 By Staff
February 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
They basically shut the town down. Families can spend the day at home playing M9onopoly while Dad toys away with his snow blower.
A media release from city hall said: “All City of Burlington buildings, with the exception of City Hall, Burlington Transit and services related to emergencies and storm management, will be closed today.
Regularly scheduled meetings and recreation programs will be cancelled due to yesterday’s snow accumulation and expected additional snow this morning.
“We want to ensure public safety, which means encouraging people to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary to travel,” said Scott Stewart, the city’s general manager of development and infrastructure.
Recreation
Recreation programs and services are cancelled today. The city will provide an update at 3 p.m. today regarding evening programs. Discovery Landing and the Brant Street Pier will also be closed.
 After capacity crowds for the Super Bowl Game – things were quiet at Joe Dogs Monday morning. They’ll get around to clearing the sidewalk. Burlington Transit
Burlington Transit will continue to operate today on a reduced schedule. Handi-Van will be available for medical appointments only.
Transit users are encouraged to stand at a corner near the bus stop rather than climbing on any accumulated snow. Visit Burlington Transit.for updates.
Burlington Public Library
Burlington Public Library branches will be closed today. For more information, visit
Snow clearing updates
City of Burlington staff worked through Sunday night to prepare roads for safe travel. About 27 centimetres of snow has fallen since Sunday, with another seven centimetres expected by noon along with blowing and drifting snow for the rest of the day.
The city had plowed main roads and secondary roads but will need to plow main roads again.
Snow clearing updates are posted three times daily HERE Please check for snow closure information.
 By Staff
February 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Follow up on the accident at Guelph Line and Mountainside Drive in Burlington on Thursday afternoon
A 55-year old female who was involved in a two-vehicle collision has since died. The female was pronounced dead at Hamilton General Hospital late Friday.
It is believed that the female – a Burlington resident – suffered a sudden medical episode and this led to her vehicle colliding with a silver sport utility vehicle that was stationary at a red traffic light. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.
Halton Regional Police will not be releasing the name of the decedent.
 By Staff
February 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Passage. The wok of Lesley McInally opened at the Art Gallery of Burlington late in January. The Opening reception takes place on February 8th along with another exhibit that might well take up all the attention. It would be a mistake to not find time to slip over to the Perry Gallery and spend some time appreciating the slab built paper clay vessels.
 A Lesley McInally slab built paper clay vessel. Born and raised in Scotland, Lesley McInally got her degree in ceramics and printmaking from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee University. She immigrated to Canada over a decade ago and settled in the Georgian Bay area, in Cookstown, in a landscape that reminded her of her homeland. Her slab built paper clay vessels, while functional in form are inspired by the landscape of both Canada and Scotland, especially the historic stone structures that show the accumulated layers of age.
McInally’s forms take on the soft rounded contour of stones that have faced the effects of weathering over time. These forms are often pierced with openings so that pinpoints of light illuminate dark interiors.
Her surfaces range from mists of colour to glaze that resembles cracked, blistered, and peeling paint. In the last couple of years she has developed a technique where she uses her old printmaking techniques. She layers ceramic pigments and hand coloured porcelain engobes to create complex textural surfaces that reveal hidden burst of colour similar to lichens.
McInally’s work possesses evocative powers that drive the viewer to decode the narrative elements which she hints at but never states.
Lesley McInally will be showing at the AGB until March 22, 2015
 By Ray Rivers
February 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s a nice change to see gasoline prices down. We’re pretty used to them going the other way and tired of all the excuses offered by the oil folks for why they have no choice. Global political instability or natural disasters are the classics. When hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans the oil industry got to double-up on excuses, blaming both the natural disaster and the storm-related destruction of the refineries and oil platforms.
 Pipeline capacity was sometimes the reason for higher gas prices. Typically the oil giants claim their hands are tied, blaming inflated selling prices on the tax man, or the speculators – derivatives, futures and hedge funds. They spit out this line as if they are innocent, even though they do much of the speculating themselves. And when the economy is healthy and growing, it’s inadequate refining capacity, depleted oil fields and limited pipeline capacity that are to blame – as if the industry has no control over these factors.
The price of oil is currently of huge importance to us. We are a free-trading, transport-intensive economy built on the automobile. The price of oil can mean the difference between economic boom or bust. Those of us old enough will recall how the late 1970’s Arab oil embargo gave us third-world-style gas pump shortages. North America and the world were plunged into recession and then wrenched back into near hyper-inflation – and then into something called stagflation.
More recently in the run-up to the 2008 recession, oil prices skyrocketed towards $150 per barrel, becoming the proverbial ‘straw breaking the camel’s back’, and triggering the debt-driven economic collapse that year. But what goes up also comes down and the price declined to one third of its value as quickly as it had risen. Then, as night follows day, prices rose again in sync with the recovering economy.
Today most of us are cheering the prices at the pump. Some experts attribute this phenomena to Saudis flooding the market in an attempt to drive American horizontal drilling hydraulic fracturing (fracking) entrepreneurs out of business. Others speculate it is the Yanks and Saudis collaborating to inflict damage on the oil-export dependent Russian economy. Since almost a fifth of Russia’s GDP and half of its budget come from oil revenues, falling oil prices may be more effective than sanctions have been at stopping the armed aggression in Ukraine.
 Fracking has certainly had a huge impact on where Americans get the gas from – the damage to the environment is becoming a little clearer and it doesn’t appear to be good news. America used to be the world’s biggest oil producer, until the low-hanging fruit in the oil fields was nearly exhausted and cheap middle-east oil came begging for a market. Thanks to ‘fracking’ the US is poised to regain that title and become self-sufficient. Of course that has implications for Canada, given that the US is virtually our only export market.
