By Pepper Parr
June 13th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Indira Naidoo-Harris
Eleanor McMahon
Indira Naidoo-Harris and Eleanor McMahon are appointed to the Cabinet of the Ontario provincial government
That gives the city two Cabinet members.
More to follow
|
||||||||
|
June 13th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON In a significant change of events – the last place in the league Burlington Bandits managed to outlast the first team in the league and outlast Panthers in extra-inning win It wasn’t pretty, but the Bandits outlasted the Kitchener Panthers to win 9-8 in 10 innings Sunday night.  Photo by Sean Moffitt Justin Gideon had a home run, two RBI and two runs for the Bandits. Jim Martin had two hits, including a home run, an RBI and run. Adam Odd went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run, and Nolan Pettipiece drove in a run and scored once. Odd picked up the win, throwing three scoreless innings of relief. He scattered five hits and struck out two without issuing a walk. Branden Kuzyk started and went four innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out two. For Kitchener, Mike Gordner homered and had four singles to drive in a pair of runs while scoring twice. Sean Reilly had three hits and an RBI, Tanner Nivins singled twice and drove in a run, and Darren Saunders and Colin Gordner each had an RBI. Terrell Alliman had two doubles and a single and scored once. Andrew Simonetti took the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in two innings, walking one without striking out a batter. Matt McGovern started and went seven innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits, striking out two and walking one. Burlington improved to 3-10, and Kitchener fell to 11-2. Elsewhere in the league … The London Majors scored 10 runs in the first two innings and rolled to a 13-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday afternoon. Cleveland Brownlee had two hits, including his fifth home run of the season, three RBI and scored twice. Keith Kandel, LeJon Baker and Elis Jimenez each had two hits, two runs and an RBI, while RJ Fuhr had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Carlos Arteaga had two RBI, Michael Ambrose, Tristan Buntrock and Kyle Gormandy all drove in a run. Humberto Ruiz singled, doubled and scored twice. Oscar Perez (2-1) went eight innings for the win. Perez struck out seven and walked three, allowing two runs on seven hits. Dillon Mulhollond (1-2) took the loss after giving up 11 runs (10 earned) on 14 hits over five innings. He walked four and struck out three. London improved to 10-4 and moved within 1.5 games of first-place Kitchener, and Toronto fell to 7-6. Celestijn paces Cardinals past Red Sox Celestijn, the Cards’ cleanup hitter, drove in a run and scored once. Callum Murphy and Jason deVos each had two hits and an RBI and combined to score three times. Tyler Hardie and Jake Osborne singled and scored once. Robert Wilson (1-1) went five innings for the win, scattering three hits over five innings and allowing two runs (one earned). He struck out three and walked two. For the Red Sox, Nate Burdett, Lee Delfino and Benjamin Bostick all had an RBI. Rick Murray added a pair of singles. Matt Martinow (0-1) took the loss. He lasted 4.2 innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits, striking out two and walking three. Hamilton improved to 5-11, and Brantford dropped to 7-7. Future games Tuesday, June 14 The Gazette thanks the Inter County Baseball league for the news and game results.
June 12th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON GLOBAL WARMING – We hear about it every day. There are still those who think it isn’t happening. It is happening – the two pictures that follow make that clear enough for the most doubting. This isn’t a theory – these are facts.  Alaska’s Pedersen Glacier has retreated steadily over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This photo, taken during the summer of 1917, shows a lagoon filled with icebergs. The bottom photo, dated August 2005, shows the same lagoon now filled with sediment, grasses and shrubs.  Alaska’s Pedersen Glacier has retreated steadily over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This photo, dated August 2005, shows the same lagoon now filled with sediment, grasses and shrubs. The projections are dire: glaciers will continue to shrink, heat waves will be more frequent and the oceans will get warmer and more acidic. A large majority of environmental scientists warn that if global temperatures rise by more than 2 C above pre-industrial levels, the consequences will be severe and, in some cases, irreversible. By the end of the century, the panel says, CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions must register near zero — a mighty feat that some observers say is simply not achievable. What happens then? Vince Fiorito, one of the most committed environmentalists we know once said to me: Pepper, don’t worry about the planet – it will survive. It is we human beings hat may not be able to survive on the plant we create because of our poor stewardship. CBC has published an interactive WORD on their web site CLICK HERE to get to it.
June 11th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON If you like to paint (… and who doesn’t?) said the notice from the Friends of Freeman Station then please join us for our next Saturday Volunteer Work Days — SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2016, from 8am to mid-day And again the following weekend: SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 – from 8 am to mid-day You will be joining a bunch of guys who just like to get out of the house and do something – get their hands on some tools and make something or repair something.  The Station Master’s office – knots in the pine are sealed – and the walls are ready for their first coat of paint. Twenty five years from now you will take your grandchildren on a tour and show them the job that you did. You may not have been inside the Freeman Station. It is going to be a large part of the pride of the city when it is complete – and here is an opportunity for you to be part of that pride.  The Waiting Room – it is ready for its first coat of paint.
June 10th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
 New Street torn up for the installation of new water and waste removal pipes. New Street is undergoing a major upgrade with new water and waste pipes being put in and the road re-paved. The stretch of New Street from Guelph Line to Burloak will have bike lanes added. For those living at the New – Guelph Line intersection east to Drury Lane – it has been a miserable couple of weeks – dust, dust and more dust and roads that are rough to drive over. The paving equipment was laying down a nice thick bed of asphalt – no more dust for us. The construction crews are moving east to the Drury Lane to Martha section.  It is one seamless operation – from the truck into a piece of equipment that prepares the asphalt and pours it into the machine that lays down a thick coat of brand new road. After that the construction crews begin the Guelph Line west section of the road. Along that section there is a family that has decided they want to go back to the city’s roots when it was the produce capital of the country – to a time when the railway line into the city was doubled to handle the volume that was loaded at the Freeman Junction.  Lush looking gardens to the side of New Street. This family has a nice little crop doing just fine. There was a time when all of what is now New Street was farm land. It was certainly a different time.
