Sometime later this year the Director of Education will present the Halton District School Board trustees with a report on what he believes should be done to solve the problem he has with more than 1800 empty high school seats in Burlington.
The four Burlington trustees are glued to this issue.
Director of Education Stuart Miller is going to have to write a major report on school closings sometime in May.
Each will read over the Director’s recommendation and consider the views of those who chose to communicate with them.
When the four Burlington trustees decided to run for office and serve on the school board they entered public office with a set of values they would use to guide them in their deliberations.
The Gazette wanted to know what the driving force was for each trustee.
Was it a desire to serve the public? Was there a burning desire to resolve a school related problem in their community?
Maybe they just wanted to get out of the house a couple of nights each month.
The Gazette set out some of the possible driving forces and asked each trustee to rank them from their perspective and the importance they give to each when they make a decision on accepting or not accepting the Director’s recommendation.
We asked:
Is the driving force for you:
The financial impact of closing or not closing a high school in Burlington?
or is it
The impact the closing of a high school will have on the quality of the academic offering the closing of a high school will have on students in the communities that will be impacted?
or is it
The impact the closing of a high school will have on the community it is located in. Where does community rank in your view?
We asked: Do you feel schools are a vital part of a community and that every community should have a school in its neighbourhood?
In ranking the possible driving force for each trustee we asked:
Financial – academic – community. Label them 1, 2 or 3.
There are going to be some long hard board of trustee meetings in April and May.
We added that a trustee may feel there were other choices and invited them to add those choices but to first rank the three we set out or them.
We then invited each trustee to write whatever you wanted to expand on your choices and the views they had to support their choice.
We suggested 350 words on each choice is reasonable but write longer if they wished.
Leah Reynolds – trustee for the ward Central high school is located in.
We asked the trustees to respond within ten days but added that – if you feel you need additional time – be in touch and we will work with you to give you the time you need.
In our request we made some comments saying that “The closing of two high schools is a very significant event – it is a decision you are going to have to make based on the information you are given.
“We would like to report on the philosophy and vision for education that you bring to the responsibility you have as a school board trustee.”
We thought the request was a reasonable one.
Andrea Grebenc: “I’ll get back to you” – she didn’t.
Tracey Ehl Harrison: A polite note – but no answers.
The trustees didn’t see it that way. Two of the 11 trustees sent a note saying they would get back to us; they didn’t.
One trustee, Leah Reynolds, sent a very long response which we will publish as a separate article.
The Chair of the Board of trustees stunned us with her response which was:
The Program and Accommodation Committee (PARC) have not started their work and trustees are reluctant to comment on anything that might either impact or impede the work of the PAR committee.
We (the Board of Trustees) are ultimately the decision makers and are aware of the importance of letting the process proceed as outlined in the policy. Trustees must maintain our objectivity, without influencing or appearing to influence the PARC process.
School board chair Kelly Amos – decides to speak for all the trustees.
The Gazette felt this was a critical time and that the public deserved to know where these women come from in their thinking.
Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident who comments frequently in the Gazaette said: “This is their job, and if they don’t want to do this for their own “political” motives then they have lost their way, and are not representing us. Commenting is not the same as trying to affect the vote
We will put these questions to the trustees again once the Director has sent them his report.
Having the views now would give the public an opportunity to lobby the trustees who are there to listen to the views of the people they represent.
These people cannot hide – they have an important job to do.
Well – that didn’t take long. Her second day in the House of Commons as a member of the Liberal candidate and Burlington’s Karina Gould stands up and tells us that her mandate letter says she can forget about changing the way we elect our federal governments.
Cabinet Minister Karina Gould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Did she know what he was going to ask her to do when he invited her into his Cabinet?
When the Prime Minister invited Ms Gould into the Cabinet he apparently explained that he was giving up on the election promise to make the 2014 election the last that would be determined by a first past the post vote.
Ms Gould would have known about this the day she accepted the appointment.
Was there a discussion with the PM about this change in an election promise?
The story the public was given is that we don’t actually have an appetite for a change in the way we elect our Members of Parliament. “The broad consensus needed for this kind of reform does not exist” Gould told her first news scrum.
Earlier in the day Gould said in the House of Commons:
Mr. Speaker, our electoral system is the foundation of our democracy. We respect the views of Canadians, and consulted extensively with them on this important issue. We listened to Canadians, and Canadians are proud of our democracy.
We have always been clear. Major reforms to the electoral system should not be made if they lack the broad support of Canadians. As my mandate letter states, a clear preference for a new electoral system, let alone a consensus, has not emerged. Changing the electoral system is not in my mandate.
One wonders what all those adoring Liberals in Burlington think about the statements Gould made. To her credit she pulled it off – she was sent out to do the dirty work and that’s what she did.
The Rotunda in the House of Commons – did Cabinet minister Gould know that in a few short days after this tour she would take part in her first news scrum and tell the public that electoral reform was no longer part of her mandate?
It just wasn’t what the Burlington Liberals thought their girl was going to do for them. They expected great things from what was the youngest women ever to be invited into Cabinet.
It was just yesterday that the Gazette wrote rather glowingly about this newest member of the Cabinet.
“Changing the electoral system is not in my mandate” explained Gould.
When you are made a cabinet minister you get a letter telling you what is expected of you. We saw that expectation play itself out yesterday.
The #1 reason your customers walk out the door, never to return is simply this: they feel unappreciated.
Business is personal
A stunning 68% of the people who once walked into your place of business stop doing business with you because they feel you don’t care! That’s almost 3 out of 4 clients who take business personally.
The data proves it:
9% leave because of price issues 14% leave because of quality issues 5% leave because they change their purchasing habits 4% of your customers leave because they simply move away 68% stop doing business with you simply because they feel unappreciated!
You don’t lose the majority of your customers due to high prices, or poor quality. You lose 68% of your customers simply because you don’t pay enough attention to them!
What Can You Do About It?