The very first oil in North American came from a well in Ontario in 1858. Today production is largely from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. The federal government has supported the oil industry in one way or another over the years, including the governments of John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau and Stephen Harper. In addition to direct subsidies and accelerated capital write-off, the government plays a significant role in oil transport, exploration, investment, international trade and environmental management.
But, if Stephen Harper saw the development of the vast ‘tar sands’ as a solution to the vagaries of Canada’s business cycle, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Oil is as volatile as… well just look at it today. And as the US becomes self-sufficient and even competes with Canada for export markets, that volatility will just get worse and markets dry up. And then there are the new supply-side technologies, such as ‘fracking’, which will enable countries from China to Ukraine to start producing more of their own oil.
What is really exciting, though, is demand-side technology. Electricity is a better alternative for propelling an automobile, whether in pure or hybrid vehicle format. Electric motors are safer, cleaner, virtually maintenance-free, more reliable, quieter, and more powerful – as we see with the Tesla all-electric sports cars or the economical Nissan Leaf. Electric vehicles were common-place in the mid 19th century, even holding the land speed record until the turn of that century.
Oil will always be part of our economy – for fertilizer, plastics, and the other myriad of uses – but 70% of all the petroleum used today is for transportation. And those days are limited. Even the lower pump prices we see today should not forestall the inevitable move away from petroleum. The smart money is on the alternatives.
We know the roller-coaster ride in petroleum pricing will continue, lifting prices again once the industry gets its act together following this current crisis. The oil industry is a largely unregulated oligopoly (limited number of sellers), and so long as they can work together (collude), and avoid political minefields, they will manipulate the market to their financial advantage. And we can expect to hear those old excuses crop up again as they do.
 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 against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
Background links:
Energy 101
Oil Busts USA Oil Price of Oil
Shale Gas US Energy Reserves Canada’s Energy Policy
Oil Sands Environment Tesla
By Staff
January 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
On Thursday January 29, 2015 just after 3:00 pm, Halton Regional Police were dispatched to the area of Guelph Line and Mountainside Drive in the City of Burlington for a motor vehicle collision.
A two vehicle collision occurred in the southbound lanes of Guelph Line just north of Mountainside Drive. While a silver sport utility vehicle was stopped at the red light, it was struck from behind by a blue four door sedan. As the driver of the sport utility exited his vehicle, he observed the female driver of the sedan to be in distress. He, as well as other drivers who were stopped for the light, attempted to assist the female.
Emergency services personnel arrived on the scene quickly and began to provide care for the female driver. She was subsequently transferred to a local hospital and arrangements were being made for her to be transferred to a trauma centre. The Collision Reconstruction Unit attended the scene and assumed responsibility for the investigation.
 Halton Regional Police will all wear the new “colours”. In times past the OPP cruisers wore black and white and were referred to as “Holsteins” by many people. Through investigation it was determined that the female driver suffered a medical episode while driving. She is a fifty five years old Burlington resident and her identity will not be released.
The driver of the sport utility was uninjured.
The left turn lane and two of the three through lanes on Guelph Line were closed while police investigated.
Is this a dangerous intersection?
In August of 2013 a 31 year old Waterdown man was operating his 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 600cc motorcycle northbound on Guelph Line, north of the QEW. He had a 31 year old Burlington woman as a passenger.
That motorcyclist lost control as he attempted to make a left turn onto westbound Mountainside Drive. This caused the motorcycle to flip onto its side and eject the riders.
A 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt being driven by a 42year old Hamilton man made contact with the motorcycle and the rider in the intersection. The Chevrolet did not contributed to the reason as to why the motorcyclist lost control. The Chevrolet driver was not injured and was released from the scene.
Is there reason to suspect there are problems with this intersection? – these are not the only accidents at this location.
Police Reconstruction people might want to take a second look at the way the intersection works
Any witnesses to the Thursday accident are urged to call the Collision Reconstruction Unit at (905) 825-4747 ext. 5065
 By Pepper Parr
January 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
Was it the weather?
Maybe people didn’t know about the meeting?
Maybe they don’t care?
 Ten minutes before the only public meeting on the 2015 city budget was to start this is what the room looked like. About ten people showed up. Mayor was there but he didn’t stay long enough to take his coat off. All three questions came from General Manager Infrastructure and Development Scott Stewart as he looked around a room that has less than five people ready to listen to a public presentation on the 2015 budget.
 Mayor doesn’t stay at budget meeting long enough to take his coat off. There were more than ten staff members. Except for Councillors Lancaster and Taylor everyone else was in the room. Mayor Goldring didn’t stay long enough to take off his coat – no photo op here he must have concluded.
As presentations go – it was as good as it gets.
City staff have done a lot of excellent work bringing forth a much different way of creating their budget and producing a document that is much easier to understand.
Staff had hoped to go on line from the Mainway Recreation Centre and take people through a demonstration of the flashy new city web site – but the access they needed wasn’t apparently available.
 Political hopefuls Carol Gottlob and Angelo Benevenuto attended the 2015 budget presentation Bentivegna
The Gazette will do a detailed follow up piece with all the graphs and charts that help people understand what the tax collector is going to do with the money you send them.
 The weather didn’t keep hundreds of parents away from a hockey game at the Mainway Recreation centre right next door to where the budget for 2015 was being explained. As to why there weren’t at least 100 people in the room – well it could have been the weather – but the crowd at the arena right next door tells you it wasn’t weather.
Don’t they give a damn? They might if they knew about the event. City hall still doesn’t have that ability to reach out and touch its public.
Because when it matters – the public does show up. Back in 2011 more than 400 people packed the same room – they didn’t want any kind of highway going through the Escarpment and they were in that room to make sure they were both heard and understood.
