By Pepper Parr

March 26th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The Special meeting of City Council will be called to order with Mayor Meed Ward chairing.

The four people delegating will be given five minutes to speak.  Expect some of the Councillors to ask questions of the delegators.

The Motion asking the Mayor to relinquish some of the Strong Mayor powers will be read into the record.

Council members will each take their turn about how vital democracy is and that what the Mayor is doing is not democratic.

Deborah (surname withheld) wrote to the Mayor, Councillors and City Manager:

Having listened to discussions surrounding the issue of Big Mayor Powers in Burlington, and specifically the motion tabled in yesterday’s council meeting,
please accept this email as notice that i do not, nor have I ever, agreed with Mayor Meed Ward taking on the Big Mayor Powers, which were optional from the
beginning. I support a vote by Council as soon as possible to rescind these powers on the basis that they are wholly and completely undemocratic.
Also, as this email shows, constituents have not ceased contacting or communicating our concerns, as the Mayor has said.

As to Councillor Sharman’s statement that he wants to delay this motion “to encourage the community to come and speak to us”, I take great issue. Many,
many delegates including myself have had the distinct reaction from council, and Motion Improving Local Democracy by Strengthening
City Decision-Making especially of certain Councillors, of not hearing their delegation or engaging whatsoever, rather appearing to be bored by them, resulting in the notion that there’s no point to delegating any more. Which does not mean we are not engaged and aware of the issues.

As noted by councillor Nisan, “this motion was given the standard notice required for council motions, and met the deadline that was set by the clerk for being received at counsel.”

Another resident wrote: Meed Ward is reported to have said; “I never asked for Stong Mayor powers, nor do I need them. That is my strongest message

Once all the delegations are heard and the members of Council have had their five minutes the Mayor speaks.

There are those that think she won’t budge an inch.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in her city hall office.

Mayor Meed Ward fought to keep the Motion off the Agenda at the last Council meeting on Thursday; she also fought against a Special meeting of Council as well – lost on both occasions.

She might however relinquish some of the power the province gave her – throw them a bone to shut them up sort of thing.

This game is all in the Mayor’s hands.  The City Solicitor made it clear in his memorandum that the Mayor can do whatever she likes.

Is there anything on record from someone who supports the position the Mayor has taken – other than Councillor Sharman?

There is a phrase the describes what it really happening:  Power reveals.

By Pepper Parr

March 25^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Few people understand what a Development Charges is – they should – they substantially to the cost of buying a new home

The table sets out what the consultants predict population and the residential units will be for specific time periods.

Development charges are expenses developers have to pay the city to cover the cost of infrastructure needed to build new homes.

The city is embarking on determining what those development charges are going to be going forward.

This article s not going to be a deep dive into how these charges get determined other than to say they are based on data collected and then argued about

The City recently  released a 405 page document that we will work our way through.

At this point we can share with you a statement in the report.

The calculated increase in the charge for this type of development is $61.38/sq.m, or an increase in the charge of approximately 59%.

That is a whopping number that will work its way to the cost of a housing unit.

By Pepper Parr

March 25^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

It is difficult for people to have an impact at an Ontario Land Tribunal hearing.

Getting status means raising a lot of money to hire the expert witnesses.

The current Millcroft community hearing on the golf course properties is underway. Last week  the City’s position on stormwater was heard.

Adding 98 homes to this community means making changes to the storm water infrastructure – no one is certain as to what the impact will be.

Millcroft Greenspace Alliance had emailed the Mayor in December 2023 expressing their concerns about the City’s position to be presented at the hearing.

The two issues that MGA encouraged the City to add to their case: the original design of the golf course for storm water mitigation purposes and the sensitive nature of the golf course lands that was evidenced during the 2014 flood, have been presented.

This information is important background that we believe the Tribunal needed to hear, said Daintry Klein, part of the MGA group.

The City’s water resource engineer also spoke to the fact that the City, and not Conservation Halton (CH) is required to respond to flooding issues.

