 December 16, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Hydro, the guys that keep the lights on and send you a bill every second month that never gets smaller – unless you are in Florida for the winter, wants to “find some efficiencies” and get more out the company’s assets.
Burlington Hydro has one shareholder – YOU; the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the city of Burlington and pays the city dividends on a regular basis. There are times when Hydro looks like either a rich uncle the city begs money from or a piggy bank that gets raided frequently.
The City of Burlington and Burlington Hydro Electric Inc., jointly announced the appointment of Archie Bennett as director and chair of the Burlington Hydro Electric Board following the resignation of Charles Keizer.
 Charles Keizer leaves Hydro board to consult for the organization. Keizer, a partner and co-head of Torys’ Infrastructure and Energy Practice, (Torys is a leading Ontario law firm with probably the bluest pedigree in the province) resigned as Burlington Hydro Electric Board Chair to provide legal services to Burlington Electricity Services Inc. and BHEI in partnership with the City of Burlington.
“As lead counsel on a number of generation and transmission projects, Keizer has provided solid strategic advice and has a strong understanding of project development,” said City Manager Jeff Fielding. “On behalf of the city, BESI and Burlington Hydro Electric, Charles will lead the charge in finding efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities that will help benefit ratepayers and taxpayers.”
 Keizer brings considerable depth in hydro transmission and grid operations to his new consulting assignment. It should be interesting to see what he comes up with. Keizer had to resign from the Hydro Board if he was going to provide services for which he will be paid. In the energy business payment for services is very healthy.
In addition to Bennett, a former BHEI board director and chair, the BHEI board also includes Darla Youldon, a former executive at John Deere & Co.; City Manager Jeff Fielding; Phil Nanavati, vice-president at FENGATE Capital Management; Don Dalicandro, CEO of Azertech Inc.; John Maheu, Association of Ontario Road Supervisors; and Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring.
“We’re very pleased that Charles Keizer will put his extensive industry experience into play as he undertakes the task to assess potential service delivery opportunities between the City of Burlington and Burlington Hydro Electric,” said Gerry Smallegange, President and CEO of BHEI. “In the interim, and until further notice, Archie Bennett has agreed to step in as chair of the company, providing his very capable and experienced leadership on the BHEI board.”
Bennett returns to an old stomping ground after retiring in 2007 completing a 45-year career in senior management, engineering and construction including leading the Burlington-based Zeton group of companies since 1989 to become the global leader in its field. He continues to serve on the parent and Dutch subsidiary boards of Zeton, and provides consulting services on management matters.
Bennett has the look of a place holder until Burlington Hydro has a sense as to what Keizer suggests the corporation can ger into to dig out those “efficiencies”.
 Can Hydro be more than an energy transmission company. They should have kept the fibre optic network they once owned. City manager Jeff Fielding has always believed that Hydro can and should play a bigger role in the financial evolution of the city; he has cast a covetous eye on the head office Hydro property on Brant street and wondered aloud if the city could not get more out of that asset.
Burlington is beginning to realize that we have a city manager who while good on the administrative side happens to be very good on the thinking side and has in the short time he has been at city hall managed to completely shake up the way the city puts together its budget and has everyone in every department taking a much closer look at the service they deliver. He is asking them to ask themselves: Is this a service the city should be delivering? This is radical within the municipal sector.
Fielding has permission from city council to explore the idea of “enterprise corporations” that will be like Burlington Hydro, stand alone, wholly owned subsidiaries that have the potential to generate revenue and perhaps even find a cheaper way to deliver services.
 Hydro has been paying the city significant dividends over the years. That spike is the year the fibre optic network was sold. Fielding knows better than anyone, except for Joan Ford who knows every number in every account of the city budget, how desperate the city’s Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) tax revenue situation is. The Economic Development Corporation has done such a terrible job of both attracting new companies to the city and positioning the city as a place corporations want to locate.
 Jeff Fielding – proving to be a very strong conceptual thinker as well as a decent administrator. The ICI side of the tax revenue stream for 2013 is going to be a negative number when measured against 2012 – and things right now don’t look a lot better for 2015. If the funds don’t come from the ICI side then they have to come from the residential side or spending has to be cut. In an election year? Financially the city is not in a healthy situation even thought our reserves are in very good shape.
Given a five or six snow storms like the one late last week and we just might have to dip into the snow removal reserves.
The Burlington Hydro announcements are good news in that they show some movement. Task now is to see which direction they actually move in. Hydro is one of those fat calves with all kinds of revenue and not a lot in the way of transparency.
 December 16, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The city is having a little difficulty attracting some of those new high-tech, high paying jobs. The arts community has found a way to help – they are going to move a theatrical production along the QEW from Oakville to Burlington and bring a truck load of Leading Ladies to the city
The Burl-Oak Theatre Group (BOTG), which is presenting Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig, at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, January 23 and Friday, 24 – show time for both days is 8:00 pm.
 Fun, light hearted comedy – great way to start the New Year. This is a new venture for BOTG, they tended to like the climate in Oakville but the digs at the Performing Arts Centre were just too good to pass up. Now of course they need to sell tickets for each performance.
Jim Clemens, who usually spends his spare time on Heritage matters explains this production as a “hilarious comedy, in which we meet an elderly lady on her deathbed who is looking for two relatives, Max and Steve, whom she has not seen since they were children. She plans to bestow her fortune upon them, to be shared with her one remaining niece, Meg.”
Clemens goes on to explain: “Enter Jack and Leo, two down-on-their-luck Shakespearian actors who plot to pose as the missing nephews and arrive in time to claim their inheritance.”
For the rest of the story – you need a ticket and Clemens has come up with an angle that he believes can’t miss. He wants to see a full house and explains that BOTG has a special Yuletide ticket price for their friends and colleagues. You can purchase any number of tickets to Leading Ladies at $18.00 each directly from Clemens who will look after the box office hassles.
Here is how it works. Jim Clemens has figured out a way to let his vast circle of friends in on a bit of a deal. There is a group discount available. Clemens had a brain storm and came up with the idea of forming a group, buying the tickets for that group and giving them all the benefit of the group discount. Jim’s price is $18 per ticket. The Box Office price is $25 – the difference will get you a decent glass of wine at the theatre which will put you in just the frame of mind you want to be in to fully enjoy a lark of a play.
You have to let Clemens know that you want in. Email him by December 30, 2013, Email Me and tell him which date you wish to attend and the number of tickets you wish to purchase. He will order the tickets and send you an e-mail confirming the order.
You have to pay Clemens – make your cheques payable to Jim Clemens, and not the Burl-Oak Theatre Group or the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Mail cheques to 1296 Knights Bridge Court, Burlington, or pay either Miki or Jim when you see either of them. Clemens adds that he knows where his vast circle of friends lives and doesn’t expect to have any problems collecting.
BOTG has taken a huge leap of faith in the Burlington market. They have arranged for billboard ad signs in four locations in Burlington in the next few weeks along with a mail drop to selected postal code locations around town.
 Jim Clemens has a deal for his vast circle of friends – take him up on the offer and use the money he saves you for a decent glass of wine at the Performing Arts Centre to watch the Leading Ladies. Clemens has found the new administration at the Performing Arts Centre to be more than accommodating. A number of months ago there was to be a BOTG production mounted in Burlington that just couldn’t get off the ground. Brian McCurdy, Executive Director at the Performing Arts Centre, used his experience and understanding of the problems small theatre groups have and found a work around some of the problems the group was having and for them into the Centre for the January dates.
We are seeing much more community use of the Performing Arts Centre. A church group is going to be holding a Christmas Eve Candle Light service in the Main theatre, in January Tony Bewick is going to produce the first Poetry Slam to be held at the Centre and now the news that the Leading Ladies are going to be on stage as well.
