 By Pepper Parr
February 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Two oddities: the word neighbourhood does not appear in the current Official Plan and Shoreacres Blvd is not within the boundaries of the Shoreacres Community Study.
What isn’t at all odd is that the people who live in the community want some say over the rate at which their community undergoes a change.
The Community and Corporate Services Standing Committee was reviewing a report from the Director of Planning on the the option of a Character Area Study for Shoreacres as part of the Official Plan Review.
 Neighborhood character studies have taken on a bit or a social cachet in Burlington. Two years ago there were two of the things launched; one at Indian Point, which went nowhere and the residents want to get out of what they started.
A second community character study was launched in Roseland where small developer/contractors were roaming the streets looking for property they could purchase and divide into two lots or build what have come to be called monster homes.
In the spring of 2014, the demolition and rebuild of a dwelling in the Shoreacres Community led to a grassroots community discussion about a growing trend of redevelopment and its related impacts in the area. This community discussion took place through informal gatherings, petitions and conversations with media.
The Director of Planning was instructed to report back to Development and Infrastructure Committee in Fall 2014 on whether to conduct the study based on the following:
scope and timing of the study and the impact on the completion of the Official Plan Review Process
additional resource requirements
preliminary policy directions, zoning and design guidelines.
 Selling the dream. The house proposed is seen as so out of design and proportion from the house behind the hoarding by the residents – they fear the character o their neighbourhood will be changed too quickly, The planners organized a preliminary community meeting to consult with residents regarding the primary issues facing the neighbourhood. Staff concluded that the built form and housing stock in a section of Shoreacres is relatively homogeneous. While redevelopment has been occurring in the larger neighbourhood that comprises Shoreacres (generally described as south of New Street, west of Walkers Line and east of Appleby Line), there is a particular area within Shoreacres that has similar characteristics that distinguish it from other areas of Shoreacres.
This area can generally be described as those properties located south of Spruce Street and north of Lakeshore Road, on both sides of Goodram Drive on the west and on both sides of Juniper Avenue on the east. Common features within this area are, most notably, the predominance of bungalows and absence of two-storey dwellings, low pitch rooflines, mature trees, the absence of sidewalks on some streets and the usage of siding as a common cladding material.
 This resident seeks consent from neighbours to sever their property Staff, in consultation with the Ward Councillor, established an initial boundary for this area comprising approximately 185 homes and mailed out meeting notices and questionnaires to these addresses.
A community meeting to discuss recent development in the Shoreacres Community took place last July – 65 people attended, which some residents pointed out later amounted to one third of the residents in the study area – more than the percentage that voted in the municipal election.
Staff took the residents through the basics of planning and gave them an update on the Character Area Study for Roseland and Indian Point.
The primary issues that were raised at the meeting and through questionnaires, phone calls and emails can be summarized into the following topics:
a) There is inadequate public notification for demolitions, rebuilds and minor variance applications
b) There is inadequate protection of existing mature trees on both public and private property
c) The size of the study area as shown on the meeting invitation is too scoped
d) The architectural style of new homes (modern architecture, flat roofs) is incompatible with the existing neighbourhood
e) Redevelopment has adverse impacts on the privacy of adjacent property owners
f) The permitted building height (10 m for peaked roof residential dwellings) is incompatible with existing dwellings
g) The permitted number of storeys (2 storeys maximum) is incompatible with existing dwellings
h) The applicable Zoning By-law provisions for corner lots are inappropriate for the neighbourhood
At the community meeting, staff provided several responses regarding the above concerns as summarized:
a) Public notification requirements for development applications are established in the Ontario Building Code and the Planning Act and, for Ontario municipalities, there are no legal notice requirements that accompany the issuance of site plan approval, demolition permits and/or building permits. The public notification requirements for minor variance applications are set out in the Planning Act and implemented by the City. Specifically, a sign is posted on the subject property and notice is mailed to all property owners within 60 m of the subject application.
While the various act set out what is required there is no reason why the planning department can’t do more than the acts call for
b) The City of Burlington does not have a private tree by-law that can protect trees on private property. The City recently considered the implementation of a Private Tree By-law in July of 2013, but did not proceed with this initiative. The protection of trees on public property is managed through the site plan process and the protection of boundary vegetation is protected through the Forestry Act and reviewed during the site plan process.
c) The study area shown on the meeting invitation is a preliminary study boundary and is still subject to change.
d) Architectural style cannot be regulated through the Planning and Building Department, but the Urban Design Guidelines for Low Density Residential Zones and the site plan process allow for review of architectural elevations and an opportunity to influence architectural style with the objective of ensuring compatible development.
e) (e-h) The concerns relating to privacy impacts, building height, number of storeys and corner lot zoning provisions all relate to the existing Zoning By-law requirements that apply to this area. During the meeting, staff noted that a zoning review could be conducted by City staff to determine whether or not changes to the Zoning By-law would assist in managing some of the changes being experienced by the neighbourhood. Based on the comments that have been received to date, staff is of the opinion that a zoning review, including additional public consultation, in this area is warranted.
 Another large, spacious corner lot. Mayor asked what the average size of these houses was – between 1200 and 2200 sq. ft. but Faccenda said the neighbourhood was not yet ready for significant development. Albert Faccenda said a neighborhood will look like what the people who live there want it to look like. People sell their property and get the best price they can and developers build on the property they bought. We build what the market wants he said. He added that the present bylaw would allow 7 to 8 thousand sq. ft. homes; that sent a shudder through the council chamber.
Councillor Meed Ward asked what Faccenda wanted to see changed – the lot coverage could be more generous he replied. A bungalow get 35% lot coverage; a 1 1/2 storey can have up to 30% coverage and a two storey gets 25%
Strategy/Process
The city is currently conducting a Character Area Study for Roseland and Indian Point as part of the Official Plan Review. Significant insight has been gained as a result of the consulting team’s work and staff is recommending a study for the Shoreacres neighbourhood with narrower scope.
Subject to Council approval of the Terms of Reference, the scope of the Shoreacres Study would identify the compatibility impacts of recent development within the neighbourhood, and determine what, if any, measures should be taken to modify policy, zoning and development application process (e.g. minor variance or site plan applications).
The proposed study will be lead independently of the Official Plan Review. Any Official Plan policy amendments that may arise from this study would be conducted as a City- initiated Official Plan Amendment. This project could be instructive to the upcoming Zoning By-law Review, particularly for residential neighbourhoods south of the Queen Elizabeth Way
The Shoreacres community, as defined in the reports is certainly very distinct. |Mary Alice St. James said there were more than 40 corner lots in the area which gives developer/contractors opportunities to put much larger houses into the community and fundamentally changing the look and feel of the streets.
The community is one of the most desirable and priciest in the city. Ken Crew, who delegated, said he and his wife needed ten years to put together the money needed to buy a house.
They like their community just the way it is and while they say they are not opposed to development they don’t want to see all that much in the way of change. The developer/contractors love the area – they can sell almost anything they build at a very pretty price.
The question really comes down to – how much say do the people in a community get to say about what is permitted in the way of new construction.
The houses are not small; the lots are not small, however most are not large enough to be divided.
At what point do the homes in place now become outdated and no longer meet the needs of new families?
Is the character of a neighbouhood something municipal bureaucrats should be protecting or should the market determine what can be built and sold for a profit?
Director of Planning Bruce Krushelnicki is very sympathetic to the interests of the residents of the community. His planner Rosa Bustamante thinks it is more of a zoning exercise – the residents see their community being chewed up by economic interests.
Aldershot has much the same kind of housing on the water side of Plains Road west of King Road.
 This is the community the residents want to conserve – their hope is that a neighbourhood character study will result in zoning or bylaws that keep that exists. Niagara on the Lake has zoning and bylaws that determine what the look and feel of the streets in the commercial core of that city will look like – and they keep a very tight rein on what gets done. That community is a destination and is good business.