The absolute easiest and most ‘hands-off’ way for you to pay attention to them and boost your bottom line each and every month – a simple tactic that only a handful of smart business people use – is this:
Step 1: Contact your customers on a monthly basis.
Step 2: And there’s no better way to stay connected to your customers and clients than a monthly newsletter!
Not exactly rocket science – but it’s true. The simple reason this works so well is because your customers or clients have already spent money with you (they trust you.) And they’ll spend more money with you if you let them, and if you give them a reason to do so. You can’t simply sit back and hope that people will remember your business next time they need your product or service.
I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing over and over again from every marketing expert. I bet you’ve even considered publishing a newsletter (you may even already do so), but if you’re like most business owners, you just can’t find the time to ever get one published, or get one published regularly … and it’s most likely the writing that ‘gets in the way.’
No doubt about it, coming up with interesting articles and content is hard work, and unless you have lots of extra time on your hands, it’s easy to keep putting off publishing a newsletter until “tomorrow”.
But of course, we all know “tomorrow” never comes
Yes, that’s the big problem: Who has time to write a monthly newsletter — how do you make a newsletter fun, enjoyable and useful for people to read without making it a full-time job?
A number os smart people who know how important it is to communicate with thier customer outsource the creating of a newsletter to a professional writer.
You get your time back – priceless!
You stop worrying your newsletter won’t be published on time
You can focus on running your business
You will reduce (or stop) customer loss
And by default … MAKE MORE SALES/MONEY
It’s win-win all around.
Of course it helps to know a trusted source that can help you with this project. It’s not something you can just throw together. You need to consider the format, the content balance, the tone, the style, and the images.
James Burchill has been the associate publisher for two of Canada’s leading aftermarket auto magazines, written over a million words for clients. He has published three business books reached best-seller status online. He currently operates the Social Fusion Network that brings business people together in a friendly social setting. He also produces two trade shows for the local small business market.
The Minister of Energy, Glenn Thibeault, came to town to look over the operations at Burlington Hydro. He closeted himself with the hydro board of director for a chat and then came out to tour the property and see what Burlington is going about the way energy is used and distributed.
Energy Minister Glen Thibeault touring the Burlington Hydro facility with Colin Saunders, Director, Safety, Health and Facilities..
Thibeault, was at one point MP for the federal New Democratic Party. He was coaxed by the Liberals into running for them. He quit his job and his party to carry the Liberal banner in Sudbury for February, 2015 by-election.
There was a bit of a scandal that involved the Premiers deputy Chief of Staff Patricia Sorbara who was expected to run the 2018 campaign and is now facing criminal charges for offering Thibeault a bribe. That case has yet to go to trial
Thibeault was a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2015 to 2016. On June 13, 2016, Thibeault replaced Bob Chiarelli as Minister of Energy in a Liberal cabinet shuffle.
Thibeault is now touring the province to get a close up look at how energy is distributed in the province.
Burlington Hydro operations centre
He got to see the co-location set up hydro has, a unit that looks a little like a box car that uses natural gas to heat and air condition the hydro office on Brant Street.
Time was spent showing off the two BMW electric powered cars Burlington Hydro leased to loan to people so they can gather data on how people would use this type of vehicle.
The cars were loaned to members of city council for a week each – they got a sense as to what it is like to drive electric.
Large large interactive screen that can show live pictures of parts of the distribution system – this image is of the full distribution network.
Provincial MP and cabinet minister Eleanor McMahon got in behind the wheel – they didn’t’ let her put it in gear – might she get to use one of the things for a period of time? Smart move – she won’t run out of gas with an all-electric.
The Minister of Energy was shown the electric charging stations that Burlington Hydro bought as part of their pilot project to learn more about what the demands on the hydro distribution are going to be when electric vehicles become the prime mode of transportation for many people.
Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault with Hydro president Gerry Smallegange looking at the map that shows the part of the distribution system that hydro had to replace during the 2013 ice storm. Replacement cable had to be hauled by hand up a steep slope with snow up to the knees of the line men.
Media also got a close up look at the Operations Centre – the room where all the parts come together – where everything is monitored and controlled.
In one corner of the room is a large screen (all the screens were large) with the Weather Chanel – weather determines to a very large degree the demands that are made on hydro.
In another part of the Operations Centre there was a screen the size of a large living room wall that sets out the distribution network. It is a partially interactive screen that can shift to Google earth and get a close look at some of the hydro towers.
Bfast – Burlington for Accessible affordable Transit, published a piece on what a consultant said to city council.
They, Bfast, seem to be suggesting that consultants don’t always get it right,
Brent Toderian
On February 11th, noted Urbanist and Twitter phenom Brent Toderian was invited to come to Burlington to speak with City Council and Staff, as well as to present to the public as part of Mayor Goldring’s “Inspire Burlington” series.
Here are some things we picked up on from Brent’s presentation to Council:
Brent Toderian’s first point was that we need to change our thinking from being a suburb to being urban. We need to look at three dimensional streets rather than one dimensional roads. He noted that a suburb with more density will result in gridlock and congestion. In order to make this transition, and to position us for success our government needs to treat the Official Plan review as a rethink, not a tweak. Part of this is being willing to fail before we succeed.
Mobility: Brent stressed the need to prioritize transit, walking, and cycling over cars. We now have a very car-centred system meaning that we have to go well beyond the so-called balanced approach to moving budget dollars from cars to transit, walking and cycling. The car as the primary means of getting around has had a 40-50 year head start, so just seeking balance now won’t get us there. He also stressed that in urban places, balance isn’t good enough.
Transit: Brent noted that western Canada’s largest condo developer has said that the key factor in real estate development has changed from “location, location, location” to “transit, transit, transit”. Brent called improving transit “our strongest opportunity” as a city.
Strategic Plan and Budget: Brent noted that the City’s Strategic Plan was good – but the budget was not. He stated “the truth of a city’s aspirations is not in its plan, but in its budget”.