June 10th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
On Thursday June 9th police in Milton and Halton Hills launched Project “Safety through Compliance” targeting dangerous commercial motor vehicles that operate within both towns.
On Thursday June 9th officers patrolled Georgetown and the surrounding areas. The inspection results were as follows: 34 Trucks inspected, 19 were taken out of service (56%), 109 charges were laid and two sets of plates were seized. On Friday June 10th officers patrolled Milton and the surrounding areas. The inspection results were as follows: 21 Trucks inspected, 16 were taken out of service, 81 charges were laid and 1 set of plates were seized. Halton Police recognize that heavy vehicle traffic is a concern to residents and we will continue to work hard to ensure our roads are as safe as possible. To report individual driver behavior, residents can complete a Road Watch complaint form. CLICK HERE
June 10th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
One of the pleasures of walking along Lakeshore Road is experiencing the breeze coming in off the lake, seeing the horizon stretch to the edge of the earth and from time to time see a ship heading for the canal and into Hamilton harbour or leaving the bay and heading for destinations unknown.  A stroll along Lakeshore Road offers a view of the pier and the lake and the ships that steam in and out of Hamilton harbour. But what is that bit of screening on the right hand side? During the year there are various events that take place –Canada Day; the Rib Fest, Children’s Festival and the annual Sound of Music. For those moving about the city and walking along Lakeshore road the music can be heard and one can, normally, look at the crowds and plan to drop in on what is for the most part a fee free event. But things are changing with the Sound of Music – and there are now ticketed event. Sponsorships doesn’t appear to cover all the costs. That’s business – the volunteers that make the Sound of Music happen each year have to manage the event as best they can.  Long stretches of screening block the view of Spencer Smith Park and the lake. What are people doing behind that screening – and why is it place ? The park and the lake are public – totally public. But putting screen up so that people can’t see the lake because there is a ticketed event taking place? Where do they get permission to do that? The view of the lake is public – who lets a screen go up. There are fences to prevent entrance into ticketed events – that’s acceptable but a screen to block the view?
June 10th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
What is it about a city that can have hundreds of people out planting trees but can’t manage to pass a bylaw that would prevent people from cutting down a tree on their property just because they didn’t like the tree anymore? This weekend there will be a crew out on Colonial Court doing some tree planting  More than 100 people turned out in the Beachway to plant trees. Last weekend there were was a small crowd planting trees in the Norton Park in Alton. The week before that there were close to 100 people doing a GreenUp in the Beachway where thousands of seedlings are being planted as part of a multi-year program that will give some stability to the sandy soil that much of the park is made up of. The Appleby Line tree planting activity runs from 10 – 2 on the 11th – gather at 103 Colonial Court – Burlington. Mayor Goldring’s private tree bylaw initiative seems to have ground to a halt – there was some traction in the Roseland community a few years ago but it didn’t get much beyond a community committee level. In a Roseland Community Organization report Don Baxter said: At the Community Services Committee of Council, in 2012 – yes 2012, a positive recommendation was approved to accelerate a study regarding the potential of a Tree Protection By-law on private property within Burlington. Roseland Community Organization supported this recommendation, and made a presentation to Committee to that end. This action by RCO was brought about by a growing concern about the alarming rate at which mature trees are being brought down in our community. In a recent memo, one resident quipped, “We will soon need a by-law to ban loud sneezing or else another tree will come down in Roseland.” At the Committee, there were a number of key issues that need to be carefully considered in the staff research, including: Effectiveness – will the by-law stop unnecessary removal of trees? What has been effectiveness of such by-laws in other jurisdictions? Some of the presentations and concerns raised at Committee dwelled on this question – should we take away property rights for something that may not do the job? While no regulation can be totally effective for this kind of situation, can we at least introduce a “second sober thought” into the process before a century old tree is taken down? Different Needs – will the by-law deal with the different situations that arise around trees, including: – Where a developer clears a site of trees before proceeding to apply for development approvals, and thereby, avoiding tree protection through the site plan process? – Where the home owner a large lot takes the trees down prior to making a land division application to ensure the preservation of trees does not become either a neighbourhood or a site plan issue – Where the home-owner who, for no reason other than their personal preferences, decides to remove a significant tree  These apple trees were cut down because the apartment building to the south and the church to the north didn’t like the way geese were attracted to the apples and were pooping on the roadway. Promises were made to plant different trees – nothing yet. Obviously there is no intent to stop all tree removal particularly where safety is an issue, but there should be a process where these issues are raised prior to the tree coming down – too often our wake up call is the early morning sound of chain saws, and by then, it is too late to do anything. Liability – There were concerns that a Tree By-law may increase the liability of the City. Of course trees are a liability in that sense. The absolute safest route would be to take all trees down, but that is why we have risk management. The municipalities who already have tree by-laws have same insurance companies as Burlington, and they will advise the City on how to address this issue. The City already deals with risk management for trees on public property, so this new by-law could be an extension of that approach. Budget – Implementation of a Tree By-law will generate costs but does this mean taxes will need to be increased? Perhaps, but the more managerial approach would be to decide if this is a needed service? what priority level does it have in relation to other services? and then, set a tax rate needed to generate the revenues required to deliver necessary services. Burlington is not on the edge of a fiscal cliff, and it has exercised sound fiscal management in the past. Sustainability – While the focus of the Committee discussion was on the Tree By-law for private property, there were a staff review proposed on a broader range of tree issues. Much of the tree loss in Roseland is on public property for trees that are becoming hazards. The issues are ones of both maintenance and replacement procedures, and possible role for more community involvement. The city was “studying the “feasibility” of a private tree bylaw. That was in 2012 – The study was one of the 40 recommendations included in the city’s revised Urban Forest Management Plan, approved by city council in 2012. The plan recognized the many benefits trees provide to the community and their importance to current and future generations, according to a press release issued by the city.  