Does a small neighbourhood deserve the same kind of attention? The third of the community that showed up for the meeting, in the middle of July when many people were on vacation.
What do the residents of the community want? There were just two delegations. Ken Crew, a long time resident who was joined by his neighbour Ron Fleming
“To our neighbourhood, your approval of a City-funded and timely Character Study is of incredible importance he said.
“We have followed with great interest and support the development of the Character Study for Roseland and Indian Point. However, we are not Roseland or Indian Point. Our values and needs, while sharing some commonality with the Roseland study, are specific and unique to our mature neighbourhood.
The vast majority of the homes are smaller bungalows, with some 1 ½ storey homes and more recently a few bungalofts. There is also a very strong sense of community within this group of taxpaying homeowners.
“More recently however, our area, like others in Burlington, is under constant attack from developers with no ties to the local area or its residents, who are simply buying up the existing mature homes, demolishing them, and replacing them with the largest monster homes the city will allow under the current bylaws and regulations – or buying up corner lots and severing them for multiple large or monster homes. Their sole interest is profit, not the residents.
“A prime example is the new home recently erected on Oak Crescent, approximately 3 times the size of all other homes in the area, dwarfing its neighbours, with wrap-around large balconies, ruining the privacy of all homes surrounding it. It totally destroys neighbourhood character and streetscape and has reduced the existing tree canopy.
 Residents in the community don’t see how this new home fits in with the bungalows in place now. And that porta potty has to go. “The footprint of the original corner house was changed and flipped 90 degrees in the opposite direction, while all of the plans and changes were done without the existing residents being aware of the changes, and without having any opportunity to provide input or discussion on this new monster home.
As well as being highly passionate about the character of the area we live in, we are also quite aware that change in our neighbourhood is inevitable, and in fact we have no serious opposition to change. We are very open to the proper, controlled, and measured changes that can be done without compromising the values we hold so dear. We know the City needs an effective and enforceable set of rules to control development and we want to work with, not against city planners to develop the appropriate set of rules to retain our unique community character. That is why this study is so critical.
“Burlington is a great place to live as recent studies have shown, and we are proud to be citizens of this excellent community. BUT, if City management does not recognize the rapidly increasing levels of citizen concern and involvement, particularly in the housing sector – whether it is the demand for Character Studies, the plans to build 28 story buildings in the wrong areas, or building large developments in areas where we already have major unresolved problems, like sewage and drainage, then we run the risk of allowing the destruction of some of the very core principles and characteristics that so many resident taxpayers find so vital to their continued happiness and desire to stay here as long term residents. The uniqueness of these neighbourhoods is a large part of what makes Burlington such a great place to live.”
 Another corner lot – this one on Lakeshore Road. The owner wants you to call them. “Time is of the essence. We have little time left to save this truly unique neighbourhood. Our earlier attempts to obtain an interim by-law to restrict monster homes in our area were unsuccessful, so we recognize this timely Character Study is our only option. “
Albert Faccenda a developer/contractor who has built eight homes in the community said there is no market for bungalows in Shoreacres; that he built one and lost his shirt. The Faccenda statements were in direct contract to what everyone else was saying. Faccenda finds that to be the case on most of the occasions he speaks. He told the residents of Roseland that their 100 foot lots were ’dinosaurs’ or more correctly, properties he would like to purchase and redevelop. He told Indian |Point residents that the Character Study being done in that neighbourhood was going to devalue their property.
Mary Alice St. James, an elementary school principal and a community resident gave a polished presentation extemporaneously – and made all the points that had to be made. She stressed that people want to move into the community and she doesn’t believe they want to move in and build homes that are out of character with what is already in place. “They wanted our neighbourhood” she said. “The situation we are faced with now is not nice” she added.
Councillor Craven said that while he appreciated the St. James passion “it is exactly what we saw at Indian Point but “once people got into the issues they got a better sense as to what could be done and at Indian Point they decided they didn’t want this study to go any further.”
 On one of the coldest winter days – the people in the community still get out with their dogs for what is a brisk walk. Craven said he thought “this issue may become less clear than you think it is now” referring to the Shoreacres residents.
Councillor Sharman was curious to see the outcome and added that he “was not comfortable with the way we are going about this”.
But they are going to “go about it”. The decision to proceed with the study will be made at a city council meeting before the end of the month.
Right now this Council has to determine just what the 2015 budget is going to look like.
 By Staff
February 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
How much do they want to spend and how much are they going to tax you?
The city will take an additional 3.64 % more in 2015 than they did in 2014.
They added $125,000 to the 2015 budget – that will break down to $19.10 for each $100,000 of property valuation.
There was a total of $37,675 in one time spending added to the budget this year.
Next time out, which is in 2016, there might be a hint that money is needed for a new city hall – there was no heat in the council chambers so everyone packed things up and headed for the Centennial Room at the New Street Library.
Your Council spent 3 ½ hours running through the budget, tempers flared, differences of opinion were expressed and poor John Taylor kind of got clobbered again.
There is now a clear right wing cabal in place which, surprisingly get Councillor Dennison to go along with them.
Councillors Craven and Sharman are the core of this cabal and they inevitably get Councillor Lancaster to go along for the ride.
The power in this Council clearly lies with these three – the Mayor is at times seen as an add-on.
The Mayor did however, move the motion to approve the motion and send it along to council later in the month for approval.
He called the budget miraculous and commented that the 20 year long range plan, which every Council member and staff explained was an approximation, projected increases in spending that were two times the rate of inflation.
All in the future of course but once written down these things tend to take on a life of their own.
 By Staff
February 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Region Health Department reports a confirmed case of measles. The Halton resident is a male in his thirties. During his period of infectiousness, the case did not spend any time in Halton.
“The Halton Region Health Department is working in coordination with other local public health units to ensure any potentially exposed persons are notified in a timely manner,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region.
 This is not a photograph of the 30 year old male Halton resident; it is a picture of what measles looks like on an older person. Measles starts with a cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and fever, and after about four days a rash begins on the face and moves down the body. There also may be white spots inside the mouth. Measles spreads easily to those who are not immune. Infants under one year of age, pregnant women, and persons with weakened immune systems can get very ill with measles. Complications of measles can include middle ear infections, pneumonia, croup and inflammation of the brain. Learn more at halton.ca/measles.
“Measles is preventable through immunization with two doses of the measles vaccine,” explained Dr. Meghani. “People who have measles need to isolate themselves while they are ill and for four full days after the rash first appears.”
If you think you may have measles and need to see a doctor, you must call ahead to the doctor’s office, walk-in clinic or public health clinic. This will allow health care staff to prepare for your visit, give you a mask to wear when you arrive and take you straight to a room in which you can be isolated to reduce the risk of exposure to others.
Since measles is now circulating in southwestern Ontario and easily spreads from person to person, the Halton Region Health Department is urging all residents to have their vaccination up to date. Adults born before 1970 are generally presumed to have acquired natural immunity to measles; however, some of these individuals may be susceptible. All Ontarians, regardless of date of birth, are eligible for two doses of MMR vaccine. For individuals born in 1970 or after, two doses of the MMR vaccination is required to be considered adequately protected.
 By Pepper Parr
February 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
So who is this James Ridge who got himself appointed to the job of city manager for Burlington?
The former Deputy City Manager with the City of Vancouver and Chief Administrative Officer with the District of North Vancouver will take up his newest job City Manager of Burlington effective March 23.
 This is a scene Burlington does not want to see – a senior municipal bureaucrat quitting his job. James Ridge, on the right announcing that he is quitting his job in Vancouver. Ridge is currently the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the University of British Columbia’s Vantage College, previously serving as an Associate Vice-president with UBC.
