 By Staff
December 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Every month the Halton branch of Crime Stoppers published a story on an as yet unsolved crime. Some of the crimes are many months old – however Crime Stoppers has found that bringing these to the public’s attention sometimes is all that was needed to break a case.
On February 23, 2016 sometime during the daytime hours a daytime entry occurred on Townsend Avenue in Burlington.
The garage side door was unlocked. The inner door the home was then forced open to gain entry. Value of electronics and jewelry was stolen was over $9000.00. As of yet no suspect(s) have been identified.
This is the second entry to the house in four years.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting “TIP201” with your message to CRIMES (274637), or by submitting a tip online at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
 By Staff
December 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Wow!
Cannot wait for this one to come to my local supermarket.
Amazon GO has opened their first supermarket in Seattle. They seem to be into everything but listen to what they have added as a service – convenience feature.
When you take something off a shelf and put it in the cart – the cost of that item is automatically deducted from your Amazon account.
 Imagine – no more standing in a checkout line at a supermarket. Amazon GO lets customers walk in, grab food from the shelves and walk out again, without ever having to stand in a checkout line.
Customers tap their cellphones on a turnstile as they walk into the store, which logs them into the store’s network and connects to their Amazon account through an app.
The service is called Amazon Go. It uses machine learning, sensors and artificial intelligence to track items customers pick up. These are then added to the virtual cart on their app. If they pick up an item they later decide they don’t want, putting it back on the shelf removes it from their cart.
Do you know what that means?
No more standing in a checkout line.
No more standing behind someone who fishes through their change purse for the exact amount of change.
This is close to Nirvana.
 By Staff
December 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Faris and Sam are their names
In the corporate world there is usually a group that handles the promotion of the corporate image.
 From the left: Omar, Faris and Sam. Faris will always remind you that he is from Palestine – The Holy Land! When you are a small retailer that has been serving a community for years what do you do to celebrate and thank your customers?
You hold a day long thank you event serving soft drinks and desserts to the hundreds of people who come through your door each day.
And that is what the crew at Ray’s Variety did last week – it was their celebration of serving their customers for the past twenty years.
Congrats guys!
 By Staff
December 6, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
With just over a year in office Burlington’s Member of Parliament can toss around numbers that are in the billions as she rises in the House of Commons to speak in support of legislation related to Canada’s international assistance.
Here is what MP Karina Gould had to say
In terms of new funding, budget 2016 allocated an additional $256 million over two years, 2016-17 and 2017-18, to the international assistance envelope, the IAE. The international assistance envelope is the Government of Canada’s primary planning tool for managing official development assistance and for funding our international assistance activities. Though the majority of the resources in the IAE are programmed by Global Affairs Canada, it is truly a whole-of-government mechanism for implementing the government’s international assistance agenda.
The budget 2016 infusion of new resources complements the significant steps we have taken to address key global challenges, including climate change, instability, and humanitarian crises in Iraq, Syria, and the surrounding region, as well as ongoing development challenges, particularly those facing women and girls.
 Gould speaking at a World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey. In the last year, our government has committed $2.65 billion over five years to help developing countries tackle climate change, provided over $1.1 billion over three years in development and humanitarian assistance to address the needs of people affected by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, and increased our contribution to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria by 20%, to $785 million from 2017 to 2019.
The international aid commitments that the government has recently made are a reflection of our desire to help implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
We have leveraged our significant commitments to encourage other donors to dig deeper. During the event hosted by our Prime Minister in Montreal last September, donors pledged over $12.9 billion over the next three years to the fifth Global Fund Replenishment Conference to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This is a tremendous global commitment to end the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria once and for all.
Under the leadership of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, we launched a review of Canada’s international assistance, including development, peace, security and humanitarian aid.
This means that we are reviewing what we do, where we are targeting our efforts, our operating practices, and the partnerships we must forge to make our contribution.
At the core of our review is a commitment to refocus our assistance on the poorest and the most vulnerable, including in fragile states. We will channel our efforts on advancing the empowerment of women and girls as powerful agents of change. By investing in their social, economic, and political empowerment, we can promote dramatic and positive change in the lives of entire communities.
 Burlington MP Karina Gould listening to a constituent. As a recent UNDP report highlighted, the future of the world will depend on us doing everything in our power to ignite the potential of a 10-year-old girl today. That commitment to a feminist and human rights-based approach will also be a catalyst for achieving all 17 goals of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
To ensure that we get this right, we consulted broadly and transparently with Canadian and international partners, seeking to build on areas of Canada’s success, examine evidence and best practice, and strengthen the partnerships, mechanisms, and tools needed for improved delivery on the ground. More than 15,000 Canadian and international stakeholders in over 60 countries took the time to contribute to these consultations. I thank them for their thoughtful, engaging responses.