One of the complaints many people had, was that the Centre was not catering to the local needs – that all we were seeing was groups who were passing through the city, and while Roseanne Cash was nice, the public thought there would be more local material. We appear to be seeing that change – refreshing.
 Keith Strong had his guiding hand behind much of the Magic Moments event that added to the Halton Heros fund. The re-establishing of relationships between the Centre and some of the people who did that “in the trenches work’ when the place was not much more than an idea are coming along just fine. Keith Strong, who was a major player in getting many of the early donation cheques in, has had a chance to meet with Brian McCurdy; those two should get along very well. The Mayor, city manager, Strong and McCurdy had a meet which we are told went very well.
While Strong doesn’t always get it right – when he does – it is both right and strong. The kind of guy the Performing Arts Centre wants on its side.
The BOTG appears to be going all out on this their first event at the Performing Arts Centre; like every smart marketer – there is a clip on YouTube. Go for it.
 December 16, 2013
By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. The city’s promise to its citizens is to have the roads cleared within 24 hours AFTER the end of a snow storm which, according to the Roads and Parks Maintenance people, the target is to have all roads cleared by 3:00 am tomorrow (Monday) for this storm. We currently have the following equipment deployed, with each section consisting of a mix of City and contractor units:
 One of 46 road units that cleared city streets – 46 road units
– 14 sidewalk units
– 5 smaller specialized units.
 December 15, 2013
By Staff
CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) is a citizens organization in Hamilton that documents Hamilton city council meetings. The organization has a strong environmental bent to it and has watched the Enbridge Line # 9 and the National Energy Board proceedings which are relevant to Burlington because Line #9 runs right through the city just north of Side Road #1. This report is from CATCH – we pass it along because of its relevance.
BURLINGTON, ON. Controversy continues to swirl around both the National Energy Board and Enbridge Inc’s Line 9 proposals that the NEB is expected to rule on in January. Revelations this week include a large Line 9 spill that the company failed to report to the affected municipality and evidence that an association representing Enbridge and other energy corporations virtually dictated federal changes to the NEB that restricted public input into the regulator’s decision-making process. Those changes were among problems cited last month by “Ontario’s voice on public policy” in a remarkably frank discussion of the pluses and minuses – mostly the latter – of the effect of tar sands pipeline proposals on Canada’s largest province.
The Mowat Centre was set up at the University of Toronto five years ago by the Ontario government. Its pipeline review co-authored by founder and director Matthew Mendelsohn points to severe climatic impacts, safety concerns, damage to the manufacturing sector and the minimal economic benefits of oil sands expansion as reasons for the province to demand a different approach by Alberta and the federal government.
 One of the pipeline station control points is located on Walkers Line. Thousands drive by it every month. While noting Ontario’s support for “Alberta’s continued prosperity” and inclination to therefore support pipelines, the Mowat review points to “legitimate concerns regarding environmental safety” that are “real and should be treated as such”. It also contends that “new oil pipeline infrastructure is only needed if expansion in the oil sands is envisioned” which it says is completely undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“For nearly a decade, Ontario has confronted a federal government that refuses to recognize the contribution that Ontarians are making to reducing emissions while allowing the emissions from the oil sands to continue increasing unabated. So long as the federal government – and the government of Alberta – support a climate change policy that asks Ontarians – and other Canadians – to carry the largest burden and pay the biggest financial cost for reducing emissions, there are good reasons for Ontario to oppose pipeline development that will only exacerbate climate change.”
The review is equally blunt about the direct economic impact of tar sands expansion where “almost all of the economic benefits flow to Alberta” – 94% by some estimates” while Ontario industry pays a steep price in lost exports and jobs.
“There is a wide consensus that developments in Canada’s resource sector, particularly in oil and gas, have contributed to a rapid escalation in Canadian exchange rates, and that these have had a negative impact on the Ontario manufacturing sector.”
The Mowat Centre also believes “unreasonable restrictions on public input” to the NEB “do not serve the interests of Ontarians.” New restrictions imposed by the Harper government last year required individuals and groups concerned about Line 9 to fill out an application form to get permission to even send a letter to the NEB.
Those changes and similar ones introduced to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act “were taken directly from an August 2012 oil industry report” according to an analysis completed by Forest Ethics Advocacy Association.
“The energy industry told the government what to do, and the government did it. It’s as simple as that,” says their chair Clayton Ruby in a media release from the organization. The group’s spokesperson Tzeporah Berman charges that “Enbridge and the industry lobbied aggressively to get these rules put in place because they don’t want Canadians getting in the way of their profits.”
The City of Hamilton was one of 175 organizations and individuals that applied to submit comments to this fall’s NEB hearings on Line 9, and like other Ontario municipalities it particularly pushed Enbridge to provide much more information to local emergency response personnel. Revelations this week at provincial hearings underway in Quebec indicate municipalities have reason to worry about the company’s transparency.
 Few people in Burlington are even aware that one of the most controversial National Energy Board hearings concerns a pipeline that runs through the northern part of our city. The city of Terrebonne has only now learned about a 4000-litre spill from Line 9 that took place within its municipal boundaries more than two years ago. It was reported to federal and provincial authorities but not to the municipality.
“We are of the opinion that a 4,000-litre oil spill, even if it was contained within your facilities, is not an insignificant event,” Terrebonne’s director general, Denis Lévesque, wrote in a letter sent to Enbridge last week. “In our opinion, a spill like that should have been officially reported by Enbridge to our municipal services, all the more at this time when citizens are rightly concerned about ecological risks associated with oil transportation.”
And while Enbridge continues to promise that the Line 9 changes are not to facilitate export of tar sands bitumen, there are more indications to the contrary in Portland, Maine – the ocean export port that Enbridge identified in its 2008 Trailbreaker plan. In the latest developments, the American Petroleum Institute is threatening to sue Portland’s municipal council if it imposes a moratorium on “development proposals involving the loading of unrefined oil sands onto marine tank vessels docking in South Portland.”
The council move responds to a citizens’ ballot initiative that was narrowly defeated in Portland’s elections last month. It sought to block plans by the Portland to Montreal Pipeline Company to bring Canadian bitumen to the port.
Background:
Ontario’s voice on public policy” in a remarkably frank discussion.
The energy industry told the government what to do, and the government did it.
Enbridge donates $7500 to Burlington fire department.
 December 15, 2015
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The city got the main roads cleared – those trucks roared by our front door – and they were not doing the posted 40 kph. We heard them going by throughout the night.
 They call it quality time.  This isn’t a city worker – this is a neighbour being a good neighbour. The city doesn’t give all that much information on its website – just that they are out there.
 A copy of the map showing the order in which streets get cleared in set out below.
 The Mrs. get to put her vehicle in the garage. This morning the part of our driveway that didn’t get done before I called it a day, had a little schnapps to ease the aching bones, had been done by my neighbor. Thanks Rob – there’s a 12 pack on the way to you – just as soon as I can get the snow off the car and drive the thing.
Meanwhile people are out on the street with their own equipment doing what you do in the suburbs when there is a heavy snowfall.
 December 14, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The snow plow roared by our driveway – it looks like it is going to need another touch from the new snow shovel my wife bought. I have to add that she was the one who tested the shovel.
The city has a full fleet out clearing primary roads, parking lots and walkways and adding extra buses to meet public transit needs.
 They move at quite a clip – full fleet of city trucks is out this evening. As of 4 p.m. today, all facilities remain open, except for Rotary Centennial Pond. The outdoor ice skating surface in Spencer Smith Park is snow-covered and subject to high winds. It will reopen on Sunday.
The city has received about 20 centimetres of snow as of 3 p.m. today, with another seven to 10 centimetres predicted by early tomorrow.
Updates on snow clearing are posted three times daily on the city’s website at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. during winter control operations.
