You voted for them - but they aren't ready yet to tell you how they vote for you. City is still not publishing detailed voting results.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

March 9, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

We elect them to make decisions on how the city will be run, which includes everything from hiring a city manager who runs the administrative side of things to approving a budget that will determine how we are taxed.

They meet as both members of two Standing Committees and as a city council where they approve everything done at the Standing committee level.

The seven members of the Burlington city council are also members of the Halton Regional Council.

Many of them don’t want you to know how they voted on specific issues – because you can then hold them accountable.The seven members get paid something in the order of $60,000 for serving as members of city council. They get an additional amount for serving as members of the Regional Council.

Along with all the discussion and debate – these seven men and woman VOTE.

Council vote Dec 18-14 Water Street

City Council during a recorded vote. Meed Ward votes against a motion. It is only on recorded votes that the results of a vote are known.

But you don’t know how they voted unless you are in the room or watch the proceedings on the web cast. And – even if you are in the room it is frequently difficult to see who has their hand up and who doesn’t.

The only time the public is certain as to how a member of council votes is when there is a recorded vote and they all have to stand up and actually be counted.

Recently the office of the city Clerk improved the quality of the minutes and the agenda so that we now know how a vote went – however all the document says is that the vote carried or lost – you don’t know who voted for or who voted against a motion.

In February of 2013 city council decided that recoding all the votes wasn’t necessary Here is the comment made at that time.

“With respect to recorded voting at standing committee meetings, members of Council on the review team expressed differing viewpoints. Acknowledging that recommendations from committee are intended to be a preliminary position on a matter, it was felt that recording a member’s vote at that stage of deliberation could inhibit a member from changing his or her position later at Council should new information become available.

It was also noted that recorded voting would slow the transaction of business at committee meetings. As the review team did not have consensus on the matter, a recommendation on recorded voting is not included within this report and would require direction from Council. Nonetheless, the sentiment of the review team was that if recorded votes were to be permitted at Committee, these would be restricted to the main motions (and main motions as amended) but would not be applied to amendments themselves or any secondary motions tabled.

School board votes

The Halton District school Board has a system that records all votes. Why doesn’t Burlington have one of these?

Over at the Halton District School Board an automatic voting system was put in place. When a vote it to be taken the trustees press a key on a keypad and the results are flashed up on a screen.

The city of Burlington isn’t there – they don’t want to be there – many of them don’t want you to know how they voted on specific issues – because you can then hold them accountable.

Here is what the public now gets.
There is a report coming forward on the Air Park and the problems the city has been having getting the Air Park ownership to provide a site plan for the work they have done in the past and work they want to do in the future.

It took two court cases for Burlington to make clear that the city has the right to require a site plan.

The report is an important one – and it was to be brought forward in February but council decided to defer the report until the new city manager was in place.

James Ridge is due to report for duty March 23rd. Because this is a critically important report council wanted the new city manager at the table which meant deferring the report.

Here is how Council handled that matter:

REFERRAL OF REPORT PROVIDING AN UPDATE REGARDING THE BURLINGTON EXECUTIVE AIRPARK

The following amendment was moved by Councillor Taylor and seconded by Councillor Meed Ward:
Amend Item CW-6-15 of the Development & Infrastructure Committee Meeting No. 2-15, by making the following change:
“Refer the report providing an update regarding the Burlington Executive Airpark to the March 30, 2015 Development & Infrastructure Committee meeting.”

AMENDMENT CARRIED

Was the vote unanimous? If it wasn’t how did members of council actually vote? The public report doesn’t tell you that.

There is a lot at stake with the air park decisions. It is one of the issues that will define the shape of the northern rural part of the city.

There are a significant number of people in ward 6 who are not certain their member of council is hearing what they have to say about the direction the city should take on this issue and they would dearly love to know how Blair Lancaster voted.

The public record doesn’t tell you how she voted.  It doesn’t tell you how any of them voted – just that they did.

Related article:

Council decision on recorded votes.

 

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Beaudoin stuffed; sex ed curriculum could be controversial and core french being extended across the board

News 100 redBy Walter Byj

March 9, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It didn’t take long for the Halton District School Board to decide how it was going to handle the proposed new curriculum on sex education. They unanimously approved the motion by trustee Gray (Halton Hills) that the board send correspondence to the ministry requesting both funding and appropriate training for elementary and secondary teachers in reference to the new Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Halton District School Board wants funding and training before it gets into the new sex education curriculum.The trustees acknowledged this could be a controversial bill and wanted assurance that the teachers in Halton have the resources and knowledge to teach the curriculum appropriately. Trustee Collard (Burlington) stressed that all teachers should be consistent in their training; this was echoed by the student trustee Sophie Schneider. There was no disapproval of the new curriculum by any of the trustees although they did acknowledge that it could be controversial. There are rumblings in the community – a lot of people are not comfortable with this change.

The board also approved the motion that the primary Core French program be extended with for September 2015 with a minimum of 12 new schools and no more than 15.

Although all trustees were impressed with the program to date, there was some question as to the continuation of the program to all schools in the board. Not so said trustee Harvey Hope (Oakville). This is not a pilot project, it is a go. This was reiterated by Associate Director of Education Miller. “Staff does not see this as a pilot program” he said. We are currently cautious only due to staffing issues.

This is not a pilot project, it is a go.If an additional 15 schools are added this year, more than half of the schools would have the program this September with all schools on board within two years. The board will be forwarded the list of new schools for their review by Friday of this week.

The board then faced the issue of filling two current vacancies. Superintendent of Education Yaw Obeng is leaving for a higher position in Burlington, Vermont while David Eaule, Director of Education, announced his retirement effective August of this year.

Although hiring committees will be formed for both positions, both trustee Danielli (Milton) and Collard (Burlington) wanted as many trustees as possible involved in the hiring of the new Director of Education. This is a very detailed and complicated procedure and any experience gained through this process would prove to be beneficial in future hiring’s. The initial step would be to hire a search firm and this should be done by April.

With the upcoming elections of two student trustees by April 30th of this year, the current student trustees, Schneider and Sahi, forwarded a motion that the voting procedure should change.

They didn’t want to see voting become a popularity contest. The board will work with the student trustees to draft a new procedure by the next meeting.

Beaudoin school

Beaudoin Public school is stuffed – no room left.

Beaudoin stuffed - Ryerson has six emply classrooms - changes coming.The Board is struggling with a situation where some schools are filled to capacity while others have room to spare. This is apparent at Charles R. Beaudoin public school; it is a triple track school – dual track English and French Immersion along with gifted self contained classes and is exceeding capacity.

Ryerson public school

Ryerson Public school has six empty classrooms

Ryerson has six classrooms available. Superintendent of Education Zonneveld proposed that self-contained gifted classes include grades 3 to 8 at Charles R. Beaudoin while Ryerson would include grades 1 to 2. The self-contained classes would continue to expand over the coming years to include grades one to four while Beaudoin would have classes from five to eight.

Trustees expressed concern about students having to transition schools after grades four. There are parents who will express that concern as well.
Beaudoin has had problems with the size of its student population for some time.

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Is the end of winter in sight? Has anyone seen a robin yet? Where are the rubber boots?

News 100 yellowBy Staff
March 9, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Is the end in sight?

Has anyone seen a robin yet?

Where are the rubber boots?

For the first time in a few days you can actually see the people out on the street – they are no longer bundled up behind scarves and hoods.

Bennett M in church garden

Michelle Bennett was one of the people that brought community gardens to the city. There are now three in Burlington with plans in the works for possibly two more.

Spring may not be here yet but it is certainly in the air and Daylight Saving time tells us something doesn’t it?

Did you get a chance on the weekend to sit in the sun and feel the warmth on your face?

And did you get out without a coat?

Seed catalogThe tough winter may have just loosened its grip on us.

Is it time to begin looking at seed catalogs and put away the brochures on the deals to go south?

Registration for one of the plots in the three community gardens: Amherst Park, Central Park and Francis Road bike trail will be accepted from March 16 to April 12.

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John Waldie had two wives and thirteen children: all were brought back to Burlington where they were buried.

Who Knew 100x100 2015By Mark Gillies

March 9, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part three of a four part feature.

Waldie John  & Mary Waldie with their children part 3

This picture of the 13 Waldie children, Agnes, Marion, James, John, Lillian, Ida, Ernest, Frederick, Robert, Walter, Jessica, Charles and Mary was photographed around 1886 or 1887, after their mother had died in 1884. On the top left is John Waldie, the father, at about 52 years of age; and below John, is the children’s mother Mary Thompson Waldie at about 40 years of age.