We know that the global development and security context has changed and Canada’s international assistance needs to adapt to this new reality. In our response to crises in the Middle East, we are ensuring that our security, humanitarian, and development assistance is part of an integrated response in the region.
To move forward, the Government of Canada will need to forge new partnerships with Canadians, NGO partners, international organizations, research institutions, and the private sector to ensure that the best ideas and minds are brought together to develop innovative solutions to the most enduring problems. We will need to look beyond official development assistance and make use of different types of financial flows to overcome financing gaps.
Most important, we will continue to engage with stakeholders and local populations, including the poorest and the most vulnerable, to ensure that their voices are heard and form part of the decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing our new international assistance vision that will support Canada’s engagement on the world stage, thus contributing to a more stable and prosperous world for all.
 By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It is almost as if each side was talking about something very different.
The Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller is explaining why some high schools have to be closed while parents feel their community will be torn apart if that happens.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller during a phone in Q&A session – it was not an easy night for him. Miller’s job is to deliver the best high school experience he can to every student. And by best he means course selections that allow a student to take the courses that will prepare them for the work force, community college or university.
There are many more course offerings available these days but the number of hours a student can spend in a classroom has not changed.
In larger high schools there can be several course “session”. A court session is the number of times a subject can be offered. Grade 10 Algebra can be offered several times in a large school so that students who have an interest in some other course at the same time as one grade 10 algebra course is being offered can take the class at another time.
Setting up these schedules is a mammoth undertaking which the Board seems to handle quite well. The problem is that in order to offer a particular subject at several different times there has to be teachers available; in order for there to be teachers there have to be students – and enrollment at several of the city’s high school is decreasing.
Miller has a serious problem, and as Director of Education he was required to advise the publicly elected trustees that he “has a problem”.
Miller did that and the trustees decided to do a Program Accommodation Review.
Miller’s ability to deliver the program he believes is necessary is impacted by a number of factors
The availability of the required courses
Ability to schedule courses so that students can access them
Variety of course types – this refers to the different pathways a student decides to take through their high school experience
The variety of optional area courses
The variety of classroom activities – extracurricular
Courses are more likely to be taught by teachers with subject specialization
And access to the supports and services needed to deliver program
Miller explains that with larger schools there is greater variety of courses and pathways possible, and he
recognizes there are benefits to smaller schools where the staff are able to get to know students better.
 Bateman high school students protesting when it looked like their football season was going to be cancelled several years ago. Students have a better chance of making it to one of the sports teams; there is less pressure on physical space – gym, library. There is a higher ratio of service staff to students for Guidance, Special Education, and Library which Miller points out increases the Boards costs.
Parents expect all the things Miller is required PLUS they want a school that is more than a collection of classrooms – they want and expect the school to be an integral part of the community.
At the high school level in Burlington this is really pronounced with Nelson and Central. Would anyone dare close Nelson high school in this city? Not if they wanted to live a full life.
Central wears its history proudly – it is on every wall in every hallway that isn’t taken up with lockers. It is a school complex where a child can go from kindergarten to high school graduation in the same location. There are some that don’t see this as a plus.
 Central high school’s history is spread throughout the building. Some fluff off this ”neighbourhood” part of a school as an emotional attachment to the parent’s student days and it is to some degree that is true. It is also cultural – and without culture you don’t have a community.
One of the things that makes the Burlington Teen Tour band the success it is goes back to the days when the parents were in the band. The number of couple that met in BTTB and later married is astounding. This is family to them and explains a large part of the success of that organization.
High schools are quite a bit bigger and require more in the way of management skills.
What seems to be lacking is a fuller, shared understanding on the part of the education bureaucrats as to just what the issue is – and unfortunately there is now some “us against them” creeping into the dialogue.
The Board hasn’t helped when it dumped a 147 page document, School Information Profiles that tells you more than you will ever want to know about any of the high schools on parents. The document has data on the schools condition; its utility costs, walking distances and courses/programs offered at each school.
Great data – but where are parents supposed to find the time to do the review and analysis needed to get a fix on just what it is they are dealing with? It is a pretty safe bet that the school board trustees don’t have a full grasp of the data that relates to the school they are responsible for.
 Former Central high school principal Terry Ruff explaining to parents what the review was like when he went through one in 2000. What the Gazette is seeing is a very focused and committed group of parents from Central high school organizing at several levels – with little seen at the other high schools so far. What they have not fully grasped is that every high school is at some risk.
Thursday is the first of the seven meetings of the Program Accommodation Review Committee that will take place during this long drawn out process are:
PARC Working Meeting #1
January 26, 2017
PARC Working Meeting #2
February 2, 2017
PARC Working Meeting #3
February 9, 2017
Public Meeting #2
March 2, 2017
 Notes taken during one of the early parent meetings at Central high school. PARC Working Meeting #4
March 23, 2017
Director’s Report to Committee of the Whole
March 29, 2017
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Public Delegation Night
April 18, 2017
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Presentation of Report to Board of Trustees for Decision
May 17, 2017
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
 By Staff
December 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Tuesday, December 13th from 7-11 pm – Joe Dogs!