UBC Vantage College is an alternative first year pathway to UBC for people who do not have strong English language skills. The program allows high school students who typically come from secondary school systems that are delivered in other languages and don’t engage the students in the same way as the North American model.
Ridge was CAO for the District of North Vancouver and then Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver between 2003 and 2009. Previously Ridge held leadership positions with the City of Toronto between 2000 and 2003, as Acting Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services and as CIO/Executive Director of Information and Technology.
Ridge began his career with the Canadian Armed Forces, where he worked as a military policeman, rising to the rank of major before entering the municipal sector. He holds a graduate degree in public administration from Queen’s University, a master’s degree from the University of Manitoba and a certificate in corporate finance from the London School of Economics (LSE).
Ridge, commenting on his LSE experience said it was one of the hardest courses he’d ever taken. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get through – there were many 1 am nights on that course but it was a great experience.”
 James Ridge, described as “probably one of the most capable senior public servants in this province, bar none”, will become Burlington third city manager in four years. A local media in Vancouver had this to say about Ridge: “It’s official, the City of Vancouver is now looking for a new Deputy City Manager. James Ridge has just tendered his resignation and is heading off to a new position at UBC as Assistant Vice President & Registrar.
Ridge was described a “not part of the ‘’old guard’. – he has only worked with the City for about a couple of years. He was hired after former Deputy City Manager Brent MacGregor retired.
Given the turnover of city managers in Burlington – his departure after just a few years might be seen as troublesome. Ridge was described as “probably one of the most capable senior public servants in this province, bar none. You need only ask his former employer Mayor Richard Walton in North Vancouver to validate this statement. I’ve heard from multiple sources Mayor Walton felt that Vancouver really snagged a big fish when they lured Ridge over to the City.
Ridge comes across as modest – he and his wife will be driving from Vancouver to Burlington – just the two of them – they are empty-nesters who will be bringing their four pets with them.
Ridge wasn’t prepared to comment on what he sees happening in Burlington other than to say that eastern Canada seems to spend more on culture than western Canada.
His departure from the city of Vancouver put him in play. The move to UBC appear to have been a place to roost until the next opportunity arose. Ridge did say that he had a number of calls from head hunters and that there were cities he would never go near.
He sees Burlington’s Council as a “collegial group” – he obviously has not seen the December 18th Council meeting.
Ridge was raised in Oshawa and attended McMaster University but was quick to say that he really didn’t know much about the city but he was looking forward to getting into the job.
Ridge didn’t know Jeff Fielding – the man he replaces, other than by reputation.
Ridge will have the same five year contract city managers are offered. Hopefully there is some kind of rider that keeps his feet glued to his office floor – men who take up the job of city manager don’t seem to last all that long.
His army experience as a military police officer suggests this guy is going to bring some discipline to the job. He will need a few months to get the lay of the land and then decide where the bench strength is and then begin building a team.
At this point the city has just the one city manager, Scott Stewart, who had hoped he would be city council’s pick. Stewart has been carrying the operation ever since Fielding left.
Stewart and Ridge have had a conversation; Ridge says Stewart put the call into him.
A quick take on the man: he has never been the top dog at a municipality – it is a lot different than running a department or reporting to someone who does set the tone. Ridge will have to get a sense of Burlington and what there is in the way of a management team and at the same time get the feel of being the top dog. He has some mistakes to make.
Burlington’s city council doesn’t have a great record in choosing the person they want to run the city. Council will be close to having determined what the budget is going to be for 2015; Ridge will have to manage a budget he played no part in creating. The city does have a top notch Director of Finance to help him on the numbers side.
Wait until he gets a clear view of the infrastructure deficit and blinks when Taylor and Dennison explain how the “pave and shave” program is going to solve that problem.
It will take some time to figure out where Ridge stands on environmental issues and get his take on cultural planning.
 By Staff
February 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A nice story, the kind of thing one likes to read about. Leslie Gray and her husband Christopher of KooGle Theatre partnered with the Symphony on the Bay to do a performance of a medley of Rogers and Hammerstein classic musicals.
Oklahoma, South Pacific, King and I and the Sound of Music; concert sounds sure to please all ages and at prices like
Adult: $31.75 +HST
Senior: $23.75 +HST
Student and Child: $17.75 +HST
Leslie and Christopher will be the soloists supported by the Symphony on the Bay.
 Symphony on the Bay will support Leslie and Christoper Gray as they take a Sunday afternoon audience through a medley of Rogers and Hammerstein classics. Sunday the 15th at the Performing Arts Centre at 3:00 pm. There were just 21 tickets left at 6:00 pm this evening.
 By Pepper Parr
February 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
For Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, it is all about the data. Without data – he doesn’t want to make a decision. The decisions he makes with the data tend to have an ideological tinge to them.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman is said to have his eye on the provincial seat. About a week ago a Gazette reader sent us a copy of a letter Sharman had sent out. We made a few phone calls to reliable sources and learned that a number of people got the same letter – so we did a short piece about Sharman’s apparent interest in running for higher office.
Talk about data: the comments made on the piece were numerous – which was interesting. What caught our attention was the number of people who read the story. It led the list of readers on one day and was in the top three for four days.
What gives? We’ve no idea – all we can say is that the story was read by a lot of people. A look at the comments section will give you some sense as to how some people reacted to the news.
Premier Kathleen Wynne hasn’t been in office a full year yet – and assuming she behaves, which is questionable given what we’ve seen recently – the province will not be going to the polls until 2018 – which happens to be when Burlington will go to the polls as well.
 Paul Sharman, on the right, is not an easy man to convince. Here he leaves the distinct impression he isn’t buying what former Mayor’s office Chief of Staff Frank McKeown is selling., So if Sharman is casting a covetous eye on the provincial seat the dates do align for him. The province would go to the polls in the Spring or Summer of 2018 – which would give Sharman enough time to do it all over again should he not succeed in beating Eleanor McMahon, the current member for Burlington.
Assuming a 2018 election for the province is not something I would bet on.
The Premier has two nasty pieces of business on her plate: the scrubbing of data from hard drives once she was in office and the conversation the Ontario Provincial Police want to have with her over the suspicion that a job was offered to a Andrew Oliver, a possible Sudbury candidate that the Liberals wanted to step aside so their choice could run for the seat in the Legislature.
 Mayor Goldring chats with then Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne. He wasn’t buying what she was selling then. Will the provincial police buy the story she gives them over the Sudbury scandal? Karmel Sakran, the Liberal candidate in the last McGuinty election looks on. The scrubbing of the hard drives is related to the decision to cancel the construction of gas plants in Ontario before the last provincial election. That decision was said to have cost the province millions – but they did win the election.
The squabble over who would be the candidate in Sudbury and the claim that a reward was offered to Olivier if he did not run is now the subject of a police investigation.
The candidate the Liberals wanted ran and won the Sudbury seat.
Olivier has chosen not to go quietly into the night. He recorded a conversation he had with one Pat Sorbara in which is seemed clear to me that something was being offered. The tape runs for 24 minutes – it isn’t pretty.
The police will decide if a criminal act took place and do what they have to do. Liberals in this province are looking at a situation where their Premier is being invited in for a conversation with the police who are conducting a criminal investigation. THAT is astounding – the only thing keeping a bit of a lid on all this is that the Progressive Conservatives don’t have a leader – they are going through a leadership campaign. They will choose a new leader May 9th. In the world of politics that is years away. Kathleen Wynne has two months to clean that mess up.
The Conservatives must be pulling their hair out – a great political scandal – and it looks like it is going to get away on them. I can just imagine the indignant howls that Tim Hudak would be making in the legislature.
The Liberals have always had great “operatives” – this will get buried unless there are real tough, tough cookies at the OPP – and given that the Premier chooses the person who heads up that police service. Well – you figure it out. It does smell.
Sharman’s letter to local Progressive Conservatives.