Residents in Alton turn out to plant 400 trees in Norton Park. “Burlington’s urban forest grows predominantly on private property” said Cathy Robertson, director of roads and parks maintenance in the release. “We realize that the residents and other stakeholders who own or manage land in the city have the greatest ability to influence our urban forest. However, we also realize that there is a broad range of opinions on this subject.” The feasibility study will include a variety of engagement opportunities for affected stakeholders to actively participate in developing options and alternatives that provide a balance between the ability to use and enjoy private property, and the desire to protect trees.  Will streets in the Roseland community begin to look like this – with trees trimmed back to stumps for “public safety”? Meanwhile several thousand people spend their time planting new trees – the residents of Roseland must look at some of those towering trees in their community that have been around for close to 80 years and wonder if they are in any better shape than the two willows that were cut down in Spencer Smith Park earlier this week. Much of the value of homes in Roseland is directly related to the canopy of trees. The picture set out below is of Belvenia – image that street without those trees? How much would their loss reduce property values.  The value of the houses on this street is determined to a large degree by the tree canopy. So where do things stand now? There is a 184 page staff report gathering dust where these report go to die. The Executive summary read thusly: This report has been prepared to provide a summary of the Private Tree Bylaw Feasibility Study. Based on council discussions at Development and Infrastructure Committee on May 27, 2013, recommendations have not been included. However, the report provides options for council’s consideration and advises which ones are supported by staff. Unless council approves one or more options at this meeting or provides direction for staff to take no further actions related to these options, it is staff’s intent to bring a supplemental report with recommendations for consideration at the next meeting of Development and Infrastructure Committee in September 2013.
June 10th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We first saw Eleeza at the Mainway arena last December during a meeting at which the public learned about what was being done to support the bringing of Syrian refugees to Canada. There was some concern at the time that there might be some vocal opposition to helping the refugees – it turned out to be a quiet, informative meeting at which everyone learned what could be done if we all worked together.  What started off as a single $5 donation grew to a total of $410 in a few short minutes; people just kept stuffing money into her hands. During the meeting on young lady spoke of the fund raising she was doing to buy Beanie Boos that would be given to refugee children that were arriving in Canada. It was a simple decent thing to do – and that a child of Pakistani heritage whose parents were born in Canada took the initiative was admirable in the minds of many. Before the end of the meeting people were stuffing $10 and $20 bills into her hands, Eleeza had learned at an early age how to give back.  Eleeza and her Ramadan Ranges expect to fill cartons like this numerous times – they want to exceed their five SUV’s full that they collected last year. She has now enlarged her circle and created what the calls – the Ramadan Rangers and drafted her brother Waseem and their six close friends, Ammani, Ayaana and Ammad from Burlington, and Imaan, Zaara, and Aiza from Ancaster who re running a food drive to collect food and money for charity! They ran this drive last year and collected five SUVs full of food and over $2000 in donations. The kids call themselves the Ramadan Rangers and are at it again this year and looking to surpass their accomplishment from last year. The drive is running from June 5th until June 26th 2016. At the end of June, they are going to divide the food; some will go to Food for Life Burlington and some will go to Muslim Welfare Centre. All monetary donations will go to Islamic Relief Canada.  They created a certificate for Ramadan Rangers. Drop off points for food donations are: 4674 Irena Avenue Burlington ON L7M 0K3 3316 Stoneware Road Burlington ON L7M 0K3 31 Camp Drive Ancaster ON L9K 9A7 People can leave food donations on the porches. For monetary donations they can contact Sehr Wyne at sehrwyne@yahoo.ca to arrange a funds transfer.
Eleeza watches a $5 donation grow to$410
June 10th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Karina Gould, Member of Parliament for Burlington and Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development spoke in the House of Commons on the funds being dedicated to supporting our humanitarian work in Syria. Daesh is the name now used to describe what has in the past been called ISIS, or Islamic State, IS or ISIL. This linguistic sea change is said to be intended to delegitimize the mock the organization. We appear to have an enemy that we cannot name. Mr. Speaker: Canada deplores the deliberate targeting of civilians and the continued disregard for international humanitarian law. The continued cost in the lives of innocent men, women, and children from such attacks is unacceptable and further demonstrates the need for an urgent de-escalation of violence.  Ruins in Aleppo, Syria. The appalling acts of violence perpetrated by Daesh have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people of all faiths in Iraq and in Syria. The atrocities and widespread abuses perpetrated by Daesh against religious and ethnic communities, including Yazidis, Christians, Shiites, and Sunnis, is an affront to human dignity and Canadian values of peaceful pluralism and respect for diversity. Freedom of religion and belief and the ability to worship in peace and security is a universal human right. Human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated and must be enjoyed by all people, without discrimination and without distinctions of any kind. Canada stands in solidarity with those facing oppression as a result of their religious beliefs. I am outraged, and Canadians are outraged, by the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Sexual violence as a specific tactic, as well as the enslavement of women and girls, is not unique to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria. However, its systematic employment by Daesh in Syria and Iraq needs to be recognized, and its perpetrators will ultimately need to be held to account. We are equally outraged by acts of violence against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In February, the UN commission of inquiry on Syria reported that Daesh continues to target sexual minorities for execution. The report contains shocking examples of Daesh’s intolerance and brutality. This includes a video that shows two men being thrown from a building. Why? It was because they had been accused of committing homosexual acts. Our government deplores this violence and any kind of discrimination or intolerance based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.  