 It could well be a night to remember! Central high parents are working with the guys that run Joe Dogs to host a silent auction to raise money to support the parents with their fight to keep Burlington Central High open.
They would like as many people as possible to join them to show your support; invite all your friends too! Let’s make this the best fundraiser ever!
There will be a special appearance by singer Dania Thurman and guitarist Anesti K who will be providing entertainment so come on out, bid and enjoy!!
Thanks again and hope to see you all soon!
 By Staff
December 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Sometimes a local merchant will support something a local group is doing. But you don’t often see four of the major local watering holes saying they are behind you and then agree to take in your petition so people can sign the document while they are in the bar
#centralstrong, the Central high school parents group that wants to convince the school board trustees that Central high school should remain open did what any group does – put together a petition and go door to door to get it signed.
You miss a lot of people and there usually isn’t time to double back.
#centralstrong came up with the idea that they would ask local hospitality operations if they would take a copy of the petition and let people sign it.
 They are certainly getting the message out. Central high parents and students in front of the provincial legislature. Here is how the spokespeople, Dania Thurman and Lynne Crosbie put it: “A big thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who hit the pavement collecting signatures for our petition. If we missed you and you would like to sign the petition, I have some great news! We have some fantastic support from some of our downtown businesses who have offered to have our petition available for you to drop in and sign.
We are hoping that you will support these businesses like they are supporting us by stopping in for a drink or a meal when you are there sign the petition and show these establishments some BCHS love!
Remember to say thank you!
 Queen’s Head – just one of the local watering holes that keeps a copy of the Central high school petition ready for you to sign. Joe Dogs
Home
The Dickens
https://www.thedickens.ca/
The Queens Head
https://www.thequeenshead.ca/
Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Sports Lounge
https://wendelclarks.com/
By Staff
December 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Only days after the launch of the province’s annual Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) Program, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) reports that it continues to respond to impaired driving incidents in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills.
 Halton Regional Chief of Police Stephen Tanner cracking down on those who drink and drive. Chief Stephen Tanner once again explains that “Impaired driving is a direct threat to the safety and well-being of all road users. We continue to take an aggressive, zero tolerance approach to dealing with it and strongly encourage members of the public to do the same.”
Signs of an impaired driver may include:
– A vehicle moving too fast, too slow or that fluctuates greatly in speed;
– A vehicle being driven erratically or that is not maintaining its lane;
– A vehicle whose driver blatantly disregards traffic signals or other rules of the road.
Follows are examples of impaired driving occurrences officers have processed region-wide in recent days:
1 District (Milton and Halton Hills): On November 26, a citizen reported a vehicle travelling erratically in Milton. The vehicle was located parked in a nearby lot a short time later. There, officers observed a male slumped over in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition. Numerous attempts were made to rouse the 39 year-old man before he woke up and was instructed to exit the vehicle. The driver displayed multiple signs of impairment. Results of breath tests indicated a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of more than 3.5 times the legal limit. He has been charged with Care and Control while Impaired and Care and Control – Over 80mgs.
 RIDE program – it works as much as a deterrent than anything else. Calls from the public really help. 2 District (Oakville): On November 27, a citizen contacted HRPS to report a suspected impaired driver. Responding officers located the vehicle in the drive through of an Oakville restaurant. The 25 year-old driver displayed numerous signs of impairment, and was transported to the station for a breath test which revealed a BAC of close to double the legal limit. He faces charges of Impaired Driving – Over 80mgs.
3 District (Burlington): On November 29, police received numerous calls reporting that a vehicle had struck a fence and fled the area. The vehicle was located a short distance away and the driver was arrested for impaired driving. Subsequent tests revealed that the 26 year-old driver had a BAC of 1.5 times the legal limit. He was charged with Impaired Driving – Over 80mgs.
Notice that all these situations are the result of vigilant citizens calling the police – keep it up. They are also the result of someone somewhere serving someone far too much alcohol.
The public are reminded that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a crime in progress and to call 9-1-1 immediately to report a suspected impaired driver.
The police service’s Twitter and Facebook accounts should not be used for this purpose; they are not monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
By Staff
December 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
This is the first time the public gets to have a say on what the Board of Education has to decide next May – which is: Do high schools get closed and if yes –which high schools get closed.
 Burlington’s Central high school has been targeted for possible closure. A very strong community push is taking place to keep it open – they are up against a structure that is dated and needs a lot of help to be brought up to standard. The Halton District School Board is hosting the first of several meetings at which the public gets an opportunity to speak
The meetings are a part of the Burlington Secondary School Program and Accommodation Review (PAR) which will take place on Thursday, December 8, 2016. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the New Street Education Centre, 3250 New Street, Burlington.