MGA has been pressing the city to emphasize that decisions regarding the golf course lands were indicated in OPA 117 to be shared between CH and the City.

Mr. Malik, the City’s storm water engineer  confirmed for the Tribunal that the City, not Conservation Halton, provides flood response.

The people at MGA are continuing to play an important role in this hearing.

There are three groups involved in the hearing: Millcroft Against Development, Millcroft Greenspace Alliance and Millcroft Greens, the developer

.

The Gazette sent the following to the members of city council that supported a Motion asking the amayor to relinkquish some of the power that was given to her under the Strong Mayors Act.

Is there anything you can do to settle the frayed nerves of those who care about what happens at city hall.

Is there not something you can say to your constituents about the chaos that is taking place at city hall.

While we believe that you did the right thing when you put the Motion on the table and deserve kudos for getting it, first, on the agenda while the Mayor did everything possible to keep it off the agenda.  Secondly you all got a Special meeting called – give Angelo most of the credit for that win.

The firing of two of the best Executive Directors the city had was so unnecessary.

And not knowing who made the decision to remove the two woman from the payroll is disturbing.

Given that the four of you brought about the situation that has us in this mess – it is really incumbent upon you to make a statement.

Perhaps you could appoint one Councillor to speak for those who support the decision you made.

The Gazette published the attached earlier this morning:

https://burlingtongazette.ca/there-is-a-dangerous-information-vacuum-in-the-city-members-of-council-have-a-responsibility-to-communicate/

Pepper Parr,  Publisher, Burlington Gazette

By Pepper Parr

March 23^rd, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

What a week!

On Tuesday, as part of a Council meeting, three members of Council put forward a motion to ask the Mayor to relinquish some of the powers given to her by the Strong Mayor legislation.

Mayor Meed Ward fought to keep that Motion off the Agenda.  When she failed at that effort she fought to prevent the calling of a Special Meeting of Council where the matter would be debated.  The Mayor failed at that as well.

Council members learned, from the City Solicitor, that the ability to enforce their request was limited.

Then on Thursday we learned that two senior staff members were no longer on the city payroll.

Members of Council have said very little publicly, which is unfortunate for the idea of open government and keeping the public informed is critical to the functioning of a truly democratic government.

The city is at a critical point and it is going to take the best that we have to ensure that the best interests of the citizens prevail.

There are more questions than answers at this point.

Who fired the two senior executives?  That would normally be a City Manager responsibility.  In the statement the City Manager released there is more than a suggestion that he didn’t do the firing.

Mayor Meed Ward presiding over a city council meeting.

The only other person who could fire people is the Mayor.  Assuming she made the decision there is an obligation to register that decision and make it public on the city web site.  At this point there is no statement.

Not to be too crass about it – but what is it going to cost the taxpayer in terms of severance packages?  Given the length of time the two have served it has been suggested that the sum might be as much as $ 1 million

Social mediate will record dozens of misguided statements.  This is a time when level heads are needed and for a public to be informed as to just what the issues are.

While the current Council is challenged when it comes to responding to the people who elected; make no mistake – they read every comment that is sent to them.  This is the time to flood the Mayor with what you think should be done.

The votes that are placed in ballot boxes are the transfer of power from the individual to those they choose to lead.  That power is vested in the seven elected members of council – not just the one member.

We are heading into a disruptive few days.

Let’s remember who we are and what we are – and demand that Council, not just one person make the decisions.

By Ray Rivers

March 22nd, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Despite all the noise from the official opposition on Parliament Hill, the truth is that carbon pricing contributes only a tiny fraction to the cost of inflation.   Analysis shows that even when inflation peaked above eight per cent last year, carbon pricing might have accounted for a tiny one-54th of it.

Carbon pricing does raise the cost of fossil fuels – that part is true.   But even the latest round of scheduled progressive increases will have little impact on Canada’s declining inflation rate.  And the carbon tax rebates are the great equalizer for Canadians facing higher food and other costs.

80% of Canadians are better off with the tax and the rebate than if the tax were axed, as Canada’s Conservatives would do were they to win the next election.   In fact axing the tax would do almost nothing to lower inflation but everything to make the average Canadian worse off.

Alberta premier Smith and Saskatchewan premier Moe also support ‘axing the tax’ despite the fact that residents of those provinces receive the greatest annual carbon rebates ($1800 and $1500) while still paying some of the lowest energy prices in the country.  Clearly partisanship and ideology trump economics in those prairie provinces.

Mr. Poilievre believes he’s riding a winner with his ‘axe the tax’ campaign, a catchy though well-worn and somewhat dated slogan.  His misrepresentations have started the Liberals calling him out as the liar he becomes when he speaks to the issue.  But then again, his political party does not even recognize the reality of climate change, so he may just be carrying their water.

Affordability is the watch word these days.  Initially Poilievre hung his hat on the mostly false claim that the federal deficit was the major cause of inflation  But now he has resorted to another falsehood and set his gun sights on carbon pricing.  He introduced a non-confidence motion in Parliament this past week, which could have forced an early election.  But every other political party stood with the Trudeau crowd to defend carbon pricing.

Yet it is unfortunate that we are not having an election over how to mitigate Canada’s embarrassingly high carbon footprint.   The politicians from every party except the one leading in the public opinion polls understand that this is the most cost-effective way to deal with one of the greatest existential threats to our planet.   They get it.

As we remember Brian Mulroney this week, we should also consider how he tried to resolve fractious public policy issues.  The Charlestown referendum ultimately settled the matter of constitutional change once and for all, despite Mulroney losing.  Canadians were informed on the issue and they told the PM that they preferred the status quo and a stronger federal government.

The 1988 election was largely about free trade with the US and Mulroney won that debate.  There would be winners and losers but, despite the pain of adjusting to change, an informed Canadian public elected the party which supported freer trade with the Americans.

Trudeau may claim that he won the last two elections over the issue of his carbon tax – it was his signature policy after all.  But not everyone agrees, including Mr. Poilievre and a significant number of provincial leaders.  The sentiment among pundits is that Trudeau has failed to fully inform, sell and convince the public on the merits of carbon pricing.  Even the Globe and Mail, long a strong supporter of carbon pricing, is getting ready to write off this entire experience as a failure.

So, what better way to bring the public up to speed than to put the choice directly in their hands.  Mr. Trudeau should make the next election about climate change, or conduct a referendum to shut up the critics.  Trudeau’s is currently light years behind in the polls.  If that trend continues and the Tories win the next election climate policy including carbon pricing will all be history.

Does the PM’s miserable poll numbers mean that Canadians also disapprove of carbon pricing?  Or does the Tory party’s staggering lead in public opinion polls say more about a fickle and bored public wanting to change the channel, as they did a few years ago in Ontario?  That was a move which ended Ontario’s role as one of three provinces leading the fight against climate change.

Successful politicians are often those who aren’t afraid to show courage – Mulroney was one of those.  Unfortunately the new leader of the provincial Liberals is playing footsie on this issue, afraid to take a stand in case she says the wrong thing before the dust has settled.  She is currently the leader of a third party and sitting on the fence will rightly ensure that she stays exactly where she is.

To end this on-going axe the tax partisan campaign Trudeau needs to answer the challenge and call the bluff.   He needs to borrow a page from Mr. Mulroney’s book and make the next election a ‘climate change election’, if not now, certainly in 2025.

Following your own convictions and doing what you believe to be the right thing is not enough in a democracy.  You need to have the public behind you. Trudeau needs to call Poilievre’s bluff and let an informed public finally decide on whether we need to continue with carbon pricing and the ultimate phase-out of fossil fuels in this country.

Trudeau needs to put an end to the prattling half-truths and outright lies pouring from the mouths of the opposition leader and his cabal of climate denying premiers once and for all.  He needs to put the decision to fight for our future directly into the hands of an informed voting public.

Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.   Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa.  Tweet @rayzrivers

Background content

Non-Confidence –     Carbon Price Baloney –   Inflation and Carbon Pricing    Carbon Pricing –

By Pepper Parr

March 22^nd, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Remember the day when you could use these things for a dime?

Would the Gazette reader who called us from a pay phone (we didn’t think there any pay phones left in the city) with information on certain senior staff at city hall  – please get in touch?

If what you left on voice mail is anywhere near true – we would like to inform the citizens of the city.

We will keep an eye on the city web site page where the Mayor is required to publish any decisions she makes with the Strong Mayor powers she wants to keep.

By Pepper Parr

March 21^st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

Life for Angelo Bentivegna is going to be very different for the next six days.

He will be under immense pressure from his Council colleagues, especially Mayor Meed Ward and Councillor Sharman.

Angelo would appear to be the hold out vote on the attempt on the part of four of the members of Council, Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan and Stolte who tabled a Motion requesting Mayor Meed Ward to relinquish some of the Strong Mayor powers she acquired last July.

If what the public saw two days ago there is little chance Meed Ward will give up as much as an inch. She would probably want to use the phrase the actor Charlton Heston used when he was with the American Rifle  Association and said, when asked when he would give up the right to bear arms: “You can have my gun when you pry it out of my cold dead hands.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward – wants to have everything at city hall under control.

Meed Ward is leaving the distinct impression that is not prepared to give up any of the power she has.

She stunned her Council colleagues when she advised them that she had consulted with the Integrity Commissioner on what she could say and what she couldn’t say during the debate about getting the Motion on the Agenda.  The four. Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan and Stolte won the effort to get the Motion on the agenda.  The Mayor used several procedural opportunities to keep the Motion off the Agenda.

The detail on the back in forth is covered in an article that is being prepared.

For reasons that are complex and difficult to understand – there appear to be issues as to who can say what when.

The Council members want to know now what the mayor thinks about the request to give up some of the powers she has.  And the Mayor is saying she can’t say at this point.

Bentivegna: Troubled by possible delays in resolving how much Strong Mayor powers the Mayor should keep.

Which confuses Angelo Bentivegna.

He is a simple man who wants to serve the community.  He said he wanted to meet with the Mayor and and talk about giving back to Council some of the powers she now holds.

Bentivegna is expecting an open honest discussion.  He is going to get snowed.

As of Tuesday Bentivegna wasn’t sure what his position on the Motion was going to be.

He was certainly disturbed at what was taking place.  A Gazette reader, in a comment made in the Gazette put it very well when he said: “The vote next Tuesday hinges, as all are acutely aware, on the disposition of Angelo Bentivegna. If his performance yesterday is any indication, it will be frustrating to watch and laborious to decipher. However, it is time for him to shine and for his fundamental decency to manifest itself. I expect that it will.”

Bentivegna is going to need all the support possible from the community – The four members will lobby him, the Mayor will get a cute and sweet and do a number on the poor man.

Councillor Sharman, a Council member on whom Bentivegna relies often for direction and help in understanding issues that he doesn’t understand.

Bentivegna: Plans to meet the Mayor and ask if she will relinquish any of the Strong Mayor powers she holds.

Angelo Bentivegna is not a stupid man.  He has his strengths, one of which is to look out for the small business community and the taxpayers as well.  When he gets his teeth into an issue he is like a dog with a bone.  Tenacious would describe him very well.

Councillor Sharman and Meed Ward have a lot riding on this – and they will lean very heavily on Angelo Bentivegna.

He will be doing a lot of thinking during the weekend and reaching out to anyone who will talk to him.

One of the things Angelo might ask himself:  Why is Councillor Sharman going to such lengths to support the Mayor?  Sharman wants the matter taken to a Standing Committee – which means delays which is the approach Meed Ward will use.

Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.