One of Canada’s greatest business leaders at the turn of the 20th century was John Waldie; a man with humble beginnings and amassed unbelievable wealth, and became one of Canada’s most powerful lumber barons was also a true philanthropist, a refined gentleman, and a man who was passionate about calling Burlington, his home.

John Waldie married twice. His first wife was Mary Ann Thompson. Mary was born in 1841, but died at the age of 43 in January 1884, just three weeks after giving birth to her 13th child Mollie. John’s second wife was Sarah Ann Jarvis from Milton, a young lady of 29, who married the 53 year old widower in December 1885. Sarah Ann, at the age of 61, suffered a stroke and died June 6, 1918.

Waldie - Sarah Ann Jarvis 3

Sarah Ann Jarvis was a remarkable young lady. At 29 years of age, she entered into marriage with John Waldie who was 52 years of age; and then Sarah became a stepmother to John’s 13 children.

John Waldie had 13 children, and their lives continued on with much diversity after John Waldie’s death in 1907. Some children had tragic endings, while some had successful careers, some married into wealthy families, while others played and lived the life of the rich and famous.

From eldest to youngest, the first born was in 1862, and the last born was in 1884; their names are in chronological order; Agnes, Marion, James, John, Lillian, Ida, Ernest, Frederick, Robert, Walter, Jessica, Charles and Mary.

Agnes Waldie was born in 1862. On June 22, 1882, Agnes married into the affluent Marlatt family of Oakville. Her husband was Cecil Gustavus Marlatt, a dashing young man, a yachting enthusiast, an industrialist, and one of Oakville’s favourite sons. The Marlatt family owned the local tannery which at the time was the largest employer with over 200 employees.

The couple had two children. Roy Waldie Marlatt died in 1885 from cholera, at the age of 5 months. Their second son Kenneth Dean Marlatt was born in 1888 and passed away in 1942. One month after Kenneth’s birth in November, Agnes died on December 22, 1888 from spinal meningitis.

Gillies - Agnes Waldie

Agnes Waldie (L) married into one of Oakville’s wealthiest families. In 1882 Agnes married Cecil Gustavus Marlatt. It was Agnes who laid the cornerstone for the new Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville (C), a building mainly financed by the Marlatt family.

Agnes and Cecil were members of Knox Presbyterian Church located on Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville. It was Agnes who laid the cornerstone for the church in 1884. The Marlatt family financed the construction of Knox Presbyterian Church.

Gillies Marion Waldie Combo 1 & 2

Marion never married, preferring a life of world travel and high class living.

Marion Waldie was born in 1864 in Wellington Square. Marion, the second eldest daughter never married. Preferring the single life, Marion lived most of her affluent life travelling around the world. On Aug 29, 1949 Marion passed away at the age of 85, in Toronto.

Gillies -  John Edward Waldie

John Edward Waldie’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 26 when he drowned in a canoeing accident on the French River.

James William Waldie was the eldest son. William, as he was known, was born in 1867, at their home in Wellington Square. William followed in his father’s footsteps and became involved in the lumber business.

Gillies - James William Waldie

William Waldie was the first son to follow in his father’s footsteps. William moved his own family to Castlegar, British Columbia, and began the west coast operation of the family’s massive lumber business.

The Waldie’s expanded their business across Canada, and William went to Castlegar, British Columbia, and set up the William Waldie & Sons Lumber Company. This west coast business was highly successful and operated until 1961.

John Edward Waldie was born in 1868 in Wellington Square. John also followed his father and older brother into the lumber business, but in 1894, the family was devastated at the news of the sudden death of John Edward Waldie. At the age of 26, John drowned in a canoeing accident on the French River.

Gillies - Eliza Lillian Waldie

Lillie, like her older sister Marion, never married. Lillie travelled the world and lived the life of luxury. At her Toronto home, she suffered a heart attack and died when she was only 68 years old

.Eliza Lillian Waldie was born in 1870 in Wellington Square. Lillian, just like her older sister, never married. She too, preferred to travel around the world, living the life of the rich and famous. Two days after Christmas in 1938, Lillian suffered a heart attack at the age of 68, and died in her Toronto home.

Gillies - Ida Waldie

Fanny married Dr. Charles Temple. The wealthy Temple family were prominent surgeons in Toronto.

Ida Frances Waldie was born in 1871 in Wellington Square. Ida was known as Fanny. In 1895, Fanny married Dr. Charles Algernon Deveser Temple, a surgeon. The Temple family were prominent Toronto doctors. In February of 1940, Ida Waldie Temple at the age of 69, died.

Ernest Tasker Waldie was born in 1873. Ernest had a difficult life. Apparently, he was dropped on his head as a baby, and suffered his entire life with mental disorders. Ernest lived most of his life at the “Orillia Asylum for Idiots”, tnhat was the original name of the institution. This same institution is now involved in a $2 billion dollar class action lawsuit with the Province of Ontario for alleged mistreatment of patients, which is scheduled for court in September 2015.

Gillies - Ernest Tasker Waldie

Ernest Waldie suffered from medical conditions and spent most of his life at an institution once called the “Orillia Asylum for Idiots”, now called the Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia.

Heading up the class action, are two former residents from the psychiatric facility, who told how they had been beaten, sexually abused, held upside down in ice-cold water and medicated against their will at the Huronia Regional Centre (Orillia Asylum for Idiots). Ernest at 58, died from pneumonia and heart failure in 1931 while he was a patient at this same institution. There was a contributory cause of Ernest’s death listed on the Death Certificate. It was recorded as “Idiocy”.

Frederick Norval Waldie was the fourth eldest son of John Waldie. Fred was born in Burlington in 1875. After his father’s death in 1907, Fred became president of the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company. At the age of 52, Fred died from heart disease in Shanty Bay, Ontario.

Gillies - Robert Stanley Waldie

Robert pursued law as a career and did not go into the lumber business. Robert Waldie became the President of the Imperial Bank of Canada, and also held the position of Vice-President with the Canada Bread Company.

The fifth son was Robert Stanley Waldie, who was born in Burlington in 1877. Robert did not follow in his father’s footsteps and venture into the lumber business. Robert chose law as a profession. As a lawyer, Robert was successful in the business world, and rose to become the president of the Imperial Bank of Canada. The Imperial Bank merged with the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1961; the largest merger of two chartered banks in Canadian history. Robert Waldie was also the vice-president of the Canada Bread Company. Robert Stanley Waldie died in 1966.

Gillies - Walter Scott Waldie

Walter left the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company to join the military at the beginning of World War 1. While overseas, Walter died from influenza in 1919. His father-in-law was Sir Albert Edward Kemp (L), the Minister of Militia and Defence for Canada, in Sir Robert Borden’s Government

Walter Scott Waldie was born in 1879 in Burlington. Walter like most of his brothers went into the lumber business. When World War 1 broke out, Walter enlisted into the military and went overseas. In 1919, while still in the service and located in Wales, Walter died from influenza on February 2, 1919. He left behind his wife Alice and 3 young children John, Alice and Ian. Mrs. Walter Waldie was the daughter of Sir Albert Edward Kemp. During World War 1, Sir Albert was the Minister of Militia and Defence, and the Minister of the Overseas Military Forces for Canada.

Jessica Waldie was the eleventh child born to Burlington’s Waldie family in 1880. Jessie had more of an ordinary married life, and one not so much wrapped around all of the wealth that the Waldie family enjoyed. In 1905 Jessie married Godfrey Edward Spragge. The Spragge family had four children, John, Edward, Elizabeth and Peter. John Godfrey Spragge, the eldest son born in 1907 chose a military career and rose in rank to become a Brigadier-General in World War II.

Gillies Charles Percival Waldie

Percy was the youngest son of John and Mary Waldie. He joined the war effort and died in battle, with the rank of Lieutenant, at Hulloch Village, Loos, France. Percy was just 33 years old.

Charles Percival Waldie was John Waldie’s youngest son. Percy was born in 1882. When World War 1 came along, young Percy enlisted. The Great War was to claim his life, and on September 26, 1915 at the battle of Loos near Hulloch Village, France; 2nd Lieutenant Waldie was killed in action.

Gillies - Waldie Family Plot in Greenwood Cemetery

John Waldie and his family all returned home to Burlington and are buried in the family plot in historic Greenwood Cemetery.

The youngest child of John Waldie was Mary Waldie, and the family called her Mollie. Mollie was born in Burlington in 1884. Mollie enjoyed a privileged life. At the age of 21 in 1905, young Mollie married Robert Cecil Hamilton Cassels. The Cassels family were prominent lawyers in Toronto. Today, Cassels, Brock and Blackwell is one of the largest law firms in Canada, and has been established for over 125 years. Mollie at the age of 75, passed away June 16, 1959.