 Gary Allan school located on New Street just west of Cumberland. Watch for the entrance to the parking – easy to miss. The meeting is open to the public; they would appreciate your pre-registering so they can plan for this meeting.
The Pre-registration Form is posted on the Halton District School Board website: https://bit.ly/2gFUT5Z
The focus of this public meeting will be to gather individual input on the framework, which is organized around the following four themes:
Theme 1: Programming and Enrolment
Theme 2: Physical state of existing schools
Theme 3: Geographical and transportation issues
Theme 4: Fiscal responsibility and future planning
 Very little is being hard from parents at Pearson high school. It’s almost as if they have thrown in the towel. The loss to the community is a day care centre that is second to one in the city. The meeting will be interactive. A presentation from the Board will be followed by a questionnaire divided into four 20-minute segments focusing on a distinct topic. Each attendee may offer input through use of an electronic ‘clicker’. Each segment will conclude with a discussion.
The 25+ members of the PARC met as a group last Thursday. That meeting was closed to the people. The objective of the meeting was for the participants to get to know one another – most of these people had never met each other. They were introduced to the Chair Scott Podrebarac and met the person who is going to facilitate the meetings.
 While Central and Pearson high schools were recommended for closure by Board of Education staff there are other schools that are at risk. Those not at risk are Aldershot, Hayden, Nelson. The Board of Education hired people from Ipsos Reid, a leading market research firm to do the facilitation – and market research is really what these meetings are about. A tough decision has to be made – there are more than 1800 empty seats in the high school classrooms in Burlington. That is not sustainable – the Director of Education has to prepare a report which he will submit to the trustees and they will decide what gets done.
Between now and that decision date next May 2017, there is a lot of work to be done and the Board of Education staff – and the trustees, want to know what the public has to say.
Meeting agenda:
6:45-7:00 p.m.- Arrival and check in
7:00 p.m.- Opening remarks and explanation of the event
7:05 p.m.- A Presentation by Chair of the PAR Committee (Scott Podrebarac)
7:15 – 8:15 p.m..- Electronic questions, and discussion based on themes.
8:35 p.m.- Further discussion led by attendees
8:50 p.m.- Summary
9:00 p.m.- Event concludes
 By Staff
December 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There are all kinds of events taking place during December which you somehow have to fit into the shopping frenzy.
 Half an hour to just relax is something that is appreciated and, if you happen to be doing some of your shopping at the Royal Botanical Garden there is a place just across the road where you can see some of the very best stained glass art work on display.
AGOG, Artistic Group of Glass is holding a holding a Glass Show & Sale that will run all December at the Teresa Seaton Studio & Gallery, 654 Spring Gardens Rd. Burlington ON L7T 1J2 – Thurs – Sun, 11am-5pmSeaton
 John Storey’s Dylan  John Storey’s The Rose Included in the group showing are: John Highley / Mosaic Glass
Siobhan Lynch / Copper Foil
Joe Speck / Fused Glass
Teresa Seaton / Copper Foil
John Storey / Leaded Glass
 Teresa Seaton’s Lower Dashwood
By Staff
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police are seeking the public’s assistance identifying two males that robbed a Burlington Taxi driver.
On Saturday November 26th, 2016 at approximately 8:00pm, two males were picked up by a Burlington Taxi in the area of Mountainside Drive and Industrial Street in Burlington. The males were driven to the area of Mount Forest Road and Nottingham Avenue. Upon arriving to this location, the males physically assaulted the taxi driver and stole a quantity of money. Both males fled on foot.
The two male suspects are described as follows:
 Suspect 1- Taxi driver robbery Suspect 1: Male, white, between 25-30 years of age, approximately 6’0″ tall, with a thin build. He was wearing toque and had a bit of facial hair.
 Suspect 2 – Taxi driver robbery Suspect 2: Male, white, between 26-32 years of age, approximately 6’0″ tall, with an athletic build. He was wearing a toque and had a bit of facial hair.
Anyone who may have information that would assist the investigation is asked to call the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext 2316 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Pepper Parr
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District school Board Director of Education Stuart Miller delegated to city council a while ago and explained why his organization was recommending that two high schools in the city be closed.
It was a polite delegation – none of the council members asked much in the way of questions. He had made his point and that was that.
Miller did explain the process that is used when a school is going to be closed. At the time he didn’t mention that the city is asked to provide a representative on the PAR committee.
Once the PARC was formed the city was then asked to select a representative.
A PARC is a committee to Program Accommodation Review.
In a report to council earlier this week the Mayor recommended that city manager James Ridge be appointed as the representative to participate on the PARC, in an advisory role, to be a conduit of information, and to provide meaningful input and feedback concerning the proposed solutions.
The Board of Education initial preferred option includes closing both Burlington Central and Lester B. Pearson secondary schools.