 By Mark Gillies
February 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 3 of a 3 part feature.
Cherish what few historical buildings are still left with us
Burlington does have other very significant historical buildings, all great contributors to our local heritage. St Luke’s Anglican Church and other old local churches are so important to the community. They tell us so much about our spiritual past. Some churches have historic cemeteries surrounding the grounds. On Brant Street, we still have the Hotel Raymond, now a restaurant, and the Queen’s Hotel, with a different name, is a pub.
The Ireland House Museum on Guelph Line, is a real treasure and a beautiful link to our past, telling us about rural life during the mid 1800s. The Joseph Brant Museum, a re-creation of Joseph Brant’s home, plays a valuable role in providing visitors with information on life in the early 1800s. Burlington is fortunate to have historical houses. Most are privately owned. Some have been officially recognized as historical, some have yet to be recognized, while others, once recognized historical, have recently been removed by the City of Burlington, making them susceptible to demolition.
 The two historic buildings on Brant Street have somehow survived for over 125 years. The Hotel Raymond sign is still showing and can be seen from the second floor. The Queen’s Hotel is now a pub with a different name. The interior walls have some old pictures of what the building was like at the turn of the 20th century. These are nice touches to help preserve our local heritage. The McNichol Estate, also historical, located on land once owned by Laura Secord has been saved by the City. Outside of these, we don’t seem to have much else in historical properties. The rest have been demolished by homeowners, developers, or local and provincial governments.
 This beautiful painting by renowned heritage artist William Biddle depicts the idyllic life at the historic Freeman Station in 1906. The Freeman Station symbolizes Burlington in transition
These are the main reasons why I believe the Freeman Station is Burlington’s most historical building. There are literally thousands of untold stories about the Freeman Station from individuals all across Burlington, stories that should now be made public. The Freeman Station has served more people, in so many different ways, over a very long period of time. The Freeman Station at 109 years of age, has always been there for us. This is the very best piece of local heritage symbolizing Burlington in transition from an agricultural community right up to this beautiful city in 2015. The Freeman Station saw it all.
Strong civic leadership is the answer to preserving our heritage
Here‘s what I would like to see. Will this present City Council really get their heritage preservation act together, show the residents of Burlington some unified leadership, stop their petty squabbling, get behind the restoration of the Freeman Station, Burlington’s most historic building, and finally get it completed? The City of Burlington owns the building, yet they have demonstrated a willingness to shirk their basic responsibilities and let volunteers do all the work on their behalf, after our City Council was unable to come to any agreement on what to do with Burlington’s most important piece of history.
 The Freeman Station was this close to being carted out of town and used for kindling somewhere else. It was the Friends of Freeman Station that rallied and saved the building with the help of Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster As a taxpayer, you and I should be outraged at our City Council, and their inability to properly recognize true historical buildings. We elected these people to make the right decisions, and as taxpayers, we pay them to do this. If it wasn’t for the Friends of Freeman Station, plus many local concerned citizens and businesses stepping in to save this magnificent building, our historic train station would not be with us today. The Freeman Station was that close to being added to the ever growing demolition list created by the City of Burlington and endorsed by your City Council.
My thoughts on heritage
Heritage is a gift; it is your inheritance from previous generations.
Heritage is all about who they were, and how they lived.
The concept is no different than a monetary inheritance. We have the choice to squander it away, or we can be responsible and do something that will benefit our present and future generations.
Heritage will help us understand who we are.
Heritage is a combination of genes, decisions, and environment, over time.
Heritage cannot be stolen or taken from you, only lost or forgotten through our choices of ignorance, neglect or disuse.
Heritage is your history.
You do not get a second chance at the past.
In my next column find out why a Burlington Member of Parliament was personally invited to travel with President Abraham Lincoln by train from the White House in Washington, DC, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the American President delivered his famous “Gettysburg Address”.
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.
Part 1
 By Staff
February 12, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A constant irritant for most Burlingtonians is being included in with the city of Hamilton when things are being counted.
That much touted “Best Mid-sized city in Canada award became possible when former Mayor Cam Jackson went after the publishers of MoneySense magazine and explained that Burlington was not really Hamilton.
 Chris Byrnes, the owner of a radio license in Woodstock commented that “Each time I return to Burlington, it frustrates me that there is no local radio station in my home town, a city of over 176,000 people.
Burlington is the largest city in Ontario, and perhaps Canada that does not have the benefits of a local radio station. So I did something about this and found a FM frequency and filed an application with the Canadian Radio Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) back in late 2013, after conducting an audience demand study, an economic study and having conversations with some of the key stakeholders in our city.
On 16 January the CRTC finally issued a public notice inviting comments from the public on the “appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications to serve Burlington, Ontario.”
In this public notice they also say “The city of Burlington is included within the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which is currently served by seven commercial radio stations.
Burlington accounts for 24% of the total population of the Hamilton CMA.” They go on to say they want “additional information that the Commission will take into consideration before making a final determination on whether it should proceed with a call for applications”
 It will be an uphill battle, explains Byrnes to convince the CRTC in Ottawa that Burlington is not part of the Hamilton CMA. But if enough Burlington residents and business owners submit their comments to the CRTC, then perhaps the CRTC may then invite applications for an FM license to serve Burlington.
Byrnes would like you to support this application and bring radio to Burlington.
He explains how to do this.
Your comments need to be in your own words, but you might want to mention how long you have lived and/or worked in Burlington and tell them why you feel Burlington is a distinct city and not part of Hamilton. You might also mention that Hamilton radio stations do not serve Burlington. Lastly, tell them why you feel it is important that Burlington needs its own FM radio station.
You can send your comments electronically: Here’s the link:
Click on this link to submit your comments directly to the CRTC.
When you get to the website you will be asked to write your comments in the comments box or if you wish, write a letter first and save it. Then follow the instructions to upload a word document.
Next click “I do not wish to appear” (as they are seeking public written comments and there will not be a hearing at this early stage) and then provide your contact information in the required fields (first and last name, your email address and the city you live in). Then agree to the terms and conditions and click submit.
There is a degree of urgency – comments must be sent before February 17th. Monday, the 16th of February is Family Day in Ontario – use the day off to bring radio to Burlington.
 By Staff
February 12, 2105
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service Human Trafficking and Vice Unit have charged two males with Human Trafficking offences and offences under the new Bill C36.
On Wednesday February 11th 2015, members of uniform patrol were called to a local hotel in relation to a woman being held against her will. Police rescued the woman and arrested Daniel WONG and John Cemal OZKAN at the scene.
Daniel WONG (32 years of age) of Toronto has been charged with Trafficking a Person for the Purpose of Exploitation.
John Cemal OZKAN (27 years of age) of Brampton has been charged with the following offences:
Trafficking a Person for the Purpose of Exploitation
Overcoming Resistance to the Commission of an Offence
Knowingly Advertising and Offer to Provide Sexual Services For Consideration
Procure a Person to Offer or Provide Sexual Services
Exercise Control
WONG and OZKAN will appear in Milton Court on February 12th 2015 for a bail hearing.
By Staff
February 12, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Portions of Harvester Road, west of Appleby Line are closed due to a water main break.
Halton Regional Police are advising the public of a partial road closure of the westbound lanes on Harvester Road, 50 meters west of Appleby Line are closed to traffic.
Westbound traffic is being diverted into the centre lane along Harvester Road.
This partial road closure may last up to 12 hours which may cause a back up during the afternoon rush hour traffic.
Reroute if possible.
 By Staff
February 12, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city announced this morning that James Ridge, former Deputy City Manager with the City of Vancouver and Chief Administrative Officer with the District of North Vancouver, is the City of Burlington’s new City Manager effective March 23.
Ridge is currently the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of the University of British Columbia’s Vantage College, previously serving as an Associate Vice-president with UBC.