Making the transition -“pull the bandaid off quick” Brent was very critical of the slow approach re bike lanes. He said this approach maximized the controversy. Instead, he recommended rapid completion of a viable network that would work immediately. He also said that separation was needed on arterials – but not on other streets. Although he cited cycling in this approach, it would also apply to transit.
Prioritize the incentive for taking transit: Brent said that drivers need to see a benefit to take transit for example, bus only lanes that allow buses to move faster than cars.
Parking: Brent emphatically said “get out of Park’n Ride” (will Metrolinx listen?). He suggested that the City constrain the supply of parking.
Intensification: Brent discussed how building density right is a challenge because it can result in “the sweet spot of failure”; intensification on too low a scale will create traffic congestion but not enough density to support efficient transit. We need to have an honest conversation about the real cost and consequences to growing the right and wrong ways, with respect to climate change and public health. The starting point of “I don’t want the city to change…” is common, but ‘stable neighbourhoods’ are a lie. All cities are changing in ways beyond the control of local government, so take the word ‘stable’ out of your vocabulary. Cities should reject the idea that there is an optimal number for growth (how big should we get) and worry about quality instead of quantity.
Doing the wrong thing better: Painted bike lanes were one example of this; need to make sure we don’t mistake for doing the right thing.
Public Engagement: Your goal should be to convince the convinceable; as leaders you need to change the conversation. Just because we don’t have consensus doesn’t mean we can’t have an intelligent conversation.
Burlington Transit: It was upsetting to hear that Brent Toderian did not get to meet with anyone from Burlington Transit.
As I read through the piece I found myself asking – is this how we decide what kind of a city we want and how we build it? Do we have to bring in consultants who have never lived here, never walked the streets, never attended an event?
Toderian told city council that they need to get rid of rural names – hang on – Walkers Line, Guelph Line and Appleby Line are part of the history and a part of the feel for the city. They remind of us our rural roots.
They no next to nothing about how rich our agricultural background is.
These consultants want to come into town for short periods of time, get very well paid for their time, spout all the most recent flavour of the month in urban design and move on to the next consulting assignment.
City manager James Ridge – an old friend of Toderian who he had worked with during his time in Vancouver. Toderian got turfed by a th Vancouver city council.
Both city manager James Ridge and Director of Planning Mary Lou Tanner, both relatively new to Burlington, knew of Toderian and his work – they thought the guy was great before he had spoken as much as a paragraph. It was almost like he was a member of the club coming back into the circle.
It’s the citizens that decide what kind of a community they want. Consultants have a place and their opinions are important but the people who grew up in the city and want to see it evolve and be something they at least recognize when they are taking their grandchildren to events.
There is nothing wrong with progress and growth – it just has to take place at a pace that works for the people who live here. Why else do we have a community?
Now that she is the Minister of Democratic Institutions expect to hear a lot more from our Member of Parliament Karina Gould.
She recently got a photo essay in Maclean’s magazine. And she will be heard more often in the House of Commons where she will have to answer any questions on what she is doing as Minister of Democratic Institutions.
Karina Gould – looking out her office window over the Parliament buildings.
Before Gould took over that Ministry there was a survey “MyDemocracy.ca” done. The survey was designed by Vox Pop Labs who developed the questions, in consultation with the Government of Canada and an advisory panel of prominent scholars in areas such as research design, survey methodology, and electoral politics.
The panel members included the following academics: André Blais, professeur titulaire, Université de Montréal; Elisabeth Gidengil, Hiram Mills professor, McGill University; Richard Johnston, professor, University of British Columbia; Peter Loewen, associate professor, University of Toronto; Scott Matthews, associate professor, Memorial University; Jonathan Rose, associate professor, Queen’s University; Laura Stephenson, associate professor, Western University; and Melanee Thomas, assistant professor, University of Calgary.
Gould explained that the Government of Canada wanted to engage as many Canadians as possible in a conversation about electoral reform. Postcards were sent to every Canadian household inviting them to participate in MyDemocracy.ca.
The breakdown of expected costs for the postcards includes $1,673,921.08 for postage and a total of $295,128 for the printing and preparation of the cards, which were done by the same firm. There were no other individual costs.
Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould at her desk in Ottawa – bigger desk now that she is a Cabinet Minister
The contract with Vox Pop Labs for the development of the application along with analysis and reporting of results is expected to cost $369,058.00, including HST.
The process for developing, reviewing, and providing feedback on questions was an iterative, consultative, and collaborative process. Final approval for the questions included in MyDemocracy.ca was given in November 2016.
So there you have it. The government asked a lot of questions – the public answered xxx
When you are a Minister you also have to toe the party line.
In a response to what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did when he toured the country Gould said “he travelled across the country to 10 town halls, seven provinces, and 12,000 Canadians where he was open and accountable.
Strolling through the House of Commons with her Chief of Staff Jamieson Burlington MP and Cabinet Minister has a much busier day.
He let people ask whatever questions they chose and he answered Canadians. That is something that we are incredibly proud of on this side of the House: engaging with Canadians, listening to Canadians, and being open and transparent.
Part of the reason the Prime Minister had to get out into the boonies was to let Canadians hear him explain the cash for access he was running – that matter still hasn’t been resolved to the satisfaction of many.
Gould will get into running her department and at some point we will hear what she wants to bring forward – she first has to develop a policy, then get it through Cabinet and then be part of the process of selling it to the rest of the country.
Karina Gould: Stopping to pick up lunch. Part of a photo feature in Maclean’s magazine on the youngest female member of Cabinet the country has ever had.
Many wonder if there is enough time to get all this done before the next federal election.
If Gould can create the impression that she is working on it and dribble out information so that the public doesn’t give up on her the way they did with her predecessor – she will be fine but at some point Gould is going to have to come up with a policy that bears some resemblance to the election promise Trudeau made and that the public really bough into.