Burlington Transit has added extra buses and maintenance staff to keep buses on schedule. Nice little bit of overtime for the boys at transit.
 Birds aren’t going to be out much today. “City staff has been working hard around the clock since yesterday to make travel safe in Burlington,” said Cathy Robertson, director of roads and parks maintenance. “While the storm continues, most of our resources are focused on clearing primary and secondary roads. Please be patient if your road has not been reached. The city aims to have all roads plowed within 24 hours following the end of a storm.”
The city asks residents to:
Drive safely, if you must drive
Avoid shoveling snow from driveways onto the roads
Clear fire hydrants near your home
Keep parked vehicles off the roadways so snow plows can get through
The Gazette learned earlier in the day that the library was closing for the afternoon. We passed that information along to the city’s media people. If you’re aware of anything else you think they should know – send the information our way and we will get it to them.
 In an earlier edition of the paper we incorrectly named the PSW’s. Our apologies.
December 14, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. During the several debates at city council last week mention was made frequently of the difficulties Personal Support Workers had in getting to some of their clients in the east end of Lakeshore Road during the Chilly Half Marathon race that takes place in March of each year with some 4000+ runners on the road.
The Personal Support Workers (PSW’s) work to very, very tight schedules. If you have a 10:30 appointment it takes place at 10:30 – there is next to no wiggle room in their schedules. The problems the Personal Support Workers run into were brought up by a number of the delegations that didn’t want the race run on the route it is run on.
 Personal Service Workers strike for decent wages. Turns out that getting to their clients isn’t the only problem the Personal Support Workers have – they want a decent wage as well and have walked of the job effective Friday.
According to their union the 4,500 personal support workers walked off the job yesterday to support their demands for justice and a living wage.
“These workers are tired of being pushed around and taken for granted,” said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare. “They are paid poverty-level wages of $15 an hour and are expected to pay for gas out-of-pocket when they drive long distances to make home visits.”
 Ontario’s Minister of Health spent a day with a PSW worker to see first hand what they do – so the government knows that the issues are. In the last two years PSW earnings have been reduced by about 7% as a result of a wage freeze combined with inflation and a massive increase in the price of gas.
The Canadian Reed Cross created a new home care agency and merged that operation with Care Partners in 2012.
“We estimate 50 cents of every dollar given to Red Cross ($143 million this year) is skimmed off for bureaucracy, excessive executive pay and profit. Where is the accountability in this system for delivering quality care to seniors and vulnerable clients?”
Last year the CEO of the Red Cross Society was given a 9% pay increase, bringing his salary to $297 thousand, which is 11 times the average salary of a PSW.
A couple of dozen PSW’s were out on the street on one of the coldest days of the year. A hundred or so people in Burlington who needed care on Friday just didn’t get it.
 December 14, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The Halton Regional Police Services board has released the Draft of the 2014-2020. The Police Service, in cooperation with the Police Services Board is in the process of undertaking a review of its goals and objectives for the next three years. These goals are important as they guide the service in the delivery of services that are vital in maintaining the safety of the residents of Halton.
The the public are encouraged to have a say on what they feel is important by contacting Keith Moore, Senior Planner at 905-825-4747 ext. 4830 or by email at Keith.Moore@haltonpolice.ca
The material is organized into four themes with a series of points listed under each theme. Unfortunately, there is no comment on any of the points. The draft consists of a list of things the police plan to do during the next four years.
Community safety, Outreach and collaboration, Organizational capacity and Organizational excellence
Under Community Safety the Board lists:
 Identity theft and bank scams are a continuing public threat. HAlton Regional Police have led a number of successful multi-jurisdictional investigations. Ensure that Halton maintains the lowest overall crime rate and Crime Severity Index of any comparable-sized community in Canada.
Deter criminal activity— strengthen crime prevention, community policing and safety initiatives – and relentlessly pursue criminals.
Improve crime clearance rates.
Focus on key areas of concern to the community; traffic safety and enforcement, growth in illegal drug activity, gangs and organized crime,assaults and sexual assaults, domestic violence, youth and young adult crime, victimization of seniors/youth/children, technology-based crimes (e.g. Cyber-bullying; internet financial crimes and fraud). , monitoring and tracking of offenders, hate crimes and human trafficking.
Engage and mobilize the community to collaboratively share responsibility for keeping our region safe.
Establish and practice leading-edge emergency preparedness measures, including ongoing business continuity during emergencies and special events.
Under Outreach and Collaboration the board lists:
 The police are out at hundreds of community events. Build public awareness of and trust/confidence in the Halton Regional Police Service and policing in general.
Educate the public about safety and security issues through an inclusive approach that respects the diverse composition of our community.
Reduce the fear of crime — help those who live, work and play in Halton to feel even safer.
Define and clearly communicate the areas for which the Halton Regional Police Service is responsible.
Strengthen communication and community dialogue (e.g. using social and other media).
Collaborate with our communities in the prevention and solving of crime – and contribute to overall safety and wellbeing.
Strengthen relationships with youth and diverse communities to establish a solid foundation leading to improved understanding of policing, recruitment opportunities and other policing initiatives.
Continue to strengthen working relationships and information exchange with other law enforcement agencies.
Under Organizational Capacity the Board lists:
 There are community police stations throughout the Region. Police appear to want a new headquarters building as well. Ensure that police resources and funding responsibly address operational requirements and changing demographics.
Enhance the use of police analytics to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization.
Be the leaders in the application of new technologies and maximize innovation, responsiveness, outreach and service delivery.
Ensure that all employees are well-trained and well equipped in accordance with provincial requirements and in areas of emerging concern — and that support of the front line remains paramount.
Strengthen police ability to effectively address situations of elevated risk (e.g. mental health-related incidents).
Embrace human resource best practices and customize them in support of: employee recruitment/retention, diversity, career development, succession planning, performance management, and positive labour relations.
Strengthen employee understanding of the Halton Regional Police Service and its initiatives, and secure support for future strategic directions.
Ensure that police facilities adequately meet current and future needs.
Under Organizational Excellence the Board lists:
 Do the police deliver the service the public needs? The RIDE program is a proven service. Ensure that the Halton Regional Police Service demonstrates the highest levels of ethical and professional standards.
Strengthen service delivery and positive interactions with the community.
Ensure that our Police Service is an employer of choice for both uniform and civilian positions.
Strengthen employee motivation and engagement — foster a sense of employee pride and high job satisfaction, and a belief in the value of individual contribution.
Ensure that our police service culture emphasizes respect, responsibility, accountability,relationships and results.
Meet or exceed all current and future provincially mandated police service requirements.
Be the leader in identifying and implementing innovative policing practice
What is the Police Services Board telling us? Is this list a collection of clichés and self-serving statements? Is the Board, which oversees policing in the Region, calling the people who police the community to account?
Government services employ people to communicate with the public. Major corporations have public relations departments that are in place to tell their story to the public. These are companies that are in business – they are there for the most part to make a profit for their shareholders which are often large pension groups.
Public services are considerably different. They are in place to SERVE the public and to seek the advice of the public they serve.
This DRAFT plan for the next three years is the first step in the process of making their plans public.
Let us see how the public reacts to the document.
The following data for the fiscal year 2011 puts who the police serve and what the public pays for that service into perspective.
There are 178,232 households in the Region
The police budget for 2011 amounted to $116.4 million.
There were 629 men and women in uniform .
There were 282 civilian people working for the police service.
Calls to the police for service amounted to: (2009): 124,503; (2010): 129,971; (2011): 128,202.
The annual cost to each person in the Region for the police service we get amounted to: (2009): $224.66;(2010): $225.83 and (2011): $236.08
 December 13, 2013,
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The Region had issued a cold weather alert but that didn’t seem to deter the small crowd that showed up to stand underneath a railway grade separation and watch ward 1 council member Rick Craven wave his hands and shout: “Yeah, we did it”.