Maybe, wondered Scott Stewart, they are just happy and satisfied with the job we are doing for them?
We didn’t realize that Scott Stewart knows how to dream in Technicolor.
 By Pepper Parr
January 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Talk about trouble in paradise!
ADI Development Group wants to put up a 28 storey structure on the corner of Lakeshore and Martha.
 The hotel on the right was going to be a Delta – it will now be a Marriott. The 22 storey Bridgewater condominium is on the left. City council doesn’t like that idea one bit and point out that we already have a “legacy” project on the waterfront – that being the Bridgewater 22 story condo.
 Has the company that was brought into to construct the 22 storey condominium on the right gone into bankruptcy? However, we have been told that the construction company signed up to build those 22 floors is in bankruptcy – and that will trigger all kinds of issues.
Given the reported bankruptcy – might we see the ADI Group looking for a way to get in on the Bridgewater development? They are an aggressive organization that is close to completing their Mod’rn Project on Guelph Line; squabbling with the city over their share of the cost of providing services to the Linx2 project on Sutton and Dundas; probably gearing up for an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the LAkeshore Martha project and doing some deep thinking on what they want to do with the property they bought from Paletta International next to the Aldershot GO station.
These guys have BIG plans
When the Bridgewater condo development was being put together Myrose Tyco – the developer had to meet some stringent requirements set out by the Conservation Authority. One of these had to do with the amount of set back from the edge of the lake that is required. Setbacks from the lake are handled by Conservation Authority and right now Burlington doesn’t have the kind of representation needed at that Authority.
 Three city Council members managed to keep Councillor John Taylor off the Conservation Authority but he got appointed to the Niagara Escarpment Commission – that will get him back to the Conservation Authority in time. Through finagling on the part of Councillors Craven and Sharman Councillor Taylor is not going to be at the Conservation Authority table. Councillor Meed Ward will be there and once she has the organization figured out she will bring her style of politics to that room.
 Councillor Rick Craven, centre, would appear to be holding many of the keys these days. He is certainly not opening any doors for his colleague John Taylor on the right.
But it will take some time for her to learn to fit in and while she is doing that Burlington will not have access to the “institutional” memory that John Taylor brought to that job.
There is a lot more to tell about how your city council has really mis-managed its relationship with the Conservation Authority.
It gets better – the 8 storey hotel that was intended to be opened for the Pan Am Games – that didn’t happen did it – got pushed back. The city was assured that it was going to have the equivalent of a four star hotel right in the waterfront.
Delta Hotel’s signed on and you the tax paying public were led to believe that everything was coming along just fine.
The Gazette doesn’t know how well the project is coming along but we do know that it isn’t going to be a Delta Hotel.
We are advised that it will now be a Marriott Hotel – which is going to mean all kinds of paper work for the permits department at city hall.
The city’s solicitor Nancy Shea Nicol will get pulled into this as well – she will wear two hats – one as the Interim City Manager – the one we had left town for Florida and wasn’t able to get a new city manager in place before he left – even though that was one of the reasons he was hired.
Oh what a tangled web we weave.
 By Staff
January 29th, 2014
Burlington, ON
During the evening hours of Sunday January 25th 2015, three residential break and enters occurred in close proximity to one another on Hammond Street in Burlington.
Entry into the homes was gained through forced doors and in one instance through a basement window. Once inside, the culprit rummaged through closets and drawers, stealing jewelry, cash and electronics.
Officers from the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau continued to investigate these entries. On Tuesday January 27th 2015, two persons were arrested and a search warrant was executed at a home on Lang Street in Hamilton where a quantity of cash, electronics and jewelry were seized.
Arrested and charged are:
Joseph Anthony ALLEN (44 yrs) of Lang Street in Hamilton(Held for Bail)
• Break, enter & theft (three counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime
• Fail to comply with recognizance (two counts)
• Fail to comply with probation (two counts)
• Possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) under 30 grams
Elizabeth BAKER (39 yrs. ) of Lang Street in Hamilton (Released on an Appearance notice to attend Milton Court on February 18th 2015)
• Possession of property obtained by crime
Anyone with information about this investigation are asked to contact Detective Ellie Bale – Residential Crime Team at 905 825-4747 ext. 2312 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Staff
January 29th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Imagine the Lee-Chin Family room at the Art Gallery of Burlington aglow with 7500 glass jars lit with candles inside them.
This is the view that will be before you at the Art Gallery of Burlington when a major installation opens next month: Of Water and Tides.
 Lyndal Osborne with some of the over 7,500 glass jars she uses to take us on a journey involving two amazing rivers: one in Australia, one in Canada. International artist Lyndal Osborne uses over 7,500 glass jars to take us on a journey involving two amazing rivers: one in Australia, one in Canada.
This major cultural event will challenge your views on how we think about our richest natural resource – water.
Shoalwan: River through Fire, River of Ice (2003) and Tidal Trace (2004-2013) are two major installations in the oeuvre of Australian born artist Lyndal Osborne: both are inspired by bodies of water.
Shoalwan is a reflection on her experiences along the Shoalhaven River in Australia and of the North Saskatchewan River that flows near her home in Edmonton, Alberta. It presents her contrasting experiences in two countries that are antipodal.
Tidal Trace, in collaboration with John Freeman, came to be from her experiences at Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland where she noticed plastic and metal refuse, items left behind on the beach or thrown at sea, were brought to shore by the rolling of the waves, like a macabre dance of gift-giving.
 A reflection Lyndal’s experiences along the Shoalhaven River in Australia Shoalwan and Tidal Trace invites visitors to meditate and contemplate on the beauty and force of water. It also reminds us of the destructive power of the human race in the name of evolution and technological advancement.
In the end…who will win?
