2020 Lakeshore Inc., loses its appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Request to amend the Official Plan – Refusal of request
Details will follow on why the appeal of the developers application.
The applications propose to demolish the existing hotel and restaurant and construct a new mixed- use building in a 2-tower format atop a 5-6 storey podium, with tower heights ranging from 30-35 storeys, and associated underground parking.
Property Address: 2020 Lakeshore Road
Application to amend the Zoning By-law – Refusal of application
Description:
The applications propose to demolish the existing hotel and restaurant and construct a new mixed- use building in a 2-tower format atop a 5-6 storey
podium, with tower heights ranging from 30-35 storeys, and associated underground parking.
THIS MATTER, in respect of appeals filed by Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc. pursuant to s.22(7) and 34(11) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P. 13, as amended, in respect of planning applications requesting amendments to the City of Burlington’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law 2020, as amended, to permit intensification in the form of a mixed-use, high- density, tall building with two towers of 31 and 36 storeys in height on the property known municipally as 2020 Lakeshore Road, in the City of Burlington;
AND THE TRIBUNAL having held a 10-day Hearing, over the period of April 29, 2024 – May 17, 2024, at which time the Tribunal heard and received opinion evidence on the planning applications from 10 experts, in the fields of land use planning, land economics, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation, and wind impact studies.
AND THE TRIBUNAL having arrived at its decision on the planning applications before it in the Hearing;
AND THE TRIBUNAL finding that the planning applications do not satisfy the statutory requirements under the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P. 13, as amended;
INTERIM ORDER
THE TRIBUNAL ORDERS THAT the appeal is dismissed and the requested amendment to the Official Plan for the City of Burlington is refused.
AND THE TRIBUNAL FURTHER ORDERS THAT the appeal is dismissed and the requested amendment to City of Burlington By-law 2020, as amended, is refused.
The effective date of the Tribunal’s Decision and Order is October 17, 2024. Written reasons for the decision will follow.
This is the third of a series on the changes taking place in print media and the challenge of keeping the public informed.
What is working well in the new media environment?
With next to nothing available in the way of printed newspapers in the vast majority of communities in Canada we began to see the emergence of online newspapers.
At this point the following are the daily newspapers in Canada: Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal , Globe & Mail , Halifax Daily News , Montreal Gazette, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star , Vancouver Sun. The Halifax newspaper market is in a state of flux.
Small independent newspapers found they could no longer survive – the cost of printing a paper was something that couldn’t be covered with what there was in the way of advertising revenue.
Once a stable of 70 weekly newspapers.
The Metroland Media Group had a stable of 70 weekly newspapers, one of which was the Burlington Post – at one time they published twice a week. In September of 2023 they abruptly shut down the papers and worked their way to becoming online newspapers. Metroland was a subsidiary of the Toronto Star that was seeking creditor protection at the time.
The Burlington Gazette was the first online newspaper that was admitted into membership in what was then the Ontario Press Council – that was in 2012.
Since then there are perhaps as many as 500 on line newspapers.
Online costs were lower which meant advertising prices could be lower.
However, publishers found that many of the retailers in the small markets didn’t understand digital – they didn’t have a clue as to how they could take advantage of the immediacy of an online paper.
The online publishers had to find ways to educate their potential advertisers and teach them the benefits of being online. Their editorial teams also had to learn how to work with a 24/7 news cycle.
Classified advertising was gone and national advertising had no place to go.
By national advertising, we mean advertising done by the auto section that looks for full page full colour advertising that used to run in every city across the country. Banks and insurance plus major brands were huge national advertisers.
What we began to see was the emergence of corporations that had online papers in many communities – the biggest example at this point is Village Media that has dozens of on line newspapers.
Village Media – a collection of online newspapers that exists coast to coast.
Village Media owns and operates local news sites in a number of markets and provides technology, consulting and fulfillment services to strategic news media partners. Together, they work as a collaborative partner network, with shared technology, ideas, content and advertising potential.
They also have an online broadcast that has a paywall.
They are funded by their advertising base.
The Narwhal – a not for profit that has led the way in showing what online media can do when they joint venture with major daily newspapers.
Another example of the new approach is The Narwhal – a not for profit that was able to secure funding from three different foundations to get started. They have a loyal following that donates on a regular basis.
What has made The Narwhal the success it is, was joining forces with the Toronto Star and now the Guardian, a British newspaper that went on line in 1999.
The Guardian has since established office in Washington DC and is proving to be a strong online competitor to the New York Times and the Washington Post. By March of 2001 the online Guardian has 2.4 million unique readers.
In the joint ventures with Toronto Star and the Guardian, the Narwhal editorial people would do the on the ground investigative work with editorial input and guidance from the larger media which would then publish the articles.
We believe that the larger media provided financial as well as editorial support.
The editorial leadership at The Narwhal is for the most part female – a welcome change in the way newsrooms were once male dominated.
The Narwhal’s leadership is female – not all but most of the leadership is female. Newspapers have in the past been a male dominated business. That has changed – for the better.
They are relentless with their drive to get subscribers that donate on a regular basis.
There is another small group Compass Newspapers. They developed a curated news application designed to deliver trending news. The company’s curated news application is for millennials, powered by an AI editor, and is able to choose the global politics, current affairs, business, finance, technology, and entertainment news published every day.
The use of Alternative Intelligence allows Compass to summarize and analyze their content giving their readers the latest news instantly.
This isn’t reporting – this is collecting what others have reported and packaging it based on the profile of their users. What surprised me was the support iPolitics gives them.
For online newspapers the focus was getting the news out in a 24/7 environment; accounting and administrative stuff got a lick and a promise.
The federal government has worked hard with media organizations to force Meta and Facebook to put some of their revenue into a fund that is distributed to media that meet the criteria; one of which submitting a corporate tax returns to Canada Revenue Agency. Many of the smaller online operations haven’t grown to the point where they can file a tax returns – their accounting system is a collection of receipts in a show box.
The Halifax Examiner, an on line paper is a subscription based operation. You pay a monthly fee ($12.50 a month) and you can read everything. They are doing very well.
