given and when it is forsaken – let us not demean it with photographs that can only harm.
To attach the face of a person running for the leadership of the country to this smut is as low as one can get. This is not what political debate is about.
Councillor Sharman did have conversations with the police who told him there was nothing they could do. Councillor Sharman could have said publicly that the distribution of this kind of material was unacceptable and that he wanted the public to know it was beneath the values of the community he represents.
When we do not stand up for our values – we lose them.
Related articles:
Is it hate mail? It is certainly disgusting.
Sick minds that sink below common decency.
By Staff
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service successfully completed a two month investigation into identity theft with the arrest of an adult male on 29th July 2015 for trafficking in identify information.
Following recent arrests for suspects using counterfeit ID documents members of the Halton Police Fraud Unit initiated an investigation into the source of the victim’s information.
The investigation led police to suspect that a former employee of GM Financial had been providing identity information to the counterfeiters. With the full co-operation and assistance of GM financial the investigation narrowed down to a former employee who had worked in the customer service department of GM Financial and formally Financial Linx.
GM Financial continue to work with the police to identify any other potential victims, their systems are being analysed to identify any customers who have had files touched by the suspect and those customers can expect to be contact shortly by GM Financial who will then pass any relevant information onto the Police.
Charged is: Moussa KANTE (48yrs)
Of Toronto,Ontario.
Charges: To make available identity information for a fraudulent purpose. Contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Halton Police are asking anyone who may believe they have been a victim to this crime to wait until contacted by GM Financial for further direction. There has been no indication thus far that this incident is connected to a previously reported data breach with Financial Linx in 2012.
By Pepper Parr
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There was a short period of time when the city fretted over whether the outside workers were going to be available to take care of the pools and the splash pads and we weren’t at all sure that the transit drivers were going to be behind the wheels of the buses.
The city and the unions managed to avoid a strike and came out with an agreement that gave
CUPE Local 44, the City Outside workers negotiated a deal worth 4.25% over 3 years.
CUPE Local 2723 (Transit) negotiated a deal worth 6.95% over 4 years.
There were apparently other benefits negotiated but those details have yet to be released.
By Pepper Parr
July 31st, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Once we have a well-deserved summer, if albeit a hot one at times, behind us and the kids are back in school – hopefully there won’t be a teachers strike, the city will settle down to the business of becoming what it wants to become.
The agenda for the fall is pretty thick.
In the months ahead the public is going to read about “complete streets”; different “modes” of transportation and transit. Lots about transit and behavioural change.
The city has to get you out of your car. The city has to add thousands of people to its current population which means intensification.
More people, more residential development – and traditionally more cars. But more cars on the streets means more congestion and Burlington doesn’t have much in the way of tolerance for traffic congestion.
City council is going to have to buckle down and bite the transit bullet and slowly lead the public to using transit.
It is not going to be easy.
The current city council isn’t all that good on leading when it comes to hard issues. During the briefing council was given recently on the draft Transportation Master Plan there wasn’t much in the way of comment from Council members.
To his credit ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven lectured that a change is necessary even if the public doesn’t like the idea.
What are the options? How do we get people out of their cars?
 Some of these cars sit in this parking lost most of the day – they are used to get a driver to the GO station in the morning and back home at night. Reliable transit would work better for everyone. A look at the GO station parking lots offers a major opportunity. Why do people drive their car to the GO station and leave it sitting there most of the day?
Because for the bulk of these people transit is not a viable option – bus service has to be convenient if you want people to use it. And there is nothing convenient about the bus service and GO Stations.
A colleague who works at scheduling the delivery of products to retail locations explained to me that there is software out there being used by tens of thousands of organizations every day.
They know what the traffic patterns are and they know when their clients are open – they take all that data and work out a route for every truck they have on the road. If there is a disruption in traffic flow the software will tell them and the truck drivers are alerted.
So why couldn’t the transit people hire a couple of students to spend part of a day going through the GO station parking lots and noting the license numbers on the cars.