Of Water & Tides showing at the Art Gallery of Burlington from February 7, 2015 to April 5, 2015. There is no admission charge for AGB events.
 By Mark Gillies
January 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 2 of a 2 Part feature
 Peter Carroll 1807-1876 was a wealthy man, a land surveyor, a co-founder of The Great Western Railway, and a businessman who served on many corporate boards. When Rock Bay opened, it was spectacular to see. Peter Carroll had selected an ideal location for the mansion, overlooking Burlington Bay from the north shore line located at the far western end. Below the mansion sitting high atop its high ground, was a jut of land that ran way out into Burlington Bay. This land was to be known as Carroll’s Point, and the name is still in use today. You could say that Peter Carroll’s closest neighbour, towards Hamilton, was Sir Allan MacNab, who lived in nearby Dundurn Castle.
Peter Carroll loved to entertain. His wife was the former Henrietta Martin. They married in 1836. Together they entertained the wealthy and put on countless lavish galas. Most guests at the time lived in Hamilton, and they would ride to Rock Bay Castle in their fancy carriages from the city out to Peter and Henrietta’s estate, horses prancing along York Boulevard, across the Burlington Heights, turning right at the Valley Inn Road, proceeding down the hill, and then driving up to the front gates which were located just about where the Woodland Cemetery main entrance is now.
 Rock Bay Castle was a mansion in Aldershot owned by Peter & Henrietta Carroll, a venue for high society galas. Guests, in this photo, can be seen enjoying themselves at Rock Bay Castle. The lane way to Rock Bay was long and it was winding. Colourful gardens adorned both sides of this beautiful lane. Peter had oak trees planted on either side of the lane. Over time, the oak trees provided a covered arch, all the way to the handsome port cochere. Many of these trees can still be seen on the Woodland Cemetery grounds. Stepping out of the carriage upon your arrival, there were many servants tending to your every need. As you walked up the steps to the front entrance way, the great wooden door would be opened for you, and then you entered into a beautiful wood paneled hall, and proceeded to one side into a circular reception hall, graced with a large fireplace. In the fireplace would be a fire, well-seasoned oak logs would be crackling and burning. This reception hall was 2 storeys high, and to one side was a circular staircase that led you up to a balcony with a window that overlooked the estate’s property.
From this same balcony room, several doors would lead you into the bed chambers. Rock Bay had a beautiful drawing room, and within it was something quite rare for Upper Canada at that time. It was a beautiful grand piano. The windows in the mansion were adorned with heavy curtains of brocade. To light the estate in the evening, scented candles were found to be everywhere. Beautiful family portraits painted in oil were hung on most walls inside this magnificent home. Rock Bay was breathtaking.
The focal point of Rock Bay was the exterior’s large square tower, similar to one seen on Scottish baronial castles.
When you were either entertained at Rock Bay Castle, by Peter & Henrietta Carroll, or at Dundurn Castle by Sir Allan MacNab, guests knew they were in a special circle of the elite, and from this, they had a chance to enjoy the benefits of high society.
 Peter Carroll’s monument is in historic Hamilton Cemetery. Peter died from small pox in 1876. His legacy is now forgotten. While Peter Carroll was on a business trip to France in 1876, he managed to contract small pox. When he returned home, he tragically died a few days later on September 18th. Henrietta, herself contracted small pox from Peter, but survived this attack. Peter was buried in Hamilton Cemetery. However, the importance of Peter’s death and his funeral were overshadowed by another event that captured all of the headlines in Canada and the United States. A man from Hamilton, named Cyrenius Chapin Roe, a machinist by trade, unveiled his invention that totally captivated everyone. Cyrenius was more commonly known as C.C. Roe, and his invention was patented as “Steam Man”.
 C.C. Roe from Hamilton invented the world’s first robotic man, called “Steam Man”. It took North America by storm. Many events of real importance at that time were relegated to the back pages of newspapers. This was the world’s first robotic man capable of walking upright, and “Steam Man” could perform feats of strength. The world was captivated by this man’s invention, spawning many articles and stories everywhere. C.C. Roe and his family travelled all across Canada and the United States with “Steam Man”, as people flocked to see this marvel of modern technology for themselves.
 Henrietta, after recovering from small pox, continued to live at Rock Bay. When she became too elderly to live there on her own, she went to live in Hamilton.
There, Henrietta died of senile debility on July 20, 1907. While Henrietta, as a widow, was still alive and living at Rock Bay, my own grandmother Mabel Henrietta Hunter and her sisters, Lydia, Maud, Nellie, Ethel, Edna & Jessie, as young girls in the 1880s and early 1890s would play at Rock Bay with the jovial elderly lady. Henrietta Carroll taught the young girls how to make various crafts.
My great grandfather, Arthur Hunter, was an original Aldershot market gardener, and the Hunter family lived in Peter Carroll’s Bay View cottage as tenants. When my grandmother was born in 1883, it was at Rock Bay mansion. My great grandparents, Arthur & Elizabeth Hunter gave Mabel, my grandmother, the middle name Henrietta, in honour of Henrietta Carroll, a lady who was quite adored by the Hunter family.
 Rock Bay Castle suffered the fate of a devastating fire. Henrietta Carroll lost everything. The building was eventually demolished. The stone walls were crushed into gravel. And what became of Rock Bay? Sadly, this beautiful mansion burned to the ground around 1908. The stones from the building were crushed into gravel. Some say, that this same gravel was used for the new roads winding throughout Woodland Cemetery. This could be true, I do not know.
As for the name Rock Bay, where did that name come from? No one knows for sure. Some say, it was named after Peter Rock, who owned the Maple Leaf Hotel, located in the Market Square in Hamilton. I don’t believe that is true.