They don’t get to make a decision – they are asked to advise, the decision lies with Board of Trustees
The (PARC) Program Accommodation Review Committee is to act as the official conduit for information shared between Trustees and school communities
They are expected to provide feedback on the option considered in Director’s Preliminary Report They can seek clarification on Director’s Preliminary Report and provide new accommodation options and supporting rationale.
The members of the PARC getting introduced to the rules they are going to work within.
The end result is a big one for Burlington and people in the communities that will experience the change. Both Central and Pearson high schools believe they have strong arguments for being kept open – both arguments seem to rest on the way the board has changed boundaries.
The committee that is going to produce a report is made up of representatives from the seven high schools as well as advisors. They are expected to stick to a framework that has been given to them. Will they do that?
Criteria the PARC is expected to adhere to.
Set out below are the names of the representatives for each school as well as the email address you can reach them at – a single email address gets your comments to both representatives for a school;
Parents who want to ensure that the school in their neighborhood is not closed.
Aldershot HS: Email: aldershotparc@hdsb.ca Steve Cussons and Eric Szyiko
Burlington Central HS: Email: centralparc@hdsb.ca Ian Farwell and Marianne Meed Ward
Dr. Frank J. Hayden SS: Email: dfhaydenparc@hdsb.ca Matthew Hall and Tricia Hammill
Lester B. Pearson HS: Email: lbpearsonparc@hdsb.ca Steve Armstrong and Cheryl De Lugt
M.M. Robinson HS: Email: mmrobinsonparc@hdsb.ca Marie Madenzides and Dianna Bower
Nelson HS: Email: nelsonparc@hdsb.ca Kate Nazar and Rebecca Collier
School parent association representatives worked at a different table for part of the meeting.
Robert Bateman HS” Email: rbatemanparc@hdsb.ca Lisa Bull and Sharon Picken
They meet for their next meeting as a group on Thursday evening.
It is too early to tell if the report they come out with will be a unanimous document or if some people will want to issue a minority report.
The Tottering Biped Theatre and Pat the Dog Theatre Creation are bringing a different production to the stage of the Performing arts Centre. It is a love story about climate change.
Trevor Copp is directing ‘Receiver of Wreck’.
A shoe salesman chops off his foot with an axe. An esthetician has hers amputated by an outboard motor. At opposite ends of the same country, staring out at two different oceans, two people each lose something on the same day and are sent crashing together toward the dark heart of Canada.
Three day, four performance run starting February 9th.
Inspired by the Salish Sea human foot discoveries, Receiver of Wreck is a grotesque comedy about human waste and the mystic potential of change, produced by Tottering Biped Theatre and Pat the Dog Playwright Creation.
The production takes to the stage for a three day, four performance run under circumstances at the Performing Arts Centre that are somewhat strained.
There is a program for local professional companies and the Tottering Biped Theatre is theoretically one of the resident companies right now. But it’s under threat, once again, by the changing of administrations.
Brian McCurdy, the current Executive Director, filling the gap because the theatre board asked abruptly asked Suzanne Haines to empty her desk and turn in her keys, has been a strong advocate for local performance groups, but the future, according to people who work closely with the Performing Arts Centre, is unclear as to when another candidate will take over and who knows what their stance will be on local companies.
“The frequent changing of Executive Directors has been very difficult for us. We are now in the process of trying to secure a clear, long term relationship with BPAC” is the way the situation was explained to the Gazette.
Brian McCurdy has done a very good job of running the Performing Arts Centre – then he took retirement only to be brought back in to hold the fort while a replacement for Suzanne Haines, far right, was found. Brenda Heatherington, second from the left, was the first Executive Director who did a good job on the artistic side. The Board apparently expected her to handle the financial side as well. Ilene Elkaim, far left, is the current Chair of the theatre board.
Getting the kind of leadership needed has been an ongoing challenge. Brian McCurdy does a sterling job and is appreciated by all those who work with him. But McCurdy apparently wants to move into the at least semi-retirement phase of his life.
There hasn’t been a word from the Centre – the most recent media item on their website is dated September of 2016.
Not a healthy situation.
Almost everything Trevor Copp does on a stage is worth seeing.
Administratively, the place may be a bit of a mess – and that is no reflection on Brian McCurdy – the guy is solid gold. It is the people who direct him that are the problem.
A provincial government is showering dollars all over the place. Two sums are being given to organizations in Burlington.
Curling club to get provincial grant to upgrade ice maintenance equipment.
The Curling Club is getting $32,700 they have to spend over an 11 month time frame to maintain the club’s ice surface by purchasing a new ammonia/brine chiller.
The Ontario150 Community Capital Program helps not-for-profit organizations, municipalities and Indigenous communities renovate, repair and retrofit existing community and cultural infrastructure.
In celebration of Ontario’s 150th anniversary, the province has also released a new recording of A Place to Stand (Ontario Song), the province’s unofficial anthem. The 50-year-old song has been refreshed to instill a sense of pride and belonging for all.
The museum organization might take a pas on the provincial grant of $500,000 hoping they will get a federal grant of $5 million.
The Joseph Brant Museum has access to $500,000 to improve the infrastructure and refurbish the Joseph Brant Museum to current AODA/museum standards.
The grant to the museum is bumping up against a federal grant of $5 million the museum hopes comes their way.
It is all taxpayers’ money – you gave it to them to spend and they are certainly doing that.
The community got to get a bit of a sense as to where the Halton District School Board is going with the Program Accommodation Review that is now underway.
The Board recommendation to the trustees is to close two of the seven high schools in the city.
The parents at Central high school oppose this and are providing the board and the public with data to support their argument that there is no need to close Central high school.
Parent representatives from the seven Burlington high schools discussing the high school closing options that were being considered. Some of the words used were less than respectful.
The parents at Lester B. Pearson argue that their school was fine until the Board of Education changed boundaries and had students taken away from Pearson and sent to Hayden which is now at 125% + capacity.
The procedure is a multi-level process. The Board of Education staff see a problem with accommodation levels – a report is given to the trustees,
The trustees decide that there should be a Program Accommodation Review.
A PARC (Program Accommodation Review Committee) is formed and begins to hold their meetings.
The first public meeting of the PARC was held last week.
The PARC will produce a report which they will give to the Director of Education who will then prepare a report to the elected trustees who will make a decision as to whether or not any of the high schools should be closed.
The Gazette has reported extensively on the various meeting. Those news reports can be found elsewhere.
The process of reviewing the available information and going through the mountains of data given to the PARC has begun.
Central high school parent had a front row seat.
For the next several months a group that includes two parents from each high school along with a number of advisors will review, discuss, debate and finally produce a report for the Director of Education on what they feel are his options.
The Director of Education will then give the trustees his final recommendation and they will decide what should be done. They can do whatever they think is in the public interest.
What was taking place last Thursday was a meeting where between 40 and 50 people watched what 30 people were doing on the other side of the room – with no microphones to pick up the sound.
The public got to hear Chair Scott Podrebarac, a Board of Education Superintendent tasked with shepherding the PARC process, outline the procedures. He is supported by Kirk Perris, a senior vice president with Ipsos, a leading public opinion research firm who is serving as a facilitator and data analyst on contract with the Board of Education. Perris has a doctorate.
One could pick up some of the conversation at the tables. It was obvious that the PARC people were heavily engaged in discussion working from 3 inch loose leaf binds containing all kinds of data.
The PARC had the framework they are expected to work from presented to them with some explanation
There were comments on the December 8th public meeting where it became evident that there were competing interests. The data collected indicated parents wanted their children to be able to walk to school; less use of any form of transportation.
Parents wanted more information on the fiscal issues and wanted to hear a lot more about boundaries that are created.
The public wanted to know more about what there was going to be in the way of future public meetings. Kirk Perris admitted that they lost the debate on how the December 8th public meeting went and asked rhetorically what a public meeting would/should look like? The old chestnuts transparent, robust and clearer got tossed into the discussion.
While Director of Education Stuart Miller is not part of the PARC process he did say in his short remarks that the data the public and the PAR Committee have been working from is based on the LTAP – Long Term Accommodation Plans; a document that is revised every year by the Board’s Planning department.
The Board has surveyed anyone that moved. The students were surveyed; the school board staff were surveyed and the parents were surveyed.
As the 30 some odd people settled in to begin their work Miller again commented that the recommendation that was put forward was “the one that fit”: he didn’t say what it was being fitted to.
Hayden high school – opened in 2012 took in students who used to attend Pearson. That reduced the Pearson enrollment to the point where the school was recommended for closure. Meanwhile Hayden is now at close to 120% capacity.
The parents at Pearson high school are saying that if the board gave that school back the students that were transferred to Hayden – a school that is over capacity now and has 12 portables with WiFi that could be a lot better, Pearson would not be at the 65% accommodation level that requires a PAR.
When the PAR process started there were 19 options – there are now 23.
The first task now is to begin eliminating some of those 23 options.
With the introductions and the overview explanations done with – the PAR Committee members were broken into two groups.
One group had the parents who were chosen by the parents group of each high school plus Milton school board trustee Donna Danielli who served as an advisor.
The other table had the people chosen by the Board of Education from people who had “expressed an interest” in serving on the PARC. The Board asked people who wanted to serve to apply and the board vetted that group. They were looking for balance in age, gender, diversity and geography.
PARC chair Scott Podrebararc, on the left with city manager James Ridge who is representing the city.
City manager James Ridge was put in with the Expression of Interest group. He didn’t appear to be saying all that much. What isn’t clear to many is what does Ridge have as a mandate? Is he there to serve as an information resource? Has he been given a clear mandate from city council? All we know is that the Mayor thought he would be a great choice to represent the city. Nothing was heard at a city council meeting on what he supposed to do – other than “represent” the city which was invited to be at the table.
The seven representatives from the high school parent groups and the seven representatives from the Expression of Interest groups are the people who will decide what the report that goes to the Director of Education will contain.
Scott Podrebarac who chaired the “Expression of Interest” group started by going through the 19 options staff had identified and getting a sense as to what his group felt about each option. While it was very difficult to hear what was being said at the tables Podrebarac seemed to be leading the conversation and working at whittling down the list that kept getting longer.
Principals from each high school were on hand to answer questions; the Manager of Planning Dom Renzelli was prowling from table to table answering questions.
The evening got off to an interesting start when about 50 parents from Pearson high school put on a boisterous demonstration outside the Board offices on Guelph Line where the meetings were taking place.
While very difficult to hear what was being said it was evident that Podrebarac was leading his group while Kirk Perris was letting his group work out where they wanted to go. Hearing a PARC participant say “Oh come on” suggested that the conversation was animated
Podrebarac later said that he and Perris would compare and compile notes and get the agenda ready for the February 2 meeting.
The PARC is scheduled to hold four working meetings.
There will be tours of the high schools set up for February 7th and 8th.
What came out of the first working meeting? Difficult to tell at this stage.
Parents paying close attention to the PARC proceedings last Thursday.
It was a full meeting – but very much in the early stages. The members of the PARC are getting a feel for each other – where each school representative is. Sharon Picken, a parent representing Bateman high school was very direct with her comments which members of the audience found a little offensive.
Picken was overhead saying to former trustee Dianna Bower, who is representing M.M. Robinson, that she, Picken, thought “whoever wrote this isn’t even human”. Picken was commenting on the submission from Central high school parents. The PARC has meeting norms about respectful comments that the Central people want to see put firmly in her place.
Meed Ward who is participating as a parent with a son at Central high school – she also has a daughter at Aldershot high school, was her usual self – asking questions and pressing for answers.
Bateman high school parent and PARC member Sharon Picken.
Three of the four Burlington school board trustees attended. Trustee Richelle Papin was ill. The trustees play no role in this part of the process – all they can do is observe.
What was interesting was that none of the trustees from Milton or Oakville attended – Burlington has four of the 11 votes that will decide what gets done with the high schools in the city. How the other seven trustees vote is critical. Burlington needs to ensure that it has the support of at least two of the other seven trustees.
If the issues becomes one of how does the Board of Education pay to keep high schools that are nowhere near their capacity open – and there are trustees who see fiscal prudence as their primary role – then Burlington might have a problem.
These meetings are going to be drenched in data – keeping on top of it all is going to be a challenge.
The Halton District School Board has set two dates for public meetings related to the Program Accommodation Review that is has residents reviewing the recommendation to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools..
The content of both meetings will be the same – just offered in two different locations in the city on different dates
Parent paying close attention to the Program Accommodation Review Committee proceedings.
Meetings will be held on February 28, 2017 at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School, 3040 Tim Dobbie Drive at 7:00 pm
On March 7, 2017 at the New Street Education Centre, 3250 New St. at 7:00 pm The New Street location date is a change from what was previously announced.
NOTE: This date has changed from a previously scheduled date.
The purpose of the meetings is to share the work of the PAR Committee to date and to explain the process for gathering further community input.
Members of the Program Accommodation Review Committee meet to discuss the options while the public look on.
The Program and Accommodation Review (PAR) has been is reviewing and providing feedback on the Director’s Preliminary Report.
Through the problem solving process of the PAR Committee, it is expected that further options will likely come forward, which may involve the closure of other schools than those that have currently been recommended.
The tragedy may have been a province away but the murder of six Muslims in their temple Saturday had Hamilton Regional Police cruisers paying more attention to the mosques in the city and calls to the religious community to assure them that the police had implemented the protocol they have for situations like this.
Increased police patrols around the mosques in the city; a heightened awareness throughout the city.
In response to yesterday’s hate-motivated violence in Quebec City, the Halton Regional Police Service assured the public that it stands united with those impacted by the tragedy and is committed to ensuring the safety of all community members.
To achieve this, the Service has a number of protocols in place to respond to a range of events that impact the security and well-being of those who live, work and visit Halton.
When the Quebec attack occurred, the response of the Halton Regional Police Service was immediate and far-reaching. Measures implemented at that time and which are ongoing include enhanced patrols of places of worship and personal outreach to members of the Region’s numerous faith communities.
Chief Tanner invoked the protocol that was created for situations like this – increased patrols and a higher level of communication.
Chief Tanner explained: “We continuously monitor serious events around the world such as the Quebec attack/shooting. We also review situations of elevated risk when notified of any change to Provincial or National threat assessments. At this time there is no reason to believe there is an elevated public safety risk in Halton.
That said, we will continue to monitor events locally and abroad and should a risk be identified, our response will be coordinated, scalable and meet the needs of those we serve.”
The community is showing its support through a vigil at city hall this evening beginning at 6:00 pm at Civic Square.
At the Committee of the Whole Standing committee meeting this afternoon city council members will be asked to recommend the following Staff Direction:
City Clerk Angela Morgan
Direct the City Clerk to draft a Code of Conduct for members of Council which addresses, donations, fundraising, sponsorship, entertainment and the acceptance of gifts by members of Council as well as other standards clauses included in Codes across the Province. The Code of Conduct for members of Council should not be less stringent than the Code of Conduct established for City of Burlington staff.
This is close to unbelievable. Most of the members of this council have bobbed and weaved and done everything they can to not have a Code of Conduct.
The Mayor found a way to shuffle this hot potato to the city Manager who has now handed it down to the Clerk.
Creating a Code of Conduct for members of city council has taken some time – more than five years. There was some resistance amongst the members of council – not all of them.
Let’s see what Angela Morgan can achieve.
It might be a useful exercise to pass along any ideas you have on what should be included in the code of conduct to the city clerk. She can be reached by email at: angela.morgan@burlington.ca
If you have words of wisdom for our Clerk and choose to pass them along to her – the Gazette would be interested in what you have to say. You could copy us at newsdesk@bgzt.ca
Possible Website Disruption Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
The City of Burlington’s I.T. Services will be doing scheduled maintenance on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 from 6 a.m. until 7 a.m.
During that time, there may be temporary service disruptions.
As a result, we recommend you not use these forms during that time.
• Parking Exemption • Parking Ticket payment • Dog License • Accessible Document Request • Advertising Request • Event Application • Rec Express Information Changes to my Account • Rental Request Form • Corporate Complaint Form • Request to Appear as a Delegate
They don’t stop – usually a couple a day. Some are so far-fetched that they get totally ignored. Others are a little more imaginative and inventive and for the unwary you could get caught.
If it sounds to good to be true – it probably isn’t true.
The most recent one that was different was the offer of a job by either Google or Facebook.
Maybe it could be true, wouldn’t hurt to check it out would it?
And should you decide to “check it out” you have begun the process of letting the hook get set in your mouth while someone tries to reel you in.
And if they reel you in – it will prove to be very painful financially.
Back in October of last year Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward told her following, that the city was “poised to endorse “interim” tall building guidelines and then send them out for public consultation. “You need to make your voice heard, because Burlington’s future will be shaped by these guidelines. I didn’t endorse the guidelines at committee and won’t at council.”
“The guidelines are more than an endorsement of good design. They’re an endorsement of tall buildings. They could lead to approvals for tall buildings on lots not intended for them, so long as they conform to the guidelines.
Just Guidelines – do they represent the city you want to live in? In order to have a specific number of metres space between two buildings – you have to have two buildings.
“Do we want a future which protects the livability, diversity and small town feel of our city, or something akin to Vancouver without the mountains?”
How did we get here?
“The guidelines were developed by outside consultants (BrookMcIlroy) at the request of city staff to deal with tall building applications already coming in.
“They draw heavily on a style of planning called “Vancouverism” – narrow towers on podiums, setbacks to allow public activity on the street. Vancouver’s former city planner, Brent Toderian, is advising the city on planning, transportation and transit.”
City council did pass the Guidelines and developers took to them with great gusto. The city’s Official Plan (OP) is in a sort of limbo while the planning department works at crafting a brand new OP. The old plan is still the rule but no one is doing all that much to support the document.
Less than six months after the Guidelines were approved a developer who had been assembling property on the east side of Brant street north side of James walks into city hall with an application that appears to conform with the Tall Building Guidelines.
Meed Ward points out that “Council had one week to review the guidelines. There was no prior public consultation. The development community was consulted before the report was prepared. Members of the city’s Housing & Development Liaison Committee received an electronic copy, with an invitation for tall building developers to attend one-on-one meetings with staff. But even developers said there wasn’t enough public consultation.
“Given the lack of public input, I had proposed the guidelines be considered “draft,” then sent out for community input. We need a “Made in Burlington” solution, not a model designed for a different city.”
However, the rest of council voted to put the Guidelines on the books.
The planning department committed to following up with the development community to hear their concerns.
The way the Tall Building Guidelines got put in place reminded Meed Ward of what was being done back in 2008 when planning changes to Old Lakeshore Road gave height along the waterfront without meaningful city-wide public input. That process created the Save Our Waterfront movement where 2,000 residents across the city sought better public consultation on changes like this, and eventually led to the creation of Burlington’s Community Engagement Charter.
The fear back in 2010 was that tall buildings would get built along Old Lakeshore Road with heights in the eight to fifteen storey range – that didn’t go anywhere. What was proposed was 28 storeys (reduced later to 26) just a block away.
Save Our Waterfront also propelled Meed Ward into public office. She had previously run against Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven and took a beating. She moved to ward 2, set up shop there as a persistent city council delegator and beat then ward Councillor Peter Thoem handily.
Meed Ward fears “We’re heading back to that era at council, where public input is bypassed, minimal or after the fact.”
All this led to a community meeting on Saturday that had about 60 people touring parts of the downtown core with comment from planners and a consultant on the look of specific buildings and what worked and what didn’t work all that well.
This after the Guide lines are already on the books and have been used by the ADI Development Group to justify their wish to put up two tall buildings (19 storey’s each) in Alton Village, a community with two story houses and townhouses where traffic congestion is horrendous.
The ADI Development Group project for the Alton Village was negotiated with the Planning department – but got killed at city Council after significant community opposition – it is no at the OMB appeal stage. It appears to meet the Tall Building Guidelines.
The Alton Village community organized and convinced council to not go with the Planning department recommendation – this after negotiating at considerable length with a developer that is not easy to negotiate with. It was a tough day for city planner Mary Lou Tanner – and it will be a tough OMB hearing which the developer has asked for on an expedited basis.
It will be tough on the taxpayer when the legal bills on this one come in.
Meed Ward points out that endorsing the guidelines now before we have finished our Official Plan and Zoning reviews may end up superceding our planning vision.
The risk she said is that the city will “get development applications that conform to the guidelines on setbacks or podiums, but are in places we don’t envision tall buildings. It will be very difficult to hold our ground and direct height to where we want it if the building meets our design guidelines, especially with the ever present threat of an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.
Tall buildings lead to more tall buildings; and sure enough along comes a development for 26 storey’s right across the street from city hall.
The space marked “subject site” is where a 26 storey tower that meets all the Tall Building Guidelines is proposed – right across the street from city hall.
The guidelines help pave the way, claims Meed Ward who adds that “pretty soon we will have lost meaningful control over planning and implementing a community vision for our city.”
Meed Ward wonders if “we’re headed toward intensification coupled now with a focus on tall buildings.
Is the city past the tipping point; is the die cast?
The notices come in regularly – a person is missing – the police send out a media briefing. Usually the person is found – sometimes it takes a couple of days.
In 2015 the Halton Regional Police had 15,000 calls for what they refer to as people who wander. In 2016 that number rose to 40,000
Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner holding one of the wrist bands while a technicians holds the aerial that will pick up a signal from the wrist band. The service – called Project Lifesaver was launched in Halton yesterday.
One of the people who wandered away from hone was Helen Robertson,a 79 year-old Alzheimer’s patient – she was never found. Losing someone is terrible for the family, a difficult job for the police and takes its toll on the community.
Kelly Oliveira, the mother of a nine year old autistic child had two close encounters when the boy who is audible deficient went missing. When I could not find my child “my heart stopped” she said as she described her search to find a better way to locate people who go missing.
Oliveira said her house has locks on all the doors, on all the windows – “we do everything we are supposed to do – 0ne day with a lot of guests at the house – the front door was left unlocked and that terrible, terrible fear took over – where was my son. We had people running up and down the street – some calling his name – but he doesn’t hear. I found him about ten minutes later near the water’s edge getting ready to walk in the water. He has this strange fascination with water.”
Oliveira didn’t want that experience again – she went looking for a solution and when she found it she dogged every police source she could get to take her calls and was as determined with the politicians.
Oakville Mayo Rob Burton explained to the audience that the Police Services Board moved with amazing speed. “We got the idea in August of 2016; approved it in principle in October of that year and have launched it today” he said.
Shows that the politicians can move quickly when they have a clear direction and are motivated.
Oliveira believed there had to be some way to track where her child was and began to research what was available in the way of technology.
The Project Lifesaver wrist band – it can be placed on an ankle.
A lot of people think GPS is the solution – that technology won’t work inside a building.
Oliveira found Project Life Saver, a proactive life protection program for individuals living with cognitive disorders. The program enhances the probability of the individual’s rescue and makes it possible to reduce the search effort from days and hours to minutes. This program combines radio technology with a coordinated police response to assist in locating wandering and disorientated loved ones.
People who subscribe to the service are given a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. The wristband is a one ounce, battery-operated wrist transmitter emitting an FM radio frequency based signal that emits a signal every second, 24 hours a day. It has been proven that these transmitters are able to track through obstacles, such as concrete walls and heavy forest.
When the police are called they respond and use an odd looking device that is an aerial – the kind of thing we used to put on the roof to pick up a TV signal.
It can be hand held by a police officer who walks through an area. It can be mounted on the roof of a police cruiser or attached to a small drone and flown over an area. The device can pick up a signal from the wrist band transmitter within a 2 km radius.
The OPP in Belleville use the Lifesaver.
“We could be operating from Maple View Mall and locate someone in a crowd at Spencer Smith Park” explained police Chief Stephen Tanner during the launch of the program.
The program is not cheap – there is an initial one time cost of $400 plus an annual fee of $60. Police meet with the family of the person who is going to wear the bracelet and ensure that everyone understands the service and what is involved.
An entry is created in a data base that includes a picture of the person who will be wearing the bracelet.
The police exchange the bracelet for a new one every six months
To help make the program more accessible, financial assistance will be available for eligible low income participants through Halton Region’s Employment and Social Services department.
For more information, or to register for Project Lifesaver Halton, contact: Halton Regional Police, Victim Services Unit – 905-825-4810 or by email at – projectlifesaver@haltonpolice.ca There is additional information on the police web site – www.haltonpolice.ca/projectlifesaver
For those of you that have been following the electoral reform debate over the last few months, you may be a little disoriented. Initially we saw the appointment of an electoral reform committee that showed great promise. This committee was designed to be representative of the parties in the House of Commons which meant practicing consensual politics could help to bring about a new political mantra in Ottawa.
When the committee hosted its first witness, it was clear that this political cleanse so many had been hoping for would be difficult to achieve. That witness, then Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef, while responsive to the committee, did not confirm that the recommendations of the committee would be taken seriously by the Canadian Government.
As the committee continued to meet and witnesses came and went, it seemed that while progress was being made and MPs were interested in the information being presented, there continued to be partisan overtones. This made it difficult to have a neutral educated discussion on the matter as each side tried to convey their own points.
Now, as our Prime Minister wavers on his promise to bring in a new electoral system by 2019, there is concern both on and off of Parliament Hill, that the committee may not have accomplished its objective.
Although there are many good arguments coming from both sides of this debate, the real discussion should come down to one thing: voters should have a greater capacity to influence the results of elections.
Karina Gould with the Governor General and the Prime Minister after being sworn in as the Minister for Democratic Institutions.
In the 2015 federal election, Burlington and Oakville elected three candidates: Liberals John Oliver, Pam Damoff, and newly minted Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould. Together they gained support from 92,611 voters across both cities. However, that meant 102,989 votes, roughly 52.7% of voters from the Burlington and Oakville area, did not influence the final results. How is this fair for those that do not vote Liberal in these two cities?
What would electoral reform mean for residents of Burlington and Oakville? Should anyone here really care?
There have been many different proposals put before the committee, but generally speaking the favoured concept is a family of systems referred to as “Proportional Representation”. This type of system ensures that no matter where a person lives, their ballot will more often than not go toward electing a candidate of their choice.
That might mean that instead of an MP for Burlington, an MP for Oakville North—Burlington, and an MP for Oakville, there would be one MP for Burlington, one MP for Oakville and a third MP representing the entirety of both cities. The advantage of this would be having representatives from at least two parties in the area, ensuring that local interests on multiple sides of the political spectrum are represented. This would also allow residents the opportunity to seek assistance from representatives they feel most comfortable dealing with, and with whom they are politically aligned.
However, the affects to local political practices will not be the only thing that changes under a new electoral system. A proportional electoral system would mean a different form of government. Majority governments, dominated by one political party would become a thing of the past, and coalition governments would likely become the norm.
A coalition government, whereby multiple parties help to form government, are proven to be difficult for the winning party to control. However, there are many advantages that come with these forms of government as well.
What the current government would have looked like had members of the House of Commons been chosen on a proportional representation model.
Experience on the international stage suggests that parties in coalition governments are much more likely to negotiate, meaning that more segments of the Canadian population would be considered during the creation and passing of legislation. Furthermore, the tendencies of coalition governments are to spend more on infrastructure and services while also proving to be more capable of balancing a budget.
While the effects of implementing a proportionally representative electoral system may not be cut and dry, it would seem that many benefits could flow from its implementation for both the country of Canada and the cities of Burlington and Oakville.
However, the government will need to defy both partisan logic and political history to say yes to a system from which many Canadians would likely benefit.
Jay Fallis writes on politics for several newspapers in Canada. His preference for “proportional representation” is one of several choices available.
Burlington’s MP, Karina Gould, now the Minister of Democratic Institutions, is tasked with bring a recommendation the Cabinet on how, if and when any changes will be made to the way Canadians choose the form of government representation they want.
The federal government is putting significant amount of the money they have to borrow into the Canada 150 program – that events that lets all of us celebrate the 150 anniversary of the formal creation of this country we call Canada,
Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon sitting at a loom at the Art Gallery of Burlington
The province has announced its program – support for 367 exciting local initiatives — including multicultural events, art exhibitions, sporting events and local food festivals — that will bring people together to commemorate the qualities and values that define Ontario and revel in this historic milestone.
Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto today to announce the recipients of the Community Celebration Program, which supports communities in hosting their own celebrations for Ontario’s anniversary.
Burlington’s Mayor has let us know last night that he too has his hopes.
He wants the city’s Love My Hood program to come up with 150 events in the city that get celebrated in this sesquicentennial year.
He has said he will try to attend as many of the hoped for 150 events as he can. Bless him for that.
Love My Hood is a program designed to build a healthier Burlington by engaging and empowering residents to come together and provide events celebrating their Burlington neighbourhoods.
The city run program helps residents bring events to all neighbourhoods throughout the city by supporting and encouraging Burlington residents to hold their own neighbourhood gatherings, activities or parties where neighbours can get to know each other. Love My Hood provides resources, support, funding up to $300 and eliminates some common barriers in event hosting.
Events can be as small or as big as you like. There is more detail in the Planning Ideas and Resources section of the city web site. Link to: https://www.burlington.ca/en/your-city/love-my-hood.asp
By Pepper Parr