 This is a view that thousands of drivers are going to enjoy from this moment forward – no more waiting for the rail barrier to go up and the flashing lights to go off. Waiting for the trains to go by is a thing of the past on King Road.
And did it they most certainly did. It was last Thanksgiving when after 96 straight hours of work, and the removal of nearly 800 trucks of fill, this five million pound concrete tunnel we are standing under was hydraulically pushed into place while freight trains rumbled overhead throughout that weekend.
 Mayor Goldring cranks the siren on the antique fire engine that was the first vehicle to drive the the King Road grade separation. In the rear waving to the crowd is Councillor Craven pleased as punch with the completion of a project he has championed ever since he got himself elected. Once the structure was in place construction crews started building the aqueduct that allows Indian Creek to flow over the realigned road. That aqueduct was about twenty feet above those of us standing in the cold weather.
When the aqueduct work was done construction crews were able to start the road and then asphalt n was laid down. There is still some sidewalk work to be done but today you can peddle a bicycle underneath multiple sets of railway tracks on what was described as the busiest railway line in the country.
No more waiting for the flashing red lights to stop and for the traffic barrier to rise on King Road – it’s now non-stop from Plains Road up to the North Service Road.
Scott Stewart, General Manager for Development and Infrastructure paid a compliment to what he called “our funding partner” CN – “this project would not have been possible without your commitment.”
 How cold was it? Cold enough for the pastries on the reception to freeze. The significance of this picture is the large concrete piece at the top to the rear. That is the aqueduct that was built to allow fish to swim over the road that was built. Sound fishy? Next to the aqueduct is the bridging that carries the train tracks. It wasn’t a commitment willingly made by the railway – the city had to take CN to the Transportation Safety Board to get the funds needed to build the grade separation. Perhaps that is why the railway people had the crossing bells ringing throughout much of the ceremony.
For the most part these events are photo ops for the politicians but this event was a milestone. A major traffic bottleneck was fixed and the opportunity to open up the development of some major employments lands on the west side of King Road south of the QEW was more feasible. Getting the developer to the table will not be as difficult as it was to get CN to pay for the building of the grade separation.
There were no developers in the audience this afternoon.
There were however a number of staff people who deserved to be both mentioned and applauded for the construction of the underpass.
General manager Scott Stewart made a point of recognizing the individuals and groups who were instrumental the project done. Finishing the job within that 96 hour window was a very significant feat.
Staff from various city departments included: Tom Eichenbaum, Scott Hamilton, Bob Jurk, Derek McGaghey, Genevieve Jane, Jason Forde – from Engineering, Ron Steiginga, from legal, Helen Walihura from Community Relations, and Steve Vrakela from Roads and Parks Maintenance.
 Cutting the official ribbon is, from the left, General Manger Scott Stewart ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven, Mayor Goldring and Director of Engineering Tom Eichenbaum. The Ontario Public Works Association advised the city earlier in the day that the King Road / CN Grade Separation Project received the 2013 OPWA Project of the Year Award in the Transportation, in the $10 – $50 Million Category.
In a perfect world the Mayor and the General manager would have taken that list out to a local pub and hoisted a few and charged it all the ward Councillor’s expense budget. Rick Craven will be telling anyone with even just one ear how significant this project is – it is certainly one he has pushed since the day he was elected ten years ago.
Background:
Mammoth construction task underway on King Road
Graphic representation of construction task.
Web cast of construction site didn’t please US security types.
 December 13, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. As part of the mandate of the Human Trafficking and Vice Unit and in partnership with the Canadian Border Services Agency and By-Law Enforcement Officers from Burlington, Oakville and Milton, several Halton businesses were visited on December 11, 2013 and inspected for municipal By-law infractions.
 It’s certainly not show business. The following businesses were found to be in violation of by-laws specific to their industry and as a result received Provincial Offences Notices and/or had the business licence revoked:
Accu Green Health – 774 Brant Street, Burlington – licence revoked
Cara Studio – 4180 Morris Drive, Burlington – Notice of Violation to be served on owner and charges pending
Body & Sole – 550 Ontario Street, Milton – closed operating no valid licence
Mary Gold – 43 Main Street South, Campbellville – Closed operating unlicenced, charge issued
Tai Chi – 2544 Speers Road, Oakville – issued zoning notice for closure, charge issued
Ivy Spa – 119 North Service Road East, Oakville – issued zoning notice for closure, 2 charges issued
The Human Trafficking and Vice Unit is responsible for all human trafficking investigations (both domestic and international – including but not limited to the sex trade, forced labour or domestic servitude), all prostitution investigation (including street prostitution, escort services and disorderly houses – common-bawdy houses), all adult entertainment premises investigations (including commercial massage parlours), all gaming related investigations and all liquor license premises investigations.
Anyone wanting to provide confidential information or tips related to suspected human trafficking is asked to contact 905 825-4747 x8723, via email at HTVICE@haltonpolice.ca or anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com.
If you are a victim of human trafficking, dial 9-1-1 or contact the Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network for free, confidential telephone trauma counselling and referrals for anyone who has been trafficked or exploited at 1-866-528-7109.
 December 12, 2013
By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. All that cold weather we have been experiencing will begin to pay off for us Friday afternoon.
The pond at Spencer Smith Park will open at 4:00 pm where the skating is free to everyone.
 Pond opens to the public Friday afternoon. The pond is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with patrollers working on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The holiday schedule includes:
Christmas Eve, December 24th : 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
CLOSED Christmas day
New Year’s Eve December 31st 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
New Year’s Day January 1st 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Please remember that you must wear skates to be on the ice and children 6 years of age and under must wear a helmet.
You can call the Pond hot line for ice conditions – 905-634-7263 or visit the web site for temporary closure information, updates on pond conditions.
 December 12, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The Liberal Party of Canada will be holding its Biennial Convention in Montréal in February of 2014 – the Burlington federal Liberals are asking their members to sign on for a weekend trip to Montreal.
While a federal election is not on the calendar until 2015 – the Liberals in this town need all the name recognition a candidate can get – and with the federal Conservatives in the mess of their lives – it would make some sense to find the candidate that can win in Burlington.
 Its going to take more than a high-profile name to make Justin Prime Minister. If the Liberals can get their BOY to be seen in the House of Commons a little more often and begin making comments that make sense rather than make him look a little foolish – there could be a different political party running the country. But – it is going to take more than just the Trudeau name to form a government.
Provincially – with the chances of an election in the Spring better than even – the Liberals are still scurrying about to find a candidate to run against Jane McKenna who has done little if anything for Burlington, but she has managed to become a close to rabid partisan. Should McKenna survive the next provincial election she will become close to impossible to remove.
Tim Hudak is not likely to survive the next provincial election – which will raise the star of our Lady Jane.
Burlington seems to vote solid Tory blue unless there is a really strong name candidate – then they go with the national flow. Should Justin Trudeau up his game and begin to be seen as seriously credible a decent candidate will come forward and Mike Wallace would be in for the fight of his life.
But candidates are not like mushrooms – they don`t grow in the dark; they need sunshine and exposure; they need the interaction of vigorous debate so that voters can see the differences in character and ability and not find themselves having to rely on the political party label to make their decisions for them.
Burlington doesn`t have much in the way of a tradition to be proud of in picking candidates that are superior and able to really represent the city. For a community that is made up of people who are for the most part well-educated and in the top half of the income charts – we can and should be able to do much better than we have done in the past in terms of our political representation.
It`s not the political labels that are the problem – it’s the people wearing the labels.
 December 12, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Regional Council approved the 2014 Budget and Business Plan earlier this week marking the fourth time in the last eight years (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2014) that Halton Region has achieved a property tax reduction for Regional tax supported programs and services.