At least 30 people, including women and children, were killed when Kamounia camp in Idlib province, northwest Syria, was hit by either Syrian or Russian air strikes. Let me reiterate that our government strongly condemns the terrorist acts committed by Daesh, and we firmly support investigations into their crimes and the prosecution of perpetrators. However, while we respect the emotion behind this motion, and what fair-minded person would not, unfortunately, democratic governments cannot only be guided by emotion. I understand that members opposite disagree with the approach we are following, namely to arrive at a legal determination and not simply a political or emotional one. Why are legal determinations important? It is so we do not risk acting in a manner that undermines our intent. As part of our broader engagement in the Middle East region, Canada is taking substantial and concrete actions that contribute to preventing and halting war crimes, and possibly genocide, by Daesh. Our participation in the international coalition, our provision of humanitarian, development, and security and stabilization assistance, and our diplomatic engagement all support the protection of vulnerable populations. To this effect, on February 8, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie shared Canada’s commitment to deliver a multi-faceted response to the crises in Syria and Iraq and their impact on the surrounding region. This commitment includes $1.1 billion in much-needed humanitarian and development assistance over three years. From this funding, $840 million will help provide much-needed humanitarian assistance, such as food, urgent health services, water, shelter, education, and protection, including from sexual violence, for the most vulnerable people affected by conflicts in the Middle East. On April 13, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie took the first step in delivering on this commitment by announcing $100 million in humanitarian assistance funding to support the responses to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.  One wave and choppy waters and most of the people in this raft would drown – they nevertheless take the risk to flee their war torn countries. This announcement included $31.8 million to UNICEF to match the generous donations of Canadians to charitable organizations responding to the crisis. This funding will increase education opportunities, provide child protection services in Syria and Jordan, and support immunization efforts for children in Syria, responding to critical needs and building the resilience of conflict-affected communities. The funding announced is also supporting our humanitarian partners to provide emergency physical and functional rehabilitation services to people injured by the violence in Syria and Iraq, psycho-social support to people traumatized by violence, and clean water, food, shelter, and primary health care to people who have fled the violence in Syria. In addition, this government is supporting the provision of confidential medical assistance, case management, and referral services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Canada’s humanitarian partners work in some of the most dangerous and challenging environments. Every day, humanitarian staff, many of them Canadians, put their lives on the line to make sure that vulnerable civilians affected by conflict around the world, including in Syria and Iraq, get the assistance they need. The price they continue to pay for their dedication to their mission is tragic. Since the conflict began in Syria, over 87 humanitarian personnel have been killed. One need not travel far from the House of Commons to appreciate the dedication of Canada’s humanitarian community. Given the inherent challenges in delivering humanitarian assistance, Canada’s long-standing practice is that Canadian humanitarian funding is provided to experienced humanitarian partners to meet the life-saving needs of civilians caught in the middle of conflict.  Thousands of refugees wait to cross the border from Serbia to Tovarnik in Croatia as they fled Syria With decades of experience, our humanitarian partners have developed practices and processes to ensure the integrity of the assistance they deliver. Canada’s humanitarian partners adhere to the principle of humanity, meaning that all victims of conflict or civilians affected by conflict deserve protection and assistance, no matter where they are found. In order to fulfill this goal, our partners also adhere to the principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence so that they can work wherever those in need are located. This is an essential point. The ability of humanitarian workers to have access to people in need is predicated on their actions being neutral. This means providing assistance with no military or political objective, only the objective of saving lives and alleviating suffering. In many contexts, the safety and security of aid workers depends on their ability to demonstrate that they have no other motive than providing assistance to those in need. Humanitarian principles remain the foundation of this trust, and we must be careful to protect their integrity. Canada is committed to promoting and enhancing respect for humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and the protection of civilians. We must uphold the spirit and the letter of the law, improve compliance, and hold violators to account. For this reason, our humanitarian partners and the Government of Canada are extremely careful that humanitarian assistance is provided in full respect of humanitarian principles and in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.  Karina Gould at the World Humanitarian Summit, in Istanbul, Turkey. Last month, I participated in the World Humanitarian Summit, in Istanbul, Turkey. I represented Canada at an event entitled “A Call to Action for Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies”, because we continue to be concerned about the fact that there is an increased incidence of sexual and gender-based violence during a humanitarian crisis. Women and girls, in particular, continue to face increased protection risks, such as sexual violence, trafficking, and child, early, and forced marriage during crises. I wish to reiterate this government’s commitment to helping the most vulnerable and this government’s commitment to do so in a manner consistent with humanitarian principles. I understand that members opposite disagree with the approach we are following, namely that we be guided by principles, principles that have served Canada for decades, under governments of all stripes, and not by emotion or politics.  Karina Gould, Burlington MP, speaking in the House of Commons We all abhor what Daesh is doing. We all want it to stop and to hold the perpetrators to account. To do this, we must work with our allies through the international legal process. To not do so both elevates the structure of Daesh to something it is not, a government, and risks having Canada condemn it in a manner not consistent with how our country approaches addressing such acts. This is the appropriate process, and we are following in line with our allies and the international bodies responsible in that assessment. This government stands with the United Nations and its international partners in calling for a judicial investigation and an end to impunity for the perpetrators of serious international crimes.
Fine Arts Association celebrates 50th anniversary - Stunning Bateman statement part of the exhibits.