My next article, Part 4 of a 4 Part series, will be what the City of Burlington has done to recognize this great Canadian philanthropist, a one of a kind business leader, who was a distinguished local and federal politician, and was the “Father of Burlington”, plus the “Father of the Burlington Public Library”.

Mark Gillies is a lifelong resident of Burlington, who grew up in Aldershot and developed as a local historian, researcher, master genealogist and writer who has a passionate interest and extensive knowledge of the many early pioneer families.
Mark will write a regular column about colourful local history introducing Burlingtonians to the people that made this city what it is today.

 

 

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Five flicks to be screened by BurlingtonGreen this year - first on March 25th - worth your time.

News 100 greenBy Staff

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

While a larger community is gearing up for the review of the provinces ecologically parts of our environment BurlingtonGreen has announced its 2015 line up of award winning films for their 2015 Eco-film Festival which will start later this month – on March 25th.

The screenings will be at the Burlington Central Library (2331 New Street), followed by take action initiatives, guest speakers, and audience discussion on how individual and collective action can help the planet locally.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the film beginning at 7:00pm – $5.00 donations are welcome upon arrival to support event costs.

The eco-film festival line up includes:

Watermark (March 25th) An extraordinary awarding winning documentary by Canadian filmmakers that examines our relationship with water and how it shapes humanity.

Surviving progressSurviving Progress (April 29th) Martin Scorsese’s provocative documentary that delves into concepts of progress focusing on technological advancement, economic development, and population increase in the modern world.

Chasing IceChasing Ice (June 3rd) An Academy Award winning film that details the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet.

Dirt! (September 23rd) An astonishing look at the glorious and unappreciated ground beneath our feet.

Journey of the Universe (November 4th) An epic story of cosmic, earth and human transformation from the Big Bang to today.

Complimentary refreshments will be available along with free eco-prize raffle draws at each event. BurlingtonGreen aims to host green events and asks that all guests walk, cycle, carpool or use public transit whenever possible, and bring their own mug for refreshments.

BurlingtonGreen is very grateful to local Burlington company O. C. Tanner for their continued support of the Eco-Film Festival. Event refreshments provided courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Together they make a difference when we think global and act local

For those who may be new to Burlington and haven’t heard about BurlingtonGreen it was established in 2007. It is a citizen-led, not-for-profit environmental agency. Their mission is to protect the diversity of nature and to create a healthier environment, now and for the future. Through awareness, advocacy, and action they collaborate with all sectors of the community to protect the natural environment and to make Burlington a cleaner, greener, more environmentally responsible city.

 

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Drug traffickers arrested and charged following search warrants in Halton, Niagara and Hamilton

Crime 100By Staff

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton Regional Police Service in partnership with the Niagara Regional Police Service have concluded a short duration drug investigation titled Project Capital resulting in the arrest of a network of street level drug traffickers operating across the GTA.

On Thursday March 5, 2015, members of the Halton Regional Police, Niagara Regional Police and Hamilton Police Service, executed a total of ten Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) search warrants throughout the Regions of Halton, Hamilton and Niagara.

Four men have been arrested and charged with several drug related offences. Officers seized cocaine, marihuana and Fentanyl with a street value of approximately $25,000.

In addition, approximately $60,000 cash and a Dodge Ram pickup truck were seized.

Simon CHAMORRO , 37 years old from Hamilton has been charged with:
Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine)
Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marihuana).

Salvatore LAMACCHIA , 35 years old from Welland has been charged with:
Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine),
Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marihuana)
Breach of Probation.

Timothy TOWNSEND, 46 years old from St. Catharines has been charged with:
Possession of a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl). 


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The way Ontario is built and developed is about to change: Better consultation with residents early in the development process are welcomed.

opinionandcommentBy James Smith

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Sometimes, little noticed somewhat boring announcements by government are the ones that pack the biggest punch. Yesterday’s announcement by Minister Ted McMeekin that Ontario intends change to how we’ll plan, build, and pay for developing cities in Ontario is one such announcement.

The way Ontario is built and developed is about to change; I think this will be a very welcome. First let me declare my bias, I’m a Founding Member of BFast (Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit), and as a design consultant I often work on projects for both public and private developers. I feel the changes announced by Minister McMeekin yesterday may mean modestly more work for me and my clients.

If these changes live up to the billing, changes to Smart Growth, land use planning and development charges have the potential to be a seismic shift on how cities are built for years to come and this affects us all. The coming changes will radically impact how we go about urban growth in Ontario on a scale as large as the introduction, ten years ago, of The Green Belt. If the legislation lives up to the press release, the Province will put teeth into its Smart Growth policy and Municipalities will need to pull their weight.

So far Smart Growth is a policy many municipalities, including Burlington, give just lip service.  Professional planners and drafters of Official Plans write elegant documents, but City and Town Councils frequently ignore their more lofty goals. With this legislation Minister McMeekin is saying Municipalities will be held to account, and will need to live up to the Goals of Smart Growth. Long overdue.

So far Smart Growth is a policy many municipalities, including Burlington, give just lip service.This change is about the kind of building projects we’ll see built in Ontario and how we will pay for the stuff we build. I suspect that members of Burlington and other City councils who subscribe to the failed dogma of Libertarianism won’t like this legislation one bit. To them I say: “suck it up princess, the free ride is over”. Specifically these Planning Act Changes propose to:

• Ensure residents are better consulted at the beginning of the planning process for new developments.
• Encourage residents to provide feedback on the future of their communities.
• Help municipalities resolve potential planning disputes earlier, reducing involvement of the Ontario Municipal Board in local disputes.
• Extend the review of new municipal official plans to 10 years, instead of the current five-year cycle
• Providing municipalities with more control and stability over their planning documents. Once a municipality establishes a new official plan, it would be frozen and therefore not subject to new appeals for two years unless changes are initiated by the municipality. A community planning permit system once established by a municipality would not be subject to any appeals of private applications for five years.
• Clearly defining what constitutes a minor variance (a small change from a zoning bylaw).

Better consultation with residents early in the development process and getting their feedback are welcome, long overdue changes. The challenge will be to break down the walls of NIBYism; no small task. For at least seventy years North America has embraced suburban sprawl funded by, more sprawl.

Leigh Gallagher, in her book The End Of The Suburbs outlines how North Americans have the car-centric suburban landscape in their DNA and is our expectation of where we live. Both Gallagher and Smart Growth talk about breaking this unsustainable cycle. The proposed changes to the Act will have to help with this understanding of what Smart Growth means, so residents will need to understand this shift when proposals are brought forward. As, or more importantly, the development industry will have to change their business model too.

er45n

Six houses identical to this one were torn down on land that was part of the Veterans Land program – the lots were assembled and the infill shown below built.

Boilerplate infill projects will no longer be acceptable. Projects will more and more have to reflect an individual neighbourhood’s character and residents taste and long-term expectations for their community. Budgets for new projects will therefor need to change as removing the hated OMB from most planning disputes will mean more money being spent on public meetings and Architects’ fees and less time on Lawyers’ fees. In my experience, anytime more thought goes into a design and less time is spent on legal wrangling makes for a better project.

werf bfgt

Fifty eight units were built on land that previously had six homes on it. Tough to find a back yard in this infill project.

The ten year cycle for Official Plans has potential positive benefits as it will reduce the time Cities and Towns spend on Official Plans and free up those staff resources. No only is limiting the involvement of the OMB of great news, these changes will mean fewer Municipalities, will do their city planning by Official Plan Amendments. Burlington specifically has for at least 25 years engaged in planning by Official Plan Amendments rather than relying on either the Regional or City’s Official Plan. Councils often are blinded by developments that have actually cost the Municipality money in the long run as the Official Plan Amendments often is at odds with the official plan, these changes will force the Development industry to do better planning, spend more on Designers and less on Lawyers.

Development Charges are set to be changed in the following fashion:

• Help municipalities recover costs for transit services and waste diversion.
• Create clear reporting requirements for capital projects municipalities financed though development charges, as well as section 37 of the Planning Act related to density bonusing and parkland dedication.
• Municipalities would be required to follow reporting requirements that reflect best practices and detail to the community how money from development charges is spent.
• The government would create better reporting requirements for municipalities collecting money under section 37 of the Planning Act related to density bonusing, and related to parkland dedications, which details how the funds are spent.
• Development charges would be payable at the time the first building permit was issued for a building so that developers could be certain of the cost.
• Municipalities would be required to better integrate how development charges fit with long-term planning, including local asset management plans.
• The government will help municipalities identify and share their best practices on using development charges to address local planning and financial objectives.
• There would be more stringent reporting and greater oversight of any funds or municipal charges on new developments that fall outside what is allowed in current legislation

Development Charges can be a useful tool to reflect the real capital costs of any building project on a municipality. Planner Pamela Blais in Perverse Cities clearly outlines that the real cost to the municipal taxpayer of urban sprawl is not presently accounted for in many North American jurisdictions. Development Charges attempt to make a project pay for the real cost of the capital costs a new project represents.

While Transit and Waste diversion were not specifically accounted for in the previous Act they can be funded under more general categories. Specifically calling these items out is a good step. The challenge will be to use Development Charges to limit Greenfield, or make it pay for the burden it puts on a Municipality while simultaneously not acting as a brake on positive and creative infill development.

So there needs to be the ability for Municipalities to bracket Development Charges accordingly.

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Police media releases now using Latin? Project Viocurus - Collision Reduction Initiative Pays Off

News 100 redBy Staff
March 6, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The results of Project Viocurus (Latin for Master of the Roads) are in and they point to a significant reduction in personal injury and damage collisions within the Towns of Milton and Halton Hills.

Between February 5th and March 5th officers from 1 District proactively targeted the major east west commuter routes and collision “Hot Spots” within both Townships targeting the “Big 4” bad driving behaviours; aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving and failure to wear seat belts.
For the same period last year there were a total of 22 injury collisions. This year there were 11 injury collisions. The project had the same positive impact on property damage collisions with 186 being reported last year compared to 81 this year.

Officers continued to target those drivers who present a significant risk to the motoring community, focussing especially on those who are prohibited from driving and driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol. During the project a total of 10 drivers were arrested and charged for impaired driving and 38 drivers were charged with driving while under a suspension.

Officers continued to target those drivers who present a significant risk to the motoring community.During the project a total of 1130 Provincial Offence Notices were issued compared to 949 for the same period last year.

Halton Police would like to remind the public that we take traffic safety and enforcement extremely seriously and remain committed to working with our community partners to make our roads as safe as possible. If you suspect that a driver is impaired please treat this as a crime in progress and call 911.

If any member of the public wishes to report an incident involving dangerous and/or aggressive driving they can visit our website and file a Road Watch report.

The mission of the Halton Community ROAD WATCH Program is to reduce aggressive driving on the streets and highways of Halton Region. The Halton Community ROAD WATCH Program encourages the community to take responsibility for their driving behavior and attitudes.

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Do we need a carbon tax in Ontario? We need something to save this planet but not at the gas pump where the pain can be seen and felt.

Rivers 100x100By Ray Rivers

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Ontario’s minister of the environment. Glen Murray, might have chosen a better winter. He has announced province-wide climate change consultations as a prelude to developing a new strategy. But after the coldest winter in ages he may well get a cool reception from folks who haven’t warmed up to the difference between weather and climate.

The Province has released a discussion paper as a starting point for consultations. This is one of those primers on the topic – a sort of ‘climate-change-for-dummies’. It is more style than substance, to be sure, but the paper does crawl up to a bottom line. A carbon tax is on the horizon for Ontario!

Green house gasses A

There is a direct connection between this picture and the one on the right.

Ice berg - green house gas

What does a person who cares about the environment and is prepared to pay to preserve the plant we live on do to keep the northern environment?

Carbon taxes are anathema to our federal government. We recall how Mr. Harper shredded Liberal leader Dion for making a carbon tax the centerpiece of his election campaign a few years ago. And Harper, we know, had spent his earlier days as a climate change denier, though today, as PM, he has to give some lip service to the phenomenon. Besides he is the man who has never seen a tax he liked.

But that isn’t how the nation’s provincial jurisdictions see it. Gordon Campbell may have come from the same place as Harper when he first came into power in B.C. several years ago, but he quickly came to understand the issue. Performing an almost perfect 180 degree back-flip, his government became seriously committed to the environment, and climate change in particular. And the centerpiece of his program was a ‘revenue neutral’ carbon tax. In turn, the B.C. public has vindicated his decision and endorsed the tax by supporting the Liberals at the polls.

Quebec also has a carbon tax and Alberta has a ‘cap-and-trade’ emissions trading regime, which works as a kind-of carbon tax. Ontario has been toying with the idea of joining a couple of US state-led emissions trading initiatives, or starting its own emission trading program. But unlike some other provinces, Ontario is still standing by the water’s edge with one foot in the water in this regard.

Not that anyone should dare criticize Ontario for lack of action. The province didn’t need a carbon tax or cap-and-trade program to score the most impressive GHG reductions in North America. While emissions have increased in most of the other provinces, and soared in Alberta, Ontario’s emissions plummeted to 6% below its 1990 levels. Had every other province followed Ontario’s lead, Canada would have been able to meet its Kyoto international obligations instead of throwing up our hands and becoming the first nation to withdraw from the global treaty.

If you can’t get the puck into the net you might try moving the goal posts. That has been Canada’s approach to defending climate change inaction with this PM, who, in fact, has a book on hockey to his name. But moving the milestones to 2007 just makes Ontario’s performance look better with an impressive 17% reduction.

So if Ontario is already the most valuable player in the league, why do we need a carbon tax? Cynics might speculate that the provincial government is just looking for a new ‘cash cow’ to reduce the provincial deficit and debt. And as to a new tax – well it’s a bit like Molière’s ‘bourgeois gentilhomme’, who striving to become a gentleman and speak in prose, finally realizes that he’d been speaking it all his life.

For example, our healthy electricity rates reflect the shift away from lower cost dirty coal. Isn’t that a carbon tax by another name. And aren’t the HST and federal excise tax, charged per litre at the petrol pump, just a carbon tax by another name? How would a new carbon tax be any different? In the end B.C. and Quebec’s fancy carbon taxes amounted to not much more than jacking up consumer costs at the pump.

File picture of gas fired power station at sunset in Minsk

It might be a nice photograph – but it is not by any stretch of the imagination a pretty picture.

The theory behind the carbon tax is that it dis-incents the use of fossil fuels, and the consequent release of emissions. Sales taxes are consumption taxes. They discourage consumption so they are good tools from that perspective, as we have seen with declining tobacco sales. But sales taxes, like the HST, are not without their consequences.

It’s called the income effect. Consumption taxes hurt lower income tax payers more that those who are well endowed. This inequity has earned sales taxes, also called indirect taxes, the title of ‘regressive’ as opposed to ‘progressive’ – which is what economists call income or inheritance taxes. Progressive taxes are more socially equitable since one pays taxes in keeping with one’s ability to pay.

B.C.’s effort at ‘revenue neutrality’ trades off consumption taxes for income taxes and inevitably hurts lower income residents, notwithstanding its overall popularity. Those wondering why the wealth spread between the rich and the poor in this country has sky-rocketed over the last couple of decades need only to look at Brian Mulroney’s trade-off between introducing the GST and reducing progressive income taxation.

For a carbon tax to be effective, there need to be alternatives to fossil fuels. The public needs to have the means to shift to public transportation and/or afford and accept the myriad of emerging electric and hybrid vehicles. Further, any such tax has to be big enough to catch people’s attention, so they’ll seriously consider making the shift from the status quo. Otherwise they might as well continue driving that guzzler, grumbling about the high costs and voting for the other political party at the next election.

Having been cultured for over two decades on the evils of taxation, Ontario residents can be expected to resist the imposition of a new carbon tax. However B.C. has shown that making the the new tax revenue-neutral can induce public acceptance. And this acceptability can be enhanced by demonstrating that the proceeds of the tax have been applied to furthering emissions reductions, not simply taken as another tax grab to get dumped into the provincial treasury.

It is not everyday that a government anticipating a new tax, invites broad public participation in helping it make that decision. The links below include access to the discussion paper as well as other background. It behooves us to respond to this invitation by the Wynne government, a government that has shown itself to be inclined to action, rather than just philosophizing.

Climate change is a serious matter with potentially dangerous outcomes, regardless of how much today’s weather may have seduced us into inertia. We owe it to the next generation to participate.

Rivers-direct-into-camera1-173x300

Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.

Background links:

Climate Change       Consultations      Climate Change Paper      Carbon Tax

Carbon Tax and Keystone     Quebec’s Carbon Tax      More Carbon Tax

Fuel Taxes     Moliere

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Province's lottery and gambling arm are hoping to secure up to $375 million in additional profits in the next five years

News 100 blueBy Edmund Anderson

March 6, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

For many sports and gambling enthusiasts, new games and new ways to win big are now being offered . In Ontario, betting and gambling are overseen by OLG and PlayOLG is the brand new official site where residents of this province can do all their online gambling including sports betting. It is secure and legal and perfect for those that want to gamble from the comfort of their own home.

OLG offers a number of online gambling options and they are set to add more in the future including peer-to-peer poker, bingo, sports betting and more. This brand new site opened its doors in early January 2015 and it provides the government with another opportunity to expand their revenue from gambling.

Play OLGBy launching this brand new online gambling website, the OLG is hoping to tap into the estimated $400 million that Ontario gamblers are spending annually on international sites. They are hoping to secure up to $375 million in additional profits in the next five years. Ontario now joins British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and all of the Atlantic Provinces in offering online gambling and casino style games to their residents. Players at PlayOLG will be able to set their own wagering limits up to $9,999 per week. They must be at least 18 years of age and must be an Ontario resident and play within the province.

Sports Betting in Ontario
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is operated by the provincial government of Ontario and they offer the only legal Canadian based online sports gambling for residents of Ontario. Ontario is home to no less than four major league sports teams and Toronto is rumored to eventually be the host for Canada’s first ever NFL football team. The major sports teams are the Maple Leafs in the NHL, the Blue Jays in the MLB, The Raptors in the NBA, and the Toronto FC in the MLS. With this in mind, it is easy to see why sports betting is very popular in Ontario. The OLG has recently made Pro-Line betting services available online which is great news for sports betting fans who like to place their wagers online.

OLG’s Pro-Line online sports betting website is available to all Ontario residents over the age of 18 and here you will find all the days listed events, links to the sports offered and the lines for these events. The Pro-Line betting grid lists available betting options and you will need to make your selections and then print out your betting slip. The betting options available are very limited especially when you compare these to international online sports betting websites. The Pro-Line bets are comprised of picking 3-6 outcomes and that is it. They also offer Point Spread and Pro Picks but it still doesn’t compare to the international sites.

Canada’s Legal Sports betting Bill – C290
With current Canadian gambling laws, parlays are the only way that Canadian residents can place a wager. If you are a serious gambling this means you will be limited and it is why many sports betting fans choose to use international sites.

Here they can place whatever bets they want. The parlay rule has been subject to a lot of debate over recent years and many Canadians are hoping that the C290 bill will get passed. It has been tied up in the senate for a long time now and once passed this will remove the parlay wager rule and allow Canadians to bet on single game results and so much more. For sporting fans this will be a very welcome change as it will allow them to bet on single results such as the NFL final, football, and so much more.

So far we still don’t know when this bill will be passed or even if it will be passed and because of this, Canadians are doing their sports betting elsewhere and opting to use international websites that allow bets from Canadian gamblers. The downside to this, is that the government is losing out on massive revenues each year and this is the argument for the passing of the C290 bill as once passed, these revenues can be kept in Canada and pumped back into Ontario’s economy.

Legal betting and online gambling in Ontario is done through OLG and their provincially run website PlayOLG is for residents of this province only. There are advantages to this in that you know that everything you do is legal and the site is safe. The disadvantages of course are that you are only playing against residents of Ontario and the jackpots up for grabs aren’t as big as those offered by huge international websites. If you are planning on placing wagers on sporting events this year, including the NFL’s Superbowl final or this year’s Stanley Cup final, then like many others, you will be hoping the C290 bill issue is resolved sooner rather than later.

You can read about the NFL final predictions and what sites are offering the best odds so that you know where to place your wagers for the best return. There is also valuable information for those who will be placing parlay bets too.

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It’s these controversial issues where you can publicly call out the Mayor, Council, or Councillors.

News 100 redBy Tom Muir

March 6, 2015

BURLINGTON,ON

Hard to disagree that the present delegation process isn’t much of an accountability mechanism, but nobody ever said it was easy. What you seem to suggest is giving up. Apathy is how we got to where we are.

The point is that you can delegate and say whatever you want, and demand answers in the Council chambers. You can raise an issue and target a Councillor or whoever as the wrongdoer. You can band together and make a louder noise. You can’t do that at any other level of government.

Keep in mind that a lot of Council business is repetitive and officially mandated by law. It’s not always a big deal that creates issues that arouse people.

As a Standing Committee chair, Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is as good as it gets.  Handling delegations and accepting the ideas of other people - not as good.  But he wins elections.

As a Standing Committee chair, Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven WAS as good as it gets. Handling delegations and accepting the ideas of other people – not as good. But he wins elections. Craven and Tom Muir tangle frequently.

It’s these controversial issues where you can publicly call out the Mayor, Council, or Councillors, whoever you see as the guilty party. Gang up on them with your fellows.

What we really need is the major press and media to get involved in a bigger way. The Gazette here is really the only voice on what goes on at City Hall, in an otherwise large vacuum. The other media are part of the lack of accountability.

You either get in the citizen boat and row, or drown.

William James, the philosopher, once said, “Act as if what you are doing makes a difference – it does.”

Tom Muir is an Aldershot resident who has delegated frequently at city hall – he doesn’t back down. He commented on the delegation process in Burlington. Click on the link

 

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Proposed provincial changes to the Planning Act might help Burlington transit and bring an end to five years reviews of the Official Plan

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

March 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Ontario is proposing reforms to the Planning Act and the Development Charges Act that would give residents a greater say in how their communities grow and would provide more opportunities to fund community services like transit and recycling.

At some point all the data and all the public input gets placed in front of Burlington's Planner, Bruce Kruselniiki - who will issue a report and city council will make decisions.  Creating the downtown the city wants and needs has not been an easy process for Burlington.

City planner Bruce Bruce Krushelnicki will undoubtedly applaud the proposal the have Official Plan Reviews done every ten years instead of the current five.

The proposed Planning Act changes, if passed, would:

Ensure residents are better consulted at the beginning of the planning process for new developments.
Encourage residents to provide feedback on the future of their communities.
Help municipalities resolve potential planning disputes earlier, reducing involvement of the Ontario Municipal Board in local disputes.
Extend the review of new municipal official plans to 10 years, instead of the current five-year cycle.

Bfast Transit group logoIf passed the Bfast people (Burlington for Accessible Transit) will burst with Joy! – and probably have to have Pacemakers installed to still their beating hearts.

Burlington has always had a confusing relationship with transit – most people don’t use it – and council doesn’t like spending for a service that isn’t used all that much

Changes to the Development Charges Act, if passed, would:

Help municipalities recover costs for transit services and waste diversion.
Create clear reporting requirements for capital projects municipalities financed though development charges, as well as section 37 of the Planning Act related to density bonusing and parkland dedication.

Working groups of stakeholders will review and consider further more complex land use planning and development charges issues, and propose solutions.

The proposed amendments are based on input from across Ontario including more than 20 public workshops and stakeholder meetings held from October 2013 to January 2014.

More than 1,200 submissions on the land use planning and appeal system, and the development charges system were received during the reviews.
Approximately 200 of Ontario’s 444 municipalities use development charges.

Bus station 1

Province appears to want more public input on transit decisions – might mean crating a new transit Advisory Committee. We scrapped the one we had.

The announcement from the provincial government this morning are proposals that will have to be debated and it will take some time for them to work their way into the way business is done in the province.  If passed they have the potential to make significant changes in the way transit development gets done and the rile the public can play.

The question left hanging for Burlington on this one is:  Will we have our Official Plan revised and voted on before the province makes these proposals law?

Ten years between Official Plan reviews must have resulted in huge sighs of relief in the city’s planning department.

 

 

 

 

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Girls hockey pull in two gold and a sliver at recent tournaments: might be getting calls from that team in Toronto looking for talent.

element_sportsBy Staff

March 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Burlington Girls Hockey Club (BGHC) better known as the Baracudas; brought home three tournament medals, two GOLD and one SILVER, from two tournaments held this past weekend in Clearview and Oshawa (February 27 – March 1, 2015).

The not-for-profit hockey organization offers girls a fun environment to play Canada’s favourite sport has more than 750 girls (and growing) and offers programs for girls ages 4 to 21 at both the house league and competitive (rep) levels.

Barracudas Atom BB - GOLD - Clearview March Madness

The Atom BB’s were gold medalists

The Atom BB were Gold medalists at the Cleaview March Madness tournament.

Barracudas Oshawa Lady Generals Spring Classic Novice Champions - GOLD

They are pretty proud of themselves – and they should be: Novice take gold

The Novice House league Blue Rebels were also Gold medalists at the Oshawa Lady Generals Spring Classic.

Barracudas Bantam Panthers - Silver - Oshawa Lady Generals Spring Classic

The Panthers are letting it all hang out – hockey players that became divas. Silver for this team

The Bantam House League Panthers were Silver medalists
2015 Oshawa Lady Generals Spring Classic Girls Hockey Tournament.

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The Victoria Harbour Lumber Company; the source of the Waldie wealth.

Who Knew 100x100 2015By Mark Gillies

March 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part two of a four part feature

Gillies - Waldie John Waldie, Father of BurlingtonJohn Waldie spent most of his time in Toronto during 1886 preparing to create his biggest business venture to date.

Gillies Waldie Erin Residence

The historic home called “Erin” was purchased as a wedding present for his second wife, Sarah Ann Jarvis. Sarah was to become the stepmother to John’s 13 children. While John Waldie was in Toronto, the family stayed in Burlington until John was ready to move his family into “Glenhurst”, the first mansion built in Rosedale.

John, a widower for one year, had just remarried December 16, 1885 to Sarah Ann Jarvis, and almost immediately, he went to Toronto by himself to start his new company leaving Sarah in Burlington with his 13 children. As a wedding present, John had purchased “Erin”, a home for Sarah at 3265 Mayfair Place in Burlington. Sarah was to care for the children at this home until it was time to have them all move to Toronto.

On November 20, 1886, the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company was incorporated. John had purchased a failing sawmill in Victoria Harbour named Kean, Fowlie and Company. The former company had gone through rough times and were unable to continue.

The Victoria Harbour Lumber Company grew and prospered under the management of John Waldie. In order to make the business successful, it was necessary to create a village for the employees. The area was fairly remote at the time. Streets were laid out, and in 1888 construction began on buildings and houses.

Gillies Waldie Victoria Harbour General Store

To make the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company successful, John Waldie built most of the town, enabling his employees to live and work locally. The general store was a company store, owned and operated by the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company.

Gillies Waldie Victoria Harbour GTR Train Station

Fortunately for John Waldie, the Grand Trunk Railway built a train station in Victoria Harbour. The location was ideal, as it was right across the road from his sawmills. The station was used to transport logs into Victoria Harbour, and to ship finished cut lumber out of the community.

The Grand Trunk Railway had arrived and built their own train station. John Waldie built a general store. He had more than enough experience on how to build and run a successful general store, having purchased his first in Wellington Square when he was just 22 years of age. John had a second store built in Wellington Square, and it is still there to this day, at the northeast corner of Lakeshore and John Street.

Gillies Waldie 1916 Victoria Harbour Library

John Waldie built a library for the residents of Victoria Harbour and furnished it with books, just as he had done for Burlington. Pic: St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

John, always an avid believer in reading made sure that they built a library for the residences of Victoria Harbour. It was a beautiful facility, and is still in the village to this day, as well as the general store.

Gillies  Waldie St Paul's Presbyterian Church

John Waldie was a Presbyterian. He financed the construction of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Victoria Harbour. The church opened in 1906.

Waldie, a devout religious man, built St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in 1906 for this little hamlet. The church is still functional to this day.

Gillies Waldie Victoria Harbour 1920

This rare aerial view of Victoria Harbour was how the village looked around 1920. The intersection of William & Albert Streets is at the top and in the middle of the photograph. In the background, you can see the three mills, the log booms in the bay, the Grand Trunk Railway station to the upper left, railway box cars are to the upper right, the General Store and Library are across the street from each other on either side of the main intersection.

If you’re going to have all these buildings for your employees, then you better have houses for them. John set out to build most of the houses in Victoria Harbour. They were small, but efficient. The houses had an early nickname, and were called “saltboxes”, but that went by the wayside when John had the houses painted in the company’s colours of white and yellow. The trim was white and the exterior walls were yellow. The new nickname was “canary houses”, and many are still referred by that name today.

Gillies Waladie Victoria Harbour Planer Mill

Once the logs had been cut, they were transferred to the planing mill. Here they were prepared into a finished product.

Gillies - Waldie Victoria Harbour Lumber Mill 1

Victoria Harbour Lumber Company consisted of three sawmills: Mill #1 & planing mill; Mill #2, and Mill l#3. Workers poured in from all over Canada, the United States and Europe eager to work at the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company.

There were three mills at the water’s edge, and they were kept busy, sawing and planing lumber. Timber was brought to the mills from all around the Muskoka area, even as far north as Sudbury and North Bay. The railway brought some logs and so did the ships. Logs were also floated to the mills from many different locations. Upon arrival to the mills logs were kept in the water with huge booms, and were dragged to the mills when ready to cut. The finished lumber was then loaded in to railway boxcars or ships and sent to their destination.

Gillies Walddiw  Victoria Harbour Sailing Ship

Ships provided a second option to transport logs and finished lumber. The Victoria Harbour Lumber Company utilized both ships and rail for their products.

The tiny hamlet of Victoria Harbour with about 200 dedicated workers at the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company had made John Waldie the second wealthiest lumber baron in Canada by the turn of the 20th century, in just over 20 years.

My next article will be a continuation on the wealthy philanthropist, John Waldie and his family. Whatever happened to his 13 children, some lives ending in tragedy? What happened to John’s two wives? Find out next time.

Mark Gillies is a lifelong resident of Burlington, who grew up in Aldershot and developed as a local historian, researcher, master genealogist and writer who has a passionate interest and extensive knowledge of the many early pioneer families.
Mark will write a regular column about colourful local history introducing Burlingtonians to the people that made this city what it is today.

 

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Pineland parents fail to convince the school board to rethink a decision - they prepare their court case.

News 100 greenBy Walter Byj

March 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton school board thought that it was a fait accompli, that the matter was done. Pineland would not have a full day kindergarten (FDK) starting in September 2015 but would continue the process of converting to a full French Immersion school by the year 2020. Parents, with children were advised to make other plans.

But some of the parents in the Pineland area are not accepting the decision. They feel that it is wrong on a number of levels.

Wrong because the concept of a community school is being destroyed with English students being forced to leave the area.
Wrong because it is forcing siblings to attend different schools.
Wrong because of all the busing for French immersion students at Pineland and most importantly, it is wrong because it contravenes the education act.

With these facts in hand, Denise Davy met with David Euale (Director of Education and Robert Eatough (Superintendent of Education). Her pleas fell on deaf ears so now it was time for plan B.

werf

Denise Davey is no slough – seen here with former Governor General Michelle Jean accepting the prestigious Michener- Deacon award for her writing.

Board Policy required at least 15 children to be signed up for the FDK program – the board administration said they got just 13 sign ups –  Sure claims Denise Davey one of the parents behind this effort – the Board did next to nothing to alert parents to the requirement.  They ran a single announcement in a local paper a few days before the deadline.

A group of  parents met earlier in the week  to plan a strategy to continue with a FDK program at Pineland. Needing to act quickly, September is not that far away, a number of ideas are coming to play.

1. Create more community involvement so as to get a better understanding as to the number of families that would be affected by this decision in the future. This means canvassing door to door and creating and distributing flyers.
2. Reach the community through social media: a Facebook page ”Support Pineland Kindergarten“ has been set up.
3. Communicate via mail with concerned government officials stating their case. This would include the Minister of Education, opposition party education critics along with the local MPP and current trustees.
4. Secure a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the Halton Board. The basis of the lawsuit would be based on the following sections of the Education Act.

Operation requirement
2.1 (1) Every board shall, in every elementary school of the board in which instruction is given in grade 1, operate a full day junior kindergarten and kindergarten in accordance with paragraph 6.2 of subsection 170 (1) of the Act. O. Reg. 137/14, s. 2.
(2) Despite subsection (1), a board is not required to operate full day junior kindergarten or full day kindergarten in the following circumstances:
1. A board is not required to operate full day junior kindergarten in a school if, pursuant to a policy of the board approved on or before June 26, 2014, the school offers only French immersion, starting in kindergarten or later.
2. A board is not required to operate full day junior kindergarten or full day kindergarten in a school if, pursuant to a policy of the board approved on or before June 26, 2014, the school offers only French immersion, starting in grade 1 or later.
3. A board is not required to operate full day junior kindergarten or kindergarten in a school in a school year if the school is identified in a policy or guideline issued by the Minister pursuant to paragraph 3.0.0.1 of subsection 8 (1) of the Act, and published on a Government of Ontario website, as a school that is not required to operate full day junior kindergarten or kindergarten for the school year, due to facility or other operational barriers to the board’s ability to operate full day junior kindergarten or kindergarten in that school in that school year.
Exception re early childhood educators, less than 16 pupils
3. (1) A board is not required to designate a position in a junior kindergarten class, kindergarten class or combined junior kindergarten and kindergarten class as requiring an early childhood educator or to appoint an early childhood educator to such a position if there are fewer than 16 pupils enrolled in the class on a date selected by the board for each school year that is not earlier than September 1 and not later than September 30. O. Reg. 224/10, s. 3 (1); O. Reg. 133/12, s. 1 (1).
(1.1) The date selected by the board for the purposes of subsection (1) must be the same date that is selected for the purposes of section 3 of Ontario Regulation 132/12 (Class Size) made under the Act in relation to determining class sizes in elementary schools. O. Reg. 133/12, s. 1 (2).
(2) Except in the circumstances described in subsection (3), subsection (1) applies to only one class in each school of the board, whether a junior kindergarten class, a kindergarten class or a combined junior kindergarten and kindergarten class. O. Reg. 224/10, s. 3 (2).
(3) In each school of the board that offers French immersion in junior kindergarten and kindergarten, subsection (1) applies to,
(a) only one English class, whether a junior kindergarten class, a kindergarten class or a combined junior kindergarten and kindergarten class; and
(b) only one French immersion class, whether a junior kindergarten class, a kindergarten class or a combined junior kindergarten and kindergarten class. O. Reg. 224/10, s. 3 (3).

This will be an uphill battle for the Pineland community and the timeline is narrow but in their opinion, it is worth the effort.

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BDBA is ahead $5000 - local retailers made the best of a Yellow Pages marketing program. Burlington was tops

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

March 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

There are some corporations that learn how to re shape themselves to meet a challenge – there are many that didn’t see the change coming and when it did hit them they didn’t know what to do and so they died.

Kodak, once a great American corporation died – the Yellow Pages saw the wave coming and turned themselves into a digital company that was slowly getting out of the printed telephone directory.

It has not been an easy change.

Shop the Neighbourhood + BDBA

Cheques this size tend to bring out smiles. The Burlington Downtown Business Association was the city that made the best use of the Yellow |Pages Shop your Neighbourhood program for the second time.

Chris Long, VP Sales for the Yellow Pages was in town to give the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) a cheque for $5,000 for the job they did in making a lot of retail sales mileage out of the Yellow Pages Shop the Neighbourhood program.

The last time Long was in town he left the BDBA with a cheque for $10,000 – why the difference?

The Yellow Pages people have realized that they have to partner with people who need to get their message out to their customers. Directory advertising no longer has the clout it used to have – so the Yellow Pages people put together a program that carried the Yellow Pages “Let your fingers do the walking” logo on marketing material local retailers would use for the Shop your Neighbourhood program.

Yellow Pages honed in on a specific day that just kills local retailers – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – two days that the internet owns. The masses flood the internet and the Big Box stores run specials that a smaller retail operations just cannot compete with.

But the DAY in between those to massive events was the kind of niche opportunity Yellow Pages believed could be exploited by the local retailer.

They worked with more than 200 Business Improvement Associations across the country – providing marketing support and a campaign the public could identify with.

As he was handing over the $5000 cheque Long pointed out that those Burlington retailers who used the program did very well.  He added that Burlington made the best use of the program; Your numbers he said were better than any other city in the country.

Fairholme Interiors used the program, to reach out to their client base and tell them about the 25% discounts

Long said Yellow Pages was delighted with the response and added that those who tied their marketing efforts to what we were offering did well.  Retail is always going to be a “bricks and mortar operation” that are the commercial base for cities and towns across the country.

Retailers face a different marketing landscape – the telephone directory isn’t the only choice anymore – it’s a digital world and the Yellow Pages people want to be part of that kind of business.

Shop the Neighbourhood - Lancaster + Fairholme people

The ladies in the yellow scarves are from Fairholme Interiors – the Burlington retailer that did very well with the Yellow Pages Shop the Neighbourhood program. Janet Sachadi, on the far right owns Fairholme. Jennifer Walker , the other woman in a yellow scarf does marketing for the retailer.

This is the third year Yellow Pages has run their Shop the Neighbourhood; they plan on fine tuning the program and running for several years.
More than 8,000 individual retailers across the country took part in the program – they recorded 750,000 visitors to their stores and racked up a reported $89 million in sales.

Was it all a direct result of the Shop your Neighbourhood program? Probably not but it is certainly having an impact.

Yellow pages provides marketing material and promotes the program on a critical day for Canadian retailers – that Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday – watch for it next year.

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Our Burlington - that's what they used to call us.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

March 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

If you were with us way back in 2010 when we first hit the streets you would have known us as Our Burlington. The name for the newspaper on a web site was chosen by the late John Boich for reasons we all felt were good at the time.

MastheadWe realized in late 2011 that Our Burlington didn’t sound like a newspaper and we weren’t treated as a newspaper. So we chose Gazette as the name we would be known by.

When we called someone and said y we were from Our Burlington we could have been anything from a pet grooming operation to a flower shop.

When we changed the name to the Gazette people knew in an instant what we were – and for reasons we can’t explain – there was an immediate uptick in the readership. For the first few days there was a rise of 5% that then moved to 8% and the increase held.

We tell you this because we kept the Our Burlington name – there were still people who had us bookmarked as Our Burlington and that was how they got to us.

Our B server notice

Anyone looking for Our Burlington will get this message. The old website address is no longer functional – we have been the Gazette for close to two years.

Anyone who went to Our Burlington got sent directly to the Gazette – they didn’t even know they were being transferred.

The Our Burlington web site address is no longer functional; it has been taken down. Try to go there and you get the Server not found message.

For those that lose their way – you’ll figure it and come back.

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Air Park issues; employment lands and a twenty year tax projections that gives nothing but indigestion. Burlington gets ready to welcome a new city manager.

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

March 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

One would hope that a health club benefit is one of the perks that James Ridge negotiated when he met with the Human Resources people to negotiate his contract – he is going to need to ensure that his stamina is in top form.

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James Ridge – what kind of an administrative structure will he create?

A number of files have been put on hold until he gets himself a chair to put behind the desk he will use. It will be interesting to see if Ridge goes the route that Jeff Fielding took when he moved from the 8th floor where he was a walk across the hall from the Mayor to the 6th floor where he was right in with his team.

That’s a pretty small team at this point. Scott Stewart turns out to be the only man on deck.

Fielding, a city manager who can be tough when he has to be.  His experience will allow him to mentor a team that can be grown and at the same time address the problem with all the "acting" staff positions.

Fielding, a city manager who excited staff and taught them how to rise up to almost any challenge. But he didn’t stay long enough to make a real mark – there are however going to be some stains.

While Council members have had several interviews with Ridge, these were job interviews and the dynamic of that kind of a relationship is different. Ridge will have wanted to impress them and at the same time get the measure of the council he is going to serve.

Council members will have wanted to individually get the measure of the man and determine how their individual agendas might be advanced.
Given the style and ideological split on this Council Ridge will have figured out what he has to work with and for.

There are a number of significant files that are on hold until he arrives – officially that is set as March 23, 2015.

A Workshop that was planned on the “Alignment and Collaboration on Employment Lands” has been moved back to late May or June.

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Getting tough, tough about compliance with the Site Plan bylaw will occupy the new city managers for a time – bigger decision to be made is what role does an air park play in the city’s longer term economic development plans. No one at city hall believes they can work with the air park owner.

There are some tough decisions to be made on the Air Park. The city is believed to be ready to use the authority the courts have given them to enforce the Site Plan bylaw. There are property owners along Appleby Line that are watching this with great interest. The pain on this one is going to be shared.

Emotions are running very high in at least one household.

Burlington has land that is designated for employment use – many in the real estate field believe that some of that land is much more suited to residential use – which is music to the ears of the developers that own the land.

Burlington has some very important decisions to make. The Fielding approach was to make all kinds of side deals – at least one of those is going to come back and bite this council in the backside.

Burlington is struggling to find just the right balance between residential and commercial and then figure out how we manage the very large seniors’ population we are going to have.

The politicians talk about how well they are going to take care of that seniors’ population – those people vote.

Frank McKeough, former Chief of Staff to MAyor Rick Goldring asked about how politicians can handle complex issues when voters tend not to be informed and don't have the background needed to arrive at decisions.

Frank McKeown, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Rick Goldring now runs the Economic Development Corporation. His objectives don’t fit all that well with a growing seniors population that will require more in the way of services. Making Burlington a high-tech haven and a seniors heaven is going to be a challenge.

Frank McKeown now runs the Economic Development Corporation – he isn’t comfortable with the idea of Burlington being seen as a seniors heaven; that doesn’t jive very well with a vision of a city that has loads of high-tech talent and is one of the most pleasant and safest places to live – expensive perhaps but the high tech field pays very well.

James Ridge and his wife are going to take four days to drive from Vancouver to Burlington with heir four pets in the car. One can imagine the conversations that will take place – between the husband and wife – we don’t believe the pets talk.

Staff know next to nothing about the man who is going to lead the administrative side of the city. Ridge will want to determine as quickly as he can what he has in the way of bench strength and figure out what he wants in the way of a senior level administrative structure. Right now many of the eggs are in Stewart’s basket.

During the early Goldring first term there were three General Managers. That got whittled down to two with the working relationship with one of those two less than sterling.

Roman Martiuk was the City Manager at the time; he wasn’t able to form the kind of working relationship Goldring wanted and after just over two years Martiuk moved on – ok he was pushed out.

Goldring himself had a very difficult first two years getting the hang of the job for which he wasn’t all that well prepared. His wisest move was bringing Frank McKeown in as Chief of Staff but that didn’t last.

Fielding’s octane level was far too high for this council. Time will show just how rough shod he ran over this council.

Besides the Air Park matter and the decisions to be made on what we do with the employment land we have there is a document that sets out what taxes could look like twenty years out. It is not a pretty picture.

Welcome to Burlington James Ridge!

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Developing talent, discovering opportunities; techies under 20 to strut their stuff at the AGB

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

March 3, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Employers need to continuously develop new talent, acquire new skills, and be open to fresh insights and ideas.

Tech Under 20’s need hands-on work experience that will strengthen their resumes and take their skills and careers to the next level.

These two groups need to meet each other – which is part of what Silicon Halton is trying to do with their Meet Up at the Art Gallery of Burlington March 10  at 7 in the evening.

A team of teens and adult mentors are working together on this meet up, inviting local Employers and Tech Under 20’s to present ideas and discuss the importance of Tech Internships to the ongoing growth and success of all types of businesses in the region.

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The technically trained students are showing us a different world. There are forms are as different as their thinking.

On the agenda are:

Tech-focused students who have recently completed internships and are looking for new opportunities’
Employers who have recently offered (or are looking to fill) tech-focused internships in Halton’
Government program representatives with information about funding (for employers) and opportunities (for students / grads).
Discussion after the presentations on helping Silicon Halton develop a new Tech Internship Program for the region.

TECH UNDER 20’s

Oleg L.
Grade 12 student, Oakville
Sofware developer
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: Recently completed a semester-long co-op with a software company that led to a full time summer job offer.
TOPIC: Oleg will discuss how demonstrating a high level of skill and commitment during a short term co-op can lead to extended opportunities with an employer.

Amanda R.
1st year UWaterloo
Honors Mechatronics program
Schulich Leader scholarship winner
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: After competing in robotics competitions for 6 years and volunteering in Lego robotics since 2011, she is currently working on her first co-op placement as an Automation Engineer at Camcor Manufacturing, Linamar
TOPIC: Amanda will discuss the importance of networking before, during and after internships and co-op programs.

Ella R.
Grade 12 student, Oakville
Competitive robotics software developer, autonomous programmer & on-field strategist
INTERSHIP EXPERIENCE: Completed a Thermal and Nuclear Internship with Hatch Inc. last summer.
TOPIC: Ella will discuss how her internship opened her eyes to the variety of roles available on engineering teams in a large company setting.

Eddie S.
Grade 12 student, Milton
Competitive robot designer, build team leader & on-field strategist
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: Eddie hasn’t taken part in an internship program yet, but want to learn more about opportunities related to engineering and design.
TOPIC: Eddie has advanced skills in design, engineering and robot fabrication, but he is unsure of where to turn for information on internships that would suit his interests and future career development.

Sam R.
1st year student at OCAD University
Majoring in Graphic Design
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: Completed a communications internship with Appleby College two years ago that led to a paid, full time position with their communications team the following summer.
TOPIC: Sam will discuss how his technical and creative skills in graphic design and digital photography were expanded while meeting the needs of the internship, and how he benefited from the responsibility and creative freedom provided by both the internship and full-time summer positions.
LOOKING FOR: Sam is interested in working with organizations that will stretch his technical and creative skills further, while providing opportunities to continuing developing his portfolio of graphic design, photography, videography and motion graphics work.

EMPLOYERS
Tom Murad – Ph.D., P.Eng., F.E.C., SM.IEEE; Head of Siemens Engineering & Technology Academy, Siemens Canada Limited

Vincent Hamel; Manager, Electro-Optical Engineering, L-3 Wescan

Ian Small; General Manager, AudioBooks

Mark Arteaga; President, RedBit Development
Mark will discuss “what we look for when we hire”.

Government organizations that have funding available will also be on hand.

Sandra Nuhn: Manager, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Halton Region
Sandra will highlight two young entrepreneur programs that the Halton Region Small Business Centre is delivering in the Region.
Summer Company: Provides hands-one business training and mentorship, with awards of up to $3,000 to help enterprising students between the ages of 15 – 29 start and run their own summer business.
Starter Company: provides training, mentorship and the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $5,000 to youth between the ages of 18 – 29 to start, grow or buy a small business.

Kimberly Neale
Integrated Job Developer, Employment Services, Halton Region
Kimberly will highlight free employment services, programs and training incentives available to employers & job seekers in Halton Region. She will provide information / updates on Ontario’s Youth Employment Program, the Youth Job Strategy and Canada-Ontario Jobs Grant.

Sabrina Essner
Program Lead, Halton E-Mentoring & Newcomer Strategy, Halton Region
Halton Region is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive community. Sabrina will discuss the launch of Halton Region’s E-Mentoring program, community value and how to participate.

Registration can be done at Eventbrite

 

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Mayor expected to announce a new Chief of Staff - took long enough.

News 100 greenBy Pepper Parr

March 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Finally – the Mayor is going to have a Chief of Staff – not sure if Brian Kelly will be given that title – his background appears to be in government relations – where he worked at McMaster and York University

The Mayor has been without a Chief of Staff since Jackie Isada left the Mayor’s office to do government relations work for McMaster University.

Kelly has some politics under his belt he ran in Hamilton where he got 172 voters placing 9th in a field of 15 candidates.

BrianKellyHe has a pedigree that is stronger than the Mayor’s except for one thing – the Mayor has won a number of elections.
We can expect an announcement out of city hall in the near future – we understand Kelly is due to pick up his business cards sometime next week
As for the pedigree – it’s extensive:

Advisor, Government Relations, Office of the President, York University – July 2012 – Present (2 years 9 months)Toronto

Candidate for municipal office; City of Hamilton – July 2014 – October 2014 (4 months)Hamilton

Principal: Brian Kelly Consulting. 2011 – July 2012 (1 year)Hamilton, Ontario

Expertise in federal, provincial and municipal government relations

Senior Advisor to the President on Government Relations, McMaster University
2007 – 2011 (4 years)Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Vice President: Public Affairs Strategy Group, 1998 – 2007 (9 years)Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Director of Government Relations: AT&T Corporation, 1995 – 1998 (3 years) Ottawa, Canada Area

UPS: Manager of Government Affairs, 1992 – 1995 (3 years) Toronto, Canada Area

Nortel Networks, Manager of Environmental Affairs, Director of Government Affairs
1988 – 1992 (4 years) Toronto, Ottawa, Ontario

Manager of Government Relations and Environmental Affairs: Bell Canada, 1986 – 1988 (2 years) Toronto, Canada Area

Regional Manager for Eastern Canada, Canadian Printing Industries Association, 1984 – 1986 (2 years) Toronto

Manager: Environment Canada, Acid Rain Office, 1984 – 1984 (less than a year) Toronto, Canada Area

Special Assistant to the Minister; Department of National Defence/ Department of Public Works
1980 – 1984 (4 years) Ottawa.

Senior consultant in public policy and government relations serving clients in the private sector, industry associations, quasi-public sector and non-profits – clients served include: Vancouver Port Authority; AT&T Corp; Baxter Corp; Hydro Quebec; Fairmont Hotels; Bio-Rad Laboratories; Canadian Electricity Association; InterVISTAS; Canadian Cancer Society; Cogeco Cable.

Kelly has been around. He told voters in Hamilton that the “city needs to play nice with the province” when he was running for office – words that certainly must have made Mayor Goldring’s ears perk up.

Kelly placed 9th in a field of xx candidates – talking 2.46% of the vote with 172 ballots.

Kelly will not be telling Goldring how to win elections.

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