What is the Region doing that Burlington seems unable to do? Halton Region has one of the best records in Canada for keeping taxes low while maintaining and enhancing service levels.
 Regional civil servants. “This is great news for residents and businesses in Halton,” said Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We are one of the few municipalities in all of Canada that has actually reduced taxes. By maintaining our AAA credit rating and keeping our taxes low we ensure Halton is competitive which attracts jobs and investment to our community.”
Highlights of key investments in the 2014 budget include:
$177 million in transportation capital investment
$405,000 to create additional child care subsidies
$721,000 to maintain service levels for waste management services
$300,000 to increase the number of SPLIT passes available in the community (subsidy for bus passes for low income residents)
 British Royalty paid the Region a visit lat year. Regional Chair Gary Carr was delighted t squire the couple through the Region. Lord and Lady Action are on the left with a beaming Burlington Councillor John Taylor in the centre. The Action’s were in Burlington as part of a farm tour organized by the Region. $65,000 to support the development of an Agri-tourism Program to attract more tourism to Halton’s rural communities
$195,000 for Locates (Ontario One Call) a new underground infrastructure notification system
$600,000 to support initiatives outlined in the Comprehensive Housing Strategy
$320,000 for assisted housing programs including continued implementation of subsidies for low income residents
The Regional government maintains a stable of about nine communications specialists – these are the people who pump out the press releases and make sure the good news stories are spread far and wide.
The Region is just one of the levels of government represented on your tax bill. The city takes its share, then the school boards ask for their share as well.
The people who do all this work on your behalf are the beneficiaries of one of the best pension plans in the country.
 December 12, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. They weren’t exactly made welcome at the city council Monday night. At one point it looked as if it was going to be just the one person speaking about the Chilly Half Marathon that is run on Lakeshore Road every March.
Diane Leblovic was before city council to follow up on her Standing Committee delegation over the route used for the Chilly Half Marathon that runs along Lakeshore Road every March – some 4000+ strong.
 A popular race that brings thousands to the city; Unpopular to some of those who live south of Lakeshore Road. Ms Leblovic had asked if the Marathon portion of the Festivals and Events could be deferred to a date she was available and Council agreed to do so. Last night was to be her opportunity to deliver some additional “significant” information. It wasn’t going to be quite that easy for Ms Leblovic.
The list of delegations had three names of people who were to speak about the Marathon which is not the way Councillor Dennison saw things playing out. He took the position that it was Diane Leblovic who asked for the deferral and it was Diane and Diane alone that was to speak.
That brought out the liberal in John Taylor who was close too aghast that a city council would limit the right of a person to delegate to their city council.
Much toing and froing on that issue with the Clerk being brought in to read through the various pieces of correspondence and the decisions made at previous council and Standing Committee meetings. Taylor managed to get in several Points of Order and told Council he was going to challenge the Clerk’s decision. Mayor Goldring finally brought the matter to a close: Diane Leblovic, her husband Nick and Donald Belch were to each get their five minutes at the podium.
It was worth listening to; both the Leblovic’s dumped on just about everyone.
Diane was there to tell Council that the concerns they had raised were valid and that changes to the marathon race were both possible and reasonable without affecting the integrity of the event..
Ms Leblovic reminded council that on May 21st, Council, without prior notice or discussion, reneged on its earlier commitment to hold a public consultation on this event.
Ms Leblovic explained that their group needed to clearly understand the reason for this unexpected reversal of position. She asked the Mayor to meet wither and he did so along with Councillor Dennison on May 28th.
 As race directors, the VR Pro people are good at their job. Working with difficult situations – perhaps not as good. At that meeting Mayor Goldring said he had been told by Kelly Arnott, a principle in VRPro, the company that organizes the race that they were about to get a new name sponsor for the event and that the sponsor, who turned out to be Trillium College, would not sign on if there was going to be a public meeting or any controversy relating to the race.
It was at that point that an offer was made, according to Diane Leblovic, for another meeting which would involve the Mayor, Councillor Dennison, Kelly Arnott and Peter Peebles, a staff member who knows the most about setting up this kind of race event.
Ms Leblovic said she had two concerns with any ‘next’ meeting. She apparently didn’t like the idea of an “open agenda which would permit consideration and discussion of all aspects of the race”. Ms Leblovic sent the Mayor a list of proposed agenda items and the Mayor provided a detailed response in which “he either rejected or put limitations on many of our suggested agenda items”.
The second issue was to determine the reason for Trillium’s sensitivity over a public consultation about the race. Ms Leblovic explained that her husband Nick, who was to delegate later, called the president of Trillium College and learned that the College had never heard of the Leblovic group and their efforts to have a public meeting held and denied ever putting pressure on VRPro.
The cat was now out of the bag.
Ms Leblovic explained that the working group was “very unhappy with the outcome of these two events and “concluded that any meeting would be a waste of time” – it would allow the Mayor to “check the box” saying he had met with the group and “that would be the end of the discussion”.
Ms Leblovic wasn’t done yet.
“We are deeply disappointed that the Mayor and four members of Council and city staff supported a process that was flawed and unfair and that there was an appearance of favouritism to a for profit private business over the legitimate concerns of residents which Leblovic underlined by telling Council that Kelly Arnott was the first name on the list of delegations and should have been the first person to speak at the Standing Committee meeting but “I have it on good authority” she said “that Councillor Sharman who chaired the meeting directed the Clerk’s office to move Arnott’s name to the bottom of the delegation list thus giving her an unfair, tactical advantage to listen to and rebut the presentations of prior delegations.”
Ms Leblovic still had more arrows in her quiver. She advised the Council meeting that Councillor Dennison sponsors the Chilly Half Marathon and that his place of business is used for another VR Pro event.
More yet: Ms Leblovic told Council that VR Pro sponsors the Healing for Woman’s Cancers of which Kelly Arnott is the race director. The race, according to Ms Leblovic benefits Breast Cancer Support Services whose Chief Executive Officer is Blair Lancaster. Councillor Lancaster had advised the Mayor at the beginning of the Council meeting that while she did not believe she had a conflict of interest she was nevertheless not going to take part in the debate and would not be voting on the matter. And she didn’t.
Wow! Diane Leblovic had done her homework and did a very impressive scorched earth exercise. Council had yet to hear from her husband Nick.
Nick and Diane Leblovic have been “players” in the political life of the city for some time. Diane served on the school board of trustees and Nick was the chair of the Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee created by former Mayor Cam Jackson as the city was heading into the 2010 municipal election.
That committee had its life cut short when city council sunset the thing in December of last year. At the time it didn’t look as if that committee, which many felt wasn’t all that effective, was going to have anything in the way of a legacy. Some of the material they pulled together on possible uses for the Beachway Park and the excellent work that was done by Les Armstrong and his sub-committee on public access to the lake and the Windows on the Lake program, proved to be useful during the debate on the waterfront property on Lakeshore Road between St. Paul and Market streets. The city has not heard the last of that matter.
Of the two, Diane Leblovic is the better speaker but the lawyer in Nick Leblovic came across strongly when he pointed to what he called a fundamental flaw in a report put out in 2009 when the race was being proposed. At that time, according to Nick, the report had the eastbound lane of Lakeshore Road closed for 90 minutes – from 10 am to 11:30 am. while the race was run. Leblovic released email that confirmed this information and added “as we all know now the eastbound Lakeshore road has been closed each year since 2010 for between 4 and 4.5 hours” – which Leblovic maintained was not some kind of a “rounding error” but it almost 300% longer than estimated.
Leblovic wanted to know: “How did this occur?” Was it incompetence? Or was there a subsequent change to the event that required a significantly longer closure period? Or was the time intentionally underestimated in order to get the new route by Council?