June 10th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Fine Arts Association (BFAA) in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Burlington, is presenting three exhibitions to celebrate its 50th anniversary The public opening reception for all three exhibitions will be Wednesday June 15, 5pm-7pm. There are three different and separate exhibits; one of which opened on June 1. Burlington Urban & Rural June 16 – September 5, 2016 Lee-Chin Family Gallery The Gazette has been given an exclusive peek at one of the pieces in this exhibit; a series of painting with a bar separating each that has hand lettering explaining the relationship of the paintings. It is titled: Progress. There perhaps should have been a question mark after the title. This is a distinctly different Bateman. In the past the public has seen finely detailed painting of animals or serene natural setting. The “Red Fox” sold at the recent AGB Auction is an example of his natural settings work. Progress is a statement, a derisive statement, a damning statement, in which Bateman shows us what we have done to ourselves through the use of three paintings with hand lettering relating one to the others. Ouch! Is there more of the Robert Bateman work in the exhibition that opens June 16th? We hope so – having someone with the authority and social clout Bateman has just might move the saving our heritage dial in a different direction.  Robert Bateman’s “Progress” Power of Passion Presidents’ Wall
June 10th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
They are still in the basement and they are still in the game. The Burlington Bandits will be playing twice this weekend: Upcoming games Saturday, June 11
June 10th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The real Monarchists were up at 5:00 am this morning to catch the CBC broadcast of the festivities surrounding the celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday. Queen Elizabeth II has visited Canada on 22 occasions and is reported to have kept herself up to date on Canadian affairs. Many of the Canadian Armed Forces regiments have the Queen as their Colonel in Chief. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, who are head quartered in Hamilton, is one such regiment. Ron Foxcroft, a retired Honourary Colonel of the regiment developed a close relationship with the queen when he WORDS on behalf of the regiment Foxcroft sent best wishes from the regiment to the Queen earlier today saying: Your Majesty, Colonel in Chief: It is with great admiration and respect for your wisdom , loyalty , passion and sensitive leadership that we send our best wishes for continued good health on this most joyful occasion. Ron Foxcroft, Honourary Colonel (retired) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.
Foxcroft serves on the Senate of the regiment where he keeps a close eye on the welfare of Marcus, the son of Cpl Nathan Cirillo, the soldier who was gunned down and killed while doing sentry duty at the War Memorial in Ottawa.
June 10th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
Up up and away in a beautiful balloon.
You can ride in the RE/MAX hot air balloon (weather permitting). The balloon will be tethered to allow passengers a secured ride, up and down. Each ride is $2 per person, with proceeds going to SickKids Foundation. What if someone cuts the rope? Will the Mayor and the Council member just fly off into the wild blue yonder?
June 9th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Lisa Raitt is one of three women that represents the citizens of Burlington in the House of Commons. Raitt is the Member of Parliament for Halton, which includes the northern part of Burlington. Earlier this week Ms Raitt spoke at some length in the House of Commons on the budget implementation act. Raitt is seen as a possible Conservative leadership contender. Here is what she had to say. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address Bill C-15, the budget implementation act. For many weeks, we in the official opposition have had many opportunities to take a look at the legislation. We have actually had a lot of opportunity to also question the Minister of Finance and the government on their fiscal plan. Unfortunately, it appears that the more we ask for clarification the less things become clear for us. That is why I would like to focus today on the aspects surrounding the credibility of the minister in delivering this budget.  Most of Burlington above the 407 highway is part of the Halton constituency – NOT all of it. This plan, or really the lack thereof, his projections, and his assertions are incredibly important to the veracity of this budget. The Minister of Finance is continuing to battle serious questions about his fiscal credibility and his lack of transparency. During the committee of the whole on May 30, the Minister of Finance stated the following, “We found ourselves in a low-growth era. That is what we are facing right now.” Indeed, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance repeated the concept of the low growth the Liberals were handed. This simply is not the truth.  Conservative MP Lisa Raitt asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. In a briefing prepared for the Minister of Finance, his own department advised him that Canada’s real income per capita growth was the strongest of all G7 countries in the 2000s, compared to the weakest growth in the 1990s. More importantly, it was proven by the OECD that income was evenly distributed during this period of time. It is indeed concerning that the Minister of Finance and his Liberal budget appear to be so out of touch that his budget is based on a false assumption. The history and the current state of the Canadian economy are important factors, and the way in which the Liberals are characterizing it is simply incorrect. Indeed, the excessive spending that is set out in this budget is wholly inappropriate for the actual state of the economy of this country. The facts are very clear that we are not in a recession, yet the government continues to act as though we are. Once again the facts do not support this claim. The evidence shows clearly that the minister was actually left with a surplus by the Conservative government and that it really is his own spending decisions that have set it off track. Our government balanced the budget in 2014-15, as we said we would, and there was a $1.9-billion surplus. The parliamentary budget office has confirmed that the 2015-16 budget was left in a surplus by our Conservative government. We have still yet to see the full extent of the Minister of Finance’s March madness, but it is clear that in this spending spree he worked really hard to spend away Conservative surpluses, and he refuses to take the responsibility for this reckless spending. Credibility is key and trust is a key as well. The current government’s inability to answer simple questions asks us to question both credibility and trust. When we look at the budget implementation bill and reflect on the testimony in the committee of the whole, we actually gave the Minister of Finance about four hours to answer some pretty basic questions about his plans, but our questions were often met with silence, and that is a very revealing indication of problems with respect to the implementation of this budget. Revealing, as well, were our questions about the $6-billion contingency fund the minister built into the budget. During this particular exchange, the minister was actually unable to provide any details at all as to what kinds of factors were taken into consideration when determining the size of the fund. I would add that one of the witnesses before the finance committee indicated to the members of the committee that applying this contingency fund was, in essence, projecting oil to be at a price of $20 per barrel, and we know that not to be the fact. More concerning was the fact that the minister revealed that he already had plans to spend this $6-billion contingency fund. The next day, in question period, the minister doubled down. Again, he committed to spending this $6 billion, regardless of whether it was needed, instead of returning it to taxpayers. This is not responsible and is simply not acceptable.