Peter Rock did not arrive in Hamilton, until around 1890, many years after the death of Peter Carroll. My own theory is, it was a combination from two sources. “Rock” could have been in reference to the stone from Queenston, used to build the mansion’s walls, and “Bay” would have been the reference to Burlington Bay.
What’s really unfortunate is Rock Bay Castle, this beautiful mansion from the 1850’s is no longer with us. We lost a beautiful jewel from the past.
Mark Gillies will next tell you about Harry Lorimer, another forgotten person from Burlington’s colourful historical past. A humble man, Lorimer made a huge impact on Burlington, not just once, but twice. Lorimer’s house at 504 Burlington Avenue was recently removed from the City’s Heritage Registry for lack of historical significance, a decision many find totally incomprehensible, myself included.
By Ray Rivers
January 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
Writing this year’s budget is a challenge for federal finance minister, Joe Oliver. His predecessor, the amiable Jim Flaherty had left us believing the government would be finally riding its way to a balanced budget, with possibly some new tax cuts thrown in this year. But the PM, hoping to counter negative polling, jumped the gun and offered up almost $5 million in new cuts and spending, including $2 billion in cuts mostly for the wealthiest families.
 Minister of Finance is in way over his head – Prime Minister may have pushed him under a bus. The problem is the price of oil. Oil is vital to the functioning of today’s modern economy. One would think we’d all welcome a drop in its price, especially those who drive cars. Falling oil prices are actually better than a tax cut for consumers, since it is immediate. I will be discussing this in more detail in my next column.
Suffice it to say that, generally, if the cost of a factor of production, like oil, falls, corporate net income (profit) should rise, except for the oil companies. And consumers with more money in their pockets after filling-up, can be expected to spend it, thereby boosting the economy and creating new taxable employment. All of this should make the budget balancing act easier, and maybe even generate a surplus, you’d think.
But it isn’t working out that way. For one thing the Conservatives cut the corporate income tax rate from 19% in 2009 to 15% today, presumably to encourage greater investment. But that was money for nothing, because investment in Canada has fallen rather than increased, and with it so has productivity. Cutting corporate taxes was a failed proposition federally, as indeed it was here provincially – also contributing to Ontario’s deficits.
When oil prices were flying high, at over $100 per barrel, the taxes from the oil industry more than made up the shortfall – but that was then. Today the oil companies are barely breaking even mining the tar sands. Still the silver lining of low oil prices is that our falling Canadian dollar should make us more internationally competitive. However, as I outlined in my last column, it may take years to revive the non-oil economic sectors of the Canadian economy.
 Governor of the Bank of Canada gave Oliver a gift recently by cutting the bank rate. So with federal revenue down, how does Mr. Oliver balance the budget? Financing Canada’s debt costs us almost $30 billion annually. The Governor of the Bank of Canada gave Oliver a gift recently by cutting the bank rate, thus potentially lowering the cost on new financing. But our declining US exchange rate neutralizes much of that because some of the debt is held by foreigners in US denominated securities- and that costs us more as our dollar falls.
Having just cut taxes, this government is unlikely to raise them again, so the Finance Minister has to look at the cost side of the equation. We should expect more service cuts, further compromising services in immigration, veterans affairs and the military. Don’t be surprised if new taxes appear disguised as user fees, such as more costly park permits, passport applications, etc.
Most likely there will be further deferrals of major capital investments and acquisitions, such as fighter aircraft and arctic patrol ships. Lumping this year’s expenditures into next year’s budget is a favourite shell game of a government in trouble – it’s called creative financing. And expect to see whatever is currently left of the departments of Environment and Natural Resources get further hollowed out.
Of course the Minister may decide it is time to sell off more Crown land, airports or other physical or intellectual property. We have started bunking-in at some foreign embassies, and we should expect that trend to continue, despite the obvious complications for diplomacy and sovereignty. Foreign aid, such as it exists today, might be further wound down – after all U2’s Bono was Paul Martin’s friend.
 It was the tar sands that were going to save our economic bacon – then the Saudi’s changed the game. It could happen – Mr. Harper might claim a balanced budget, even with the extra billions he prematurely slashed from the revenue side. Balancing the budget is a point of principle for the PM, one that he expects will define him and his leadership. But unless the price of oil rises substantially to somewhere close to $100 a barrel soon, showing up with a balanced budget would just be a lot of smoke and mirrors. And the longer the PM waits to announce that budget the harder it will be to justify the numbers.
Keynesian economics says we should pay off the debt in good times so we have borrowing room in the bad times. It has been almost seven years since the 2008 recession hit and this PM got to preside over the largest deficit in the nation’s history. So it has taken a long time to even get close to his goal of being in the black, notwithstanding all the chatter.
In the end, Mr. Harper may well claim a balanced budget, even taking us back to the kind of surplus he inherited when he first became PM. Of course the real question is whether the electors are better off now than they were in 2006? For some the answer is clearly yes. But for the many who find themselves on the other side of that ever-increasing spread between the wealthiest ten percent of Canadians and the others, the answer is not so simple.
 How does the Minister of Finance create an economic pie big enough for everyone to eat? For those middle and lower income Canadians, who make up the vast majority of our population, it is the size of the economic pie and their share in it that matters. And so it is high time that our government started addressing the issue of economic inequality – the distribution of wealth in this country. We could look to Mr. Obama’s recent ‘State of the Union’ address as a starting point for that discussion in Canada.
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 against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
Background links:
Harper Tax Cuts More on Harper Tax Cuts Pay Back the Debt
More on Debt Investment
Previous Rivers Column on how the PM sees the Canadian economy. Obama’s Take on Equality
 By Staff
January 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Rocca Sisters & Associates have produced a bullish report on real estate in Burlington, They report a gain of 8.6% year over year for freehold homes in Burlington. They add that sales volume was down 4% over the same period of time.