Ridge was CAO for the District of North Vancouver and then Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver between 2003 and 2009. Ridge held leadership positions with the City of Toronto between 2000 and 2003, as Acting Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services and as CIO/Executive Director of Information and Technology.
Ridge began his career with the Canadian Armed Forces, rising to the rank of major before entering the municipal sector. He holds a graduate degree in public administration from Queen’s University, a master’s degree from the University of Manitoba and a certificate in corporate finance from the London School of Economics.
Nancy Shea-Nicol, City Solicitor and Director of Legal Services, will continue as Acting City Manager until Ridge begins with the city.
By Mark Gillies
February 12, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 2 of a 3 part feature
Their last farewells were at Freeman Station
 Private H. Kearse who lived on Brant Avenue died in World War 1. He left his wife and 3 young children in Burlington, so he could fight in France with the 86th Machine Gun Battalion. His death was reported in the newspaper before Private Kearse’s widow was officially notified. The last time this hero saw his family, was when he waved goodbye to them at the Freeman Station. When our boys left, there was not a dry eye to be found anywhere. When Canada answered the call to go to war, Burlington did its part. One hundred years ago, as World War 1 began, with a population that was less than 2,000, Burlington sent 300 sons. We responded in World War 2, and sent even more. The boys went to defend our freedom, and the town proudly marched them up Brant Street and onto the train cars at the Freeman Station. Some did not return. Their names are remembered at the Cenotaph on the grounds of City Hall.
Before Los Vegas, there was Burlington!
Most people do not know that in the 1890s and for another 30 years, Burlington was regarded as one of North America’s hot vacation playgrounds, especially for wealthy Americans. One of Burlington’s favourite sons, A.B. Coleman, who built and lived in the “Gingerbread House” on Ontario Street, was a wealthy entrepreneur who among other business endeavours, built and owned the Hotel Brant, the Brant Inn, Burlington’s first golf course on Francis Road, and developed most of the homes at historic Indian Point, mainly for the benefit of wealthy Americans and Europeans.
 The Hotel Brant was a beautiful 5 Star hotel that overlooked Lake Ontario. The developer and proprietor, Burlington’s A. B. Coleman was the man responsible for stimulating the tourist industry in Burlington. He advertised the Hotel Brant all over North America and Europe, as the perfect summer vacation destination. Tourists flocked to Burlington. Most arrived by the Grand Trunk Railway and stepped off at the Freeman Station. The Hotel Brant, in the Garden of Canada, was advertised all across North America, and even Europe, as the perfect summer vacation destination. The 200 room hotel offered beautiful cool summer breezes, a roof garden, fishing, bathing, bowling greens, ping pong, billiards, boating, canoeing, golf, tennis, swimming, even furnished bungalows.
 Wealthy Americans and Europeans were lured to the Hotel Brant by an intensive advertising campaign. This advertisement appeared in the Washington Post on July 17, 1904. Tourists from the United States, Europe and from across Canada flocked to the Hotel Brant. How did they get here? Most came by train and disembarked at the Freeman Station. Burlington at one time, with only a population of about 1500 people had 4 train stations. One was in Tansley, one in Aldershot, and the 4th, the Burlington station, not to be confused with the Burlington Junction station, was across the street from the Brant Inn and Hotel Brant and it too received many tourists destined for the Hotel Brant. Sadly, we have demolished the Tansley station, the Aldershot station, and the Burlington station downtown, leaving only the Freeman Station for us to enjoy today.
The Hotel Brant came to its demise when the Government of Canada expropriated the building in 1917 and converted it into the Brant Military Hospital, as a facility to care for our injured soldiers returning from overseas after World War One. The Brant Military Hospital was eventually demolished. Today, it is the site of the Joseph Brant Hospital.
The Brant Inn, a world famous entertainment mecca
 The Brant Inn was known all over North America and parts of Europe as a great entertainment destination. The owner A. B. Coleman brought in world class singers and musicians to entertain the patrons. If you wanted to see these performers in person, most arrived by train. Even the performers came by train to the Freeman Station. Undaunted by the loss of the Hotel Brant, A.B. Coleman turned his attention to his other moneymaker, the Brant Inn, which was located just across the street. The historic Brant Inn which was demolished in 1969 was to become one of North America’s greatest venues for entertainment. Almost every single major musician and singer from the 1920s up to the big band era and beyond, played the Brant Inn. The Brant Inn was advertised all across North America as the place to be to see the world’s greatest entertainers perform in person. If you couldn’t get to Burlington to see your favourite entertainer live, you could always hear them on radio. Their performances were broadcast live right across North America. For those that travelled to Burlington from somewhere across North America or Europe, you usually arrived by train and stepped off at the Freeman station.
 The Brant Inn received continuous publicity all over North America and Europe. This story about Ella Fitzgerald appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier on August 2, 1947. Burlington was a famous tourist town, as well as being an agricultural community. With a population just like a village, Burlington responded to the tourist trade and had several hotels ready for weary guests. Outside of the Hotel Brant, Burlington had three more on Brant Street. You could stay at the Hotel Raymond, or the Queen’s Hotel, and if they were full, you could find accommodation at the Burlington Hotel. These were the earliest hotels, and later on, many more were built.
 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stopped at the Freeman Station in June 1939, as part of their cross Canada tour. It was the only time British Royalty had ever been to Burlington. The Royal Family stopped to visit Burlington at the Freeman Station
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth arrived in Canada in 1939. The Royal family were invited to tour right across Canada and into the United States. This was the first time British Royalty had ever been to either country. The Royal couple in the month of June stopped in Burlington to say hello to the thousands of residents who showed up to catch a glimpse of the two as they waved to everyone while visiting at the Freeman Station. The King and Queen were on their way to St. Catharines to officially open the Queen Elizabeth Highway. For local residents, this was to be their only time to see Royalty in Burlington. The British Royal family have never returned to Burlington. It was an historic moment at Freeman Station 76 years ago.
 World famous author Peter C Newman arrived with his family from Austria to the Freeman Station after World War 2 to start all over again. The ravages of war had left the family with nothing. Their new life began on a local farm in Freeman. This photo from around 1946 shows Peter in Freeman with his favourite farm horses Bob & Joe. Welcome to Canada, your new home
Canada was founded on immigration. Burlington received not a few, but thousands of new residents over the decades. They came for many different reasons. Economic hardships in Europe, the ravages of war, new war brides, a chance to start a new life in a new land, were all catalysts that brought us these inspirational people. Most came with nothing, except the clothes they were wearing, and maybe a suitcase, and that was it. When they stepped off the train at Freeman Station, and looked around with some fear in their eyes, little did they know what was in store for them in Burlington. But, every single new immigrant will always remember the Freeman Station, where their new life began in Canada.
Tomorrow, find out what the Freeman Station symbolizes, and why it is historical.
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 writes a regular column about colourful local history introducing Burlingtonians to the people that made this city what it is today.
Part 1
By Pepper Parr
February 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – things along the waterfront are just popping and hopping.
We learned last week that the contractor who was going to build the Bridgewater project filed for Bankruptcy and that New Horizon has taken over that project.
 The Bridgewater was the first major development on the waterfront in the core of the city to be approved – that was in 1985 – they called it a “legacy” project then. Then we learn that the hotel will be a Marriott Hotel and not a Delta. Then we learn that the Mariott Group had bought the Delta operation. This hotel you will recall was going to be open for people attending the Pan Am Games in Hamilton this summer. Burlington missed out on that opportunity. We didn’t miss out completely – we got to build a new park almost on the North West border of the city that will have soccer pitches for the soccer teams to practice on.
The public will not be allowed to watch those practices. But we digress.
The Bridgewater project will overcome the bumps it has hit.