Canadians also expect that when someone promises to do something, that person will follow through on the promise. The Liberals have made many promises, but those promises lack credibility. The Liberals have broken their election promises, and their out-of-control spending will end up hurting families, small business, and hard-working Canadians, because we know where this ends. It ends in the form of tax increases. The Liberals were elected on a platform of modest deficits capped at $10 billion. They were elected on a platform of reducing the ratio of debt to GDP, with a goal of returning the budget to balance. However, almost immediately after taking power, they changed their minds. At a time when Canada is not in a recession, they have nearly tripled the deficit, admitted that they cannot control the debt to GDP ratio, and decided that balancing the budget was really not that important after all. Not only is the minister breaking his promise, but as we know, he is suggesting that Conservatives would do well to get past this whole budget balance thing. However, the Conservatives will not simply get past the whole balanced budget thing, because we know that budgets do not balance themselves. We will continue to voice our concerns, as well as those of Canadians who want to see balanced budgets, not broken electoral promises and out-of-control spending. We should take a closer look at some of the broken electoral promises. The Liberals have absolutely shattered their promise to small businesses to proceed with a small business tax rate reduction to 9% by 2019. While the Liberals promised to stand by this commitment during the election period, since taking power, it has become clear that small businesses are not the government’s priority at all. Budget 2016 lays out the Liberals’ plan to tax small businesses at 10.5%, but they cleverly say that plans for any other small business tax cuts will be deferred. I know what the definition of “deferred” is. For the record, it is “withheld for or until a stated time”. The finance minister indicated, when he appeared before the finance committee, that he actually has no further information about any planned date to restore this tax reduction, as promised. He refuses to own up to the fact that this tax cut has been clearly cancelled. The parliamentary budget office, in a report from May 10, “estimates that by 2020-21, Budget 2016 changes to the small business tax rate will reduce real GDP by $300 million”, and this Canadians will really understand, “and the level of employment by about 1,240 jobs”. Not proceeding with the planned implementation of the tax rate, in fact cancelling it, will have a long-term effect on employment in this country and on our GDP. This will clearly not help grow the Canadian economy. We know that the Liberals will have to raise taxes to pay for all of this out-of-control spending. However, when we reflect upon it, it really is disconcerting and unfortunate that 700,000 middle-class small business owners, who employ 95% of working Canadians, were the first target of this finance minister.
I, along with my constituents and the Conservative Party, have a long list of concerns about this budget. We have the ballooning deficit, with no sign in the future of what the cap will be. The Prime Minister famously gave an interview in the United States, and when he was asked how big the deficit will grow, he said he did not really have a number in mind. That is not prudent management. I am concerned about the fact that this budget has no plan to create jobs. There is the notion that if the Liberals sprinkle the money out into the economy, it is going to actually take root and there will be growth. The reality is that there are a lot of things that can happen between the sprinkling of the money and the creation of a job. My concern is that there is no plan to actually nurture the creation of jobs. I am very concerned that there is no plan to promote business investment. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The government’s version of promoting investment by private businesses is taxing them more, creating more regulation, and giving far greater uncertainty in decision-making within this country when it comes to the movement of our natural resources. That does nothing to help our economy. That does nothing to help us with the commodity shock we are feeling right now in this country that is actually putting so many people and Canadians in pain, in several provinces, as a result of something that is completely out of their control. I am very concerned that the Liberals have repealed the balanced budget legislation. There were provisions within this legislation to take into account in emergency situations. Instead, the Liberals have decided to just remove it, because they do not want to be tied to a fiscal anchor that every Canadian household can completely understand and should absolutely live to attain. We can look at studies that have been produced by the parliamentary budget office. One that came out in January that was of most importance to me looked at household indebtedness in our country. It may be surprising to note that household indebtedness in our country is projected to rise to about 174% of debt to household income. That is a very large number. It means that Canadians are gathering in more debt. They have higher debt than they did before the recession hit in 2008-09. The government is now getting on that bandwagon and saying that debt is good, and it is going to go into debt now too, as their government. However, it is not doing it on its own behalf; it is doing it in combination with provinces that are doing the exact same thing, going into greater amounts of debt. We have households with increased debt. We have provinces really racking up the debt, especially in my province of Ontario. By the way, Ontario is the number one sub-national government in the world in terms of the size of the debt. We are number one, Ontario. That is fantastic. The other aspect of debt is the reality that at the end of the day, this debt actually does matter. It takes away the flexibility of a government to act when things get very difficult with respect to the economy. The bill also targets tax credits we introduced, as the previous government that actually helped families. One of the aspects of the fitness and arts credit I appreciated the most was the fact that it was actually recognizing Canadian families for doing something good for their children’s health in the future, their mental health by taking arts and their physical health by getting involved in fitness. That incentive has been taken away by the government. Changes to EI are of great concern. However, the small business tax cut cancellation will, of course, have a long-term, long-run effect on our Canadian economy.
The only things the government is going to grow in the coming years are two-fold: it is going to grow our debt, and it is absolutely going to grow the size of government. Coming from Cape Breton, I can say that big government is not here to save us. Big government is not something we should be reliant upon. We should be reliant upon ourselves, our families, and our communities to ensure that we live a prosperous life and can contribute to the economy of Canada. With all of these concerns in mind, Conservatives will not forget that Canadians voted for responsible fiscal management on election day. Those who voted for the Conservatives and NDP in both cases voted for balanced budgets. We will not forget those who voted for the Liberals either, because they voted on the basis of small, moderate deficits that would primarily go to infrastructure. That is far from what the Liberals have delivered so far.  Milton MP Lisa Raitt at an Air Park social event. Many o her constituents thought she was a little too close the he airport ownership and didn’t listen all that well to the residents of north Burlington. We will hold the government accountable. We will fight for lower taxes, we will fight for a balanced budget, and we will fight to get a plan that will actually keep Canada growing and thriving. She is certainly a scrapper and she will do everything she can to hold the current government to account – just the way the Liberals and the New Democrats held the Harper government to account.
June 9, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON It has been a long time coming – and the people who work in the hospitality business should not have had to wait this long. In many, far too many restaurants, the owners have been keeping a portion of the tip you left for the person who served you. Starting tomorrow, Ontario is making it illegal for employers to take employees’ tips and other gratuities, except in limited circumstances.
Employers are allowed to withhold or make deductions from their employees’ tips and other gratuities if they are: • Collecting and redistributing the money among some or all its employees, a practice often referred to as tip pooling • If a statute or a court order authorizes it Business owners who regularly spend most of their time doing the same work as those who would normally receive tips – such as cleaning and serving food – will still be allowed to take part in a tip pool. The 2014 Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey found there were 65,300 food and beverage service employees in Ontario who receive tips and gratuities. For those of you working in the hospitality business – forward this to your employer – they have been stealing your money for far too long.
June 9, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The city wants citizen input on designing an age-friendly future for Burlington. They are hosting three discussion forums for the community to share its thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Feedback provided at each session will be used to help develop the city’s Active Aging Plan, which aims to help keep older adults active, healthy and engaged in their community.  The Mayor discuses an issue with a senior citizen at a ward 4 meeting. “If you are a resident 55+ or the care partner, friend, neighbour or family member of someone 55+, who cares about building an age-friendly future for Burlington, the city encourages you to attend one of these forums,” said Rob Axiak, the city’s manager of Recreation Services. “The discussion forums are your opportunity to tell us what you think would help to make Burlington a city that reflects the needs of its older adults. Your input is instrumental in helping the city to design the Active Aging Plan.”  Mayor Rick Goldring has his membership application processed at the Seniors’ Centre. At each forum, a brief presentation about the Active Aging Plan will begin the session, followed by small discussion groups focused on five key areas: • Recreation and leisure A speaker’s corner will also be set up at each forum to help capture ideas on video. The Active Aging community forums will take place on the following dates: Tuesday, June 21 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Residents who require assistance with transportation to one of the forums can contact 905-335-7888, ext. 6343. There is more information about Burlington’s Active Aging Plan on the city web site: CLICK HERE
June 9, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will be reducing the number of lanes on the westbound 403 at Highway 6 for construction starting June 10 until June 13. Traffic delays are expected. • Friday, June 10 – lane restrictions begin at 8 p.m.
June 9, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON We are all feminists today. We know that men have no monopoly on being successful politicians or in totally screwing up. More generally we know that gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation are artificial barriers that for too long have allowed the ‘suits’ in the white male club to stay in power. Nobody made that point better than our Prime Minister when he announced that his first Cabinet would be composed of an equal number of men and women and would also reflect Canada’s cultural mosaic. In the USA Obama broke the racial barrier, and now Hillary Clinton has smashed that other glass ceiling becoming the first female democratic nominee.  America’s choice for their next President? Barring an act of incredible stupidity by our friends south of the border, she will become the next US president and leader of the free world, with the largest military in global history and the second most powerful economic machine on the planet. Of course this is a biggie for the Yanks, but the world has already seen some exceptional female leaders including Thatcher, Merkel, Meir, Gandhi, Katherine the Great. Kim Campbell was Canada’s first female PM. So I’m puzzled by Ted McMeekin’s announcement that he is planning to resign from Premier Wynne’s cabinet to make way for a women to replace him. It’s true that less than 50% of Wynne’s Cabinet jobs are held by women. And Ted, the popular member of provincial parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, my riding, claims he is a feminist and that he expects his resignation will facilitate the transition towards gender parity in Wynne’s Cabinet. Using quotas, be they ethnic or gender, has been an important transition tool for changing attitudes and opening the door to broader participation by underrepresented sectors of our society. But quotas should never be considered as anything but transitional or they suddenly become that reverse discrimination the white guys all fear. And the pursuit of attracting more of one gender at the expense of the other may lead to perverse outcomes then requiring corrective gender re-balancing. Teaching was a field once dominated by males, and now is a place where men are seen as an endangered species. Still, while the gap in male and female incomes is shrinking it is hard to argue that the need for transition is over in so many other economic sectors. Except at Queen’s Park where female MPPs are on the same pay scale as their male counterparts and the Premier herself is a woman with the fattest pay cheque in the legislature. Yet, the argument remains that women are under-represented at Queen’s park relative to their numbers in the general population. But then so are the economically disadvantaged, the poor. And what about those with lower educational achievement or those with a physical or emotional handicap – or seniors. Indeed casting our parliament as a mini-me of the entire Ontario demographic could be a scary thought and formula for failure.  Ted McMeekin – MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale And if a male political leader, like Ted is truly a feminist, wouldn’t staying on the job to continue to promote equality be the most important thing he could do? McMeekin is a popular political veteran with an enviable track record, having served the people wearing three different ministries. The horse-racing folks will remember him for his efforts to save their industry after the McGuinty’s austerity program nearly drove it out of existence. In his latest job, as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ted has just initiated a long over-due sea-change in how we elect municipal politicians. That includes new campaign spending limits, prohibiting corporate and union donations, and enabled municipalities to use ranked ballots to ensure that next elected municipal representative would the most popular, the first, second or third choice of the voters, should the municipality go this route.  McMeekin in an animated conversation with Risha Burke, field worker with Community development Halton. Ted has spent much of his life in politics and fighting for the good causes. He may well be considering the benefits of slowing down, or may even be planning retirement. But resigning his Cabinet seat, notionally to make way for the Premier to appoint a woman, does him no credit. The Premier is a powerful leader and quite capable of recasting her Cabinet however she chooses. Ted would be in or out depending on her judgement of the skills needed for the new team. Gender parity is a societal goal and we are inching ever closer to that goal, with or without McMeekin’s resignation from Cabinet. In the end it is more about enabling women and ensuring accessibility by removing roadblocks. And there have always been vocations in which one gender or the other predominates, and usually for a good reason. But politics is not one of those vocations. There are still other significant opportunities to facilitate the transition to the goal of a more gender-neutral world. For example MP’s in Ottawa are considering enhancing the language of the song we all learn to sing, our national anthem, to make it more gender-neutral. But watching a good politician quit Cabinet in the interests of gender parity seems more like a case of gender cleansing. Who will be the next male volunteer?