 Homes in Millcroft are selling well The hotspots in Burlington continue to be the Orchard and Millcroft, with most southeast communities either exceeding increases or not far behind. We believe the southeast is experiencing a renaissance due to three factors: ¬ affordability, proximity to Toronto (traffic patterns) and schools (Pinedale and Tuck both scoring very high on the Fraser Report).
We are expecting prices to hold steady in Millcroft and the Orchard with modest increases in 2015 but that will depend entirely on supply. If inventory levels remain low, prices may continue to rise in the double digits.
The Plains Rd neighbourhood has seen a significant increase due almost entirely to the resale of recently built townhomes. Finally, the Palmer neighbourhood has seen some significant gains. This community has proven to be a very good investment area for renovators as the property values have been kept fairly low.
We expect that in 2015 this community will continue to see some very strong gains. Overall, we expect to see a more balanced market in Burlington by the middle of 2015.
The banks continue to make it easier to finance the purchase of a home. The Bank of Canada cut its target for the overnight lending rate last week from the already low 1% down to 0.75%. Royal Bank of Canada was the first to announce yesterday that they would be cutting their prime lending rates by 0.15% down to 2.85% effective today. This announcement prompted Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Montreal, National Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Bank of Nova Scotia to quickly lower their offerings as well.
This drop in rates has come at the perfect time for potential home buyers and sellers at the start of the Spring Market.
 By Staff
January 28, 2015
BURLINGTON,ON
The Regional Police are reminding motorists that winter driving requires extra patience, care and attention.
 Snow removal – get it all off or face the possibility of a $110. ticket While speed limits are set for ideal road conditions, safe winter driving requires slower speeds, increased following distances and a clear view of your surroundings.
In Halton Hills, police estimate 10% of commuting motorists are not taking the time to clear their windows of ice and snow. It is the driver’s responsibility and legal requirement to ensure all windows are in such condition as to afford a clear view to the front, sides and rear of the motor vehicle.
By taking the time to clear your view, you are limiting the risk of being involved in a collision and at the same time promoting road safety and leading by example.
Traffic safety is a continuous concern for our communities and a priority for the Halton Regional Police.
Officers will be focusing on these infractions and unsafe driving habits and will be enforcing section 74(1) of the Highway Traffic Act requiring drivers to have a clear view, a fine of $110.00.
You can get a pretty good snow scraper for that kind of money
By Pepper Parr
January 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is that time of year again – when the city sets out what they want to take from your wallet – they call it taxes.
The setting and the approach to this interaction with the public will be considerably different this year. The locale will be the Mainway Recreation Centre – where there is quite a bit more room; things were getting a bit tight at the Art Gallery.
 A rapt audience listened to an overview of the 2014 budget. What they have yet to have explained to them is the desperate situation the city will be in ten years from now if something isn’t done in the next few years to figure out how we are going to pay for the maintenance of the roads we have. There will be the obligatory budget overview.
There will be a demonstration of the Burlington Open Budget visual application.
There will be a table top exercise – that’s when participants get to think about some of the specifics in the budget that was explained and make comments on the different initiatives the city is proposing
This is the year the city moved to budgeting based on the services provided rather than planned spending by departments. The city has a handful of acronyms; RBA – Results Based Accountability is the one that they seem to favour.
When the city wants to provide a new service there has to be a business case made – the public will get to hear what some of the business cases are this year.
 Vanessa Warren and Ken Woodruff going through the pages of the workbook at the 2014 budget review. In the past the city has used small hand held clickers – sort of like a TV remote control. Data is put up on a screen and people are asked to use the clickers to indicate which of the options given they prefer.
While all this data gathering is interesting – the basics of the budget have already been determined. City staff have been working on the document for months – the broad strokes are in place – what the public is being asked to do at this point is comment on what has been done – but there is no real opportunity to shape the city’s financial plan.
Vanessa Warren, one of the founders of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt coalition and a candidate for the ward 6 seat which Blair Lancaster won for the second time in October, commented at the last public review of the budget that “none of the remarks made at the only public meeting being held on the budget would be available before delegations were made.” Warren wanted more information and wanted it sooner so comments could have a real impact.
It was at the 2014 review that John Birch tried to hi-jack the event and get in his pitch for funding of the LaSalle Park Marina; his efforts drew howls of derision. Hopefully the event facilitator will keep a tighter rein on where speakers go with their comments.
With a little luck the evening will see a demonstration of the city’s new web site. What we’ve seen so far appears to be a significant improvement over what has been in place for the last five years. Atrocious is an apt word to describe what the public has had to put up with.
A smart, savvy crew has done some solid work – the peak we had at the web site was good. Let’s see if the follow up is as good.
Thursday – at the Mainway Recreation Centre – 7:00 to 9:00 pm. It will be different this year.
 By Pepper Parr
January 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Residents Against Sewer Backup (HRASB) is hosting a Valentine’s Day Gala with all proceeds going to fund independent research of the storm and sanitary sewer systems.
HRASB spokesperson, Christina Thorpe, says the group will spearhead the research but intends to work closely with independent experts who will analyze last year’s storm and waste water system failures, provide recommendations, and offer insight into the city’s proposed “intensification” plans.
 Christine Thorpe speaks for the Halton Residents Against Sewer Backup. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Burlington residents to come together, once again, in solidarity as they did on August 4th – a day when family, friends, and neighbours opened their homes and hearts to those who were greatly distressed.” More than 191 mm of rain fell on that August day.
 Nothing pretty about this picture but it was the reality many in the city had to deal with last August. Thorpe contends that the formal affair at The Atrium will be well worth the $60 ticket price with dancing and live entertainment by the talented John Chantry, hors d’oeuvres reception, silent art auction, raffles for items such as spa packages and electronics, door prizes, and a champagne toast – all for a worthy cause.