“Given the size of the discrepancy” asked Nick “one would have thought this issue would have been raised in the post-race evaluations…”. Nick Leblovic could find nothing in any of the documents he was able to read.
Leblovic asked some leading questions: “Would you have approved the route change in 2009 if the report had contained an estimated closure of Lakeshore Road east of over 4 hours rather than 1.5 hours?”
Nick wanted Council to do two things. Find out why the 1.5 hour race time grew to 4 hours and require than in future Lakeshore be closed for no more than the 1.5 hours in the original plan.
The length of time Lakeshore Rod as closed is not the only issue for the Leblovic`s and their working group. The Community Care access organization (CCAC) people who meet the care needs of people who are unable to get out f their homes for the care they need, work to very tight schedules. They drive from location to location with next to no wiggle room in the schedule. Nick Leblovic pointed out that there are people who have to go without the care they need for a full day because the CCAC people are not able to double back to drop in on a person just because the road id closed.
Leblovic maintained the one situation they brought forward was not an isolated one and that there is a high concentration of seniors in retirement homes and multi-residential buildings in the east end. Like most lawyers Nick was able to see the potential liability to the city were someone to suffer an injury because their care givers were not able to get to their residence. “You are now on notice of this problem and cannot ignore it” he intoned.
Nick had one last suggestion for Council: “One obvious solution would be to eliminate the back and forth aspect of the race which would permit a normal traffic flow along Lakeshore during the race.”
 They come by the thousands. Well that didn’t happen. Council which had approved all the other Festivals and events at a previous meeting – they had agreed to defer a decision on the Chilly Half Marathon to meet the interest of the Leblovic’s – voted to proceed with the race based on the route used in the past. Councillor Lancaster had advised earlier that she would not be voting on the matter. Mayor Goldring, Councillors Sharman, Dennis and Craven voted to follow the Staff recommendation and keep the race route for 2015. Meed Ward and Taylor voted against the Staff recommendation. It was a recorded vote – expect Meed Ward to use that as she campaigns for re-election in Ward 2 and sets herself up for a run as Mayor in 2018.
In comments made before the vote Meed Ward was passionate about what the Leblovic’s had had to put up with and applauded them for having the courage to come back to Council again and again to argue their concerns.
What we did learn was that the Ms Leblovic met with City Manager Jeff Fielding who is apparently going to arrange a meeting with Arnott and Ms Leblovic – that should be fun after the mudslinging Ms Leblovic did in her delegation.
Why this issue has ended up on the City Managers desk does raise several serious questions. The Lakeshore residents had real issues that needed to be dealt with. One cannot hold people hostage in their homes while several thousand people run a race.
Yes, the date of the race is known well in advance, and the average person should be able to make other arrangements but there are people who are not average in that part of the city; there are people who have special needs.
Imagine for a moment there were e death that a Coroner’s Inquest decided was preventable if a care giver had been able to get to a residence. Do you want to guess how fast that race would be cancelled forever and would you like to guestimate what the lawsuit might be?
The city has general managers who have direct oversight over how the various departments work. It does not require a degree in rocket science to figure out ways to get help to people who cannot leave their homes or who have other sound reasons for being able to get out of their streets that are on the south side of Lakeshore Road.
Someone at city hall hasn’t been doing their job on this one. The race is a hugely popular event, brings in thousands of visitors who spend their money in the city and has to be hugely profitable for the race organizers. Good for business and good for the city – now find a way to manage the problems of a small group of people. It’s just a matter of better communication and being sensitive to the real needs of people who need help. .
At the same time let us not see a situation where the genuine needs of a few people are used as a ruse to bring to an end an event that benefits thousands because a neighbourhood does not want to give up a portion of one day in the year.
 December 11, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. They refer to it as “the panel” – it’s a collection of people who want to be on a citizen’s panel that the city will turn to with questions they would like to ask.
A lot of market research companies create these panels of people that they run questions by almost instantly – the trick is to have a panel in place ready to use. A number of months ago Angus Reid, the Godfather of the polling business in this country, was in town to tell an audience about a service he had developed called Critical Vision that he had sold the city on.
Leah Bisutti, a city hall staffer, has been working out of the city manager’s office on the setting up part of the operation which the city hopes will go live sometime in late January.
It will be a very soft start – the objective is to get a panel with as many people as possible on it – the more people the more accurate the response will be as a measure of opinion on an issue in the city.
 Hundreds of Burlington citizens attend budget meetings and give their opinions. The city wants thousands to take part in a panel that can be reached in seconds and get back responses very very quickly. There were some concerns that the city would know who the people on the panel are. The only thing the city will know is the name you give yourself. The rest of information is on computers to which the city does not have access.
The people who manage the back-end of this computerized poll will want to know your gender, probably your postal code and the ward you live in. They might want to know your age as well.
This allows them to ask you questions that are appropriate to who you are as a demographic and where you live. Ward 4 issues don’t mean all that much to people who live in ward 6.
The Vision Critical operation is very good at managing polling data and they can arrive at pretty valid conclusions based on a decent sample. City hall wants more than a decent sample – they would like to be able to say that we have a significant portion of the panel who tell us they either want or don’t want a particular service provided or they are prepared or not prepared to pay more for a service.
 Can we expect to see posters like this on city streets as the city looks for the thousands of citizens it wants to see on its opinion panel. There is some concern at city hall that too few people will register to be on the panel. City manager Jeff Fielding points out that Vancouver, another city using the service, needed a year to pull in 1000 people to their panel.
It can be argued that Burlington has a more active community – we get 200 people out to the Mayor’s Inspire Series and when there is a serious community issue it is not unusual to see 400+ people crowding the Mainway Arena.
The panel, which is a significant, and if responded to by enough people, could become a close to vital tool for the city to get response from people who are busy and not able to get out to meetings but still want an opportunity to voice an opinion.
But it needs people – and that’s you. If you are a regular Gazette redder and there are now more than 20,000 of them, this is something you want to be in on.
Click on the linkwhich will get you to a box into which you can type your email address. The people in the city manager’s office will add your name to the list of those interested in taking part.
Background:
City announces plans for a citizen’s opinion panel.
 December 11, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. City Council meetings are a legal requirement. In Burlington when your elected representatives meet as a Council they usually approve the recommendations that were made by the Standing Committees.
Council adjourns every meeting with a reminder as to when Council is scheduled to meet next and the Mayor, who chairs the Council meetings, states that Council can meet at the call of the Mayor. During the regular Council meetings various bylaws get passed. It is the bylaws that give the city the authority to do certain things as set out in the bylaw.
Monday evening Council met and passed six bylaws. A bylaw was passed to authorize the temporary borrowing of funds from the Royal Bank. There was another passed to approve the appointment of municipal law enforcement officers for the city of Burlington. There was also a bylaw to amend the parking bylaw to allow changes to the on-street parking rules and municipal facility parking.
 The view from Lakeshore at Elizabeth street with the hotel on the corner and the seven story condo further south on Elizabeth – closer to the water. Elizabeth will run south of Lakeshore. The 22 story condo is on the eastern side. Slipped in was a bylaw removing the H designation on the biggest development project Burlington has seen for some time – biggest in the sense of the impact it is going to have on the downtown core and the way the citizens of this city see their town.
 The developments is taking place in the very core of the city and has been on the planning boards since 1985 when city council approved the project as a “landmark” that was going to put Burlington on the map. The pier was supposed to do that wasn’t it? The Bridgewater project is a development on the south side of Lakeshore Road the runs from east of Elizabeth, a street that now ends at Lakeshore but will be extended down to the walkway along the lake’s edge.
The project will consist of three structures: A 22 story condominium apartment on the east side of the property, a seven story condominium apartment that will be on the south-west section of the property and an eight story hotel that will be on the northwest corner of the property and will be operated by Delta Hotels.
