 By Staff
October 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you are a non-profit organizations that delivers community health or social service programs to Halton residents the Regional government has a funding program that might interest you.
 Halton Regional offices are in Oakville Two categories of funding are available to organizations that meet eligibility criteria.
Category One provides one year funding to non-profit, charitable or community organizations for short- term, small capital and/or innovative projects. Category One grants are awarded for a maximum of one year, for an amount up to $20,000.The deadline for Category One applications is November 27, 2015 at 2 p.m.
Category Two provides up to three years of program funding for charitable organizations. The deadline for Category Two applications is December 4, 2015 at 2 p.m. During this proposal call, there is approximately $200,000 available for funding commitments in each of 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“The non-profit sector and community volunteers provide tremendous support to individuals and families in Halton,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Halton Regional Council is committed to keeping Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire for all our residents and the non-profit sector helps our community thrive.”
Organizations interested in applying can learn more about the HRCIF by attending an information session:
• Thursday, October 29, 2015, 6 – 8 p.m. at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (Black Box Studio Theatre), 2302 Bridge Road in Oakville; or
• Tuesday, November 3 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Gellert Community Centre (Kinsmen Hall A), 10241 Eighth Line in Halton Hills.
To register for a session, or to access HRCIF guidelines, application forms and funding priorities, please visit halton.ca/investmentfund or dial 311.
 By Staff
October 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Memex, a Burlington company that got a loan from the federal government to expand its operation is now part of it collaborative partnership that has joined with two very large corporations to make greater use of The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
The Internet of Things, known as IloT, has been bubbling away in the background for some time – it is now very real for MEMEX who have partnered with the Mazak Corporation and Cisco to showcase MERLIN software from MEMEX Inc.
 Dave McPhail, CEO of MEMEX walks pasty a stern looking management team during a federal cheque presentation last March The Internet of Things basically gives anything an internet address – which becomes the communications backbone that moves information in real time
The collaborative platform called SmartBox, developed by Mazak, is an industry-first launch platform for easy and highly secure entrance into the Industrial Internet of Things. SmartBox builds on MEMEX’s strategic partnership with Mazak Corp., which earlier this year named MEMEX to its exclusive Value Inspired Partner (VIP) program.
What follows is pretty technical and won’t mean much to most people – but it is very relevant to the economy the city wants to develop. This technology results in those high-tech, high paying jobs the city wants to attract.
“The SmartBox collaboration realizes the IIoT vision on the factory floor,” said MEMEX’s CEO David McPhail. “We’re thrilled to be participating in this powerful combination with Mazak and Cisco. As well as MERLIN software, we are contributing our easy-to-deploy Ax760 hardware adapters to SmartBox. They enable every machine on the shop floor, old or new, to become web servers that utilize the MTConnect® manufacturing communication standard.”
Using MTConnect® as its foundation, SmartBox connectivity of machines and devices allows for enhanced monitoring and analytical capabilities including advanced cyber security protection. SmartBox represents a huge leap in digital integration across manufacturing.
 MEMEX – a Burlington firm that is right up there with two of the largest heavy hitters in the manufacturing technical world. “With the development of SmartBox, Mazak continues to drive toward its iSMART Factory concept and connecting today’s shops to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to achieve levels of efficiency and productivity never before realized,” said Brian Papke, President of Mazak. “And while our concept centers around open connectivity and the Internet, we at Mazak believe it is our moral obligation to also provide customers the highest level of security possible with SmartBox. As with all the technology we develop, Mazak has first implemented SmartBox into our own operations before expecting customers to wholeheartedly embrace the system.”
Mazak developed SmartBox to work with any machine regardless of make, model or age and will offer it in various configurations/kits based on the scenarios and challenges in which the units will be used. The device physically mounts to the side of machines without having to integrate into a machine’s electrical cabinet. With several standard input/output connecting ports, SmartBox lets users quickly and easily connect any standard off-the-shelf sensors to the system for machine data gathering and condition monitoring. One SmartBox may service several machine tools along with other associated manufacturing equipment, depending on the application.
At the heart of SmartBox is Cisco’s Connected Machines solution, based on the IoT System, designed specifically for industrial environments and equipped with an MTConnect software agent. Using a fog computing model, MTConnect runs directly on the ruggedized Cisco Industrial Ethernet (IE) 4000 switch, providing MERLIN software’s real-time visibility and insights into data right on the factory floor.
MEMEX’s MERLIN software installed in Mazak’s factory allows for monitoring analytics of machines, test stands and other equipment within the plant. The Cisco hardware is designed to help prevent any issues with unauthorized access from both directions – to or from the machines and equipment within a network. SmartBox satisfies the highly critical security concerns of IT departments when connecting legacy equipment to a plant’s main network for the purpose of gathering manufacturing data via the MTConnect protocol.
MEMEX Inc. is a leading Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology platform provider that connects to any machine and delivers real-time manufacturing productivity metrics. Industrial strength MERLIN software provides Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) efficiency metrics in real time, from shop floor to top floor. MERLIN connects to any machine, old or new, utilizing MTConnect, other protocols or hardware adapters.
The MERLIN magic delivers a 10% to 50% average productivity increase so that any manufacturer can achieve world-class standards of excellence. Based on just a 10% increase in OEE, customers see profit improvements of 20%-plus and payback in less than four months.
What does all this mean to Burlington?
During the federal election Prime Minister Harper announced that an Advanced Manufacturing Hub would be built in the city – tied in in some way to McMaster University’s de Groote campus on the south Service Road.
 Dave McPhail on the right explaining the technology MEMEX has developed that allows real time data to be delivered to management Dave McPhail works assiduously developing relationships – he has been working on a collaborative approach with Cisco for some time – that seems to have worked out well for the company.
Mike Wallace took part in an announcement that put a cheque for $899,000 on the table allowing MEMEX to expand their operations in Burlington. So far that federal loan appears to be doing what it was intended to do.
By Staff
October 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario has nominated Dr. Bruce Krushelnicki for appointment as the new executive chair of Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario, subject to review by the Standing Committee on Government Agencies.
 Former city planner, Bruce Krushelnicki, has been appointed as the Executive Chair of the Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario Dr. Krushelnicki, a veteran urban planner and public administrator, recently retired from the post of Director of Planning and Building at the City of Burlington after 11 years. Before his employment with the City of Burlington, he held key positions with the Ontario Municipal Board and the Institute of Urban and Environmental Studies at Brock University, as well as maintaining a small consulting practice in urban planning.
Pending review by the Standing Committee on Government Agencies, Dr. Krushelnicki will take over the role of executive chair from Alternate Executive Chair Jerry DeMarco in fall 2015.
Dr. Krushelnicki holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brock University. He is a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.
Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario is a cluster of tribunals that resolve appeals, applications and other disputes under some 100 statutes in relation to land use planning, environmental and heritage protection, property assessment, land valuation and other matters. It is made up of five adjudicative tribunals:
Assessment Review Board
Board of Negotiation
Conservation Review Board
Environmental Review Tribunal
Ontario Municipal Board
Adjudicative tribunals play a vital role in the justice system by using their specialized expertise to hear a variety of disputes in an independent and impartial manner.
One of those disputes is the application the ADI Development Group has made to the OMB for the right to build a 28 storey tower at Martha and Lakeshore.
Dr. Krushelnicki will serve as the Executive Chair of all five adjudicative tribunals that make up Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario.
In Burlington we called him Bruce – he was without a doubt the most articulate staff member this city had – and also knew the best tailor in town
 By Pepper Parr
October 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
And so now what does Karina Gould do? Begin looking for an apartment in Ottawa for starters and then going through the Briefing Books she will be given as she learns what it is to become a Parliamentarian.
She is twenty – eight years old, has solid university degrees and a hard fought election campaign behind her. She has experience with the Organization of American States in Washington and knows more about international trade matters than any other newly elected Member of Parliament.
 Claire LaRocca, centre, ran the campaign that is sending Karina Gould to office. Expect to see LaRocca running either the Ottawa office or the Burlington office. The two women go back a long way. There will be some significant committee work for her to do. If she thought she was busy going door to door as a candidate – she will wish for those days again once she has a year or two of experience as an MP behind her.
She will thrive in Ottawa – what kind of a constituent MP she will be is something we can only guess at today. She had a remarkable team working with her – expect to see the staff she has to create for both her Burlington office and Ottawa office as well to come from within that group.
Her campaign chair, Claire La Rocca might become the person who runs her Ottawa office – the two women go back a long way – they first met as students at McGill University. LaRocca bunked in with Gould’s parents while the campaign was being fought.
 Mike Wallace conceding the 2015 federal election to Karina Gould. “I have been in public service for 23 years” he said “tonight I was defeated by a 28 year old”. He said it with a smile. Mike Wallace, who was much more graceful in defeat than his leader Stephen Harper, now has to pick up the pieces and move on to another phase of his journey. It will be with a heavy heart that he closes his office at the Burlington Mall and does as much as he can to find places for the staff that have served him during his term of office.
Wallace has always had a strong sense of humour that served him well. He was able to laugh at his own short comings.
Burlington did well by Mike Wallace – Gould will have to work hard to even begin to equal his record.
The early numbers didn’t put her that far ahead of Mike Wallace – she too benefited hugely from the NDP disaster. She has four years to learn the craft of being an MP and to solidify what she won last night.
What to expect from this newly elected MP? We will hear thank you, thank you, thank you for the next few weeks – then she has to settle into a new career. The new government will be sworn in and we will watch for what she has to say during her maiden speech in the House of Commons.
Burlington is in the process of developing an Advanced Manufacturing Hub that the Prime Minister promised the city would get – if he was elected. That hub will be located in Burlington – a lot of work has yet to be done on it before it is a reality – Gould will need to meet with the people who are doing the ground work on the project. They will find her to be a delight to work with and very smart – add to that her being a quick study.
When will the new government be sworn in? November 4th. Justin Trudeau has to get his voice back and have the conversations with the men and women who will be in his Cabinet. Karina Gould will learn just how federal government bureaucrats work as she completes mountains of forms to get herself onto the payroll and learn where her office is going to be.
Her first caucus meeting will be exciting – she will fully appreciate then what it is to be part of a government that has a vision, has a mission and will want to do good things quickly.
How soon will we see refugees on the ground from the Middle East? What will the first piece of legislation be?
 Is this the first date of a significant political marriage? Mayor Rick Goldring moves in for a hug with newly elected federal MP Karina Gould. She does have a wary eye doesn’t she? Gould got off to a good start on her victory night – Mayor Goldring got a great hug – those two will get along just fine.
Her meetings with the Economic Development Corporation will be both interesting and fruitful. The Executive Director over there, Frank McKeown, would be well advised to ask Gould to sit in on one of their board meetings.
While the Mayor has yet to tell the citizens of the city why he was in China bits and pieces of that puzzle are coming to the surface. We know for certain that he was not in China to participate in a ping pong tournament – but there was a hint made recently that it has to do with foreign investment – there isn’t enough information available yet to say much more than that.
Gould has significant experience in foreign trade – the Mayor would be well served to give her a call and talk through just what he has been up to during his travels.
 These two women painted the town red. MPP Eleanor McMahon won the city and put a Liberal at Queen’s Park for the first time in 70 years. Gould followed up with a win earlier this week – replacing a two term Conservative. What kind of a city are we going to be four years from now? An added plus is the helping hand MPP Eleanor Mc Mahon will be giving. During the victory celebration McMahon came across as a proud den Mother – she will be a useful resource; ideally those two woman will serve the city well.
Can we expect Paddy Torsney, a former Burlington MP, to drift back into town to have a chit chat with our newest member?
 By Ray Rivers
October 20thj, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Sometimes things just happen to us – bad luck we call it. And sometimes the hens come home to roost and we reap what we have sown. Canadians overwhelmingly rejected Stephen Harper because of what he stands for and what he has done to us over the last decade.
 Justin Trudeau embracing his Mother Margaret before giving his speech the night he was elected Prime Minister of the country. what a sweet moment. As this longest election campaign in a century came to a close, Canadian electors decided to shed the misery of the past decade. We are a stagnant economy with the lowest growth rate and highest income inequality since the dirty ’30’s. We now have the least efficient and most secretive government in our modern history. And something has happened to that Canadian sense of fairness and tolerance.
So most Canadians went to sleep last night with the prospect of a better future than their recent past would foretell. Stephen Harper is gone! And a breath of fresh air, optimism and hope has replaced him. It is sad to say but Stephan Harper will not be missed, and his legacy will be a bookmark for an epoch lost in the dust of history.
 Stephen Harper showing up at a Rob Ford garden party. Of course Rob and Doug Ford will miss him, but then almost nobody ever missed the Fords once they left the limelight. And that big shindig they hosted for Harper on election eve may have been the icing on his farewell cake. But then I’ve come to bury Harper not to dwell on his failings.
Canadians changed the channel, in fact they bought a brand new TV. Positive – Better – Brought Together. Sweet words, Mr. Trudeau, but where do we go from here. The cupboard is a mess and the list is long. The economy, income inequality, that TPP, the oil patch, bombing in Iraq/Syria, whacky-tobaccy, electoral changes, the Senate, Bill C-51, green jobs, restoring environmental protection, climate change…
It should be a comfort to us that every province and territory is represented in the new Trudeau Liberal caucus, thanks to that overwhelming strategic vote last night. Mr. Mulcair’s party bore the brunt of that strategic effect, but he has only himself to blame, as discussed in my last column. Besides Trudeau, the federalist, has now been given an endorsement by his native Quebecers. What could be better for the federation?
It was interesting that The Globe and Mail endorsed Harper’s party but not Harper, in fact demanded he resign. Was that political naivety or an indirect call for voting ‘anybody but Harper, by a paper lacking the guts to break a tradition of supporting the Tories?
Also The National Post’s Andrew Coyne resigned as political editor after his publisher refused to print a column unsympathetic to the Tories. He has earned my respect for that. And was G&M columnist Margaret Wente trying to send a message when she ‘damned Harper with faint praise’ – saying he wasn’t the worst PM we ever had.
Mr. Trudeau came into the election amid low expectations, thanks to the Tory attack ads. Today it’s the reverse situation, as he wears the support of about seven million Canadians who voted for him, and so many others who would have made him their second choice. It is a tall order to undo the last decade in a heartbeat, and so it will take time.
 Stephen Harper – expressing an opinion. Therefore we all need to take a pill, or a toke (when it becomes legal), and chill to allow the new PM-designate the chance to get on with the job. This is an exciting time and the critics, including me, will be hounding him to deliver. And somewhere on my wish list would be how to get us into the 21st century when it comes to our next federal election.
I’m not talking about preferential (ranked) balloting, which Mr. Trudeau has already committed to. I’m referring to our archaic system of paper ballots, and pencils and manual counting. If we can do our banking securely via the internet, why can’t we vote that way?
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
Background links:
Federal Election Coyne Wente G&M Endoresment
 By Staff
October 20th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
SeeClickFix service disruption – Oct. 20 to 22, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The SeeClickFix will experience service disruptions during system maintenance:
Oct. 20, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Oct. 21, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Oct. 22, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
What is SeeClickFix?
Currently pothole, traffic sign, traffic signal, street light, graffiti, and coyote sighting requests are being accepted.
City of Burlington staff will be alerted and will respond within a reasonable time to address the request.
If you lose your hub cap in that pothole – SeeClickFix is the city’s interactive map where you can report thee things.
By Staff
October 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Union Gas handed over 500 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to the Burlington Fire department at a meeting at the Seniors Centre on the weekend. It is part of Project Zero, a public education campaign that provides combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to residents with the goal of reducing the number of residential fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths to zero.
The alarms were handed out at the seniors event, they were “won” through answering fire safety trivia questions.
 Fire Chief Tony Bavota. The few remaining alarms will be given to seniors registered in the fire department alarm assistance program, which helps those who are isolated and/or have disabilities or mobility challenges, which make it difficult to install and maintain their home smoke and co alarms.
Union Gas utility services manager, Marc Hoewing visited the Burlington Seniors’ Centre yesterday to present Burlington fire chief, Tony Bavota with the alarms.
“At Union Gas, the safety of our employees and our communities is our most important core company value,” said Hoewing. “And we share that commitment by supporting much-needed programs like Project Zero that helps us all stay safer.”
 They work – but only if they have fresh batteries. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless toxic gas that is often referred to as the “silent killer.” Exposure to CO can cause flu-like symptoms such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, burning eyes, confusion, drowsiness and even loss of consciousness, without the elevated temperature associated with the flu. In severe cases, CO poisoning can cause brain damage and death. The elderly, children and people with heart or respiratory conditions may be particularly sensitive to CO. Over 80 per cent of carbon monoxide-related deaths and injuries in Ontario occur in the home.
Fire Chief Tony Bavota said at the meeting that “Working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms save lives,” said Bavota, “Offering them to some of the seniors in our community will help to keep them safe in their homes.”
By Walter Byj
October 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Let me begin with the following two paragraphs from a June article I wrote:
“For some it is a grand success story while others view it as an experiment that has created a mess. Either way, it has created a logistics nightmare for boards across the province as educators try to run both a successful English program along with a strong French Immersion program. School busing, disruption of community schools, huge uptake in French Immersion and a shortage on competent French teachers in Ontario is forcing many boards to review their current implementation of French Immersion.
 Burlington school board trustee Richelle Papin was a member of the Program Viability Committee “In Halton, the board recently created the Program Viability Committee (PVC) whose goal was to do a thorough review of the challenges that French Immersion has placed on the English program and to then propose a number of solutions that could alleviate any current problems. The committee, which consists of 22 members, includes the Director of Education, board superintendents, schools principals and three trustees. The trustees are J. Oliver (Oakville, K. Graves (Milton) and R. Papin (Burlington). “
After a number of committee meetings, committee chair and Director of Education, Stuart Miller gave the board his report with his recommendations on September 16th
RECOMMENDATION 1:
Be it resolved that the Halton District School Board present the following options for the delivery of French Immersion to the public in the Fall of 2015 for the purpose of receiving feedback, considerations and comments. Feedback will be brought to the Board for consideration in the delivery of French Immersion programming:
1. Option 1: Grade 1 (early) French immersion remains a 50% French 50% English delivery model, but entry to French Immersion will be capped. The method of capping would be determined at a later date.
2. Option 2: Grade 1 (early) French Immersion remains at 50% French and 50% English, however all French Immersion programs will be delivered in single track FI schools. French Immersion will be phased out of dual track schools and no new dual track schools will be considered. The location of the single track schools will be determined at a later date.
3. Option 3: French Immersion will commence at a later entry point (mid entry); Grade 4. This will result in the delivery model of French Immersion moving from a 50% model to at least a 80% French Immersion model. In addition the delivery of French Immersion will occur in dual track schools only.
4. Option 4: French Immersion will commence at a later entry point (mid entry); Grade 4. This will result in the delivery model of French Immersion moving from a 50% model to at least a 80% French Immersion model. In addition the delivery of French Immersion will occur in single track French Immersion schools only.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller moves forward with the first initiative that has his fingerprints all over it – the public will get to see what he means by public engagement and how well he listens. After a thorough discussion, these recommendations were accepted unanimously by the trustees at the October 7th meeting with the understanding that the board would do everything they could to ensure the public thoroughly understand the current situation and be highly involved in any future solution.
Fully understanding the scope of this project, along with the potential ramifications on the public, Director Miller, with the encouragement of the trustees, emphasized that intensive input and ideas from the public would be required before any changes could be made.
He said the options presented are just a starting point and other alternatives would be studied. All information that the staff has would be shared with the public so that they would have a solid understanding of the challenges that the board currently faces.
There will be no pre-determined decisions as input from the public will play a major role in the final decision. Much time was spent discussing the different ways the public could be included in the process. Director Miller mentioned the use of social media and focus groups as some of the methods.
However, the first step will be face to face public meetings on the following dates:
All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.:
BURLINGTON: Monday, October 26 Nelson High School (4181 New St.)
OAKVILLE: Tuesday, October 27 White Oaks Secondary School (South Campus 1330 Montclair Dr.)
MILTON: Monday, November 2 Milton District High School ( 396 Williams Ave)
HALTON HILLS: Tuesday, November 3 Georgetown District High School (70 Guelph St)
After some prodding from the trustees, Director Miller said he would be open to have a fifth meeting if necessary.
Parents can attend any or all of the above meetings; they are not restricted by the city/town they live in.
The first major test will be the crowd at the Burlington meeting; it could be a barometer as to how well the board is reaching the public.
 Walter Byj has been the Gazette reporter on education for more than a year. He is a long-time resident of the city and as a parent has in the past delegated to the school board.
 Ciné-Starz Upper Canada Place,
Burlington, ON L7R 4B6
Week of Friday, October 23, 2015 through Thursday, October 29, 2015
Everest (PG)
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 1:15, 3:30, 5:15, 7:25, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:05, 7:20, 9:25
Black Mass (14A)
Fri – Sun: 1:15, 3:00, 5:10, 7:25, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:25, 9:30
The Visit (PG)
Fri – Sun: 7:45, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 3:15, 5:15, 7:45, 9:40
War Room ()
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (PG)
Fri – Sun: 11:10 AM, 5:00, 7:20, 9:35
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:20, 7:00, 9:30
Minions (G)
Fri – Sun: 11:30 AM, 1:15, 3:30, 5:45
Mon – Thu: 1:15, 5:40
Inside Out (G)
Fri – Sun: 11:10 AM, 1:05, 3:00
A Walk in the Woods (14A)
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00
By Pepper Parr
October 20th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There numerous errors in various version so this article for which we apologize. It was an amazing night – few thought the voters would change their country quite this much.
It was a rout for Mike Wallace – he handled it with dignity and grace. It was a win for Karina Gould, which she celebrated with jubilation.
 Prime Minister checks out the product at Ecoysynthetix during one of his several visits to the city. Wallace is on the far right. Company CEO John van Leeuwen is on the left. The Prime Minister turned out to be Wallace’s biggest problem.
Mike Wallace chose to be with his workers in the room that they fought their campaign in – a room that had all the polling station listed on a wall with young boys scooting back and forth with pieces of paper with the poll results.
There was never a point where it was going to be a Wallace win – he did take some polls – but the Gould wins were consistent. Gould 102 ; Wallace 99 was not uncommon; but there were many more that went Gould 112, Wallace 56.
By ten minutes after 10:00 pm it was evident that Mike Wallace was going to be defeated.
His loss was for the same reason he won the first time. At that time Canadians had had enough of Jean Chretien and the sponsorship scandals and they ousted Paddy Torsney and elected Wallace who had run against Torsney the election before that.
Mike told his workers – and there were a lot of them in his large campaign office at Fairview and Appleby Line that he won last time with 45% of the vote and he thought he would do the same this time.
“It was the collapse of the NDP vote that lost this election for me” said Wallace. He added that he heard about his leader and the concerns the public had with Stephen Harper at all the doors he knocked on.
“I feel badly for David Laird but I feel badly for myself.
“I list 12 pounds in this election race. I have served the public for 23 years and lost this evening to a 28 year old.
“We put out more signs this election than last and we had a good campaign team.
 Karina Gould won the Burlington seat and now heads to Ottawa as a 28 year old MP. Now the hard work for her begins. “I am not saying this evening that I am going to run again – when Wallace made that statement he didn’t know how huge the Liberal sweep was.
Wallace now needs to find something else to do with his time; he served his city well – the good ones land on their feet.
Mike Wallace certainly brought the bacon home to Burlington. He has a daughter who plans to marry soon – he can fully enjoy himself and he and his wife can travel and enjoy themselves for awhile.
All the old Tory stalwarts were in the room – and so was Mayor Goldring who watched the early returns along with his wife Cheryl. When it was clear that Wallace was not going to win the Mayor slid over to the Gould party and hugged the winner.
Wallace said early in his comments that he didn’t think what was happening was possible – but it was and the room began to see the shift. “If there is a majority one woman said – they will be there for four years.”
“Terrible” said another – “shocking” added a third.
Wallace made the trip to the Gould office where the room at Emmas Back Porch was packed.
Unlike the Wallace team, Gould’s Liberals chose to gather at a restaurant where poll results were telephoned into them.
The Liberal office was manned by a few people, several from MPP Eleanor McMahon’s office along with the MPP. They appeared not to want the workers to take part in the traditional political practice of watching the results come in poll by poll and recognize where the strength of the organization was – where they had won and where they had lost.
Canadians have been doing this kind of thing for decades – quite why the Liberals made it a party at a restaurant was confusing. Pam Damoff in Oakville North Burlington did the same thing.
There is a lot more to talk about on this election – it will take a few days to fully appreciate and understand what the voters have done for themselves and their country.
 By Pepper Parr
October 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Denise Beard is pumped.
 Denise Beard, Manager of xxx for the city heads up a provincially funded project to get the under 1q2 set outdoors running, jumping and playing every day. She has her hands on a project that is going to keep her busy for the next three years and she believes the project is going to make a difference.
During a press briefing Beard told media that the city has been given a grant of $1.1 million to get the fat off the bodies of young people who spend more time in front of a screen of some sort rather than on their bikes.
There is an obesity problem in the city – and Beard who was a life guard when she was a teenager, wants to see younger people enjoying better health – and she thinks the program she is going to run for the next three years can go a long way to making that happen.
Beard tends to put everything she has into her projects – it’s just who she is.
So what is the program all about?
It is billed as a Community Challenge – an event that uses provincial money to drive a program that will result in younger people getting more exercise.
For reason’s it only understands the province decided to work with communities rather than schools or the medical community to get young people off the couch and away from the screens and exercise more.
The idea was first used in France where significant results were claimed to have taken place. The Ontario government chose Burlington as the only community in Halton to get funding. Hamilton and 45 other communities in the province were given funds.
 Expect to see a lot of chalking going on at least until there is snow on the side walks of the city – all part of a healthier youth initiative. Beard talked about “chalking” the community – getting young people to take to the streets and make their mark telling what they are doing to live healthier lifestyles.
The initiative came out of the provincial Ministry of Health and Long Term care that will be putting forward a new theme every nine months.
In order to get the funding communities had to come up with an Action Plan; Burlington apparently had the best one – so we will now see the Mayor pumping and promoting healthy living.
The city wants to see the grade 5 level students Running, Jumping and Playing every day. Data will be collected with the focus on individual Body Mass Index (BMI) – some additional focusing will be done on students at the grade 8 level.
There are five neighbourhoods in the city that that are expected to get special attention. The program will collaborate with the YMCA, parent groups and schools taking a “street to street” and “parent to parent approach” to getting young people – mostly those under 12 out onto the streets and the playgrounds and getting more exercise.
Great initiative – that has to compete with computer games.
 By Pepper Parr
October 19th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When Teresa Seaton opened her Stained Glass studio on Spring Garden Road a couple of years ago, a stones toss from the Royal Botanical Gardens – some thought there was the promise of a small cluster of art locations developing. The Seaton Gallery was right beside the EdRoy gallery which and the opportunity for some growth looked as if it was going to fade.
 Anne More’s piece is on the right. Yesterday Cheryl Miles Goldring and Anne More opened Gallery 2 and displayed a very nice collection of the both their own work and that of other artists.
The flow of visitors was consistent during the afternoon – what to make of this newest arrival to the art scene in the city?
Cheryl, who was chair of the Art Auction Committee for the Art Gallery of Burlington last year, is coming into her own rather nicely. The exhibition of her work from a Newfoundland tour was well received – now we are watching her develop the commercial side.
 Work by Anne More on the left and a piece by Cheryl Miles Golding, second from the right, is appreciated by a viewer during their opening event on Sunday. Anne More, who brings her own experience to the venture, studied under Gordon Harrison with Cheryl – a Harrison piece was shown at the opening exhibit. Just under a year ago Anne and Cheryl talked about renting the space that EdRoy had vacated; after working out some of the wrinkles they dove in and held their opening event on Sunday.
 Cheryl Miles Goldring listening to Catherine Brady. Anne wants people to understand what real art is: “I am constantly amazed at how little people know about how art is made.” Tough words from a woman who taught art with a Board of Education for a number of years.
Art is a business as well as a passion – and business means selling something to someone. There is a perception that original art is very expensive – and it can but doesn’t have to be. Anne has been involved in a number of sales that had payment for the art being made over a period of time. “If you like some of my art” Anne will say “make me an offer.” Her work has been shown at Art231 in Hamilton
 Anne More on a field trip. Cheryl sees the Gallery 2 as a place where they can focus attention on local artists who don’t get much of an opportunity to show what they have in a setting that was designed for the public and not done as an afterthought in a restaurant.
The Gallery 2 opening included work by Donna Fratesi, Pierre A. J. Sabourin, A. J. Van Die and Wayne Moore and Don Greaves.
The Gallery 2 intention is to mount new art every month – something this city has not seen in some time. Now the challenge of promoting the location begins
By Staff
October 19th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There is just one per person and the price paid to make this available to you was measured in lives – so use it wisely – and be sure to use it.
Today is Election Day across the country. The polls open at 9:30 am and close at 9:00 pm
If you don’t know where to vote and need some help you can call any of the political party election offices or the Burlington Returning Office.
By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Work Plan City Manager James Ridge put before city council is certainly an ambitious document – too ambitious?
 City manager James Ridge gave council a long, a very long work plan – the enthusiasm was not evident. Hard to tell – there wasn’t all that much interaction, discussion or debate between Ridge and the council he reports to. The first set of questions came from councillor Marianne Meed Ward – as usual, she had many – but after that – it was as if the tap had been turned off.
 Mayor Goldring thought the work plan was “fantastic” but that it needed more in the way of prioritization – than that – he had no comment. Mayor Goldring thought it was “fantastic” – but he didn’t follow that up with any other comment except to say he would like to see some prioritization.
The Mayor and the city manager appear at times to be work quite closely – that wasn’t the case with the work plan.
Councillors Taylor, Dennison, Craven and Lancaster mentioned that they had had a personal conversation with Ridge about his work plan. Dennison did say he “supported” the document.
Taylor expressed concerns over the city’s ability to achieve all the targets on the cultural file. It’s a file that has yet to find the traction it is going to need to really grow.
 Councillor Meed Ward had a number of questions about the city manager’s work plan – the lack of transparency on the part of her colleagues bothered her. It was at that point that Meed Ward realized there wasn’t going to be much, if any, public debate on the work plan. Most of the Councillors met privately with the city manager and either asked questions or expressed concerns – whichever the public will never know.
Councillor Sharman wasn’t at the Standing Committee – he serves as chair but has been away for this round of Standing committee meetings.
Meed Ward wanted there to be much more in the way of transparency – but there wasn’t going to be much this time around.
She suggested that each Council member might have their own priorities which will certainly keep the city manager hopping trying to meet the pet project each council member has.
Ridge did send a couple of clear signals. He said it was important that management understand they are in place to manage that that council is in place to govern and those paths are not to be crossed.
Burlington’s city council tends, far too frequently, to get into the weeds and begin to manage – even micro manage at times. Councillor Dennison just can’t help himself at times.
 Councillor Taylor had concerns about the city manager being able to achieve all of his cultural objectives. Ridge will have to let the Army Captain in him come out and ensure that the chain of command is respected and adhered to – this isn’t his personal strong point.
The sense that the work plan was on the ambitious side should been communicated to the city manager as he was putting the document together. Did the Council members not express that to Ridge when they met with him personally?
What was missing from the discussion was any sense of enthusiasm by council members – which suggests the cohesion that needs to be in place has not yet formed – all the oars are not being pulled in unison.
Is this because this council is not a truly unified body and if that is the case what is preventing that “all one team” from developing.
Ridge has been in place since late March and does not yet appear to have cemented a strong working relationship with this council. Is he a slow starter or is the fit not quite right yet?
The city manager’s Work Plan
 By Pepper Parr
October 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Let’s dig a little deeper into the Work Plan city manager James Ridge presented to a Standing Committee earlier this week.
City Manager James Ridge Ridge set his intentions out into groups, just the way any Army captain would and then delved into the groupings and what Ridge hoped to get done. We have added a few comments to expand on the tasks. which were:
STRATEGIC PLAN, OFFICIAL PLAN, AND OTHER SUPPORTING PLANS:
City Strategic Plan: While many many months late Council and staff are now meeting to nail this down and move on to the Official Plan Review and the city budget.
Official Plan: On hold until the Strategic Plan has been struck. With a new planner due to start in November there may be a little lag time while she figures out what is where at city hall and gets to know her staff.
Transportation Master Plan: A work in progress
Corporate/ SMT Work Plan: 12-24 month detailed work plan addressing all Strategic and Official Plan work items. Develop master SMT work plan to deliver strategic objectives.
Each Director, General Manager and Service Owner to have a personal work plan, which will be a central element of their ongoing performance evaluation
 How will citizens take to multi year strategic budgets? Multi-Year Strategic Plan budget: Ensure that high level budgeting is undertaken to accompany the Strategic Plan and supporting multi-year work plan to guide priority setting and annual budget discussions. Multi-year budget projections for implementation of the Strategic and Official Plans and associated Work Plans.
The city’s finance department is probably the best run shop in the city – they don’t need to be told what to do – they do need other departments to work as efficiently and as effectively as the Joan Ford crew works.
City Manager Work Plan: Set out in detail below.
Work Plan management and reporting systems
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Ridge wasn’t able to say much about initiatives – other than he thought there might be as many as 50 of them.
EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC GOVERNANCE
City Performance Indicators: Working with BEDC, Burlington Community Foundation and others, develop a macro set of performance measures that taken together are a reasonable proxy for the general wellbeing of the City. A clear set of key performance measures to measure the health, quality of life, and economic performance of the City tracked longitudinally.
Some very good data was released at a Standing Committee meeting earlier in the week. The Gazette is pulling that information together and will publish later this month – you won’t see this data anywhere else.
Workshop on Excellence in Strategic Governance: To support Strategic Plan implementation, have a facilitated workshop(s) to consider strategic governance principles and the appropriate governance/management relationship needed for successful implementation of the strategic plan.
Strategic governance workshop with Council and appropriate senior staff, to develop general principles of strategic governance and management.
Excellence in Governance Charter: City Council is widely seen as an exemplar of excellence in strategic governance. Develop with Council an “Excellence in Governance Charter.” Adopt as Council policy a series of best practices and decision tools that reflect accepted best practices in strategic governance for public and private sector organizations.
Watch this one carefully – it looks as if it might be what gets put in place of the Code of Conduct that most of this council does not want. The Code of Conduct is something this council needs and the public deserves.
 Councillor John Taylor wants better agenda and council meeting planning – dislikes the way Clerk’s office manages the flow of paper – city manager wants to get rid of the paper. Agenda Planning: Through regular reviews of the City Manager’s work plan, allow for better longer and medium term agenda planning. Several members of Council have complained about poor agenda planning and want material they are to discuss earlier in the process. When the calendar for 2016 was being discussed Councillor Dennison suggested a number of changes which the Clerk’s office wasn’t happy with. Mayor Goldring brought this up giving the Clerk an opportunity to explain what the problems were. Dennison wanted to know why he had not heard of the Clerk’s concerns. Now we know why there are problems with agenda planning – these people don’t talk to each other.
Council Agendas: Structure Council agendas to clearly identify strategic and good-governance agenda items. A proposal for a new model for Committee and Council agendas. Set for 2Q of 2016. Don’t bet the barn on that date.
EXCELLENCE IN MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION:
Customer Service
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tool
One Stop Business Startup Centre
Service Management
Enterprise Risk Management
Enterprise Performance Measurement
Business Analytics Capability/Research and Data analysis: If possible, fast track the implementation of a business analytics tool to permit robust data analysis. As an interim measure, create a temporary new role to do data analysis, quantitative research, and coordinate surveys.
A suite of applications, tools and process that when implemented and operational support performance measurement, data analytics and corporate reporting.
One position (perhaps .5 FTE) to undertake quantitative analysis and detailed data analysis in support of Council and corporate initiatives.
During a presentation made by former Director of Planning Bruce Krushelnicki we learned that the city has absolutely no demographic capacity and that there is some statistical capacity but the person doing the job could not tell a Director how many homes there are in Alton Village. That staffer is apparently still cashing a pay cheque.
Revenue and Grant Coordinator: Create a role with an explicit focus, and dedicated time, to undertake grant requests, stay abreast of new funding opportunities, and seek other revenue opportunities. Create a new (likely .5 FTE position) in the City Manager’s office to coordinate City grant applications, research new and existing funding opportunities, and consider other municipal revenue opportunities.
This is the second mention of additional staff – Councillor Craven won’t let this happen – but Councillor Sharman might like to see someone who can gather data
Document Management: Multi-year project to reduce or eliminate use of paper, provide better access to information, and more transparent public access. First phase should be paperless meeting materials for those who wish to use. Paperless SMT meetings. Full transition is a major multi-year project.
City Marketing Cooperative: Explore the possibility of a marketing cooperative to share expertise and resources among City departments and City- funded agencies and boards. If agreement is reached among the parties, create a marketing cooperative to share expertise and mitigate duplication in marketing, print, web support activities.
This is one of those initiatives that is better not even attempted – bureaucrats are not marketers – this should be outsourced to a company that is given a strong, clear mandate.
 Burlington didn’t lead the way it could have led during the Via derailment a number of years ago – the city now how seasoned Emergency Management in place Emergency Management: Fully implement an emergency management plan, appropriate training, and develop and maintain business continuity plans.
This task is well underway – the Fire department brought in a season manager who explained what the department will be doing and how it will work – it is a very significant improvement over procedures that were in place previously.
Build Redevelopment Capacity in Planning Building and other relevant Departments: Evolve through hiring, professional development and resource allocation the Planning and Building department’s expertise and capacity from greenfield single family to infill and intensification.
Land Economist: Strengthen our planning and real estate management capability by tendering for a retainer for a municipal land economist to provide expert arms-length advice to City staff and Council on land economic issues, particularly independent assessments of development applications and the embedded assumptions around profitability at various densities and uses.
ORGANIZATION AND CULTURE
 Members of the team that run the finance department during a budget debate – they were updating data on the fly People Plan Team: There is a general need for a team of union and non-union staff from across the City to focus on and make recommendations about, workplace quality and cultural concerns.
Culture Survey: In Q1 2016 undertake the Dennison survey of organizational culture as a baseline.
Performance Evaluation System: Develop a new Performance Evaluation system. Fully implemented new PE system that is modular, with elements for individual contributors, service owners, and Directors. Ridge wants this to be 100% use. He sees this as quarterly structured but less formal conversations with staff on performance, not a once a year report
Succession Planning: Create a corporate succession plan and succession planning policies. Initial identification of high potential management staff for detailed career planning. Initial identification of high potential front line staff with leadership potential for detailed career planning.
Succession plans complete for all departments. Corporate policies in place. SMT has created a list of high potential middle managers for immediate development
MAJOR INITIATIVES
Storm Water Management: Implement the Council-approved program on expanded storm water management.
This program is going to have a very significant impact on the 2016 budget and will stun the owners of properties that have large parking areas. The city has done a very poor job of informing both residents and commercial property owners on the ramifications – they are significant.
Asset Management – Infrastructure Renewal
Conversion Reviews: In the context of the Official Plan review, develop (with BEDC) mechanisms to defensibly and consistently make recommendations on conversion requests.
Once the Strategic Plan is in place this will become a major matter for this Council. The development community does not believe the city needs all the Employment Land it has – and they want the opportunity to convert those lands to residential where the profits are much higher.
 Zoned commercial, spitting distance to the QEW, minutes from downtown – owner wants to rezone and make it residential. Major developers in this city have been sitting on land holdings for year – decades in some cases – waiting for the day when they can get a conversion. The province does not make it easy for any conversions to take place – but the developers have skilled planners who can make a donut look like a life saver.
Beachway Park: Negotiate with the Region cost sharing for Beachway Park, both Capital and Operating.
Sustainable Development Awards
Urban Design Review and Awards
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Government Relations
Policies and Process: With the Mayor’s Office and Council develop formal policies, procedures for ongoing intergovernmental relations activities. Identify the first inventory of key intergovernmental issues and action plans.
This has always been a particularly weak area for this city administration. Having city managers move in and out of that office every two years didn’t help to develop strong working relationships. The city did hold a Burlington Day at Queen’s Park which amounted to everyone handing out business cards and getting 15 minutes with Ministers and some Deputy Ministers.
Burlington didn’t have a very effective MPP at the time which made it difficult to achieve very much.
The failure of the IKEA move to the North Service Road was due in no small measure to the lack of a deep understanding of how the Ministry of Transportation really works. The lead people on that file had not been properly mentored on how a city deals with a provincial ministry.
Redevelopment processes: Develop with Halton Region, a seamless process with known timelines for redevelopment applications. Done by 1Q 2017
 Our Building – on Hamilton’s land. LaSalle Park: Reach agreement and Council approval on the transfer of LaSalle park ownership to Burlington by 1Q 2017
Community Engagement: Continue and build on the work that has been done on community engagement, support the Engagement Charter
New Resident Outreach: The City administration takes steps to proactively reach out to and engage communities, including immigrants, who have a very low incidence of engaging with City
Partnerships. The city wants a tighter working relationship with Hamilton where there is real economic growth; it also wants to strengthen the relationship with the Region.
This is most of what city manager James Ridge put before city council. In a separate article we report on how council reacted
 By Pepper Parr
October 17th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city is represented by three MP’s in the House of Commons. Lisa Raitt represents Milton, which covers much of the northern part of the city; Mike Wallace represents Burlington; that constituency had a portion of its eastern side cut off and made into what is known as Oakville Burlington North
 Mini Batra _ Green Party – Milton  Lisa Raitt – Conservative – Milton  Chris Jewell – Libertarian Milton  Alex Ananmbusi – New Democrat – Milton In Milton, Lisa Raitt, the Conservative incumbent, is being challenged by Azim Rizvee (Liberal party), Alex Anabusi (NDP), Chris Jewell (Libertarian Party) and Mini Batra (Green Party).
 Karina Gould – Liberal – Burlington  Mike Wallace – Conservative – Burlington  Vince Fiorito – Green Party – Burlington  David Laird – New Democrat – Burlington In Burlington incumbent Mike Wallace is being challenged by Liberal Karina Gould, New Democrat David Laird and Green Party candidate Vince Fiorito.
Oakville North Burlington is a brand new riding that got off to a wobbly start when the Conservatives fighting for the nomination behaved so badly that the party told them all to go home and held a nomination meeting which chose Effie Triantafilopoulos. Pam Damoff was chosen as the Liberal candidate but only after the untimely death of Max Khan. Janice Best represents the New Democratic Party; David Clement is running for the Liber-tarian Party of Canada and Adnan Shahbaz is running for the Green Party of Canada
There is the possibility that the city of Burlington could be represented by woman. Lisa Raitt has a decent lead in Milton, but not as strong a lead as one would expect from a Cabinet Minister, Pam Damoff is leading in the new riding of Oakville Burlington North. Karina Gould is struggling to defeat Mike Wallace.
In the event of a really really poor showing by the Conservatives one can expect Prime Minister Harper to find himself out of a job – he will either retire or the party will choose a new leader. In both scenarios expect Lisa Raitt to be in any leadership race.
 Adnan Shahbaz – Green Party – Oakville North Burlington  Pam Damoff – Liberal – Oakville North Burlington  Janice Best – New Democrat – Oakville North Burlington  David Clement – Libertarian – Oakville Burlington North  Effie Triantafilopoulos – Oakville North Burlington – Conservative In Oakville Burlington North Damoff is well ahead and should find herself back in Ottawa where she once worked with different Cabinet Ministers. Damoff herself may not be Cabinet material but she will serve the interests of the people in the riding – she is a very considerate caring person who seems to have tear ducts that flow easily.
In Burlington Karina Gould is in a tough tough fight. The polls, for what they are worth, show her further behind Wallace than she expected. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has visited the riding in the past but has not been seen during the hurley burley of the election.
And Liberal MPP Eleanor McMahon, who showed that the riding was capable of becoming a red riding after more than 70 years of Tory blue, has not been as evident at the doorsteps as Gould needs.
The MPP’s brother Ed McMahon is the chair of the Damoff campaign but it may take something from Trudeau and more from the MPP to get Gould into the House of Commons.
While the national results won’t be known until votes are counted in British Columbia – the decisions for Burlington will become evident pretty quickly – the real wrestling will be between Mike Wallace and Karina Gould.
 By Staff
October 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police have concluded their investigation at the scene on Guelph Line at approximately 9:30 this morning, Saturday, October 17, 2015.
The ongoing investigation was of the murder of Wesley Nagel; a knife, believed to be the murder weapon was located inside the residence.
The preliminary cause of death was as a result of a stabbing.
Police previously reported that Robert Nagel, 32 years of age, stabbed his Father, 62-year-old Wesley Nagel and then called the police at 911
The police took Robert Nagel into custody and later charged him with second degree murder.
Wesley Nagel lived in a basement apartment of the 611 Guelph Line residence; his son was staying with him at the time.
Anyone with information on this investigation is asked to contact A/Detective Sergeant Alistair Watt of the Homicide Unit at 905-465-8762 or the Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776 or anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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).
Previous articles:
Regional police respond to 911 call about a stabbing
Police lay second degree murder charges
By Ray Rivers
October 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The natural order of things has been restored. Tom Mulcair and his NDP were the team to beat when this election campaign first kicked off. He seemed unbeatable with a strong lead and growing support across the country. Yet, as we head into the final stretch of the campaign, the NDP has fallen into their time-honoured third place with virtually no hope of winning.
 Federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair speaks to supporters at a rally in Quebec City, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz Some might say Mr. Mulcair’s party is just returning to its traditional place in the hearts and minds of Canadian voters. Others might speculate that the early polls were influenced by an artificial boost from the impressive NDP provincial win in the heart of Tory-land, Alberta. And everybody likes a winner.
Then there was the niqab issue, which saw a principled Mulcair at odds with the majority of Quebecers, who simply object to people wearing that symbolic face covering. Mulcair’s ambiguity over the west-east energy pipeline, where he was accused of saying different things in different languages, didn’t help. And his vehement support for federalism, despite his party’s Sherbrooke Declaration (allowing a Quebec exit with a 51% vote), sullied his image among previous ardent-separatist supporters.
 The attack ads appear to not have worked – voters decide on Monday if Justin Trudeau is ready. In the beginning it looked like Trudeau had suffered irreparable damage from the Harper “not ready yet” attack ads. The Liberals had come out of the gate without much of a platform for voters to consider, and voters had responded by switching their ‘parked’ votes from the Libs to the NDP. If that trend were to have continued Mulcair would have won, become PM and maybe even got a majority.
So Tom Mulcair figured he could play it safe. He cast himself as the right-winger-on-the-left, hoping to bring conservative-minded voters over his new centrally positioned party. He essentially adopted Harper’s economic policies, fine tuned his last budget, and personalized it to include some NDP items – but promised the same Tory balanced budget program.
Though he’s not yet buried, it sure looks like Tom Mulcair became the architect of his own demise. For those who knew of his past, even changing the face of an ‘Angry Tom’ by wearing a forced smile didn’t help. You can’t have it both ways! You can’t be a social reformer and promise it won’t cost anything. There is no free lunch. Mulcair, by wanting to offer everything to the voters, has convinced them that he is really offering nothing new.
 The federal election is certainly not over – but there is some momentum – a tight race that the voters will have to figure out. Listen to the advertising and ask questions. Mr. Trudeau overcame those attack ads in the course of the debates. Then he went on the offensive, announcing a bold platform agenda. He went beyond the other leaders, promising the first major tax reform since Mulroney, reversing some of the tax burden the former PM had placed on the middle class. And Trudeau’s most exciting promise was to deliver a Canadian ‘new deal’ – a spending program to create employment improving transit and other infrastructure.
If anyone was concerned about his need to run deficits for the next couple of years, he had renowned deficit fighter Paul Martin at his side. His youth and dynamic presence in the debates, and at rallies, provided a contrast between him and the other leaders. So his poll numbers have moved forward, leaving the other parties in his dust. But there is not enough dust for a majority even if all the stars were all to align.
Still, Trudeau has emerged as the strongest of the two (three in Quebec) anti-Harper candidates, And that makes a Liberal candidate the strategic choice for those voting ‘anyone-but-Harper’.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
Polls Is Keynes Winning Liberal Platform
By Staff
October 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Police have completed their investigation of the murder of a male at a residence on Guelph line which took place Thursday evening.
The police went to the residence on Guelph Line as the result of a 911 call from a male who reported a stabbing had taken place.
 Police place then murder suspect in a cruiser and later charge Robert Nagel with second degree murder. Police came upon a domestic altercation and found 62-year-old Wesley NAGEL with stab wounds. The victim was transported to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The victim’s son was staying at the residence and was present when police arrived. He was subsequently arrested at the scene.
 Robert Nagel in the back of a police cruiser after being arrested by Regional Police. Wesley Nigel Robert NAGEL, 32 years , from Burlington has been charged with:
Second degree murder
The accused has been held for a bail hearing scheduled for Friday October 16, 2015 in Milton court.
Anyone with information on this investigation is asked to contact A/Detective Sergeant Alistair Watt of the Homicide Unit at 905-465-8762 or the Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776 or anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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
October 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington residents might have strong views on how their city should be grown – but there is a developer who is taking his message directly to the market and telling a very compelling story.
Marketers can use what is described as sponsored content – material written by the advertiser and placed in prestigious publications.
ADI Development paid to have the following run in the Globe and Mail on Thursday.
 Architects rendering of the structure proposed for the corner of Lakeshore and Martha in downtown Burlington. Developer says the location is 30 minutes from downtown Toronto. Adi Development Group brought modern and innovative condominium concepts to Burlington, but the local company wants to make bigger waves by the city’s historic downtown district and waterfront.
This month, preview events will reveal plans for a sleek glass tower with 170 high-end suites with starting prices less than $300,000.
“Downtown is a very expensive place to live. There’s been other projects in the area that recently launched with [prices at] $800 to $1,000 per square foot, but we’re not anywhere near that,” chief executive officer Tariq Adi says.
“[Plus] we’re offering a better package – from our amenities to the types of finishes we’re putting out – but we’re coming in at a phenomenal price for someone to get into the downtown for an average price of $300,000 to $400,000.”
Demand for new infill projects such as this one – 30 minutes west of Toronto on a vacant parking lot at 374 Martha St., at Lakeshore Road – intensifies among professionals acquiring their first home to locals downsizing from multimillion-dollar estates.
“Even the condo product currently down there is very outdated, but very expensive, at the same time, so it’s very prohibitive to own,” Mr. Adi says. “I was on MLS looking downtown condos recently and I couldn’t find anything under $780,000, because there’s no availability … or if it was being sold, it was very expensive.”
The neighbourhood’s allure stems from its mix of natural and man-made attractions.
“We’re lucky in Burlington now to have a gorgeous waterfront that is absolutely open to the public realm with Spencer Smith Park – one of the largest parks in the city – right along the water with beautiful trails and walkways, Burlington beach, tons of stores, shops and restaurants,” Mr. Adi says.
“It’s very walkabout and we’ve got a bike lane in place … a bus terminal maybe 200 metres away from the site.”
Residents can also feel as if they’ve escaped to a resort with on-site lounges, bar, yoga deck, outdoor pool and terraces, including one with flexible walls to a sixth-floor clubhouse.
“We’ve got Cecconi Simone doing the designs on the interiors, so it’s very beautiful and very Miami- and water-inspired,” Mr. Adi says. “We want to create amenity spaces people will actually use and love to have in their building.”
 ADI Development sales office on Brant Street in a building owned by the Region with affordable housing units. This project’s contribution to the street will not only be double-height retail space in the five-storey podium, but also a modern design Raw formulated with one side encased by a curtain wall and the other with balconies zigzagging upward and protruding outward.
“I didn’t realize how boring high-rise buildings were until I started designing a high-rise building,” Mr. Adi says.
“So we went with a reflect glass that will take advantage of the blue water and skies, so it feels clean and reflective, almost creating a mirror effect and blends into the skyline.”
Inside, the façade’s transparency will allow for floor-to-ceiling windows in the one- to two-bedrooms-plus-den suites. “We’re about 700 to 800 square feet on average, so they’re very spacious and every unit almost has an indoor/outdoor space,” says Mr. Adi, citing a recessed balcony encased in glazing as an example.
A model suite will showcase standard finishes, including custom European kitchens with islands and designer cabinetry.
“We have beautiful barn doors for bedroom doors and we have ceilings up to 11 ½ feet in some suites, which is absolutely gorgeous and luxurious, especially taking advantage of the views on the water,” Mr. Adi says. “No one else is doing anything like that around here.”
Depending on unit sizes, monthly fees will vary from 44 to 62 cents a square foot with most averaging 55 cents.
Occupancy is expected for 2018.
Not a mention that the project was not approved by city council; not a word about the size of the lot the building is going to be built on, not a word about the ongoing struggle the city has had with this developer.
The developer doesn’t have to tell the full story nor do the numerous real estate agents who are now actively selling units.
ADI has completed one project in Burlington, a very attractive four story building on Guelph Line north of the QEW – it has yet to sell out and the Gazette has not yet managed to tour that project with the developer – despite repeated requests.
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