Thorpe says that the storm and waste water infrastructure failed in May, June, and August of 2014, and that costly flood studies dating back 14+ years were seemingly ignored.
Furthermore adds Thorpe, citizens were not provided with essential emergency services for prompt sewage clean out or consultation on public health issues.
 The commercial sector suffered as well during the flood – no one is hearing how they dealt with the damage. “Emergency preparedness is something that every Burlington resident should be concerned about. We need to be confident that the City and the Region are prepared to take appropriate action during times of crises.”
 A Valentine Day event to get together and chill out and raise funds for further research. Tickets can be purchased online at WWW.EventBrite.ca – search for ‘Valentines Gala’ – or call 289-335-0329. Singles and couples welcome, senior and group discounts, 19+. * Transportation for seniors’ groups can be arranged.
The city has budgeted $4.5 million to do a study on what would have happened to other parts of Burlington had the same amount of raid dropped in Aldershot.
The HRASB hasn’t said what it is they want to independently research on nor have they set out a target as to how much money they need to raise.
Back in October, 2014 the HRASB wrote Regional Chair Gary Carr asking a number of questions.
Why, they wanted to know, did the representatives from the Burlington Flood Relief Foundation decline two invitations to attend sewer backup meetings thereby missing opportunities to connect with 350+ residents who were directly affected by sewage backup?
First, the organization was the Burlington Community Foundation and there job was to deal with two clearly defined groups of people: Those who did not have any insurance and those who were under-insured.
A meeting with 300+ people who didn’t meet these criteria would serve no purpose – and, the BCF was terribly over-worked dealing with those who did meet the criteria.
The members of HRASB and the people they represent have significant and justifiable complaints. The Regional government has basically stiffed them and failed to respond adequately to their real concerns. There is more detail on the HRASB web site at www.hrasb.com
There was an On line petition requesting a Town Hall meeting; that went nowhere. Everyone who signed the on-line petition also sent an email to Regional Chair Garry Carr – that didn’t produce any results either.
 Jane MacCaskill, CAO for the Region felt that elections got in the way of meeting the needs of residents whose homes were flooded. Regional CAO Jane MacCaskill published a press release in a local newspaper saying there would not be any public meetings with a municipal election taking place. For some reason MacCaskill feels the administration of a municipal government comes to a complete stop just because there is an election taking place,
The election is over – so now is there going to be a meeting? Thorpe doesn’t appear to be holding her breath.
There have been a few very poorly promoted Public Information events that were reportedly poorly attended.
Christina Thorpe is pushing for better transparency and more accountable. She thinks that the three law suits that have been filed against the Region for the way they handled the flood matters might be why they are being kind of quiet.
The people who lost so much due to the flood have big hearts – and they want to share the love on Valentine’s Day – and then use the money they raise to do some serious research. There is nothing more effective than a grass roots organization committed to their cause.
Related articles:
Open letter to the Regional chair – he didn’t respond.
By Pepper Parr
January 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – this is going to be interesting.
It has to do with the position of city manager.
 We know why this guy is smiling. Pat Moyle current interim city manager heads south Friday for warmer weather We don’t have one – but we do have an Interim city manager; he leaves on Thursday. Pat Moyle took on the job of serving as an Interim city manager against his wife’s advice. She went along with the gig on the understanding that Pat would be in their car no later than February 1st and heading south to Florida.
The wife advanced that date to the 29th – so Pat Moyle is on the way out the door on Thursday.
By law the city must have a person known as the city manager in place.
In the past one of the General managers takes on the task.
Burlington has just the one city manager, Scott Stewart and he is one of the people applying for the job of city manager that has been open ever since Jeff Fielding turned a five year contract into a 26 month contract and headed west to Calgary.
 Former City General Manager Kim Phillips retired in July leaving the city in Scott Stewart’s hands with Pat Moyle providing oversight. Kim Phillips was one of the general managers but she left city hall in July.
Since then Pat Moyle has served as interim city manager and Scott Stewart has been carrying the ball as the sole general manager.
Many people thought council would have decided who they wanted as their new city manager by now. They are known to now be working on their short list and Scott Stewart is on that list.
Here is where it gets murky – one of the reasons a decision has not been made is because Council has not interviewed all the candidates.
Huh!
There is apparently some kind of a conflict between the one of the candidates and someone on the interviewing team. That might be Pat Moyle – but this city is so secretive that you the public that pick up the tab will never know what the SIGNIFICANT Seven are doing.
Its gets better.
 That Maple Leaf Sweater is not the reason Scott Stewart a current city general manager and a candidate for the job of city manager is smiling. As General Manager many of the departments reported to Scott Stewart.
Legal was one of those departments.
 Former city manager Jeff Fielding is on the left upbraiding one of the Air Park Lawyers. Nancy Shea Nicol city solicitor will serve as interim city manger until council decides who they want running the shop. City Solicitor and Director of Legal Services Nancy Shea-Nicol will be the acting city manager until the permanent city manager is hired.
Figure this one out: Shea Nicol reports to Scott Stewart but because Stewart is one of the finalists for the job of city manager Shea Nicol has been made the boss of the man who has up until this morning been her boss.
And it hasn’t been what one would call the smoothest of working relationships.
And we thought the way Rob Ford ran Toronto was a bit of a zoo?
 Recently re-elected the Significant Seven are struggling with hiring a new city manager. The position has been open for close to a year. Recently re-elected the Significant Seven are struggling with hiring a new city manager. The position has been open for close to a year.
Then it gets funny: “Managing Canada’s best mid-sized city is a significant task,” says Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “We want to ensure we give internal and external candidates every opportunity to share with us their vision for Burlington’s future, helping us to maintain and enhance an already wonderful city.”