The Mayor said that James Ridge has been consulted and is supportive of fulfilling the appointment to the Halton District School Board PARC. The fact is that Ridge volunteered for the task.
In a report that was submitted under Mayor Goldring’s signature it said:
 Mayor Goldring speaking to media wearing his Chain of Office which identifies him as Mayor – a political role. “There is obviously a great deal of concern in our community, especially with teachers, parents and students and within the areas located in close proximity to both Central and Pearson. It is only natural that many residents would want Burlington City Council to get involved in this issue.
“Recognizing that it is the Halton District School Board that makes the final decision, it would be inappropriate for council to take any sort of official position on this issue. I do understand, however, the interest in members of council wanting to get involved simply as residents.
“I am of the opinion that James Ridges will be an excellent representative of the City as a community partner on the Halton District School Board PARC. In this advisory role, I am confident that he will effectively communicate a clear and objective perspective concerning the proposed solutions that will be part of the PARC discussions.
During the council meeting the Mayor said he had received a note from a citizen saying they thought the Mayor should represent the city because he was unbiased, fair, thoughtful and objective. The Mayor then said that those words applied to city manager James Ridge but that in his case these words were squared, a mathematical term, and that Ridge had the “big picture” as well.
 City manager James Ridge will represent the city on the Board of Education Program Accommodation Review Committee – a group that many see as very political in that it speaks to the interests of parents who want to keep their school open. Apparently the Mayor was having some difficulty deciding what to do and Ridge volunteered to sit on the PARC.
It is doubtful that the city manager has ever been in one of the city’s high schools – if he has – it was part of a tour. He would not know the character of the different high schools – what makes Nelson the school that it is and what makes M. M. Robinson the high school that it is. Ridge has been in Burlington for about 18 months and while he may see himself as a quick study understanding a city and and its character takes years.
Rick Goldring attended both elementary and high school in Burlington – he is a product of Nelson and know the rivalries that exist between the high schools and having raised children in this city he understands fully what the high schools in this city mean to the parents.
Ridge has children that he and his wife saw through high school – but those schools were not in this city. What Ridge will bring to the PARC is the view of a bureaucrat not a citizen with a deep understanding of the city and its needs.
Meed Ward responded to the Mayor’s decision with the comment that she had approached the Mayor privately and asked that he represent the city and that she was disappointed in his decision to recommend Ridge.
Meed Ward believes the closing of a high school is a political issue. She pointed out that one of the pillars of the Strategic Plan focuses on healthy communities and the walk-ability of the community centres was important.
The Mayor doesn’t appear to share that view – but he didn’t explicitly say so. He did say “we are all very interested observers of the process” and he felt the city manager could do the job that was to be done.
 The body language tells it all – Councilors Meed ward and Craven sit beside each other at Council meetings because they represent wards 2 and 1 respectively and council members are seated in numerical order with the Mayor in the chair. The two don’t like each other and share very few viewpoints. Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven had no such hesitation in saying what he thought. He said he totally disagrees with Meed Ward and the position she has taken. “We need to stay out of the work the school board trustees have to do. I am quite uncomfortable with this”… “but it is not something I have control over.”
Meed Ward explained that she has a son who attends Central high school and a daughter who attends Aldershot high school and it is her belief that what happens to a high school impacts the community and that is the business of a city council.
Of note is that there is not a structure for the Board of Education and the city to meet to discuss shared concerns.
The Chief of police has in the past delegated to city council to discuss public safety matters; the hospital boat will send their president to city hall to provide updates. The Dean at the McMaster DeGroote School of Business attends council to delegate.
Politics is doing the business of the people and the school board close to the largest employer and the recipient of a very large slice of the tax revenue pie. They need to work together on issues of shared concern – and if this city council doesn’t understand or appreciate that the closing of a high school is not a major political concern we are indeed in serious trouble with the city council we have.
The Gazette hears the phrase “this is a dysfunctional council” from far too many people who are admired, respected and the recipients of Burlington’s Best awards.
For a Mayor to avoid sitting on a committee that will prepare a report that goes to the Director of Education which he uses to prepare his report to the trustees who will make the eventual decision, this is almost a dereliction of duty, which is defined as “the shameful failure to fulfill one’s obligations.” That pretty well sums it up – doesn’t it?
 The parents committee at Central are delighted that Meed Ward accepted the request that she sit on the PARC. Dania Thurman, spokesperson for the parents group said: “Marianne was the right choice for our School’s council representative because she has a son at Central AND a daughter at Aldershot.
“This gives her a unique perspective that most of us do not have. She also has extensive experience sitting on different committees and is used to working with others to find solutions to complicated issues.
“As a group we wanted to choose the person who was best qualified and could work well under the pressure of being on a committee like this. Marianne is very well spoken and more than capable of sharing our concerns clearly and thoughtfully. As a parent of a student at our school she qualifies to be a member on the PAR just like any other Central parent.