 The ADI Development Group came along a few months ago and began the process to get a 28 storey structure a block away from the Bridgewater. Some think that won’t fly. The ADI Development Group will grind away and do their best to get their 28 storey project approved – not at city hall but at the OMB.
All kinds of things happening on the waterfront.
Then the public learns that the Waterfront Hotel site is going to undergo a massive change.
The existing hotel will get demolished and three structures will be built – an 8 storey building, a 22 storey building and a 25 storey building.
 The Waterfront Hotel has always been seen as a prime development site – the six storey hotel will come down and be replaced by three structures: 25-22 and 8 storeys assuming the set back from the water’s edge issues can be resolved. The existing parking lot contains approximately 135 spaces. The hotel was constructed in 1986 and abuts city owned parkland to the west and south. The site is relatively flat, sloping from east to southwest. There is a 4m grade difference between Lakeshore Road to the water’s edge.
It is going to be hard for the city to argue against the ADI project when there is a 22 story condominium in the process of being built almost across the street and now a project that it less than four blocks to the west that will have three structures – two of which will be more than 20 storeys.
The demolishing of the Waterfront will allow for structures that can face westward and take in all that Spencer Park has to offer.
The development potential for this site has been a gleam in the eye of both those who have struggled to get some traction and bring some real vibrancy to the downtown core and the long term thinkers in the planning department.
The early stage thinking on the potential of a site that was once the location of a canning factory goes back to before the current city hall was built.
The idea of a ‘master plan’ for the waterfront goes back to 2003-5 when the city was developing plans for the waterfront park – including the pier and Discovery Landing. A series of design charettes
Royal Host owned the hotel lands and participated actively in the design charettes – they were interested in redeveloping the site as they had done with their property in Kelowna BC
The City’s consultants developed preliminary concepts for the hotel redevelopment which included the idea of constructing below grade parking in the area of land between the existing hotel and water (city owned lands known as the headlands)
The idea then was for a park area would be elevated from the current grade, accessed by stairs – thus no net loss of park land; it was one of the key principles. But the ideas and concepts, as exciting as they were, never got beyond the preliminary stage. At the time City Council directed staff to enter into a joint master plan process with Royal Host – and discussions began on a cost sharing. Royal Host ultimately didn’t proceed but staff and Council recognized that at some point a redevelopment proposal was likely to come forward and took the pro-active step of adopting design principles for the site and putting in place an official plan policy that required a master plan to be done before any redevelopment could happen
Time changes everything. Conservation Halton regulations eliminated the potential for development (including parking) on the city-owned lands – but the principles that Council approved, including the need for a master plan (or planning study) remain relevant
 Red line area is where the three structures would be located; blue line sets out the study area. With a proposal from Vrancor the study process begins again with the city managing a process that will bring three development concepts; one from the developer and two from the consultant based on public input and the design principles approved by Council.
The Vrancor Group which owns the Waterfront Hotel and was described as being a significant player in the hotel business was represented by Ken Dakin – the man who got Mayrose Tyco past the hurdles when they ran into new Conservation Halton regulations.
Vrancor would have preferred to proceed by way of a traditional applicant driven process but understands the Official Plan policy which calls for a study which isn`t that much of an impediment given that the city has done a lot of the work previously.
Vrancor appreciates the opportunity to table its redevelopment concept as one of three concepts to be evaluated in the study, as set out in the Terms of Reference.
 Away back when there were horses pulling wagons on Brant Street and the Freeman Station was taking loads of fresh produce to locations around the world there was a canning factory at the foot of Brant. It was said one could smell the tomato sauce as far north as Caroline Given the opportunities of the property for mixed use redevelopment, Vrancor wants the study to proceed with an open mind with respect to density, height and floor area ratio.
The shoreline setback is critical to redevelopment on the property. Vrancor wants to resolve the setback with Conservation Halton before the planning study proceeds beyond consultant selection. Vrancor is currently pursuing the shoreline setback matter by way of technical submissions to Conservation Halton.
Vrancor accepts responsibility for the cost of the planning study, subject to its review and approval of the consultant cost. Vrancor does not want to incur study costs until the shoreline setback is resolved.
City Council assures everyone that there will be all kinds of public participation. Yes, but the following from Vrancor’s planner hints at just how much the public is going to see: “I have instructions to advise that concept plans are not available for publication.” Not all that encouraging is it. In the Terms of Reference for the study public participation is set out:
• Four public sessions: One to launch the process and confirm values and principles, one workshop to develop preliminary development concepts, followed by a meeting to present and review the three development concept alternatives, and a final public meeting to review the draft Official Plan (OP) policies, zoning and design guidelines.
There is a “stakeholders committee” on which there is decent public representation:
Ward 2 Councillor
Developer or Representative
Planning and Building
Transportation Services
Conservation Halton
Region of Halton – Planning and Public Works representatives
Downtown Business Association
Two Members of the Public to include
One resident from the downtown
One resident from the broader city
Parks and Recreation
Others as may be determined by the Steering Committee from time to time
 This is the process that will be out in place – but nothing gets done on time when the lakefront is involved. Planning staff will ultimately select a preferred development concept and the Waterfront Hotel Lands Planning Study will send a recommendation to Council.
Look for something in about eight months – assuming Ken Dakin can stick handle the set back issues past Conservation Halton.
By Mark Gillies
February 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you’re like me, you really enjoy living in Burlington. We live in one of Canada’s wealthiest communities. We are also fortunate to live in a community that has a rich historical past. No doubt about it, this city has a lot going for it, yet at the same time, there is still much more room for improvement. As an historian, I have never seen so many in one community so determined to obliterate its historical past. What a shock! Over the years our local demolitionists have done a good job, there is not much remaining from the 19th century. Many Burlington buildings from the early 20th century now appear to be targeted too, even if they have historical recognition. The demolitionists continue to win most battles. The preservationists continue to lose most battles. Future generations will be denied the right to much of their heritage.
 Burlington was put on the map with the combined efforts of the Grand Trunk Railway and our market gardeners, with both moving us quickly into the 20th century. This extremely rare full colour advertisement (only 1 remains) was inserted into European newspapers at the turn of the century, as an enticement to stimulate European immigration to the Garden of Canada. There was a point in the recent past when the city of Burlington was prepared t sell the Freeman station for kindling to anyone who would cart it away. A city engineer stood before Council and said the build was structurally unsound and could literally fall apart any day. What that engineer did not know was this: much of Burlington’s current wealth is due in no small measure to the existence of the railway station at the Burlington Junction.
But hey! Who cares about historical buildings?
We have to give credit to local organizations like the Burlington Historical Society who work hard at documenting some of Burlington’s rich historical past, and they must become completely frustrated when there is nothing available to fill in the missing parts of our local heritage. Without their efforts, few of us would know anything at all about some of our glorious history. There are a couple on City Council who try their best to keep some of Burlington’s historical buildings relevant, and free of a wrecker’s ball. They can only do so much.
There are a few local citizens and businesses who thankfully come forward and voice their concerns in opposition to historical buildings facing demolition, and there are those who operate our two museums doing their best to showcase our past. There are some dedicated homeowners of historical residences who do their best to preserve the historical aspects of their property. Outside of these few, there seems to be an overwhelming desire to rid the landscape of anything that is old, and replace it with something else. This could be a new hi-rise condo, a hotel, a plaza, a factory, an oversized house, or anything else that may generate new tax revenues.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-progress; I’m really pro-heritage. I believe that as a society we have to do much better to harmonize the two together. The answer is to not always knock old buildings down, that’s too easy, and it’s cowardly. The intelligent and correct answer is to work with our historical properties and responsibly integrate them into today’s world.
Why is this desire to destroy everything old happening in Burlington? I believe it can be summed up in one word, “ignorance”. There are those from within the general public, some members of our own City Council, some employees at the City of Burlington, some in our educational system, some local developers, some in our own Heritage Burlington, even some departments within the provincial and federal governments who haven’t a clue about what is historical and what is worth saving in Burlington. What’s worse, many of them just don’t care.