The city would then ask the Ministry of Transportation for the address of the owners of the cars and then send each of the car owners a letter asking them if they would use a service that drove by their house, picked them up and dropped them off at the GO station in time to catch the train they wanted to use.
This kind of thing is not rocket science – it is done all the time by the companies that delivery potato chips and soft drinks to convenience stores. They do it because they are motivated to do it – their profits and their jobs depend on their ensuring that products are on the shelves.
The city could easily instruct Burlington Transit to do a pilot study in one part of the city – The Orchard would a very good place to do a pilot.
 A combination of reliable transit service and parking fees to leave a car at the GO station might be the only way the city can bring about a behaviour change when it comes to how we use cars. The city would use smaller buses that would take whatever route was needed to pick up people in front of their house. When the bus was full or it was time to head for the GO station to catch the GO train the bus would end the trip.
How would people get the bus? They would use an app on their cell phone that would call up a screen. Their address would have already been entered into the app as well as the GO station they traditionally use.
The user would click on one of the icons on the screen and request the service would go to the transit company and back would come a message saying what time the bus would bet at the door.
Easy ? probably I’m prepared to bet that the province would put up a large chunk of the cash to pay for the development of such an application – they have to get people out of their cars and transit is the best option.
I can’t see the “suits” driving their bikes to the GO station.
To make using transit more compelling – parking fees at the GO stations could be imposed.
Drastic – probably, but it is clear to the transportation experts and the planners that Burlington has to find a way to cut down the traffic.
If residents found that the service was priced decently and proved to be reliable they will use it – better to have a bus pick you up and get you to the GO station on time without you having to battle traffic congestion.
There is going to be a change in traffic – how the city goes about making it happen is something you want to make sure your opinion is voiced.
Related articles:
A transportation master plan
By Staff
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington detachment of the Halton Regional Police are in the 15th week of their Fugitive Friday program which they use to seek the support of the public in bringing people charged with an offence to justice.
The police are asking the public to help locate wanted persons and hold them accountable for their actions.
There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place.
Every Friday, the Burlington Offender Management Unit will share information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual.
 In this edition of Fugitive Fridays the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Beth MICHAUD, 26 years old, from Hamilton.
It is alleged:
In April, 2015, the accused attended multiple Royal Bank branches in the City of Burlington and was successful in cashing one or several fraudulent cheques prior to the institutions becoming aware of her pattern.
In May 2015, the accused was arrested and charged, however failed to appear for her court date on June 17, 2015.
MICHAUD is wanted by the Halton Regional Police for:
Fraud under $5000 x 2
Uttering Forged Documents x 2
Fail to Appear Court
MICHAUD is described as 5’2”, 115lbs, hazel eyes and blonde hair. Michaud has a pierced nose and several tattoos. On her left ear is a music note, right wrist is the name “Lexie” and lower left back is the word “King”. MICHAUD has ties to Hamilton, Burlington and the surrounding area.
Anyone who has information on MICHAUD or can assist investigators in locating her are asked to contact Detective Constable 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).
The police are sharing “Fugitive Friday” information on their website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.
 By Pepper Parr
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Wheelchair Basketball Parathlete, Brandon Wagner is going to be the Burlington community torchbearer for the TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games Torch Relay.
 Brandon Wagner being celebrated by Mayor Rick Goldring The torch relay will visit Burlington on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015
The Parapan Am Games Torch Relay is a five-day inspirational journey of more than 250 torchbearers who will share the Parapan Am spirit in 12 communities. The torch relay is one of the most exciting events as it sets the stage leading up to what
will be the largest Parapan Am Games ever held.
The aluminum torch stands 65 centimetres high and weighs 1.2 kilograms (or roughly the same weight as a baseball bat). With a burn time of 10 to 12 minutes, the flame can withstand winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour and is visible in all kinds of weather conditions.
The torch relay will invite communities to celebrate and share the Parapan Am
spirit throughout its five-day journey towards Toronto, the Host City of the Games.
The torch relay starts Aug. 3, 2015, and concludes Aug. 7, 2015, with the dramatic lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony in Toronto.
Burlington has many reasons to be proud of Wagner – he is a joy to watch when he is on a basketball court.