The H part of a zoning designation is put place to signify that there is a hold on the property until certain undertakings have been completed. In this case there were wind studies to be done and a traffic study to be done. The city wants to know what the wind patterns are going to be like when a 22 storey building goes up close to the edge of the lake.
 This is how the buildings are going to be sited on the property. The opening into the public area from Lakeshore Road between the hotel on the west and the 22 storey condo on the east is just 50 feet wide. The public area does widen once you get into the property. shown on the western side is what they are calling Lakeview Square. The grading is going to be quite steep as indicated by the steps south of the Square.  View from the lake with the smaller condo in the lower left and the 22 storey condo on the upper right and the public spaces in between. There are a lot of stairs shown just above the promenade which is already in place.  The opening off Lakeshore into the public space is just 50 feet wide. The public may have been expecting a wider “window onto the lake” With 150 apartment units in the condo plus 33 other residential units and a hotel with 152 rooms, traffic along Lakeshore and Elizabeth will be different. The entrance to the hotel will be on Elizabeth as will entrance to the underground parking.
The property that is being developed was at one point home to the Riviera Motel. The environmental people needed to know what the condition of the earth was – a certificate was need to certify that it met provincial environmental standards.
 This is what Lakeshore will look like once construction is completed. Elizabeth will be on the right and Pearl which ends at Lakeshore will be on the left. The people currently living in the condominiums on the north side of LAkeshore might end up with less of a view. With the removal of the H designation all the variances that were approved close to a year ago can come into effect. Some of those variances, approved by the Committee of Adjustment, had conditions attached to them. These included the provision of various securities – all part of the paperwork that lays behind a development.
When the conditions are met the draft site plan is submitted and assuming that clears the planning hurdles, and there is no reason to expect there to be any problems a building permit can be issued and work can actually begin – shovels in the ground as the politicians like to say.
Couple of things come to the surface on this process. Council met on Monday and removed that H designation – yet in their remarks neither the Mayor nor the ward 2 council member uttered as much as a word about the project. It was as if it was a ship that was passing quietly in the night.
Whenever there is good news the politicians are real quick top pick up on it and make sure you know about it. Monday’s Council meeting had a nasty brutal streak to it with pointed comments being made by almost everyone. Perhaps the bruises that were left from the meeting were healing.
 If this rendering is accurate the site will have a lot of trees which once they mature should make for a very pleasant part of the city. The objective is going to be to get quality commercial operations on the project – the fear many have expressed is a massive Tim Hortons. Or perhaps there is a problem with the time frames Mayrose-Tyco and Delta have to work within. The intention was to have the hotel open for the PanAm Games scheduled to be held from July 10–26, 2015. Officially these are the XVII Pan American Games or the 17th Pan American Games and while Burlington missed out on the opportunity to actually host any of the events the City View Park will be used as a practice field for some of the soccer teams. The public however will not get to see any of those practices – the PanAm people gave the city a fat cheque that will allow them to take over the grounds. You probably won’t even be able to walk your dog on the grounds.
 City View Park is ready for the Pan Am Games – will hotels rooms be available? The City View Park will be ready – the same cannot be said for the Bridgewater project. Officially the project is not yet approved. Mayrose Tyco and Delta have 18 months to dig the hole in the ground and put up the eight story hotel. Theoretically it can be done – but this project, first approved back in 1985 when it was called Waterfront East and approved when Roly Bird was Mayor and Walter Mulkewich was a member of Council
Was the possibility that the project will not get done in time to be used during the PanAm Games explain why the politicians said nothing before they all scooted away for the holidays?
Background:
Why is waterfront development taking s long?
Bridgewater edges closer to actual construction.
Riviera Motel set ablaze, doesn’t burn down; wreckers will be on site real soon.
 December 8, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It will be the last time this city council meets this year. Along with the usual reports from the Standing Committees there is an item that was deferred from the last Council so that a delegation can appear to urge the city to re-review the decision to have the Chilly Half Marathon run along a different route.
Nick and Diane Leblovic delegated at the November 13 meeting of the Community Services Committee.
After considerable discussion on November 13th the Standing Committee decided to stick with the staff recommendation which was to continue to have the race run along Lakeshore Road. The Leblovic’s provided extensive written material in the form of a petition, emails and letters. Councillor Meed Ward put forward an amendment to the Staff Direction that would create a committee to “organize discussions between City Staff, VRPro and members of the Lakeshore residents working group to consider changes to the Chilly Half Marathon to, among other things, minimize the negative impact of the race on Lakeshore area residents.”
 It is a hugely popular event. It takes place on a Sunday morning every March – and it is in all probability going to take place in March of 2014 along Lakeshore Road. It was pretty clear at that meeting that city staff saw no need for a meeting with any working group – they had done their homework and advised city council Lakeshore Road was the best route.
The Meed Ward amendment was defeated and at that point the Leblovic’s left the meeting. Discussion on the issue however continued during which time Mayor Goldring mentioned that he and Councilor Dennison had offered to meet with the Leblovic’s but that they were turned down. In their request to have the vote on the Chilly Half Marathon deferred the Leblovic’s said the took exception to “the Mayor’s action in making this statement after we had left the meeting. The Mayor could have raised this issue in questions to me which would have provided me with an opportunity to provide important background and context to his statement.”
The Leblovic’s went on to say “the Mayor failed to disclose significant additional information concerning to an earlier meeting with him and Councillor Dennison and to related discussions and communications which took place during May and June of this year.”
The Leblovic document went on to say that: “ If the Mayor had made his statement when questioning me I would certainly have provided this additional information in my responses which would have provided a clearer and more complete understanding of the positions of the parties and the reasons for the decisions that were taken.”
What one wonders is why this “significant additional information” was not given during their 10 minute delegation.
City staffs were very clear in their recommendation – the Lakeshore Road route was the best location for an event that draws well in excess of 4000 people.
It was evident that more attention needs to be given to handling the individual problems that crop up. Some people have care givers that need to be able to get into their property – surely such situation can be managed.
The Leblovic’s said the “actions of the Committee in having this debate in our absence is not only un-parliamentary, unfair and inappropriate but provides a limited and one-sided picture of the events and circumstances in question.” They asked that the final vote be deferred – and it was. That final vote will take place Monday evening at which time there is no reason at this point to expect anything other than to see the Staff Recommendation approved.
The Chilly Half Marathon dates are known close to a year in advance; it should be possible to organize one’s personal life to accommodate a major sports event. New Street gets shut down for several hours every year for the Santa Claus parade and some people are locked in – admittedly not as many as during the marathon.
A slight change of subject:
 The current council set itself a goal of not more than a 10% tax increase during their four-year term. For 2011, 2012 and 2013 the total tax increase on residential property amounted to 8.65% – this included the hospital levy.
When you add in the 4.66 that is a preliminary projection to that total, citizens are looking at a 13.31% tax increase over the four-year term. That is going to take some explaining as this Council heads into an election year. The preliminary numbers were in a report on “economic drivers” discussed at a Council Standing Committee last week. Council meetings at times appear to be a races to get through the Standing Committee reports. Within those reports are some critically important documents that need both public attention and discussion. There are problems on the not so distant horizon that need attention.
The report from the Committee of the Whole that met on Thursday will get all of two minutes – but tucked inside that document was the suggestion from the city manager that Burlington residents could be facing a 4.66% tax increase in 2014 – which would blow the promised 10% increase for the term of this council right out of the water.
The significant seven are heading into an election year and this is not something they want to talk about – not at this time.
More on that later.
Background:
Lakeshore Road area residents delegate to council for a different route for Chilly Half Marathon.
 December 8, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. “Talk about a one issue candidate” was the first comment I got when I asked a colleague what she thought of the announcement Katherine Henshell made of her plans to run for the ward 1 council seat in the October 2014 municipal election.