 Residents are so fortunate to have the 1906 Freeman Station in Burlington. At 109 years of age, this building has outlived all of us. It is recognized provincially and federally as historical, but this city owned property lacks the will of our local government for any financial support. The Burlington Junction Train Station, or as it’s more commonly called, the Freeman Station, is a perfect example of how ignorance almost destroyed Burlington’s most historically significant building EVER.
The Garden of Canada made Burlington world famous
The Freeman Station represents the focal point of our community. Our whole local society and lifestyle, over several generations, can be worked around our local train station. Without the presence of the Grand Trunk Railway which ran their double tracks through Burlington, stretching from Montreal to Chicago, and with their other track running across the Beach Strip into Hamilton, the Niagara Region and into the United States, Burlington would probably not exist, as we know it today. Prior to the establishment of the predecessor railway through Burlington by the Great Western Railway, co-founded by Hamilton’s Sir Allan Napier MacNab, and Peter Carroll from Aldershot, goods were shipped by sailing vessels.
In the 1850s era, it was not uncommon to see wagons loaded with lumber lined up for over a mile waiting to be unloaded at the wharf located at the bottom of Guelph Line, and during the same period, they even backed up Waterdown Road at Brown’s Wharf in Aldershot. Over time, roughly 2-3 decades, when the timber had all been harvested, and the lands cleared for farming, the second local economic base became wheat, shipped first by sailing vessels, then by rail. When the Canadian west opened up in the 1870s & 1880s with free land available to new settlers, many of our local wheat farmers moved to the prairies, and wheat ceased to be a local crop. This left Burlington and surrounding areas looking for a third economic base.
Established farmers and even new settlers decided they would try other agricultural products. Their choices were fruit and vegetables. As it turned out, this was just about the most perfect location in all of North America for a wide variety of food production. The soil conditions, the temperature, the growing season, everything was perfect for great harvests. In short order, Burlington had thousands of acres of flourishing apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry trees, plus strawberries, melons, tomatoes, beans, celery, cucumbers, and countless other fruits and vegetables under cultivation producing vast quantities.
There were market garden farms covering Aldershot, Freeman, Nelson, Appleby, Port Nelson, Kilbride, Lowville, Campbellville, Tansley, Zimmerman, all villages surrounding Burlington, with the Freeman Station at the heart of the whole area. Our area was a market gardening mecca, so much so, that Burlington became known around the world as “The Garden of Canada”. The harvests were so bountiful, that Burlington shipped produce to Hamilton and Toronto, and when we saturated those two markets, the market gardeners expanded some more, and shipped all over Ontario, and then it was all across Canada, followed by Europe, and then it was South Africa. Burlington was helping to feed many parts of the world. The name “Aldershot melon” became just as famous internationally as the well known “Idaho potato”.
Just in time delivery started with the GTR at Freeman Station.
 What made Burlington wealthy in the early part of the 20th century was the ability of the local market gardeners to get their high grade produce to the Grand Trunk Railway’s Freeman Station and have it shipped across the country and around the world, arriving just as fresh as when it was picked. How did our market gardeners get this fragile produce to these destinations? The 1906 Freeman Station which is now being restored and re-located to Fairview Street, was the focal point for most of this growth. Previously, there were two other train stations in Freeman which were destroyed by fire, one in 1883 and the other in 1904. They also played a part in this new economy. If it wasn’t for the railways in Burlington, the local wealth generated would not have happened. Burlington became very affluent at the turn of the 20th century, due to the efforts of the Grand Trunk Railway to quickly move the product, the local development of refrigerated boxcars, and also, our market gardeners who comprehended the science of agriculture, and maximized their yields. But, this was just one part of the Freeman station’s significance to Burlington. There were many more.
Tomorrow, find out how the Freeman Station played different roles in Burlington during the early part of the 20th century.
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 writes a regular column about colourful local history introducing Burlingtonians to the people that made this city what it is today.
 By Walter Byj
February 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington school Board trustee Andrea Grebenc, who hasn’t been a trustee long enough to cash the first paycheque found herself managing questions on the issue of a possible change to high school start times.
 Andrea Grebenc gets handed a hot potato – defers a decision at committee level. A good chair in the making. It was an auspicious debut on Monday night in her role as chair of the transportation committee for the Halton District School Board (HDSB).
Late last year, a motion was passed by the board requesting that the Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS) do a study that would look at high school start times and to realign bussing to all high schools to a start time between 8:45 am and 9:15 am.
The due date for the report was for March of this year.
Karen Lacroix, General Manager of the HSTS, responded with a letter listing a number of questions and requesting additional information before any study would be initiated. The discussion was the highlight of the meeting.
Most school board meetings can be very procedural and quite dry. Not this meeting. With Lacroix in attendance and the trustees quite aware that any change in school hours, both elementary and secondary could be quite contentious to the public, ideas and comments were coming from every direction.
If secondary school hours started later, would elementary hours start sooner?
How much later could secondary school start and when would classes end?
How would this affect after school athletics?
How would this affect students with after school jobs?
If elementary schools hours were changed, how would this affect daycare before and after school?
How would this affect special education busing?
What about schools with grades 7 to 12?
What would be the cost of this study?
How will this affect the teacher’s timetable?
All valid questions.
 These questions led to a discussion of class minutes (74), the length of the school day, travel time between classes and the overall school day. Every trustee at the meeting was a full participant – it seemed that each was learning something new.
Throughout the meeting, there was no opposition to delaying start times for secondary students.
Board chair Kelly Amos, Oakville, is a strong advocate of this change and the board is in agreement.
The question is how this would be done with the least disruption.
The committee did give some parameters to Lacroix for her study. Any time changes should not be more than 30 minutes from the current start times.
The study however is still on hold until one piece of the puzzle is resolved.
Burlington trustees Collard and Reynolds, asked that the proposed study be put on hold until the HDSB is advised if the Catholic board will also want to delay their starting times for their secondary students.
Depending on that decision, the HDSB might have to decide if they have a partner in school times or if they might need to go it alone.
Either way, before a final decision is made, there will be many more meetings to follow as no doubt the public will want their say.
Editor’s note: We appreciate that not all the people who attend the HDSB are protestants; historically the board has been referred to as the “protestant board” while there is a different school board for Catholics. With our society much more diverse perhaps it is time to look for a more descriptive name. Protestant was used for purposes of a headline
 By Pepper Parr
February 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city’s Tax Stabilization fund got clipped for $140,000 this morning.
The Tax Stabilization find is the account that any surplus from the previous budget goes into. As of today there was an uncommitted balance of $4,003,163 so the $140,000 that was handed over to the Art Gallery of Burlington didn’t leave that much of a dent.
With the city budget about to be debated – why hand out $140,000 now? That amount is to cover the 2014 shortfall that was the result of a number of items. In their delegation to the Community and Corporate Services Standing Committee this morning Anne Swarbrick and Sandra Edrup set the financial scene.
 Management problems prevailed in 2014. In January 2015, Art Gallery of Burlington staff met with Mayor Goldring, Councilor Taylor, and the Director of Finance to discuss their financial challenges. They had spent more money than they had in the bank. The major factors contributing to this deficit include:
Lower participation rates than forecast in educational programs.
Lower corporate and membership results than targeted in enterprise programs including lower catering and room rental revenues and the cancellation of the Creativity Forum due to insufficient registrations.
Lower than targeted sales revenues from Art Inc.
Increased staffing costs as a result of the installation of the new HVAC system.
We understood the first three items – but we are really pressed to see the relationship between “increased staffing costs” and “the new HVAC system” but no one on Council saw this as a problem.
This request was in fact a done deal – the delegation was just to give the transfer of the $140,000 a sheen of legitimacy.