 Mayor Goldring can’t seem to get away from using that ” we are the best mid sized city in the country phrase”. Someone in the Mayor’s office writes this baffle gab.
Interim City Manager Pat Moyle, who joined the city in May 2014, has been a part of the recruitment for the new city manager. He finishes his position with the city as of Jan. 30, 2015.
More baffle gab: “It has been a tremendously rewarding experience,” said Moyle, former CAO of Halton Region, and a seasoned municipal leader. “While in Burlington, I had the good fortune to serve a leading City Council that works with all levels of government and the community to build a better Burlington. I was also impressed by a team of staff that not only offers great customer service from day to day, but shows compassion, including for residents who suffered significant losses following the storm and flooding of Aug. 4, 2014.”
Shea-Nicol began as an intern with the City of Burlington in 1982. She then worked for the City of Windsor in the city manager’s office followed by a position in litigation with law firm Lancaster, Mix and Welch. Shea-Nicol returned to Burlington in 1998 as an assistant city solicitor, becoming city solicitor and director of legal services in 2007.
The city media release closes with that old sock: “The City of Burlington has been named Canada’s best mid-sized city by MoneySense magazine.
Maybe we will have a new city manager by Valentine’s Day and we can have a wonderful group hug. Nope – tat won’t happen. The recently reelected council are at odds with each other with John Taylor saying at city council on Monday that he was ashamed of the city.
 By Staff
January 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
This is about as dirty as it gets.
Anyone who responded to this email will lose most of what they might have had in a bank account.
The email read like this:
VALUED CUSTOMER, A new Electronic Statement is available. Click Here to sign and update your details for Year 2015.
To review or change your email notification preferences, go to “Profile and Preferences” once inside Online Banking and then select “Email address and preferences”.
Please do not reply to this email, as it was sent from an unmonitored account.
BMO Online is offered by Bank of Montreal.
The Gazette banks’ with BMO. The thief used an email address that is linked to our domain. Somehow they got into the data base that lists the email addresses we have.
Had we clicked on the link they offered – it would have been “toast” for us.
Read email that relates to your banking very, very carefully. If in doubt – don’t.
By Staff
January 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Blur Optical at 1025 Plains Rd East was robbed yesterday.
At approximately 12:20am, on Monday January 26, 2015, Halton Police responded to an alarm at the business to discover the front door glass was smashed.
 The object of the attention of a couple of thieves – for this they were prepared to go to jail? The suspects appeared to have targeted the sunglasses display case. The value of the stolen items is unknown at this time.
Suspect vehicle description:
Older model grey Dodge Caravan with roof racks.
Suspect #1 description:
Male, black, 30’S
Wearing a black toque with grey stripes, a black winter coat with unknown patch on the right shoulder, a plaid shirt and white shoes.
Suspect #2 description:
Male, black, 30’s
Wearing a blue baseball hat with a flat brim and black “NY’ logo on the front, a light grey zip up jacket with black zippered pocket on front.
Suspect surveillance photos will be provided when available.
By Pepper Parr
January 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The boys are at it again.
Mischa and Mel Aravena are part of a crew that will be putting on performances of Red, the six time Tony Award winning play, written by John Logan. The run begins January 29th at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC).
Nortesur Productions, a Burlington based group is behind this initiative. The company is made up of the two Aravena boys and their Dad.
 Mischa is in the back, Mel in the foreground: moving the set for the Harold Pinter play “Betrayal” that they were painting in their driveway for a Hamilton Fringe Festival production. They were work shopping Red in Hamilton when Brian McCurdy, Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre in Hamilton saw their work and decided to bring the production to Burlington.
McCurdy has done a lot to develop local talent on the BPAC stage.
 Red, a dramatic production has won six Tony Awards. Red is about Master Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art, a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, Rothko works feverishly with his young assistant, Ken, in his studio on the Bowery. But when Ken gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Raw and provocative, RED is a searing portrait of an artist’s ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting. It is a fascinating exploration into the life of an angry and brilliant mind.
This level of critically acclaimed drama is not seen nearly often enough in Burlington.
The Aravena boys have had work in the Hamilton Fringe Festival. Mel does the production work – Mischa is the performer.
The production runs from Thursday January 29th through to Saturday February 7th.
Tickets available at the PAC box office.
Show Times
Jan 29 7:30 PM Feb 05 7:30 PM
Jan 30 7:30 PM Feb 06 7:30 PM
Jan 31 2:00 PM Feb 07 2:00 PM
Jan 31 7:30 PM Feb 07 7:30 PM
Tickets Available at the BPAC web site.
By phone: 905-681-6000
Regular Price: $29 + tax
Series Price: $25 + tax
Senior Price: $25 + tax
30 and under: $25 + tax
 By Staff
January 26, 2105
BURLINGTON, ON
That is snow out there – and when that happens a well-oiled snow removal team swing into action and the business of moving snow begins.
 Snow plows can clear both the primary and secondary roads in a three hour time frame. The city`s Roads and Parks Maintenance crew had 10 trucks on the road at 4:00 am salting both the primary and secondary roads.
By 1:00 pm there was more than 5 cm of snow on the road and that brings out the plows. It takes the city just over three hours to do a tour of both the primary and secondary roads using both city staff and the contractors that have working agreements with the city.
Much of this snow – flurries actually – are the result of what the weather people call the “lake effect” is limited for the most part to Burlington.
 Cathy Robertson: Director of Roads and Park Maintenance. If she has to – she can probably drive one of the plows. Cathy Robertson, Director of Roads and Parks Maintenance, has clearly honed her executive management skills – she is away from her desk in a place where there is a lot of sun until February.
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