By Pepper Parr
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It happens every year.
What do you get the person who teaches your children?
How much do you spend – what is appropriate and are you going to buy them another cute coffee mug they don’t want or need?
Gifting a classroom teacher is a good thing; the parents get a chance to say thank you; the student, especially if they are very young, just love the idea of giving a gift to someone who is a very important person in their life.
Teachers appreciate the recognition.
 But what to buy? It can’t be too expensive – can it be relevant? Some teachers have little collections, we knew one who collected elephant figurines – her student’s loved adding to the collection.
Teachers know where the help is needed in their classrooms – they see the kid wearing sneakers when the streets and wet and slushy; they see the threadbare coat and they are often able to call the Halton Learning Foundation and ask if there is some help available.
The Foundation has come up with a way for helping to be made easier and quite direct.
They have created on-line catalogue that people can browse through and choose the level of gift they would like to give.
A backpack full of school supplies seems simple and attainable, but is out-of-reach for many Halton families. Your $25 gift can ensure students have the basic tools they need to participate in learning
Many children and teens have no choice but to brave cold, wet temperatures in ill-fitting or poorly insulated coats and boots. Worse, some kids miss school days because they do not have appropriate gear for the weather. Your $75 gift can help a student stay warm and dry on the trip to and from school.
Many students miss out on the experience of field trips that enhance classroom learning because their families simply cannot afford to send them. Your Growth and Confidence gift can allow at least 10-15 students to be included in hands-on, experiential learning provided by field trips. An education isn’t limited to text books; the social skills learned while mixing socially with other students is vital.
 The person buying the gift gets to have a card sent along to the person who the gift is being bought on behalf of.
A household can go on-line and decide they want to pay for the Fresh Start gift and have it given on behalf of a classroom teacher. The teacher gets the card saying a gift as given on their behalf by a specific student.
There are people who get gift they forget about in a month. This special kind of gift tends to be remembered for a long time. Isn’t that part of the purpose of a gift?
The catalogue is on-line – have a look.
 By Ray Rivers
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
One day electrically powered vehicles will grace our streets and roadways and the gas pump will be an historical artifact. And as go the gas pumps so too go the gas taxes, which together with license and other road fees currently more than pay for the road infrastructure in the GTA and Hamilton.
EVs (electric vehicles) are still in their infancy in Canada but the automakers have got the memo, thanks to Tesla. And it’s not too early to consider how we should be paying for roads after the gas tax money is gone. As a result, some jurisdictions in the USA have resorted to penalizing EV and hybrid car owners with surcharges on their vehicles – in effect a tax on efficient transportation and thus a tax on the environment.
 Will electric vehicles result in less gasoline sales and less in the way of taxes on that gasoline? Is that the real reason behind tolls on highways? While Ontario subsidizes the purchase of EV’s by up to $14,000, some US states are planning to charge an annual registration fee of up to $200 on these quiet, smokeless vehicles. It’s about fairness they say. Over the years public policy has swung from financing roads through property and income taxes towards user pay. And relying as much as we do on gas taxes, how can it be fair for the F-150 crowd to have to pay for the roads while Tesla owners ride for free.
Already, Oregon is experimenting with a per mile road tax in lieu of the gas tax. An electronic device like your hydro meter would measure your driving and send you a bill. Those west coast states have typically been ahead of the curve in North America – and not co-incidentally they’ve also legalized marijuana there. But the inherent complexities of this proposal make it sound like Cheech and Chong on a bad trip.
So Toronto mayor John Tory is timely in proposing a $2 toll for the Gardiner and Don Valley highways running through the city, that may bring in up to $300 million a year. At that rate it would take twelve years to pay for rehabilitating the Gardiner, but it is a start. And If approved it would still take at least a couple of years before they would have the electronic toll booths in place to start charging.
$2 may be a low ball figure for a city that charges $2 just for an hour of parking on the street, something which causes far more damage to one’s wallet than to the street. And since it can take an hour to crawl along the DVP from one end to the other, sadly the toll would be just like a parking charge.
 John Tory arguing then that tolls were nothing but highway robbery. John Tory has had a change of heart on this matter since he ran for mayor in 2003 – arguing then that tolls were nothing but highway robbery. Of course he has blundered a few times before. There was that negative billing thing when he was with Rogers. Wasn’t he responsible for those disgusting Kim Campbell’s personal attack ads on Mr. Chretien?, And who doesn’t remember the promise to fully fund all private schools.
But he’s got this one figured out now. Though, had he supported David Miller’s road tolls back then, the Gardiner might already have been re-built. Tory used to argue that imposing tolls was unwise since that would drive cars off the Gardiner. He was probably right. But isn’t driving some cars off our congested highways exactly what we really need to do? Just ask one of those weary commuters stuck in perpetual daily grid-lock.