Many see Henshell as a Beachway community advocate who owns property in that part of the city and didn’t like the plans the Region made to eventually buy up all the property and turn every square foot of the space into a park.
Henshell published an idea to turn another part of the city into a park and set out a decent social and economic argument for turning a piece of property into a place where people could observe the birds that call Royal Botanical Gardens home. What some didn’t realize was that the piece was a very tongue in cheek poke at the current ward Councillor – the land Henshell was suggesting being turned into a park was the home of Councillor Craven.
 Katherine Henshell trudging along to a practice on a Saturday morning. The idea managed to get some traction in other media – the Toronto Star carried the story and a friend suggested to Henshell that she should run for Council. That planted the seed that has a woman who is a mother with a 15 month daughter, a lawyer with an active practice, a regular hockey player as well as a Seminary student gearing up to run for public office.
 Henshell once played as goalie – she now plays defense. Now wants to run interference on city council A native of Sault St. Marie Henshell has been active in sports all her life. Highland dancing, volleyball, basketball – anything physical had her out of the house. When she graduated from high school it was straight into university and then on to graduate work. Henshell wasn’t sure if she wanted to do religious studies or law. The legal profession won out. It was while she was studying law at Osgoode – York University – that she decided to live with her sister who lives in Burlington that she got to know this city.
It would be reasonable to describe Henshell as competitive and probably a type A personality. During her high school sports years she played at the all Ontario level in several sports.
She appears to be a joiner as well. Active in both the Burlington and Hamilton bar associations Henshell served on the Regional Crime Prevention committee where “we talked quite a bit about appropriate behaviour for young people today”. For Henshell it is about being responsible for your own behaviour. Her view that “We each have responsibilities we need to meet, budgets that we need to live within” comes through very clearly. Politically Henshell describes herself as conservative but she has not been active politically.
What she does appear to have is an incredible energy level and a capacity to soak up ideas quickly. It doesn’t take Henshell long to drill right into an idea and ask questions.
If she doesn’t understand something – she asks questions. Actually she doesn’t ask questions – she peppers a person with questions.
Henshell doesn’t come from a family of means. As a kid she didn’t get to enjoy the trips to Disneyland – when she and her husband were first married they took a trip to Disney in Florida. “No kids” she said “we didn’t have any yet.”
There are no pretensions to this woman. What you see is what you get.
Henshell seems to be able to connect with people easily. Why politics – why now – and is she a one issue politician?
 Weekends and some evenings on an ice rink keep the mother of a 15 month old with an active law practice in shape. Henshell wasn’t comfortable with her delegation to city council. “I had the sense that they weren’t listening and their understanding of the “willing buyer/willing seller” line the Region was using made absolutely no sense. The people in the Beachway are being robbed of the opportunity to earn the 5% to 7% annual appreciation of their property that most people in Burlington realize. They are being held hostage by a set of rules their municipal government put in place – Henshell wonders how many other situations where people are not being treated fairly by city hall.
This woman will be a formidable candidate. The race in ward 1 will not be a cake walk this time around for Councillor Craven. He might want to take a close look at the provincial seat should there be a provincial election before there is a municipal election.
Background:
Henshell proposes new park for east end of the city.
 December 8, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It has been a good year for the Joseph Brant Hospital. Not as good a year for old Jo Brant himself – the Pooh-Bahs at the hospital decided to drop the word Memorial from the official name and came up with a spiffy new corporate logo as well. Times change.
 The hospital did a topping off ceremony for the Halton McMaster Family Health Centre (there’s a name screaming for something shorter) and announced how well the fund raising program has been doing. Incredibly well is the best way to describe the $16.5 million that has been raised. The target is $60 million the hospital foundation has been tasked to find.
In the world of fund raising “seven digits” is what you go looking for – it’s sort of like the single malt of the fund raising world – and these are not easily come by. Romancing seven digits calls for a skill set few can bring to the table. Anissa Hilborn, president of Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation has done a remarkable job. The rate of donations is “unheard of”, which is a testament to both the Foundation and the generosity of the community.
Today there is $16.5 million in campaign commitments – achieved in less than two years’ time.
The Molinaro family brought $1 million to the table, the Hogarth clan followed with an additional million. The Sante/Peller family added $500,000. Before any of this happened the Boards and Senior leadership at the hospital put their names down for $23.5 million.
Burlington’s four Rotary Clubs put themselves down for $1 million. Before anyone got out a cheque book however the hospital auxiliary committed to $3.5 million
Ambassador Giving Societies and Circles were launched in January of this year. The Crystal Ball Gala will be held on September 14 of 2014. It is all rolling out rather well.
The public phase of the campaign will be launched when $45 million of the $60 million goal has been reached. All of this is no small achievement and is a significant credit to the Campaign Cabinet made up of 20 community and business leaders.
 The Family Medical Centre will be in the structure under construction on the left – with the parking garage on the right. There will be a passageway from the parking garage right into the hospital. No word yet on the parking prices. With the fund raising well in hand – hospital CEO Eric J. Vandewall talked about the progress and the construction schedule. First piece of good news was that the provincial government put a little more money on the table.
Next: the hospital has settled on three consortiums who are going to bid on the construction of the building which will be an additional story higher than originally planned: seven floors instead of the six in the original thinking – however the building is going to look a lot bigger than just seven floors of space for people to get better in.
 They have a timeline in place – now to keep everyone fully informed. There will be an additional two floors above the actual hospital which will house all the electrical and mechanical equipment making the building look like a nine story structure which will be a couple of hundred yards from the edge of the lake and will dominate the western side of the city.
In the very near future Burlington’s sky line is going to experience a radical change with the Bridgewater condominium/hotel in the middle of town soaring to a height of 22 storeys and the hospital reaching up nine storeys.
 The hospital site will take on a campus like setting with the buildings oriented to the lake. The project is being headed up by Infrastructure Ontario – they work hand in glove with the hospital scoping out just what is needed, where value engineering can be used to get the best for the dollars being spent. It is at this level that Vandewall shines. The work he did in Mississauga prepared him for the Joseph Brant challenge.
What was originally going to be the renovation of an aging hospital that was well past its best before date, and carrying a nasty reputation as well, has morphed into basically a rebuild with a brand new facility set off to the western side.
Vandewall does remarkable work – he is unfortunately not as well served on the communications side. The hospital is filled with great good news stories that don’t get told. Their media relations are terrible.
 Entrance to the hospital will be from either the parking garage which will be on the west side of the hospital connected by a passageway or from the street level entrance that will front onto Lakeshore Road. The new tower will have 172 new beds; there will be a new Emergency department; a new intensive care unit, a renovated Special Care Nursery.
While the focus is on the hospital, contractors have been working away at the Halton McMaster Family Health Care Centre that will attract ten new family practice doctors. Attached to the Health Care Centre will be a three level parking garage with capacity to have an additional two floors of parking added.
The hospital site will take on the look and feel of a campus – it will be a much different site than the collection of services out there now. All the construction work gets done while the care givers and the surgeons continue to go about their daily work.
Background on hospital development:
Paying the CEO
Parking garage – how it got paid for.
Getting the Family Medical Centre
 December 6, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. A very senior source at city hall called it “unseemly”. Some think it might be outright fraud but the people at ADI Developments think it’s just fine.
 Popular prices, great location and innovative design. Tighten up the marketing practices and this could be the project of the year. ADI, relatively new to Burlington as developers, have shown some surprisingly innovative designs that move away from the stilted, safe approach many developers take. Their project on Guelph Line, that is now under construction, was a nice jolt of energy and the project at Sutton and Dundas Road is certainly not what that part of the city has seen in the past.
 Shovels now in the ground for a a smart, exciting development on Guelph Line. