 By Pepper Parr
September 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – it was nice while it lasted.
The Region advised us to expect extreme heat and humidity on Tuesday – which is the day most of us return to our desks and ready ourselves for a fall season of doing the city’s business.
These weather announcements are made when forecast temperatures are expected to reach at least 31 degrees Celsius with overnight temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius for two days, or when a humidex of 40 or higher is expected for two days.
Normally Mayor Goldring would drive west along New Street and watch for the number of people cycling in those new bike lanes but this Tuesday he will be heading north east for the Regional office where he and the other members of city council will do their work as Regional Councillors.
They buckle down to work on city matters the week of the 12th.
On that agenda are some significant items – the budget being the most important. Fresh numbers will be available soon – hopefully the treasurer will have climbed down from the 3.5% plus increase that had been floated.
 Several properties at the Ghent – Brant intersection are being readied for future development. Intensification will get more attention – sometime in September one of the major developers in the city will announce a possible four structure development at the intersection of Brant and Ghent.
The growth of Brant street is working its way south from Fairview where the Molinaro’s are doing just fine with their five structure Paradigm development. The three 19 storey structures on the north side are approach the fifth floor level.
The ADI group plans for the intersection of Martha and Lakeshore Road are at the ‘talking it over” stage with the planning department before it all goes back to the Ontario Municipal Board in October.
Storm water needs some public attention – there are solutions but the public hasn’t been given much to look at and consider. The HAAP program is underway assessing the vulnerability of 4,000 Burlington-area homes to flood damage.
The program will make recommendations to help homeowners avoid costly damage from extreme weather and at the same time collect the data needed to inform potential expansion of the program to communities across the province.
Burlington got chosen for the program – our 2014 flood disaster made us the most eligible.
The transit people are in bed with the Economic Development people looking for ways to provide decent transit service for parts of the city where large employers would like to see something better for their employees.
 Burlington Square on the west side of Brant at Ghent is going to get a major upgrade with additional density on the south end. Mobility hubs are getting looked at very closely – at one point during the Strategic Plan deliberations it looked as if Aldershot was going to be the first such hub. That seems to have shifted due in part to the nature of the working relationship with a developer and the city.
The Paradigm development next to the GO station and the impending announcement of a large development at Brant and Ghent where Burlington Square is getting significant upgrades with the units south of the high rise becoming four storey units makes this a significant increase in housing units that will do a lot to get us to the intensification target.
The question anyone with an eye for planning is – what does the city do with the properties to the east of the GO station where there are several car dealership and a horticultural outlet with a couple of restaurants.
 Automotive dealerships, a horticulture operation and a number of restaurants dot the north side of Fairview between the GO station and Guelph Line – The time may be coming when this land can be put to much better use. The area becomes prime commercial property – and when linked to the downtown core certainly has the makings of a transportation.
Elizabeth’s on the corner of Brant and James is reported to have been sold – the furniture operation is being moved to Fairview – that whole block is then in play – someone has something planned.
The Paradigm and the yet to be announced development at Ghent and Brant are going to being upwards of 3500 people into that community. THAT is growth – which is what this council wants – but there is a hard core of people west of Brant who don’t want quite that much development.
 Ward 2 residents look at plans a developer has put forward during a workshop held by the ward Councillor. Ward 2 city councillor Marianne Meed Ward held a series of public meeting at which people in her ward got to comment on what they wanted to see in the way of development. To her credit Meed Ward has kept herself open to ideas and has been consistent in her willingness to listen to her constituents.
Her report on what she learned from the three meetings is due sometime later in the fall.
The content of that report just might serve as the frame that sets out the issues at which point the public can decide what the appropriate lenses should be to look at what is proposed and then shape decisions that fit into the intensification requirements and the Strategic Plan.
We mustn’t forget the Official Plan review that is now getting the attention it needs – that task got put on hold until the Strategic Plan was in place.
The city is apparently working with Vince Rossi on the site plan he is required to submit – once there is a document in hand the city can then refine its contents and perhaps get to the point where there is something done with the hundreds of tonnes of landfill that was dumped on the property.
In the past four to six months conversations have taken place with interested parties who see the potential for the air park and have the necessary executive capacity to make something acceptable happen. No one is going to do anything until the site plan matter is worked out.
 How many of this significant seven will decide to run for office in 2018 – and which office will they run for? This city council is at the halfway point of its term – this is the point when municipal politicians began thinking about getting themselves re-elected.
The rules they will have to work within as candidates in 2018 are going to be a lot different than they were last time around.
Look for a lot of self-serving statement in the next 26 months.
By Staff
September 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The weekend weather was so good – finally.
Now we get told to expect extreme heat and humidity, Environment Canada has issued a Heat Warning for Halton Region starting Tuesday, September 6. This warning is issued when forecast temperatures are expected to reach at least 31 degrees Celsius with overnight temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius for two days, or when a humidex of 40 or higher is expected for two days.
We all know what to do to take care of ourselves.
 By Pepper Parr
September 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
In September there will be two cultural events that will spell the end of the summer season on the community based cultural scene.
 While yet to take place the Premiere of The Frozen Goose adds to the film work being done in the city – MoonGlade will be the fourth No Vacancy event and well known artist Margaret Lindsay Holton will premiere her latest short film – The Frozen Goose
Burlington has a Performing Arts Centre and an Art Gallery plus a Museum that are handsomely funded by the municipality.
There are dozens of other small groups whose performances get done because committed volunteers make them happen.
These small groups struggle to stay alive financially – but stay alive they did.
Debra Pickfield sponsored a Shakespeare production at her ThinkSpot location in Lowville.
 Traditional summer theatre fare – that turned out to be a hoot. Kudos to KooGle for putting this one on. The KooGle Company put on the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Performing Arts Centre; where despite precious little marketing and promotion support from BPAC they had two sold out performances and more than respectful audiences during the two week run.
The Lowville Festival did their thing for the second year and are convinced that what they set out to do last year has legs and are planning for a third year.
 Trevor’s Copps production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was perhaps the most ambitious and successful summer theatre event – despite what the weather tried to do to him. Trevor Copp spent a number of years convincing the Royal Botanical Gardens that the grounds were a great place to hold an outdoor theatre production; August saw a two week run of A Midsummer Night’s dream – despite weather that just didn’t want to co-operate. The venue, which started with 220 seats and was able to ramp it up to 270 – it was a sterling event – well worth doing next year.
Has the city reached a tipping point – a time when there are enough well run events to draw visitors to the city?
Are we at the point where smaller tour operators can fill a bus and bring them to the city to take part in a cultural event? Not quite – but there is movement.
What is needed to grow ourselves culturally to the next level? Anyone with any experience in the cultural field will tell you that events bring in people – the Sound of Music draws thousands of people who are not Burlingtonians. They are also comfortably funded by the city. RibFest does the same thing.
The Art Gallery runs its programs throughout the year and draws a lot of traffic during the summer.
The Performing Arts Centre has yet to come up with a theme that can get bums into seats during the summer. There are many opportunities to develop programs or partner with other groups to put the venue to good use.
 Barbara Lica gave the city a taste of some really pleasant contemporary jazz on the Plaza at the Performing Arts Centre – it was part of their August program. The Centre does have to be given credit for the excellent Jazz on the Plaza program it offered last year and continued this year and also for adding events on Tuesday’s for younger people.
Trevor Copp and his Tottering Bipod Theatre looks as if he is going to be able to put on another production next summer – by the time the Café will, hopefully have its liquor license so patrons can enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a show – perhaps even during intermission.
 Jude Johnson singing Forever Young – she had them standing on their feet. The Lowville Festival people are looking for a way to make use of the grounds at Lowville Park – they really like the idea of using the outdoors – with maybe a large tent as a theatre.
Rob Missen waxed eloquently as he spoke of “the sound of Bronte creek” bubbling away serving as a back drop for the musicians or the actors. Getting outdoors would allow them to attract larger audiences; the church halls in rural Burlington do have their limitations
There is a much healthier local culture scene; the arts have become a hive of activity – but they still need help. All the city departments have submitted their core budget and the hinted 3.5% plus tax increase might mean there isn’t all that much cash to spare.
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon managed to get the Art Gallery the funds to pay for the van that will be in the field taking art to the community. The artists have decided to be more proactive and formed an Arts council that they hope will allow them to get a little more from the city (good luck on that one) and be in a position to get funding from the province.
Burlington’s MPP is now a cabinet minister heading up the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport; she will do as much as she can for the home team – let’s hope that she remembers the little guys and doesn’t shower the Art Gallery, Museum and Performing Arts centre with provincial money.
It has been a good season – there is hope.
 By Staff
September 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is an event in this city that takes place once we are into the fall season – we show off – or rather we show our stuff.
This year, the general public will have an opportunity to see what a group of very dedicated volunteers have done with a railway station that is an important part of the city’s history – a structure that sat on cribbing and was about to be demolished and sold for kindling.
A hearty band of volunteers fought city council’s shameful inertia and found a home for the station and began the process of renovating and refurbishing the structure.
 Allan Harrington with a paint brush – an upgrade form his profession as a “bean counter” on th left. The station Master’s office and the ticket wicket on the right. October 1st is Open House for a number of locations in the city. For Freeman Station it is the first time the public is going to be able to walk through the place and see what a local train station looked like in the very early 1900’s
They are doing a superb job – but it isn’t completed. They face two challenges – 1: to be ready for their Open House and 2: to begin to close the structure in before the cold weather sets in – all the signs are that we are going to have a beaut of a winter.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station days before it was moved to its new home. Can you help out?
They need help to clean up the baggage room and portico, to install wood siding on the back outside walls, painting both outside and inside, as well as many other jobs to get the station ready for winter and Doors Open on October 1st. Everyone at the Freeman station is a volunteer and we really could use your help.
Volunteer Work Days, September 10th, 17th and 24th
We need your help even if you are only available for a few hours with only one month before Doors Open and we want to put our best foot forward. Come on out and help us get ready, work on the station, our artifacts, and a myriad of smaller tasks to get ready for Doors Open Burlington on October 1st. Bring work gloves and wear old clothes.
 Looks a lot better today than it day 18 months ago – but it isn’t ready yet for public viewing – help out of out can. To alert us to your skills, please email info@freemanstation.ca to let us know that you are coming.
 By Staff
September 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Right-handed pitcher Emillis Guerrero, a 31-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, is the IBL playoff MVP for 2016.
 Emillis Guerrero floats one right down the middle named playoff MVP Guerrero recorded a complete game victory Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits in the championship clincher that had the Barrie Baycats win in four straight games..
During the post-season he recorded four wins and in 49 innings pitched he recorded 41 strikeouts, just four walks and finished with a playoff ERA of 2.02.
 By Staff
September 4, 2016
TORONTO, ON
The Toronto Maple Leafs just couldn’t get any traction – the team has shown great gusto in the quarter and semi-finals but when it came to the IBL Championship games – the Barrie Baycats didn’t give them any room.
The Barrie Baycats swept the Toronto Maple Leafs to win their third straight Intercounty Baseball League championship.
Barrie won 7-5 Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits and went 12-1 in the playoffs, beating Burlington in five games in the first round and then sweeping the second-place Kitchener Panthers in the semifinal on their way to another Dominico Trophy.
Jordan Castaldo had two home runs and three RBI in Game 4. The Baycats infielder homered four times and drove in 12 in the final.
Kyle Nichols added a solo home run, while Kyle DeGrace singled and had two RBI, Ryan Spataro drove in a run, and Glenn Jackson singled twice and scored twice.
Emilis Guerrero (4-1) went the distance, allowing five runs (four earned) on 16 hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Connor Lewis singled twice, homered and had two RBI for the fifth-place Leafs, who advanced to the final after beating Brantford and London in seven-game series.
Dan Marra had three singled and an RBI, Sean Mattson went 3-for-5 with a run, Jonathan Solazzo singled twice and scored twice, Justin Marra had two hits and scored once, and Grant Tamane added a pair of singles.
Mike Wagner (4-1) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in three innings of relief. Wagner struck out three without issuing a walk. Starter Brett van Pelt lasted six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits, striking out three and walking one.
 By Staff
September 4th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
There was an attempted break in at a home in Burlington recently – the owner was in the house and managed to scare off the thief – but she was really rattled.
She of course called the police but by the time they arrived, which was quite promptly, the thief, who happened to be female thought to be perhaps in her early 50’s, was long gone.
However through a program the police use – Security Camera Registration and Monitoring program ( S.C.R.A.M) a community based crime prevention opportunity the police were able to capture some footage of the woman running from the area and the car she was believed to have been driving.
So what is S.C.R.A.M.? It is an investigative tool that enlists the help of Halton residents in helping to solve crimes
 Community members voluntarily identify and register their residential video surveillance equipment through a simple, secure, confidential, online form located on the Halton Regional Police Service website.
Here is the link:
Scroll down to the line that says Form to Register
Then scroll down on that form to the 5th box Security camera registration
All a person is doing when they register is letting the police know they have surveillance equipment. In the event that there is an incident in an area the police go to their data base to see if there are any cameras registered – if there are they give the owner of the camera a call and ask for permission to download the images.
The Halton police dearly wish they had been able to capture images of Helen Robertson, the 79 year old Alzheimer’s patient who wandered away from her home in Jul and has not been seen since.
The program is completely voluntary – you can say no thanks whenever you want.
 A number of people wonder just what giving police access to your home security means. You are not giving the police any access when you register – what you are doing is letting the police know that you have an electronic security system. If there is a crime near your home the police will know that you have a security camera and may ask if they can look at what was captured by your camera.
You are under no obligation to hand over anything.
When investigating a crime the police usually end up going door to door hoping that someone may have seen something – if they knew where the security cameras were they could narrow down the search area.
Door to door can be a time-consuming endeavour as it may include a 360 radius around the crime scene. Armed with the knowledge of locations of security cameras, police can better focus their investigation. This has proven helpful in many investigations where suspect vehicles or suspects themselves have been picked up on third-party camera systems. Knowing a “direction” enables investigators to focus their attention on that particular path, even at considerable distances, where perhaps another camera may be located.
The objective of the program is primarily to build a database of camera locations in our community. Adding a security camera to your property is an excellent crime prevention tool, and is a way for you to protect your OWN property. Allowing the police quick access to potential recordings of crimes in progress is a way for citizens to help make our communities safer for everyone.
Check into it – we are safest when we take care of each other.
Related article:
A private surveillance helps police identify a suspect.
By Staff
September 3, 2016
BARRIE, ON
For a while they looked like the little engine that could but with three games lost against the championship defending Barrie Baycats – it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are about to get ready to end their season – with perhaps four straight loses.
A five-run eighth inning moved the Barrie Baycats one step closer to the Intercounty Baseball League championship.
 Barrie used the big inning to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 11-6 Saturday night and leads the best-of-seven final 3-0. The Baycats can clinch the Dominico Trophy on Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits at 2 p.m.
Kevin Atkinson delivered the biggest blow in the eighth, smashing a three-run home run to give Barrie a 9-6 lead. Glenn Jackson added a two-run double with two outs.
Jordan Castaldo had two hits, two runs and an RBI, Ryan Spataro and Branfy Infante each had a hit and had an RBI, Kyle Nichols doubled and drove in a pair of runs and scored once, and Joey Guaranga went 3-for-4 with a run.
Adam Hawes (2-0) picked up the win in relief, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless one-hit ball with a strikeout and walk. Adam Rowe started and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits over six innings, striking out three and walking two.
For Toronto, Jonathan Solazzo doubled and had three RBI and a run to lead the Leafs’ offence. Dan Marra singled and drove in a run and scored once, Jon Waltenbury singled twice and scored a run, and Connor Lewis singled and doubled.
Justin Cicatello (1-2) took the loss, allowing 10 runs (six earned) on 11 hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking six.
2016 IBL playoffs
Dominco Trophy league final
Barrie Baycats vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Barrie leads series 3-0
Game 1: Barrie 4, Toronto 3
Game 2: Barrie 15, Toronto 12
Game 3: Barrie 11, Toronto 6
Game 4: Sunday, Sept. 4 at Toronto; 2 pm
Game 5: Tuesday, Sept. 6 at Barrie; 7:30 pm*
Game 6: Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Toronto; 7:30 pm*
Game 7: Thursday, Sept. 8 at Barrie; 7:30 pm*
* — If necessary
 By Staff
September 4th 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
They will be on their way to school Wednesday – thousands of students will trundle along to school – some for the first time
Some, will get driven to school by parents – – they might think bikes later in the year.
 Christine Hopwood is the woman that ensures there is a crossing guard for your child at every school in the city. At the street corners near each school there will be a crossing guard – decked out in those bright red and yellow vests that you can’t miss with a stop sign in hand.
There are a couple of hundred of them that do this important work.
The City is actively looking for additional school crossing guards for the 2016/2017 school year.
“We are seeking crossing guards who are dedicated individuals that care about their community and want to help play an important role in keeping children safe on their way to and from school,” said Vito Tolone, the director of transportation for the city.
The city’s crossing guard program includes full training, a uniform and reimbursement of mileage. Applicants selected for interviews will be required to complete a police check. All successful applicants will be paid for two hours of work a day.
 Those who take on this work come to know the students quite well and watch as they grow from grade to grade – it is very rewarding work.
For more information or to apply, visit www.burlington.ca/crossingguard or call 905-335-0172.
By Staff
September 3, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier in August the Halton Regional Police were alerted to a robbery that took place at a high rise on Pearl Street.
It was Thursday August 11th 2016 @ approximately 1pm, when two suspects entered a high rise apartment on Pearl Street in Burlington, forced open the door to an apartment unit and stole various items. The suspects were captured on video surveillance.
 One of two suspects police believe were responsible for the break and entry into an apartment on Pearl Street.  Second suspect
The police were able to retrieve security camera image – any help you can give identifying these suspects would be appreciated.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has information that would assist investigators identify the suspects are encouraged to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau D/Cst Urie at 905-825-4747 ext 2338 or Det Bale ext 2312 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
September 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
If it looks too good to be true – it probably isn’t true.
Dang!
 Pleasant enough assortment. There I was getting ready try out the different supermarkets and see what their wine offerings were going to be – the Ministry of Finance did say we were going to be able to buy wine in Supermarkets on October 28th. They provided a list of the supermarkets who were going to be in the wine biz.
 Loblaws was on the list. Fortinos is a part of the Loblaws operation – just a different brand name. We wanted to know if Fortinos would be selling wine and we asked this question:
“Can we assume that if a supermarket chain is part of the list of locations that can begin selling wine in October that any location in the chain can sell wine products?”
The response: “That is not correct. I am just in a meeting but let me get you some expanded info.”
 Well it turns out it isn’t quite that simple. When we asked for a little more in the way of detail here is what we got back.
“Today’s announcement identified the successful respondents to the Request for Bids (RFB) held by the LCBO for the sale of wine in grocery stores, later this fall. The successful grocers will now move on to the next stage of the process, which is to apply to have their individual store locations inspected and authorized by the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), and then enter in to the necessary wholesale supply agreements with the LCBO. We will provide further updates about the authorizations and individual store locations once the RFB process is complete in late October.”
I think we are going to be making trips to the LCBO for a while yet.
By Staff
September 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
On September 2nd, 2016, at approximately 12:00 pm, members of the Halton Regional Police Search Incident Response Team (SIRT) located Christopher Komac, in a secluded area in Burlington.
He was located in a small greenspace near the area of Sturbridge and Forestvale Drives.
 Christoper Komac – found alive and well. Christopher was conscious and spoke with ground search members from the Tactical Rescue Unit. Halton Emergency Medical Services assessed him where he was located and Christopher was transported for precautionary reasons to a local hospital for dehydration and exposure.
 The cell phone that police were able to trace was found in Roly Bird Park – green space in the upper right. He was found at a location near the red mar – alive and well. Members of the Komac family and the Halton Regional Police Service wish to sincerely thank all those who assisted with search efforts and provided tip information that brought this matter to a successful end. Halton Police would also like to thank Costco for providing water and snacks to our volunteers. Over 350 people from across the community were instrumental in helping locate Christopher.
At the wishes of the KOMAC family, no further information will be provided in this case as it is being treated as a family matter. Halton Police would ask their privacy be respected.
By Staff
September 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
People now remember to take a sweater with them these days – not something we would have done two weeks ago or during much of July and August.
 Is this what we can expect this winter? The people in the Nelson community got through the year without a swimming pool – will they remember what their city did to them come the next municipal election?
A brutal summer appears to be over even though official summer doesn’t end until September 21st.
Our clocks go back an hour on November 6th – will we have snow by then?
 The Farmer’s Almanac advises that we are in for a winter that may be as tough as the summer we just got through. Shudder
The Almanac says January and February of next year are going to be particularly heavy.
You might ant to buy some road salt early – last year stores ran out.
 By Staff
September 2, 2016
BURLINGTON.
 Christopher Komac has been found safe and sound – with perhaps some explaining to do.
By Staff
September 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
When the province announced earlier this year that beer would be available for purchase at supermarkets Burlington residents wanted to know where they could make a purchase.
The answer at that time was – not in Burlington – Oakville and Hamilton – but not in Burlington.
Yesterday the province announced that wine would be available for purchase at supermarkets – and we made the list – there are a number of supermarkets that will be selling wine as of October 28th.
In its media release the Ministry of Finance said: Ontario has selected the first grocers that could sell both domestic and imported wine inside up to 70 grocery stores across the province, increasing convenience and choice for consumers.
The winning grocers were selected through a competitive bidding process held by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). The sale of wine in grocery stores is scheduled to begin October 28, 2016.
 Don’t expect the wine selection in local supermarkets to look anything like this. Reflecting a mix of independent and large grocers and geographic representation to ensure fairness, the successful grocers in the Burlington market are:
Loblaws Inc.
Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc.
Metro Ontario Inc.
Sobeys Capital Inc.
Fresh Market Foods
Wal-mart Canada Corp.
Fortinos appears to be missing from the list, however they are part of the larger Loblaws operation – perhaps they will come under that brand name – checking on that.
The other supermarkets that will sell wine in the province are:
Canex Canadian Forces Exchange System
Coppa’s Fresh Market
Farm Boy 2012 Inc.
Highland Farms Inc.
Starsky’s Fine Foods Hamilton Inc.
Uxbridge Foods Inc.
Yummy Market Inc.
These grocers will have to abide by the requirements for the safe sale of alcohol overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), including designated sales areas and standard hours of sale, limitations on package sizes and alcohol content and staffing and social responsibility training requirements.
The longer term plan is to eventually have up to 450 grocery stores authorized to sell beer and cider and, of these, up to 300 may also sell wine.
 It will be interesting to see which wines the different supermarkets decide to sell – it will tell us something about how well they know their customer base. Up to 70 existing winery retail stores that operate just outside a grocery store’s checkout will also be permitted to operate inside the store and share the checkout. These “wine boutiques” will broaden their assortment to sell wines made by other Ontario producers, and will be located at grocery stores that sell beer. These wine boutiques will be permitted to begin operating this fall, at the same time as wine is introduced to grocery stores.
Sales of beer in grocery stores started in December 2015. Between December 2015 and the second week of August 2016, grocers received more than 532,000 cases of beer from the LCBO, amounting to net sales of approximately $24 million.
By Staff
September 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There are parts of police work that are just plain hard.
One of those hard jobs is taking place this morning at the Roly Bird Park in Burlington where a cell phone belonging to Christopher Komac was found.
 Christopher has been missing since August 31st when he left his home heading for Prospect and Brant. He has not been seen or heard from by his family since which, for those who know this 23 year old, say “it is very much out of character”.
Yesterday the police asked for help in creating a search party to comb the grounds of the park. The response was overwhelming. The police now have “more volunteers than we could have hoped for”
The police have released a poster; Christopher Komac’s whereabouts are still not known.
Updates will be provided when available.
By Staff
September 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The first missing person’s report came in at 7:30 am on September 1st. The Halton Regional Police were seeking the public’s assistance in their search for a missing man.
Christopher Komac was last seen by his family leaving his Burlington residence at approximately 5:30pm on August 31st. He is an avid runner and left his house from the area of Guelph Line and Prospect Street.
Police were notified of his disappearance when he failed to return home.
Mr. Komc’s cell phone has been located in a park near Brant and North Service Road this morning (September 1st) at approximately 7:00am. His whereabouts are currently not known. Police and Mr. Komac’s family members are concerned for his well-being as his disappearance is out of character.
Mr. Komac, 23, is described as male, white, 6’0 tall, 135 pounds, with a slim build. He has brown short hair, brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue/green “dri-fit” shirt, royal blue jogging shorts, light grey Nike running shoes with bright green accents and laces.
The search for Mr. Komac began.
Christopher Komac – missing – cell phone found some distance from where he was expected to be out running. Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Komac is asked to contact Detective Joe Barr at 905-825-4747 ext 2385, Detective Constable Erin Cooper at 905-825-4747 ext 2313 or the on-duty Staff Sergeant at 3 District (Burlington) at 905-825-4747 ext 2310.
Late in the evening of September 1, the police issued a media bulletin saying: “Some members of the public have expressed interest in assisting with search efforts. Those interested are invited to attend the parking lot of “Roly Bird” park on Industrial Drive near North Service Road at 10:00am. A Police Command Post will be at the park and where volunteers will be provided direction accordingly.
Detective Joe Barr is the lead officer on the search for Helen Robertson, 79 year-old Alzheimer’s patient, who went missing on July 5th, and had not been found. Detective Barr is with the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Halton Regional Police Service.
The police are pulling in every resource to find Michael Komac.
 By Ray Rivers
September 1, 2016
MOUNTSBERG, ON
It could be the culmination of all that pollution from (former) Stelco and the other steel company taking its toll on the brain cells of some Hamilton City Councilors.
Or it might be the fact that this city is still almost ungovernable, perhaps even more so after over a decade of forced amalgamation. Or perhaps it is just small-minded political parochialism and old-style partisan politics getting in the way. But Hamilton is on the cusp of saying NO to a billion dollars.
The Province has offered to build a billion dollar light rapid transit system through the downtown core of this rust-belt city at no direct cost to Hamilton. But some Councilors are playing politics.
 A model of the proposed LRT was placed outside Hamilton city hall for a number of months. Some Councilors who don’t have constituents in the downtown core are looking for a political payoff in order to vote yes to the billion dollar transit gift. That is one of the games in municipal politics, the parochial politician who won’t support anything that benefits other parts of the city unless he/she also gets something in return.
This is a Liberal provincial government making the one-time offer, and it certainly seems that those who support, or once sought election for, another political party are saying no thanks. Is it that they’d rather see Hamiltonians lose the only realistic hope for a rapid transit system in a long time, than see the Wynne government get the credit?
There is a lot of spin by the naysayers. What if the construction costs more than a billion? What if the McMaster University terminus moves and that demand dries up? How will emergency vehicles cross the elevated tracks? Won’t self-driving electric cars and buses make rapid transit obsolete?
 There are plans to develop Pier 8 – putting housing where shipping sheds now stand in the north end of the city. GO train station is within walking distance. Not that building a high speed transit line is without hiccups and annoyances. The line under construction in Kitchener has taken longer than expected and is very disruptive to local residents and businesses. Still the public there have not lost patience nor passion, knowing that the pain is worth the gain.
They understand how the subway in Toronto grew the downtown economy of that city, preventing its decline into the ’60/70’s rust belt which plagued other cities in the Great Lakes basin, including Hamilton. No economic studies have shown a downside for the investment from Hamilton’s perspective. And just about everyone expects that mass transit will provide a much needed kick-start to revitalizing a commercially depleted and desperate downtown Hamilton.
I lived in Vancouver when the Sky Train came into operation. Rapid transit has proven to be one of the best things that ever happened to that city, which would otherwise be choking on the exhaust fumes of its own success, more than it is. Unfortunately Hamilton’s dim-sighted politicians decided against a similar system when it was offered by the Davis government back in the day. Concerns over commuters peeking into residents’ backyards apparently put that project into the waste bin of history.
 Is it just small-minded political parochialism and old-style partisan politics having Hamilton say NO to a $Billion for an LRT line? I wrote about the last municipal election in this space back in 2014. One of the biggest challenges seen by the mayoralty contestants was getting independent minded Councilors to work as if they were in a team – to focus on what is good for the city rather than just their own ward or their own political ambitions.
Despite his best intentions, that doesn’t seem to be working for Mayor Eisenberger. If Hamilton’s politicians are so determined to only look after their own interests, why were they so enthusiastic about making the city one big community? Perhaps the answer lies in eliminating the ward system and electing the entire council at large.
 Development has always followed transit – will the planned LRT create a new Hamilton? Of course that billion dollars offered by the Province is not really free. Provincial grants are made up of all our money, collected mainly through provincial income and sales taxes – and there is only ever one taxpayer. So the cost-benefit question is whether there will be at least a billion dollars of increased net economic activity. That seems to be the expectation, and nobody is arguing that this infrastructure investment will be a waste of taxpayer money.
So what is stopping the politicians from getting to yes? The vote is next scheduled for September and I’ll be watching to report on the decision. Are our municipal politicians prepared only to put their particular interests ahead of the general welfare of the city, or do they really believe in the new Hamilton?
 Ray Rivers Ray Rivers is an economist and author who writes weekly on federal and provincial issues, applying his 25 years of involvement with federal and provincial ministries. Rivers’ involvement in city matters led to his appointment as founding chair of Burlington’s Sustainable Development Committee. He was also a candidate in the 1995 provincial election.
Editor’s note: Why would a Burlington paper publish an opinion piece about Hamilton? Because Hamilton is going to be the economic engine that pulls Burlington along with it and knowing what that engine is doing and where it is going tells us where we will end up. The parochialism that exists in Hamilton also exists in Burlington.
Background Links:
Rust Belt – LRT – 10 Questions – Vote Postponed
Waterloo Experience – HSR – Gazette article Oct 2014 –
Burlington’s Member of Parliament, Karina Gould, will be leading a public consultation on Electoral Reform at the Mainway Recreation centre in the auditorium on Saturday September 10th at 12:30.
She wants to hear what her community has to say about the changes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to deliver in the way of electoral reform. During the election campaign Trudeau said that election was the last that would be run under the First Past the Post (FPTP) process Canada has been using since Confederation. What we choose to use as an election process is now a question the public needs to answer.
 By Jay Fallis
September 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
This is the 3rd of a 3 part series on electoral reform.
I have explained the First Past the Post (FPTP) system of electing the members of the House of Commons that we use today.
I explained Mixed Member Proportional system, or MMP.
In this system, MMP, each voter receives two ballots. One is used to select the local candidate of their choice, while the other is used to select the party of their choice. The ballots selecting the local candidate are tallied up in each riding, and the candidate with the most votes wins. This is the same in our current system, except that constituencies would be bigger.
With MMP, once the candidate for the constituency is decided, the ballots, which indicate party preference, are tallied and the popular support of each party is determined.
The MMP process distributes a percentage of the seats to each political party based on the percentage of the vote they got; the problem for many people is who, which person, would sit in that seat? Would the political party give the seat to one of its members?
In this article I am going to cover two other possible electoral systems. The first is called Alternative Vote (AV); the second is called the ABC approach to electing people to our House of Commons.
Under Alternate Vote, a voter continues to vote for their local candidates. However, instead of selecting a single candidate with an X, voters order each of the candidates 1-2-3 etc., from their most preferred selection to their least preferred.
When first place selections are counted, a candidate with more than 50% of the popular vote wins. If however no candidate receives more than 50%, then the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated. The ballots that selected the last place candidate are redistributed using the second selections. This process continues until one candidate receives more than 50% support.
 Voter turnout has often been low for the past decade; many people feel the current method of electing members to the House of Commons results in an un-representative form of government. Although this system maintains regional representation as it exists under our current system and allows voters to cast a more accurate ballot, this system has its problems. There is a significant chance it would be advantageous for the Liberal party, as voters on each side of the ideological spectrum have a tendency to select Liberal as their second choice. This could allow Liberal candidates to win in tight ridings more often than not.
Furthermore the method for counting is complex. It would either require days to count by hand or require electronic counting systems. Either method ensures a high probability for error and would be expensive.
Finally, this system would be detrimental for independent candidates and smaller parties. Currently, it is difficult for these candidates and parties to win seats. However, introducing this system would make their advancement even more difficult. This seems unfair when considering that there can be strong independent candidates and viable small parties.
There is another approach – it is referred to as ABC – Alternative Borda Count; developed by French mathematician Charles de Borda.
It is described as easy as ABC (Alternative Borda Count). In this system voters are able to make up to 3 selections: a first, second, and third choice. If voters wish, they can choose to select only a first and second choice, or only a first choice. Each first choice selection is worth 4 points, each second choice selection worth 2 points, and each third choice selection worth 1 point. When the points are tallied and the local candidate with the most points wins.
 Members of the House of Commons have been determined by First Past the Post elections since confederation. The current government has determined it is time for a change. Although this system does not guarantee perfect representation of votes to seats in the legislature it does represent an obvious improvement from Alternative Vote.
The first advantage is that this system is simple when compared to Alternative Vote. The calculation method and ballot can easily be explained to voters. Additionally, counting can be done relatively efficiently by hand and results could be posted on election night without the use of electronic counting.
This system maintains our country’s current regional representation. All ridings would remain as they are. However, in order to win ridings, candidates would require support from approximately 70 to 80% of the riding’s population. This is much higher than Alternative Vote which would often produce winners with just over 50% of support.
As for independent candidates and smaller parties, this system encourages their advancement. If a candidate or party receives few first place selections, but many 2nd and 3rd place selections they still have some opportunity to win. This will not mean the advancement of many, but it would mean that more independents and small party candidates have the opportunity to win.
Finally, this is a system that has the capability to be popular amongst Canadians. Although it has yet to attract the attention of reform advocates, a preliminary study has shown very high support for the system amongst the voting public. The study I refer to is a paper I did while earning my Master’s degree at the University of Toronto.
Not only does it attract those who support reform, it also attracts many who don’t, because it is simple and offers them the ability to vote as they do under the current system (by choosing to make only a first selection).
ABC is a system that meets many different needs and has the potential to bring about positive change to Canada’s political system when compared to Alternative Vote. To learn more about the ABC system or sign the petition you can go to: abcvote.ca.
I have given readers a quick overview of the different systems that are being considered. The government is now asking Canadians which system they would like to see. It’s an important decision – make a point of getting out to the public meetings and do some research.
Links:
CBC ran a very interesting piece – worth reading.
First of the 3 part series
Second of the 3 part series
 Jay Fallis is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he earned a Master’s Degree that focused on electoral reform.
He writes a column for a daily newspaper in Ontario, the Orillia Packet and Times,
By Denis Gibbons
September 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Beautiful green spaces like the Royal Botanical Gardens, LaSalle Park and Burlington Golf and Country Club once made Aldershot the prime place to live in Burlington.
The stretch of Plains Road from King Road west to the border of Hamilton actually is part of the historic Lakeshore Highway, which was the main route between Montreal and Windsor before the QEW and Hwy. 401 were built. The highway attracted a lot of holiday and Sunday afternoon drivers.
 Planters along Plains Road have given what used to be a provincial highway a much more suburban look. Hasn’t slowed traffic down enough for most people – except for those who drive through the community. You’d never know it today with the high rate of development and traffic jams on Plains Road. Some residents are even having second thoughts about staying in the area.
An Aldershot resident, who requested anonymity, said she believes the City is allowing too many multi-level dwellings along Plains Road and has decided to move to Niagara Falls.
“I don’t want to live on the Danforth like in downtown Toronto,” she said. “We don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate it.
“I think we really have to be careful what we’re doing to the lifestyle of the people of Aldershot.”
She said she has exactly 14 seconds to get into the collector lane and make a lefthand turn into her building at 396 Plains Rd. E. and traffic is often backed up in the eastbound lanes.
“The cars are all going 60 and a lot of drivers get mad,” she said.
 Close to half a dozen residential developments similar to this one, Jazz on Plains Road are being developed. Lou Battiston, who lives on Easterbrook Ave., said he is opposed to all the new apartment buildings going up on Plains Road.
“Adding stores to the bottom of these things without adequate parking is absolutely ridiculous,” he said.
However, he said the increased traffic on Plains Road is not an issue for him.
“I come from Toronto,” he said. “Burlington is still a great place to live.”
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven could not be reached for comment by The Bay Observer’s press time, but he has said in the past that whenever new condos are built along the Plains Road corridor senior citizens living in bungalows in Aldershot love to downsize to them.
At the same time, he said, the vacated bungalows are ideal starter homes for young families and this rejuvenates the population.
In July a committee of Burlington city council approved policy directions as guidelines on how the city will grow over the next quarter-century. Under the provincial government’s Places To Grow strategy guidelines, introduced in 2006, Burlington must boost its level of infilling to 40 per cent.
One of the main reasons is to provide adequate accommodation for an increase of immigrants.
Intensification in the portion south of the QEW is the key, since there is not much room left for residential development in north Burlington.
Two of the key areas for intensification are in Aldershot – along Plains Road, which is a major transit route, and close to the Aldershot GO station.
In addition, increased mixed use development is planned near all GO stations as GO bus and train service is extended.
Currently workers are carrying out major improvements to Plains Road East. The work includes paving, as well as new curbs, bike lanes and sidewalks in some parts of the stretch between the QEW and Shadeland Boulevard.
 An early architects rendering of the ADI Station West 300 plus development in Aldershot ADI Development Group is proposing construction of over 300 new townhouses near the corner of Waterdown Road and Masonry Court. The project called ‘Station West’ is adjacent to Burlington’s Aldershot GO Station”
Also in the works are the Breeze condos at the corner of Plains Road and Cooke Boulevard and the Affinity Condominiums at the corner of Plains Road and Filmandale Boulevard.
This article first appeared in the Bay Observer.
The Gazette has had a troubling relationship with Councillor Craven. There was a time when we met with him frequently on a confidential basis over lunches at Plucker’s on Plains Road.
There was an occasion at a Conservation Authority meeting when Craven told us that running for Mayor was not out of the question for him – that was before the 2014 election
 More candidate than Craven could manage? Sandra Pupatello on a trip through town during the xxx Liberal leadership race. At the time Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven was prepared to let the party romance him. The publisher of the Gazette had some in depth conversations on the idea of his seeking the Liberal nomination for the Burlington seat at Queen’s Park. We convinced him at attend a meeting where he met one of the woman seeking the leadership of the party at that time. Watching Councillor Craven meeting Sandra Pupatello was something to observe.
The Gazette has always described Councillor Craven as the most effective Standing committee chair this city has; he also runs very tight meetings. He understands the Procedural manual better than any other member of council, perhaps even better than the City Clerk.
But a people person he ain’t. Thinnest skin we’ve seen
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