The possible reason for the $140,000 loss might be related to some degree to the firing of the former President and CEO of the Art Gallery of Burlington. In the pleadings to Council the AGB said: “As a result of a combination of factors flowing from the issues referenced above, and re-organizational initiatives undertaken to correct them, the Gallery is currently undergoing a process in order to manage and plan for 2015 pressures.
They added: “As you will appreciate, the Board of Directors has increased their oversight of the AGB until such challenges can be resolved, including organizational review efforts that are now underway with the assistance of an excellent external consultant whom we have been able to recruit with no additional financial pressure on the organization’s resources
He had been with the art gallery for more than 15 years – suddenly he is gone.
There was no thank you, certainly no golden watch – but there appears, we are unable to confirm this, to have been a financial settlement which was not made public. Ross is gone, a search committee was created, advertisements were run, resumes received; the 35 that came in cut down to 9 out of which the Search Committee will settle on a short list of at least three.
 Ann Swarbrick, former MPP in the Bob Rae government and now the Interim President CEO of the Art Gallery of Burlington has shown she knows how to call in favours. Interviews will take place in March; the search committee hopes to announce their choice in April. Asked if there were going to be any woman on that short list and we were given “the look”: With Anne Swarbrick and Sandra Edrup on the search committee you know there is going to be at least one female on the list – even if it has to be a male that underwent a medical intervention.
In their delegation Swarbrick and Sandra Edrupt. Chair of the Board of Directors, said: “The Art Gallery is currently undergoing a change management process including reorganization initiatives to manage and plan for 2015 pressures.
The Art Gallery of Burlington has an accumulated deficit of $140,000 from their 2014 operations which represents 5.7% of their total 2014 operating budget of $2,453,450. The city gave the AGB a grant of $790,685 in 2014.
The AGB Foundation has allocated $160,500 to the gallery to support the 2015 programs, which will leave the Foundation with a balance in their reserve fund of approximately $65,000. These funds are ear marked for non-recurring and known costs they will face in 2015.
The gallery itself does not have a reserve – which is skating on pretty thin ice.
The financials given to the Standing Committee that approved the $140,000 payment for the 2014 shortfall looked like this:
REVENUE SUMMARY
Year-end Budget
City of Burlington – Operating Grant 790,685 790,685
Provincial funds
Ontario Arts Council 47,500 50,000
-Ontario Trillium Fund 4,508
Federal funds
Human Resource Canada 2,518 3,000
Earned Revenues
Education Fees 272,485 346,000
Art Etc Gallery Shop 525,737 660,500
Rental, Events, Memberships 438,107 355,765
AGB Foundation Grant 158,500 158,500
AGB Foundation/OAC Foundation 23,695 15,000
AGB Foundation/BCFoundation 13,111
TOTAL REVENUES 2,276,846 2,379,450
EXPENSE SUMMARY
Exhibitions 206,640 214,490
Education and Outreach 286,408 316,777
Enterprise/Marketing 331,433 172,751
Art Etc Gallery Shop 497,865 566,520
Administration 365,893 402,084
Occupancy and Maintenance 728,563 706,828
TOTAL EXPENSES 2,416,802 2,379,450
Net deficiency of revenue over expenditures (139,956)
The numbers tell the story. Fail to meet the objectives and there is always that Tax Stabilization to save the day. The prime question is – why did it take so long to see where the damage was being done?
By Staff
February 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If there was any doubt before – there is non now.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman is now an Ontario Tory. He sent the following out to what we presume is the Burlington Progressive Conservative membership list.
Dear members and supporters of the Ontario PC Party.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman – now a member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. Please forgive this intrusion on a Saturday afternoon. I wish to introduce myself on the eve of Christine Elliott’s special Membership Drive Reception in Burlington tomorrow, Sunday. I plan to attend the meeting and I have been asked to encourage others to join us.
Some of you already know me as a member of Council for our fine City of Burlington. I have joined the Ontario PC Party. My intention is to work with members of our community to rebuild the party with the goal of a PC majority government in the next Ontario election.
I acknowledge being a new comer to the PC party and in that regard have a lot to learn. With that said, I offer energy, commitment and passion to my personal goal, which is to make a contribution to the renewal of Ontario for the long term good of our citizens.
I look forward to meeting you between 2:30 and 4:30, Sunday February 8th at Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 60, 828 Legion Rd
Hope to meet you tomorrow!
Paul Sharman
Sharman is reported to be preparing to run against Liberal MPP Eleanor McMahon in the next provincial election.
 No one asked to have this done – a neighbour just thought it was something he wanted to do.  By Staff
February 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A neighbour with a snow plow might do your driveway.
A Senior might get regular help from a young lad up the street – but when someone comes out and shovels away the snow around your fire hydrant – well you know you’re in a different kind of town.
This certainly keeps the fire chief happy.
We don’t know what street his was on – our reader was driving by – did a bit of a double take and clicked on their cell phone.
Interesting city.
 By Staff
February 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you want your ten minutes of fame before city council slip over to the city web site and register to delegate.
Residents or businesses wishing to have their say about the proposed 2015 budget can register to speak during the budget review at the City of Burlington’s Community and Corporate Services Committee meeting on Feb. 11, 2015, by doing one of the following:
Completing the online registration form at www.burlington.ca/delegation
Printing and completing the registration form on the city’s website and mailing, faxing (fax 905-335-7675) or hand-delivering it to the clerks department at City Hall
Phoning the clerks department at 905-335-7698
Coming to the clerks department on the first floor of City Hall and completing a form in person
 Registrations must be received by the clerks department no later than noon on Feb. 10, 2015.
Each delegation will be allowed up to 10 minutes to speak.
The proposed budget information can be found on the city’s redesigned website, www.burlington.ca/budget.
By Staff
February 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We hear radio announcements about a Weather Alert. We read about people freezing to death in a bus shelter – we shake our heads and wonder – why do things like this happen. Do we not provide places for these people to go to be warm and get fed?
We do – but those “places” don’t just spring up like tulips in April. They happen because people spend hours working out a program and even longer hours making phone calls asking for donations.
 This is what cold is all about. There is an event that takes place happens in over 80 cities across Canada. This is the first time it is being held in Burlington. Open Doors @ St. Christopher’s is the location host this year. The event is called: The Coldest Night of the Year. It will take place on Saturday February 21st
Open Doors is trying to raise $25,000 to support its 13 programs: they still need your help. They are half way there thanks in part to their lead sponsor the Leggat Auto Group , but still need community and businesses to sponsor , walk or volunteer.
The Leggat Care Foundation is an established member of the community; they have put an emphasis on health care, poverty reduction and education opportunities as the paramount pillars of the Leggat Care Foundation.
Other businesses and partners are JD Restorations , Goodness Me Natural Food Market, Halton Public Library -Central Library and Halton District Catholic School Board. The Burlington Police , Neo1 Paint , and St. Luke’s Palermo Youth Group are some of our partner’s walk teams.
In 2014 Open Doors provided over 45,000 meals to our community. over 2000 people accessed free clothing through Open Doors and 142 families were helped at Christmas.
 The sign says it all. This ad has a place to go to get out of the cold. Open Door Programs and Networks
The programs in place now are:
Partnership West Food bank @ Open Doors ; Free Clothing Store; Kids Club After School Program; Tweens Club After School Program; Active Tots – (2015 start); Respite Programs for Families with Children with special needs; Calling All Parents Parenting Workshops; Christmas Program; Tuesday Night Dinner; Seniors Lunch; Halton Fresh Food Box Distribution; Pop Up Farm Markets with Feeding Halton; Community Kitchens (Youth and family) and the Halton Meal Network
Is Burlington now part of the Coldest Night of the Year walk because the need is now greater or is it because Burlington has become more conscious of the need?
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