We are seeing some consolidation of community based online newspapers – Village Media is one example. There are foundation supported online newspapers. The philanthropic sector is being approached by many for ongoing financial support
“It is A time of massive anxiety.” Justin Trudeau was talking about Canadians’ economic outlook, pitching the durability of his liberal project to a gathering of global progressives in Montreal last month. “People notice the hike in their mortgages much more than they notice the savings in their child care,” he offered, perhaps implying that in doing so people failed to appreciate all he did for them.
A diagnosis of anxiety fits his own government, too. Mr Trudeau and his party have traversed an arc from heroic to hapless during nine years in office, and today are despised by many in Canada. Less than a quarter of the electorate plans to vote for him. With less than a year to go until a general election, Liberal-party members fear no plan exists to increase that share. They have lost two by-electionsin quick succession, as well as the support of their governing partner, the New Democratic Party. As this story was published, a letter was circulating among Liberal MPs calling on Mr Trudeau to stand down. Massive anxiety indeed.
Mr Trudeau became a beacon of morality after he swept to power in 2015, welcoming refugees from war-torn Syria that Christmas. He legalised marijuana, rewarding the record number of young people who had voted for him. He faced down a truculent President Donald Trump to salvage the North American trade pact that is foundational to Canadian prosperity. His government’s annual payment to families of up to C$7,787 ($5,660) per child under six is hailed for lifting 435,000 children out of poverty. After promising child-care subsidies to help more women into work, working-class and younger voters gave him renewed minority mandates in 2019 and 2021.
Three years later those groups have turned on Mr Trudeau. Today both tend to support the opposition, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. What went wrong?
Chart: The Economist
The high cost of housing is central. The cost of owning a home in Canada has increased by 66% since he took office in 2015, with prices rising faster in this century than in any other sizeable OECD country bar Australia. Lack of supply is a problem in many, but is especially acute in Canada. In 2022 the average OECD country had 468 dwellings per 1,000 inhabitants. Canada had 426, a number that has hardly moved in a decade (see chart 1). Mike Moffatt, a housing economist, says a “wartime effort” is needed to triple the current building rate and throw up 5.8m houses in the next ten years. No such luck. In August, Canadian housing starts dropped to an annualised rate of 217,000.
Demand for housing from the large number of immigrants during Mr Trudeau’s decade in power has worsened the crunch. The number of temporary foreign workers jumped from 109,000 in 2018 to just under 240,000 in 2023. The number of non-permanent residents—including temporary foreign workers, students and asylum-seekers—has more than doubled from 1.3m in 2021 to over 3m on July 1st, according to Statistics Canada, representing 7.3% of Canada’s total population of 41m.
The education and health-care systems have also felt the pinch. Universities are bursting with foreign students, often lured by unscrupulous overseas middlemen offering “sham” degrees, according to Mr Trudeau’s immigration minister, Marc Miller. There were 560,000 student visas handed out in Canada last year. Mr Miller is cutting that number to 364,000. “It’s a bit of a mess, and it’s time to rein it in,” he said earlier this year. Some elementary-school teachers flounder, as they grapple with the children of recent arrivals who often speak neither of Canada’s official languages, English and French.
The pain of high housing costs has been compounded by a mediocre economy. Canada suffers from laggardly productivity growth, which has weighed on wages. Investment has been strong in oil- and gas-fields, and in extractive industries more generally, but has been overshadowed by other parts of the economy. Investment in tech, R&D and education taken together as a share of investment is lower in Canada than anywhere else in the G7 club of rich countries.
Canada’s economic ties with the United States have created problems since the end of the pandemic. American spending switched disproportionately to domestic services after lockdowns ended. This left Canadian manufacturers, whose goods had been flying off the shelves, in the lurch. More of the job of powering Canada’s economy, therefore, fell to its services sector, which relies on demand from Canadian households and the government.
Chart: The Economist
But demand has been throttled by higher interest rates. Monetary policy has had more “traction” in Canada than in the United States, according to Tiff Macklem, the central-bank governor. In the United States, most mortgages are fixed for 30 years, compared with, typically, five in Canada. A greater share of Canadians than of Americans have already seen their mortgage payments rise, although Canadian households bear more debt, relative to income, than anywhere in the G7. They now fork out an average 15% of their disposable income to service debt, up by 1.5 percentage points since 2021, compared with 11% for Americans. And unlike Uncle Sam, Canada’s government has not tried to soften the blow by loosening the purse strings. It ran a budget deficit of just 1.1% of GDP in 2023, compared with 6.3% in the United States (see chart 2).
Climate change offered Mr Trudeau perhaps his clearest opportunity to blend moral leadership with pragmatism. But he ignored polling showing that while Canadians were concerned about the climate crisis, they were also loth to pay taxes equivalent to a Netflix subscription to fight it. His carbon tax, introduced in 2019, imposed a levy on greenhouse-gas emissions, currently running at C$50 per tonne, scheduled to rise by C$15 annually to reach C$170 per tonne in 2030. Canada’s parliamentary budget watchdog said last week that most households were worse off when indirect costs of the tax were factored in. Mr Trudeau’s failure to find a way to compensate groups who lost out as a result of the tax left it and him vulnerable to attacks from Mr Poilievre; he says the tax will lead to “nuclear winter”, trigger “mass hunger and malnutrition” and compel poor, older people to freeze. Support for the carbon levy has crumbled.
Chart: The Economist
Mr Trudeau’s standing is not helped by the waning under his Liberal government of Canada’s influence in global affairs. When it last tried to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2020, it finished behind Norway and Ireland. It spends just 1.3% of its GDP on defence, far below the 2% required of NATO members, and the pace set by rearming European members facing an expansionist Russia (see chart 3). Mr Trudeau has promised Canada will hit the 2% level in 2032. Meanwhile, its relations with Asia’s two most populous countries, China and India, remain ice-bound. On October 14th India withdrew six diplomats from Canada, the latest move in an ongoing spat between the countries over the murder of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia last year. In the Middle East, Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, does not return Mr Trudeau’s calls.
Instead of adapting to or confronting challenges thrown up by his policies, Mr Trudeau has preferred to attack his critics. He seemed inert as the erosion of his party’s support has accelerated. Some Liberals privately suggest the breakdown of his marriage last year distracted him. In a shuffle aimed at energising his front bench last year more than half his cabinet changed portfolios, but the economic message remained the same: we will continue to deliver “good things” to Canadians. Only recently has Mr Trudeau begun to acknowledge that this fell short. “Doing good things isn’t enough to deal with the kind of anxiety that is out there,” he told the Montreal conference. He still describes his voters’ problems in psychological rather than practical terms.
Boxed out
Mr Poilievre identified that economic anxiety early. This lent him credibility with the sectors of the Canadian electorate who felt abandoned. He has boiled his platform down to a series of simple three-word slogans. He says his first piece of legislation will be to “axe the tax”, ditching the carbon levy. He has yet to outline what his government would do to fight climate change, but polls make it clear that Canadians care far less than they used to. All too many have forsaken Mr Trudeau, and the causes he stood for. ■
Editor’s note (October 15th 2024): This story has been updated to include India’s withdrawal of diplomats.
Correction(October 16th 2024):An earlier version of this article cited a figure of C$50 per tonne as the current level of Canada’s carbon levy. In fact, it is currently C$80 per tonne. Sorry.
The Mayor is in Japan – and so is Councillor Nisan and so is Councillor Galbraith.
We don’t know if the CAO Hassaan is part of the Burlington delegation.
From the left – Councillor NIsan, Councillor Galbraith, Mayor Meed Ward – the four people on the right have not been identified yet. There is a person to the right of Nisan – could be the CAO. Interesting that the Japanese participants are dressed in suits – not so the members of Council.
Anne Marsden adds some of what she knows and thinks about this situation. Her report:
“On December 11, 2017, Council approved an amendment to the City of Burlington framework
for managing twin city relationships to permit the celebration of twinning anniversaries every five
years.
“However, the issue most have been concerned about is that the Mayor was part of that change to 5 years knowing her goal was mayor in 2018. allowing her to take the trip to Japan not long after elected with Nisan by her side, rather than wait until her second term. . This is a much weaker economy and people are being hit hard but the Mayor and I believe Nisan (according to the city).
“I must admit there is an uncanny silence coming from council as to who is where, chose to go with the change rather than the original intention of once every ten years as many believe would have been the correct thing to do given the struggle to put food on the table for many of the Mayor’s constituents (far more than in 2017).”
We would ask Ms Bortolotti to explain how she arrived at the 876,000 number.
On Tuesday, October 16th, Leah Bortolotti told City Council that
“We did media releases supporting social media, digital ads, posters all across the city’s facilities, five media articles to date, the reach was 876,000 based on circulation publication. The sentiment at that time, not currently, was 100% neutral for media stories, so not any interest either way.”
The Gazette takes exception to the statements that were made.
Saying the reach for five articles that were published was 876,000 – we wonder what was she smoking? I know what our circulation is and I can guess what the other media that serve the Burlington market is – and it is nowhere near that number.
We would ask Ms Leah Bortolotti to explain how she arrived at the 876,000 number.
Bortolotti adds that the sentiment of the articles that were published was 100% neutral adding the phrase “at the time”
The piece on engagement in Burlington Today, for which Lawson Hunter, the author, deserves credit, was scathing.
The Gazette has yet to see anything that was anywhere near acceptable in terms of citizen engagement on the part of the city.
“I’ve seen this before, working provincially, you think that people will be very interested in a specific item, and they’re not.”
It is just something none of the people in the city communications group understands. To the best of our knowledge, there isn’t a single person in the communications group who has experience in journalism. Most of them have some accreditation in public relations.
That they hold the jobs they have was not a mistake they made – the city Human Resources does the hiring and they seem to feel that communications people don’t have to know very much about what media is and how it works.
What we see communications staff doing is more fairly described as public relations – they are in place to protect the brand, to polish the apple they call the City of Burlington. Remember – the best mid-sized city in Canada. Do they know how that distinction was arrived at? They might want to look into that.
A colleague mentioned to me recently that the communications advisers for almost every department in the provincial government are former journalists – people who understand what media is; what it can do and what it cannot do.
During her remarks to Council Ms Bortolotti said: “I’ve seen this before, working provincially, you think that people will be very interested in a specific item, and they’re not.”
We were not able to find very much on the various social media about Ms Bortolotti.
She sent us a note on an article we had published pointing out an error we had made. She was right – we attributed words to the wrong person. We fixed that problem and decided to see if we could begin a conversation with Leah Bartolini. One Coucil member told us she didn’t know who the woman was when she stood at the lectern.
Leah Bortolotti was introduced as the Head of Corporate Affairs. The city org chart has been confusing almost from the day it was first introduced. The communications people seemed to have difficulty in keeping up with the details. We aren’t sure who Bortolotti replaced.
She was presentable; she was direct and on several occasions said she didn’t have the answers – not something one hears from city hall staff. Good on her for being direct.
She had a tough first day before the public, however based on what we have learned we think (hope) the public can expect an improvement on the way engagement is practiced in Burlington. Don’t jump all over the woman. Give her some time.
If experience counts, and it should – here is what Leah Bortolotti has done in the past.
She started with the City of Burlington “on August 14th after a competitive recruitment process. I am responsible for the leadership and direction of the City’s CAO office, and I also oversee the following departments: Communications and Community Engagement (in which Oanh Kasperski is the Director of Communications and Community Engagement and reports into my division), Government Relations, and the City’s Internal Auditor.
“My most recent position was at Conservation Halton as the Director of Communications and Marketing. I also worked for the Ontario Government and held various positions in different ministries including the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks as the Chief of Staff and Director of Issues Management and Legislative Affairs, and the Office of the President of the Treasury Board Secretariat as the Manager of Issues Management and Legislative Affairs.
“My undergraduate degree is an Honours of Communications with a Minor in English Language and Literature and I hold a Master’s degree in Communication Studies with a specialization in Public Relations. I also hold several certifications in digital and social marketing.
“Some background about me that would tie some of your remaining questions together would be that I’m originally from Ottawa and before the Sens were established, we were all Habs fans, given the proximity to Quebec. I’ve now been in GTA/GTHA for over 8 years and during my time here, have found that I unknowingly, and unfortunately (given their track record), became a Leafs fan.
We can only commiserate with Ms Bortolotti on her hockey preference
For the immediate future we see promise and wait to see how she changes the way engagement is done going forward in Burlington.
Hockey Canada has officially announced the roster of 44 players who will proudly represent the nation at the upcoming 2024 U17 World Challenge. Scheduled to take place from November 3 to November 9, this prestigious event will showcase young hockey talent in Ontario.
Fan Engagement Across Canada
The U17 level was where women like this learned their skills.
While the tournament is set to occur in Ontario, hockey fans from all over Canada are eager to engage with the event in various ways. Many supporters plan to travel to Ontario to experience the games firsthand, while others will opt to watch the matches via online streaming or television broadcasts. The excitement will also extend to fans who may choose to participate in sports betting, placing wagers on the outcomes of the games through various platforms. Author and sports betting expert Neil Roarty explains that sports betting in Canada has grown in popularity with British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta sportsbooks all available online for punters. These sportsbooks come with robust security measures and a wide range of bonuses and promotions.
With the legalization of single-game sports betting in most Canadian provinces, fans will have the opportunity to explore odds, once available, for each team participating in the upcoming tournament. Although specific betting lines for the 2024 matches have not yet been established, anticipation is building, especially following Canada’s triumphant performance in the 2023 tournament. Last year, Canada claimed the gold medal in Charlottetown, with Cameron Schmidt scoring a dramatic backhand goal 9:18 into overtime, securing the nation’s first U17 title since 2015.
This enthusiastic engagement underscores the importance of the U17 World Challenge as a unifying event for hockey fans across the country, providing an interactive experience that allows them to immerse themselves in the sport.
Selection Process for the Canadian Team
Olympic Gold medals are won by girls that started playing hockey – U17 was one of the levels they would have played at.
The selection process for the Canadian roster was led by Byron Bonora, the U17 head scout, along with Benoit Roy, the director of hockey operations. They collaborated closely with Scott Salmond, the senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations. The selection team also included regional scouts such as Rob Simpson (Ontario), Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Darrell Woodley (Ontario), and Darren Sutherland (Atlantic) along with representatives from various hockey organizations who contributed to the evaluation of talent.
Representation from CHL Teams
All 44 players selected have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League teams, showcasing the impressive depth of talent in Canadian junior hockey. This diverse roster includes 21 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 15 from the Western Hockey League, and eight from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. These young athletes represent the future of Canadian hockey and have demonstrated exceptional skills and dedication to their sport, reflecting the high standards of training and competition in the CHL. Their participation in the U17 World Challenge is a testament to their potential and promise as future stars.
Tournament Schedule and Key Matchups
The 2024 U17 World Challenge will commence on November 3, with Canada White facing off against Czechia at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by Canada Red competing against Finland at 7:30 p.m. ET. Each team will participate in two preliminary-round games before advancing to the medal rounds, culminating in the medal matches on November 9. Pre-tournament exhibition games will also take place on November 1, providing teams with a final opportunity to prepare for the main event.
A History of Excellence in U17 Hockey
The U17 World Challenge, established in 1986, has become a significant platform for young hockey players to showcase their skills on an international stage. This tournament not only allows players to compete against some of the best young talent from around the world but also provides invaluable experience in high-pressure situations. Over the years, more than 2,000 NHL draft picks have participated in this tournament, demonstrating its importance in developing future stars of the game.
Notably, 17 players have been selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft since 2001, highlighting the caliber of talent that emerges from this competition. Alumni of the tournament include illustrious names such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Rick Nash, and Connor McDavid, who have all gone on to have impressive careers in the NHL. The U17 World Challenge serves as a critical stepping stone for young athletes aspiring to reach the highest levels of professional hockey, making it an essential part of the sport’s developmental landscape.
Anticipating the 2024 U17 World Challenge
She isn’t there yet but if this young girl is going to be a champion or just enjoy the sport at some point she will be a U17
As the 2024 U17 World Challenge approaches, excitement is building for the thrilling matchups that will showcase Canada competing against top teams from around the globe. Fans are eager to witness the rise of the next generation of hockey stars, making this tournament a must-watch event.
Many hockey enthusiasts are looking to engage with the action by attending games, streaming online, or watching on TV. The legalization of sports betting adds another layer of excitement, allowing fans to place wagers on game outcomes and enhance their viewing experience. This combination of live action, community involvement, and the thrill of betting makes the U17 World Challenge a highly anticipated highlight in the hockey calendar.
BRAG – Burlington Resident Action Group has been doing a superb job on staying on top of how the city budget is being put together.
Taxpayers have seen double-digit increases for the past three years approved by a Council that doesn’t know how to stop spending.
Stephen White who is quick to admit that he is not a finance person did spend an evening taking in one of the Mator’s Budget meetings. She has held a Budget meeting in every ward in the city.
Here is his take on the Budget meeting he attended:
For the first time in my years in Burlington, I participated in the city’s budget consultation process. Actually, it wasn’t just once, but four times: three in person, once virtually. Admittedly, in the past, the thought of sitting in a room for two hours with a bunch of accounting and finance types quibbling over “reserves” and “capital expenditures” filled me with dread. However, as I reviewed my tax bill for the past two years, I chafed at the prospect of meekly acquiescing to yet another exorbitant rate increase without actually taking an opportunity to share feedback.
I fully expected I would be spending the evening with 50 or 60 other engaged citizens. While the first two in-person sessions had around twenty or so residents, in the case of the Ward 5 meeting it would have been difficult to field a baseball team with the number of attendees.
For those who didn’t attend one of these sessions, let me share with you my impressions.
1. It’s the mayor’s Budget.
The mayor introduced the event, and to her credit, she did a good job welcoming attendees. I fully expected her to introduce her council colleagues, and then hand the meeting over to a finance official to review the budget materials.
Such was not the case.
“my budget”.
The mayor made it clear, not once, not twice, but on several occasions, that this was her budget. Several times in the half-hour presentation she referred to it as “my budget”.
The PowerPoint showed the city’s budget is expected to grow by 8.04%.
She clearly owns this…..lock, stock and barrel!
2. Our Invisible finance department.
I kept half expecting someone from the city’s finance department to chime in at different times in these meetings to clarify a point or explain a detail. Crickets. Usually, that task was assumed by Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. Evidently, finance officials are missing in action.
3. The Ever-Shifting Financial Narrative.
Every presentation was slightly different. There was either a new slide, additional details, or a new graph. There’s something to be said for “reading the room”, and providing additional clarification. However, consistency is important too.
4. Priming the Pump.
On several occasions, the mayor referred to the challenges the city is facing. Upgrades to old infrastructure, the need for more flood abatement measures, depleted reserves, inflation, etc., were all cited as significant challenges that the city is facing, and that may/will require additional funding (translation: higher municipal taxes). Perhaps so, but aren’t all municipalities facing these same issues? What makes Burlington so extraordinary? I never did hear a clear answer to that question.
5. Preventative maintenance.
Councillor Sharman has been the financial voice Mayor Meed Ward listens to – that was after he spent two terms of council trashing her.
At one point, Councillor Sharman referenced the old computers from the 1990’s that City employees were apparently working with. He asked attendees how many of us still had thirty-year-old computers at home. Perhaps the question that someone should have asked was: with all the finance staff, internal and external auditors, why did it take until recently to highlight the need for replacement? My understanding is that cities set aside money, every year, into reserve funds to pay for major upgrades. What has happened to Burlington’s reserves?
6. Revenue Generation.
The city, according to the mayor, is heavily dependent upon property tax revenues. Naively, I asked a question about the potential tax revenue that would accrue from adopting a Vacant Home Tax, and was told that the city wasn’t adopting this measure because it was too complicated and cumbersome to administer.
Ostensibly, it would require 12 additional staff to manage this program. Citizens would balk at completing the survey form. One of my BRAG colleagues pointed out that the city could just tap into electricity rates to identify residences with unusually low hydro usage, and then go after residents and developers who are leaving their properties vacant. My counter-point, which no one really answered, was why are Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton adopting this measure, and not Burlington? Why is it that the British Columbia government has raised over $120 million in two years from this program?
Then there is the issue of user pay. Shouldn’t the people who use the service actually be paying for it? The mayor is promoting the idea of free bus fares for all riders 24/7. As some attendees mentioned, there is no such thing as “free” because ultimately, someone has to pay. The potential lost revenue, according to one article, is $2 – 6 million. I guess money really does grow on trees.
7. Frivolous Expenditures.
Are we ever going to know what the final cost of the Bateman experience is going to amount to?
A number of attendees cited examples of programs or initiatives the city had pursued that were, to put it diplomatically, a less than prudent use of municipal revenue. Perhaps the most blatant example of this is the “Love Your Neighbour” campaign. For those who may be unaware, this is a program the city provides which allows residents to apply for a $500 grant to host a neighbourhood party. Presumably, the creation of engagement and connectedness can be enhanced by closing down a residential street, getting a bouncy castle for the kids to play on, and then having a couple of brews with your neighbours from down the road. Why the city is paying residents to host parties when we have unfilled potholes, homeless people and traffic congestion is a complete mystery to me.
I also heard multiple questions raised around speed bumps (why do we require more?), bike lanes (many are infrequently used), the Bateman renovation (what are the actual costs?), the new Skyway Arena (much too large), Service Burlington (ineffective, duplicative), etc.
The mayor, during the Ward 1 meeting, made the point that the city needed to generate $4 million in cost savings in order to shave one percent off the proposed tax rate hike. However, if the city actively pursued the identification of multiple unnecessary expenditures wouldn’t all these cost savings add up? Probably not, so why bother? It feels like cost savings are of interest to the taxpayers but not the people who work on the budget.
8. Not Everything is baked In.
Neighbours clearing out catch basins.
Evidently, the Report on the July 2024 flood, and its measures to improve the City’s flood abatement infrastructure, are not fully known. Consequently, the budget does not include all these potential costs. Then there are the costs associated with the Bateman renovation. I’m still unclear whether these are in or out. Finally, there is the consultant’s report regarding the proposal to extend free bus service to all riders.
I’m not a budget expert, but it seems to me if there are multiple unknowns how can you responsibly or accurately craft a credible budget?
9. A Missed Engagement Opportunity.
Perhaps the thing that perplexed me the most was the multiple expressions of assistance from members of the audience. I recall, during the Ward 1 meeting that a gentleman in the audience offered his assistance in reviewing certain Information Technology operating systems and procedures to help identify economies and savings. He got a perfunctory response, something like “don’t call us, we’ll call you”. Evidently, this individual had considerable background and expertise from his working career. Leveraging his insights might be helpful. Whether he gets a follow-up call remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t bet money on it.
Wait and See:
Now that the one-sided consultation phase of the Budget Review process is over, the mayor, the council and city officials will pull all the details and feedback together, put them into a big black pot, stir it around, and whatever strange elixir is created becomes the city’s budget for the coming year. October 25th is the big day.
Stephen White: Budget meetings “have galvanized residents across this city, and raised significant questions about how our finances are being managed.”
I thought participating in this budget process would be enlightening and informative. Sadly, I came away with more questions than answers. However, if one positive theme emerged from this experience it might be that it has galvanized residents across this city, and raised significant questions about how our finances are being managed. Residents are slowly realizing our council is not representing our interests and we are becoming more engaged while vocally demanding more answers. And to think we didn’t have to apply for a Love Your Neighbourhood grant, rent a bouncy castle, or buy a case of beer!
Earlier this week we wrote a short article attributing a statement made to Councillor Paul Sharman when in fact it was Jim Thompson who made the comment while delegating about the way the city was handling citizen engagement.
Sharman said: “I appreciate your your comments Jim. I will be sending out messages on Facebook and through my newsletter today with respect to the meeting in Ward five.
Jim Thomson – expect to see a lot of this T-shirt
The practice in Burlington is not to permit discussion between a delegation and a member of council so when the words: ” but why hasn’t the city sent out any notification of the changes? You’ve got a professional communication staff that’s failing to communicate” were said we thought it was Sharman continuing a sentence.
This was brought to our attention by Leah Bartolini who is now the Head of Corporate Affairs who thought it was important for the Gazette to make a correction and to apologize the Councillor Sharman.
And we do apologize to Councillor Sharman. The original article has been deleted from the Gazette
We see the error as minor and focus on the words that were used: “You’ve got a professional communication staff that’s failing to communicate” . Who said it isn’t really all that important – it is what was said that mattered.
Members of the Burlington Conservative party have been advised that the deadline to sell memberships is 11:59 PM Friday, October 18th.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BURLINGTON’S NOMINATION PROCESS!
Early Connections: Are you interested in voting in the nomination or representing our Riding? Make sure you are an active Conservative Party Member and get involved with our Riding Association early. This way, you’ll be well-informed, have participated and will be ready for the Nomination announcement.
In 23/24 our Association planned and held eight events for Members and Non-Members.
Nomination Applicants: Members who meet the criteria and have been engaged can apply to be a candidate. Some may have already applied. Those wishing to seek the nomination are able to campaign by selling memberships to those they know or meet.
Approved Nomination Applicants will receive a Membership List after the Close and only then will they be able to reach out to Members on that list by phone, email and door knocking. Using a list ahead of approval may lead to disqualification.
Today Members received the Closing Notice. The deadline to sell memberships is 11:59 PM Fri Oct 18th.
Our Riding will CLOSE at 5 PM on Wed Oct 30th.
NO APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED. That only happens after the Riding Closes on Wed Oct 30th.
When the Riding is Closed: If at the Close of nominations there is only one approved Contestant, that person will be acclaimed as the Candidate. If there are two or more approved Contestants, then there will be a Nomination Vote at a Nomination Meeting.
Use of Membership List:If two or more Nomination Applicants are approved by the Party when the Riding Closes, each will be given a Riding Membership List with permission to contact those members, as per 8) a) of the ‘Rules & Procedures for Candidate Nominations’:
If an Applicant is approved to contest the Nomination, the Executive Director or their designate must provide a copy of the list of current members to the Applicant current as of the date of the Closing Notice.
NOTE – Our Burlington Riding was not affected by the April 23rd 2024 Redistribution. Our name and boundaries remain the same.
If after the CLOSE there is only one approved Contestant, we will post the name of our new acclaimed Candidate here.
If after the CLOSE there are two or more approved Contestants, then we will post the names of those Contestants here, and also the date, time and venue for the Nomination Meeting where the vote will take place. Remember only CPC members in good standing that live in our riding will be able to vote.
Burlington Conservative Association
The following three people have been actively campaigning for the nomination.
Emily Brown on the left, Shaheryar Mian, center and Connor Fraser on the right
British humour with outrageously inventive interactive elements.
Buckle your theatre seats, coming to Burlington and venues this holiday season is a production that is guaranteed to bring audiences of all ages pure joy and laughter: O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy.
Imagine the delightful absurdity of Monty Python, the physical comedy of Mr. Bean, and the whimsical charm of Dr. Seuss – all blended into one brilliant production by Canada’s beloved multi-award winning comedy duo James & Jamesy. O Christmas Tea is a festive masterpiece, combining clever British humor with outrageously inventive interactive elements. When a Christmas tea party spirals into chaos, flooding the world with tea, the audience is swept away on a hilariously whimsical adventure that celebrates friendship, imagination, and holiday cheer.
Critics can’t stop raving. With 5-star reviews from CBC, London Free Press, and Torontoist, O Christmas Tea has been praised as “complete and utter fun for all ages,” and “an ode to the idea that anything is possible.” Audiences across the globe have fallen in love with its heartfelt humor and wildly creative staging.
This isn’t your typical holiday show. O Christmas Tea stands out because it doesn’t just entertain – it actively engages. The audience becomes part of the story, which is packed with unexpected twists, delightful physical comedy, and laugh-out-loud moments. James & Jamesy’s chemistry on stage and their boundless imagination create a feel-good experience that’s perfect for families, friends, and anyone looking for a little magic this Christmas.
The show’s unique approach to blending British tradition with fresh, inventive comedy creates a feature-worthy story, offering a joyful break from the usual holiday programming. It’s a show designed to spark connection and leave everyone with a smile.
O Christmas Tea will be coming to Burlington Performing Arts Centre on 13th November at 3pm and 7.30pm.
Environmental Defence, an environmental advocacy organization has kept a keen eye on what the province wants to do with the announced Hwy 413.
They recently acquired a 68-page trove of previously unreleased documents that they say reveals significant concerns about values that must be protected under federal jurisdiction as required by the Species at Risk Act (SARA), the Fisheries Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Canadian Navigable Waters Act and the Duty to Consult under Section 35 of the Constitution.
“These new records further validate long-held concerns about this highway,” said Tim Gray, executive director at Environmental Defence. “The Ontario government is trying to recklessly push forward with Highway 413 in a way that harms species at risk and considers Indigenous consultation an afterthought.”
Western Chorus Frog
Federal departments communicated concerns about Ontario’s approach to species at risk including how data collection is being undertaken, the lack of protection for certain species and questionable proposals for the relocation of species at risk. The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) revealed that the largest remaining Western Chorus Frog critical habitat area lies in the direct path of the Highway 413 project. Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists flagged that the highway routing seemed to be pre-determined and that alternative route assessments were not completed for species at risk such as the Western Chorus Frog, Red-Headed Woodpecker and Rapids Clubtail.
Red-Headed Woodpecker
The ATIP release also highlighted apprehension from the federal government about the highway due to its potential impact to the navigable waters of the Credit River, Etobicoke Creek and Humber River due to changes in water infiltration and base-flow as a result of paving large sections of the headwaters for each of those rivers (ATIP, pg. 27-28). Other concerns include a lack of information on current Indigenous traditional uses, such as hunting, fishing or gathering, by Indigenous communities and the project team’s lack of engagement with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers.
“The concerns identified in this ATIP clearly show that the federal government needs to immediately re-designate this risky and expensive highway for a full federal Impact Assessment,” said Gray.
Many argue that turning 407 into a non toll highway would solve the problem that 413 is supposed to solve.
Clive Thomas was riding northbound on King Road today for his swim class at Angela Coughlin and said he was “ almost clipped by a passing SUV while crossing the bridge on the 403 overpass.
“Those bridges are under Ontario rule. There is NO room to pass if there is oncoming traffic. Will a body have to be scraped off the road before safety measures are put in? I ride everywhere in Burlington and am livid with Ford.
There is a marker on the right side of the photograph showing a bike lane – pretty small. Let’s see what MPP Natalie Pierre can do for Clive.
“This is a life and death matter, and for a guy like Ford who never misses a meal and never rides a bike, this borders on madness.
“I want to call you on this matter. I almost bit the pavement today , and want clarity on this matter. I’ve cc’d the Gazette here for your information. Please let me know when you will able to take my call.”
The proposed development consists of an 11-storey mixed-use building containing commercial and residential uses at-grade, and residential uses in its above-ground levels. The proposed concept provides vehicular parking in a surface parking area located along the south side of the building and below-grade in 3 underground levels. In total, approximately 316 vehicle parking spaces and 276 bicycle parking spaces are provided. The proposed concept provides a total of 255 residential units, consisting of 3 (1%) studio units, 162 (64%) one-bedroom units, 48 (19%) two-bedroom units, and 41 (16%) three-bedroom units. Approximately 1,273 m2 of commercial space is also provided.
The site is at 84, 92 & 104 Plains Rd E & 990 Glenwood Dr
A completed application not yet been received by the Planning department
Public Engagement
Hybrid Pre-Application Community Meeting
Oct. 30, 2024
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
126 Plains Rd East
St. Matthew on the Plains Anglican Church – Fireside Room
More changes to the city staff organization chart.
Leah Bortolotti, now the Head of Corporate Affairs, had her first council meeting responding to community engagement issues related to the Ward Boundary – Size of City Council issue.
Councillor Kearns:
“I have looked at it again in the actual report on engagement matters, which says that the product, the project, will involve extensive public engagement.
“We don’t always see that qualifier around public engagement. It says that there will be extensive engagement and that a communications plan is being finalized to ensure residents are aware of the review.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns: Asked questions that have not been asked before.
“So what we’ve seen so far with the turnouts on the currently scheduled events is certainly not the type of turnout that I would hope we would have concerning such a serious matter that will be considered before the next election. So I’d like to hear from staff on what will we expect back although it’s an ongoing engagement and a plan is being finalized. When will we see that plan, and when will we know more about what we’re going to receive back in terms of engagement the staff member like to comment on that please.
Leah Bortolotti: We are also putting together a communications kit for all council to use.
Leah Bortolotti: “What we did so far on this was a blast out on September 23. We did a news release, social media, Get Involved Burlington, and we did continued updates on the website. We’re doing a full comms plan starting January, once the final kind of results come in to update everybody. We also are doing an update on social media tomorrow, on the two other dates. That was the plan. I apologize if it wasn’t soon enough for everybody. Given other initiatives for common engagement. We felt that was still timely enough to let people know about the two other engagement sessions.
“We are also putting together a communications kit for all council to use, and that should be coming this week as well, to communicate this to their constituents. I’m open to, obviously, if there’s a need for more communications on this to to respond to those needs or wants. But we feel, as it currently stands, that that plan was extensive for what we’re what current phase that we are in, there is a second phase in January. I mentioned, that we’ll have a bigger budget to do even more communications and engagement and to report back on the initial findings of Watson’s review.”
Kearns: “With the response that you’ve received thus far. How would you measure it against the efforts being put out by the city?”
Leah Bortolotti: “Being relatively new to the city, I can say that it seems like the response is low given our efforts. I don’t necessarily think it’s a lack of communication. I can’t speak to why residents aren’t more actively civically engaged on this, but I can say that we’ve been communicating publicly. I don’t know the respondent demographics when it comes to age, background – but what I can say is we can continue to communicate on social media. I’m not sure if you will see an influx in more respondents, but we’re happy to do so.
Kearns has a second set of questions – they are only permitted two at a time.
Kearns: “I think it’s fair to agree that we do need some robust engagement on this. How will staff get to the root cause of not having the engagement that we need to make the appropriate decisions? What will you do to find the root cause of this lack of engagement?”
Leah Bortolotti: you think people will be very interested in a specific item, and they’re not.
Leah Bortolotti: “Sorry, I don’t have an answer for you on that, because I don’t necessarily think that that’s a just a staff exercise. We can continue to communicate as much as we would like, and what is asked of us – we can’t hand-hold someone to these sessions and force them to respond or to respond online. The best we can do is to work with Watson to ensure that we are communicating as broadly as possible.
Bortolotti added – we don’t have just have this survey. We have two different sections where if people aren’t comfortable with responding to that, maybe the rigor of a survey or the structure is too much for some people – they can also put their feedback directly to those spots on the website. “We’re trying to be as accommodating and flexible as possible with that. I will say that at this point in time, I don’t have an answer for you on what the root cause is.
“I’ve seen this before, working provincially, you think that people will be very interested in a specific item, and they’re not. We’re happy to collaborate with Watson and and take feedback on maybe where there are gaps or opportunities. I don’t think that currently, anything that has been done right now would indicate that there’s not a for lack of trying, we definitely are working to ensure that as many people are responding to these questions and participating as possible.”
City Solicitor Blake Hurley was sitting in as Interim CAO.
Interim CAO Blake Hurley: “This is something that the city staff and our consultants are looking to get that engagement from the members of the public, and to answer your question about, what can we do to determine what the cause is of the out the turnout or lack of turnout so far at our sessions. That’s one of the benefits of working with our consultant who’s very experienced In this area. I think we can draw upon them to determine whether or not this is normal, or whether or not they’re used to seeing more engagement in other municipalities that they’ve done this work in and similar consultation, the advice we’ve heard so far from our consultant is that we have a robust engagement plan. I don’t want to draw a conclusion yet that it’s a communication plan issue, because our consultant has advised us that, yes, we are consulting appropriately and in line with what they’ve done before.
Tonight is our first online session for consultation on this matter that provides an alternative opportunity for members of the public to engage if for some reason, coming out to one of the sessions, I think we’ve had a few in the evening and one in the daytime. If those times have not worked for people, tonight’s online. Tonight’s online session may provide an additional opportunity that provides some more flexibility to them. I also want to make sure that it’s not lost on everyone that in order to provide comments, you don’t have to just attend one of these sessions. There is an opportunity to just write in to our staff and our consultant working on this and that feedback is more than welcome and welcome as much as feedback received in person. So, for those who find the time does not work for them for whatever reason in their personal lives, if they do want to comment, staff is very receptive to receiving those comments via email.
Council Kearns: “Sure, I appreciate that. There is a very significant difference between having a plan and having an outcome. I think we want to be outcome-driven on this approach. I think there’s also opportunity to continue the engagement and receive a report back through a council information report on any changes that are made or more enhancements that are made to the communication piece on this.
“I won’t table a motion. I’ll let you allow the next two sessions or more to unfold with a monitor on outcomes and getting those numbers up, we have just heard that it is lower than expected, so let’s at least get aligned which will be great. Maybe a council information package would be useful? Council information report would be helpful in the next month or so to see where we are.
“I didn’t want this to fall into consent at all. I think this is an important conversation. I won’t table a motion, but I’ll look for an information report. Is that fair?”
Bortolotti : Yeah, that’s absolutely fair.
Kearns: “I just want to make sure that we all have on record what currently has been done, just so we have that awareness.
“The initial report to council, came March 2024 and then the procurement happened. We did a soft launch at Food for Feedback in September and that received a lot of interest.
Leah Bortolotti was direct when she said she did not have answers. That was a good first step.
“We did media releases supporting social media, digital ads, posters all across the city’s facilities, five media articles to date, the reach was 876,000 based on circulation publication. The sentiment at that time, not currently, was 100% neutral for media stories, so not any interest either way.
“City Talk article was featured in 2020 June, there’s also one upcoming in December. We sent it out to 7000 plus subscribers at the Get Involved Burlington. We did an online survey. On October 7, we did a video launch, as well as a document library containing lots of reference material on the Get Involved Burlington page. We are more than happy to continue that push, and we will get a report on the engagement to you.”
And that was it.
A woman, Leah Bortolotti, new to the job was direct when she said she did not have answers. That was a good first step.
Now to get some people who understand communications around the table – think outside the box people.
The stock market is often called a voting machine. Some studies show at least 1 in 3 Canadians trade stocks. With an estimated 41,288,599 people living in Canada, well over 13 million people are voting.
When enough people vote for; that is buy a stock, the laws of supply and demand dictate that the price goes up. We all know that when people are selling the price goes down. Realize that OMERS, CPP, and all the other retirement funds and money managers are also voting.
We outsiders, as individual investors are also voters.
Does insider trading data help individual investors vote for a winner?
Let’s start with where Insider Trading data comes from and whether we can trust the data.
The source of the Insider Trading data is the System for Electronic Disclosure by Insiders – www.sedi.ca – Canada’s on-line, browser-based service for filing and viewing insider reports as required by various provincial securities rules and regulations.
“Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) is the umbrella organization of Canada’s provincial and territorial securities regulators whose objective is to improve, coordinate and harmonize regulation of the Canadian capital markets
The reporting of insider trading serves two important investing functions:
It provides transparency and information to the market about the trading activity of directors, senior officers or significant shareholders of reporting issuers.
It deters insider trading on confidential information, since insiders know that they will be required to disclose their trades.”
Ok, insiders are required to disclose their trades, SEDI is an umbrella group for various provincial securities regulators. Now we know where the data comes from.
Do we trust the data? This is where things get complicated.
Let’s create a fictional company we will call FicCO and assume we are all insiders.
FicCO insiders know that if they start buying FicCO stock, they have to report the purchases on SEDI, where outsiders will see insiders buying stock and will consider joining the party. After all, insiders have the clearest view of a great earnings report, a new product in development, someone kicking tires on a takeover, the potential demise of a competitor – you name it, if anyone knows, the insiders know.
The fact that insiders know that others review their purchases may skew the reasons they purchase stock. Maybe FicCo’s CEO gets a bonus if the stock price hits a certain value. The stock price is not there, so he or she can make and report some large insider purchases, this may induce others to buy the stock, driving up the price. If the CEO doesn’t want to hold FicCo stock for the long term, they can sell small amounts over time, in a way that does not trigger an outsider to review their position in FicCo and also sell.
Another example is FicCo insiders know a great earnings report is on the way, a group of insiders sell large blocks over a day or two, triggering others to sell, then slowly buy back the shares over a few weeks, in a way that does not trigger others to buy.
I’m not saying any company does any of this, I’m just saying the possibility exists. In a perfect world insider buying should indicate it is safe for individual investors to buy. If only we lived in a perfect world.
More on Insider Trading to follow:
A description of the algorithm used to report the top five published in the Burlington Gazette
Some specific examples of how Insider Trading was used
Some study results that show how following insider trading works
Jim has lived in Burlington for much of his life and has watched the city change and grow over the years. With over 1,000 people working for the city there is a lot going on. As a now retired, successful business owner, Jim is interested in exploring and sharing some of what our local government is working on. You can reach Jim by emailing Jim.Portside@gmail.com
After some rather awkward discussion related to how the city engages with the public mention was made that there was going to be a virtual Town Hall meeting THIS EVENING
Current ward boundaries
Council Composition and Ward Boundary Review is currently at this stage
Come speak to staff about council composition. Input gathered from the community will be used to help create recommendations about council composition that will go to City Council for their consideration in December 2024.
By Pepper Parr