It’s a tragedy of the common highway. All those drivers trying to get their car on the road spoil it for all those other drivers. The rational economic solution is rationing through the price system. In fact this concept of rationing to avoid congestion is one of the pillars of the highway 407 pricing policy. Or at least, that is the rationale they use to allow them to charge the highest rates – the expensive highway – in North America.
 Isn’t driving some cars off our congested highways exactly what we really need to do? There is no perfect solution. Road tolls involve equity issues related to ability to pay, which can be brutal if you need that highway to get to work – so you can eventually pay the tolls. But flat fees and gas taxes inherently involve somebody subsidizing somebody else’s share of the cost of road building and maintenance. And that’s not fair either.
 Ray Z Rivers is a songwriter, playwright, author and columnist. Tweet @rayzrivers He will be performing on Sunday, December 18 at The Pearl Company Arts Centre, 16 Steven St., in Hamilton. The hour-long show of selected Christmas music starts at 2 p.m. Net proceeds will be donated to Mission Services in Hamilton.
Tickets are available on-line (thepearlcompany.ca) or at the door. Admission is $20, $15 for students, seniors and the under-waged. Reserve your seat today, call 905-524-0606.
Background links:
Tory Tolls – Tory No Tolls – Tory Blunders – Road Tolls Everywhere –
407 Policy – Who Pays for Roads – Oregon Experiment – Tragedy of the Commons –
 By Staff
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
This Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016 is the Burlington Santa Claus parade. Due to multiple road closures, several routes and stops are impacted from approximately 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will require detours on Routes 3, 4, 10, 21, and 25. Stops will be bagged in road closure areas.
Visit Burlington’s parade information page to view a map and get more information.
Delays are expected due to increased crowds and traffic. Please adjust your travel plans accordingly and use Trip Planner or call 905-639-0550 for next bus information.
By Staff
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The #centralstrong crowd took the GO train to Toronto, got themselves to Queen’s Park and let the provincial government know they wanted their school saved. The kind of problem every community organizer just loves to have.
“We are currently out of signs – again. We will order more in mid-December.
#centralstrong the community based group that is fighting the battle to keep Central high school open had a couple of hundred lawn signs made up.
They ran out of the first batch – had a second batch made up – ran out of the second batch.
They are at 800 signs and counting.
The easiest way for our amazing volunteers to keep track of your requests is when they are received via the website; this sends them directly to a master list.
 #Centralstrong has sold more than 800 signs. That figure will get to 2000 before the end of this battle. If your sign was stolen or you need more than one then please email or call because you cannot order more than one sign through our web page.
 By Pepper Parr
December 1st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s kick off time for the holiday season!
 Expect politicians of every stripe to invite you to share the Season with them. First out of the gate is Indira Naidoo-Harris who has asked her constituents to join her for an afternoon of fun and excitement at her third Annual Holiday Skating Party on Saturday, December 10th.
The party starts at 12:30pm and runs until 2:20pm, at Milton Memorial Arena (77 Thompson Road South, Milton ON). Those who live in the northern part of the city get represented provincially by the Member for the Milton riding; they are sort of a political orphan.
While not related to the holiday season – it is interesting to note that both the Milton and the Burlington members of the provincial legislature are both members of the provincial cabinet.
No word yet on what the other federal and provincial politicians have planned for us.
Burlington will hold its holiday event starting at Civic Square where the Christmas tree will be lit – hopefully the Hydro crew will be able to make it work this year – something went wrong with the switch last year.
 The holiday season decorations in Spence Smith Park are close to a must – Hydro does a superb job and seem to come up with new features every year. Burgers galore from The Works will be handed out – hot chocolate and then the traditional tour through the city with participants will singing Carols.
We got a light sprinkle of rain last year – might have the same thing this year – but the event is a good way to spend an evening. A delightful number of people show up for the event
You won’t want to miss this great event!
 A light drizzle of rain last year didn’t deter several hundred people showing up for the lighting of the Christmas tree at Civic Square and the Carol stroll through the streets of the city. The Carol Stroll Friday night is followed by the Santa Claus parade on Sunday.
By Staff
December 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police have arrested and charged David KRON, 24yrs of Thornhill on Thursday the 01 December 2016, with voyeurism and child pornography offences.
 David Kron is the owner / operator of Graviti Media and was known to attend Candance sponsored events where he would record various competitions throughout the GTA.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Detective Todd Martin of the Halton Regional Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE). He can be reached at (905)825-4747 extension 8983.
Charges:
Voyeurism X4
Make Child Pornography
Possession of Child Pornography
Distribute Child Pornography X2
Non-consensual distribution of intimate images
Luring a child X3
 By James Burchill
December 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Make a fortune on-line.
I know, you figure “What a load of BS…Like he has the secret…” but you still had to look didn’t you – just in case I do have the secret. After all, how painful would it be to think that the answer to all your problems was offered to you at no cost and you were too stubborn, too closed minded to even give it a chance?
What’s the harm in looking? It’s not like I want anything for the information ☺
So let’s begin before you change your mind. Here goes…
Small But Mighty
In any statistical population, there is always a percentage that will accept your offer. In other words, if you keep asking you’ll get a “yes.”
 Kids do it all the time. As adults, we ‘learn’ to stop asking very quickly in our lives because we don’t like rejection. It hurts.
But surely how you ask has something to do with it? Yes and no.
The Sad Young Man
I once heard a tale of a sad young man who had limited social skills. His idea of getting a girl involved hanging out in bars where he’d approach a young lady and simply ask her if she wanted sex!
Can you imagine the rejection rate…and the number of times he got slapped or had a drink thrown in his face? Now that’s rejection. But there’s an upside to this story…this guy always got a girl…in the end. He kept asking.
And the moral of that tale? Asking is the key, and we know that asking the right way is even better, but we know that trying different approaches makes us vulnerable to rejection. It’s quite the conundrum!
 That would be a No – but he asked. Hold that thought for a moment while we get back to the secret.
So if we simply ask enough times we will eventually get a yes, and if we improve how we asking we’ll get more yeses. Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.
Walking into Traffic
On the Internet, a large population is simply called TRAFFIC. And if you have enough traffic you can afford to ask badly and still be successful. Of course, if you ask in more effective ways you’ll do even better – but we’ve got to start somewhere.
So the secret to making money on the Internet is simply getting enough traffic and asking people if they’re interested. So if you can get enough people marching past your website (where your offer is made automatically and without personal rejection, I might add) you will eventually make sales.
Nuts and the Blind Squirrel
Granted if your offer is bad and your website is worse, you’ll make very few sales – but you will make some. As the old saying goes, “Even a blind squirrel eventually finds a nut!”
This ‘secret’ holds true in the real world as well because the secret to making money in a retail store is still all about having a steady stream of prospects (traffic) walking around your store.
 Even a blind squirrel eventually finds a nut. Now making your traffic (prospects) stay long enough to see your offers, and improving the conversion rates so you sell more stuff, well that’s the subject of another article.
An Example
And rather than leave you hanging without a practical way to implement the “more traffic” solution – here’s a clue. It’s free, it’s easy and it’s been under your nose from the very beginning: provide meaningful, appropriate content and the search engines will love you for it.
In other words, support the Internet at the fundamental level – it was built to share information… so write and share!
 James Burchill is the founder of Social Fusion Network – an organization that helps local business connect and network. He also writes about digital marketing, entrepreneurship and technology and when he’s not consulting, he teaches people to start their own ‘side hustle.’
By Staff
December 1st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
In what was the longest city council meeting the Gazette can remember – just short of three hours, council decided that internet voting is in and ranked ballots will be looked at after the 2018 municipal election.
The Gazette has watched city council meeting start and end in less than 20 minutes – and these were not council meetings with just the one item on the agenda.
There was quite a bit of “informed” opinion put before council on the possible security problems with using the internet to cast a ballot.
 Gareth Williams, a delegator to city council where it became evident that he knew a lot more than anyone on city council about internet security. They decided that convenience was more important than the safety of the vote. The city of Toronto is having serious considerations about continuing to use the internet – the city of Waterloo has decided this isn’t something they want to do. Given that Kitchener- Waterloo is tech central for this country – there may be some wisdom we are not availing ourselves of in Burlington.
During the debate, at which delegator Gareth Williams gave as good as he got from members of Council who wanted this question to just go away. Councillor Sharman wanted the motion that was to be voted on deferred to the next Council meeting. He was supported by Councillor Taylor but that vote lost 5-2.
 Councillor Sharman was the only Councillor who wanted to know more about what the real problems were with the security of the internet. City Clerk Angela Morgan explained that she had some contracts that needed to be signed for tabulating equipment and time was running out. Sharman pushed it to a vote – lost that vote but did get a Staff Direction in place asking that they fully research the matter for the next election – that is the one after 2018.
Williams did point out that sometimes the hacking of a site is done by smart students more as a prank. He failed to remind city council that the web site students were to use to write exams on was hacked and the testing had to be cancelled. There was no back up in place.
Ranked balloting also got punted. No one on this council wants to have to face a ranked ballot. In the 2011 election thee was just the one candidate that was at any risk had the ballots cast been ranked to choose a winner.
Ranking the ballots means that if a candidate does not have more than 50% of the vote cast then the bottom ballots get distributed amongst the other candidates.
Voters would have listed their first choice, second choice and perhaps even third choice. The first person to get a pure 50% become the person elected.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was at one point a strong advocate for ranked balloting – she appears to have lost her appetite for that approach. She had very little to say on the subject at the council meeting.
The system we use now – known as first past the post – means that the person with the most votes wins – even if the total of all the other voters is the higher number.
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