 By Justin Lethbridge
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite dropping their last four games, the Burlington Bandits managed to hold onto 5th place at the end of the IBL season with a final record of 15-21.
 Bandits whooping it up after a recent win – can they take that approach into the finals? The Bandits started the year off on an abysmal 1-7 start but managed to claw their way up the standings. A 7-1 run in mid July is the biggest factor in their final seeding. The run included three wins against Toronto, who also finished 15-21, which gave Burlington the tiebreaker in the standings.
Unfortunately Burlington draws the London Majors in the first round. The Bandits went 0-5 against London this season and while a single run decided two of those games, the other three were blowouts. London handed Burlington a 10-1 pounding on the first game of the season and outscored the Bandits 39-19 through five games.
There is a bit of hope, however, as in three of their five meetings Burlington had an early lead. Even with an 8-0 3rd inning lead on July 9th, the Bandits have been unable to pick up a win against the Majors.
 Justin Gideon earned 32 runs for the Bandits The Bandits must continue to get strong hitting from OF Justin Gideon whose 32 runs are the most from either team and tied for fourth in the league. London has the edge in the pitching battle as Oscar Perez and his 49 SO helped the Majors to a 3.97 ERA compared to Burlington’s 6.14 ERA.
This series marks Burlington’s return to the playoffs after missing out last year.
The best-of-seven series begins Friday, July 31st in London with game two in Burlington on Monday, August 3rd.
 By Staff
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A new chapter in Burlington’s history is unfolding right before our eyes – quite literally…
The team doing the construction of the seven-storey patient care tower have installed a web camera that broadcasts live – you can see what is being done minute by minute
 Enjoy a live look at the steady progress being made to the main construction site where our new hospital will stand in 2018. You can zoom into the site by hovering over the bottom left corner of the screen and clicking + or – and you can click the arrows to move left and right or up and down. You can also get an even bigger view of the site by clicking “Full Screen.” Take a look at the construction site through the lens of the Construction Cam, CLICK HERE you can see Level 1 of our seven-storey patient care tower beginning to take shape, all in real time!
The construction changes each day. To date 180 caissons have been drilled into the ground.
80% of the foundation pile caps (footings) have been completed. The pile caps will hold the columns that will support the new patient tower.
Two crane towers are on site.
The underground mechanical and electrical work is underway and the installation of Cupolex (a mitigation system) has begun.
Construction of the structural floor slab began on July 17. Columns have been installed and the decking for level one has begun.
Current Update – July 29 to August 12, 2015
Continuing to form level one.
Excavation will be done by the end of July
Excavation begins for the bridge footings. The bridge will connect the parking garage to the main building.
Underground plumbing and electrical work continues.
Pouring concrete into sections of the ground floor continues.
The construction team want to know what you think of the project.
Find JBH on Twitter and Facebook and share your thoughts using the hashtag, #HereWeGrow.
By Staff
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ouch said the little car!
It happened a little after 11:00 am on the 30th –
the little car banged into the back of the big car and the little car had the most damage.
The accident took place opposite Joe Dogs – driver distraction?
No one was injured.
By Staff
July 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a new recruit on the Halton Regional Police Force.
 Police Service Dog Arrow Police Service Dog Arrow arrived for training yesterday.
He will begin his training with K9 officer Cst. Tara McLorn but is anxiously awaiting the start of his new partner, Cst Kyle Gibson.
Cst. Gibson and PSD Arrow will begin training together in September, a period that usually takes about four months.
PSD Arrow was imported from the Czech Republic and is 14 months old and like all police service dogs, is very eager to get started.
Follow the @HRPSK9 Twitter account to see what the Police Service Dogs are doing and you will catch a glimpse of Arrow as he begins his journey.
Cst Matt Lawless and Storm will head into retirement once Arrow has completed his training.
 The Milton Brookville |School grade 4 class that chose the name for the newest police service dog to join the Halton Regional Police Force In September Arrow will visit with the student at Brookville Public School in the Town of Milton. They were the students who came up with the name and pulled in the most votes.
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