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 Background links: McMeekin Stepping Down – More McMeekin – Ranked Ballots – National Anthem –
June 8th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON The wheels of Justice move slowly – not at a glacial pace but there is no rush to judgement – at least not when it is the city and the Burlington Air Park sending their legal warriors into a Court Room to do battle On April 4th, the Gazette reported that “a member of the city’s legal staff advised council that a Judge at the Court House advised the city that Justice Gibson anticipates he will be in a position to release his decision by April 30th. April came and went, we got into May and no decision and now we are into June and we are advised that a decision will be released June 30th  Trucks were driving in and out of the Air Park property dumping loads of landfill that was reportedly un-inspected with permits allowing them do to do. The Air Park and the city have been going at it for some time. The story came to the public’s attention when the Gazette reported in 2012 on the number of trucks that were roaring up and down Appleby Line and leave a terrible mess on the road and disturbing the peace and quiet of the country side with the clanging of truck tail gates. Literally hundreds of trucks were taking landfill onto the Air Park property. City hall wasn’t aware of what was going on nor did anyone at the Region know very much. When it came to the attention of people at city hall they could find no record of any permits being issued. Turns out the Air Park didn’t seek any permits – they had taken the position that the Air Park was federally regulated and they didn’t have to ask the city for permission to do anything.  Former city manager Jeff Fielding, on the left, making his views known to Air Park lawyer Glenn Grenier after a council meeting. City lawyers stand to the right. The city saw it differently and one court case, and an appeal later – Justice Murphy clarified that situation. The Air park is subject to city regulation.  An Appleby Line resident looks at a 35 foot high pile of landfill that she believes is toxic that was dumped next to her property without any kind of permit from the city. She is standing on her property line.  The landfill pilled on the north side of the Appleby Line residents property – put in place without any permitted permission. At this point the dumping of landfill had stopped but it was too late for an Appleby Line resident who had landfill that she believed was toxic, piled 35 feet or more high on either side of her property. The city then began to press the Air Park to submit a site plan for approval and to begin providing some data on just what was in that landfill and what impact was it having on the water table. Was it polluted? Many people in northern Burlington thought is was and they wanted water and soil samples taken.  Getting a single picture with most of the players in it is unusual. On the far left is outside counsel Ian Blue who won two court cases for the city and has been brought in to stick handle the most recent legal issue. To the rear of Blue is Blake Hurley who is with the city legal department. Scott |Stewart chats with rural Burlington residents Robert Goulet, Ken Woodruff and Montre Dennis. Vanessa Warren looks over their shoulders. Warren, Dennis and Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette have been sued by the Air Park. That case has yet to get before a Judge. . The good folks at the Air Park were not only taking exception to the demands the city was making but they took exception to what the Gazette and its publisher had written along with the comments of two citizens: Vanessa Warren and Monte Dennis. We were all sued for libel. The libel case is still before the courts. The defendants are asking for financial data from the Air Park; the Air Park didn’t want to give any data – a Judge will decide on that matter sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Both the Region and Conservation Halton bought the argument that they had no jurisdiction but Rossi appears to have kept them informed. Meanwhile the city is awaiting a decision on their request that a Judge compel the Air Park to submit a site plan for approval and that the landfill that was dumped on the property without any kind of permit be removed. It is the decision on that case that everyone has been waiting for. Many believe that whatever the Judge decides the losing side will appeal and that this case could go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada There are those who believe that the Air Park is not in a position to move more than a couple of truck loads of fill – they have already spent a reported hundreds of thousands of dollars on the various court cases – and all the bills aren’t in yet. Might the Air Park be getting close to being tapped out?
|
 |
|||||||
|
Copyright © 2025 Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
||||||||
Assisted by officers from Peel Regional Police and Guelph Police, experienced traffic officers focussed their efforts on identifying vehicles that may present a safety hazard to road users. This targeted approach typically produces a high rate of inspection failures and this was true during this project.
When Foxcroft had the audience with the Queen in May of 2015, they talked about the Canada geese that were fouling the lawns at the back of Buckingham Palace. He is reported to have given the Queen a Foxcroft 40 whistle to scare away the geese.
This Saturday, June 11th from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Mohawk Park on Kenwood Ave, Mayor Rick Goldring and Councillor Paul Sharman will rise from the ground in a tethered hot air balloon – part of the MorganMerry Experience Annual Yard Sale in support of SickKids Foundation through Children’s Miracle Network.
People could understand it if it were put in simple terms of dealing with their own credit cards. For example, a person asks for a $6,000 credit card increase but has no need and no plan as to what to buy but knows that he or she is going to buy something, the only factor being that every single last cent of that $6,000 will be spent. Even Canadians going to a bank for a loan these days are asked to explain why they need the loan, whether they are students looking to invest in their educations or young families wanting to make improvements to their homes. Any responsible institution would ask why they are applying for the loan.
When it increases taxes on job-creating small businesses, the government is discouraging success and discouraging entrepreneurship, and that has an effect on the entire country. It is not helping the middle class. It is absolutely hurting the middle class.
When people realized that the government had actually increased taxes on higher income earners in our country, a lot thought that should be okay and that it did not really mean a lot, because those people make so much money that it does not matter. I asked the minister’s officials at the finance committee whether there had been any studies done to indicate difficulties in having a combined tax rate of over 50% when we are trying to attract to Canada world-class talent for our Canadian companies. Not a single study had been done to determine what the effect would be. That is just another example of rushing to implement parts of a platform without thinking about the total effect.
Employers will also not be able to make deductions from tips for things like spillage, breakage, losses or damage. These rules affect employers and employees covered by the Employment Standards Act, 2000 in workplaces where tips and other gratuities are received – such as at bars, restaurants, hair and nail salons, catering firms and taxis.
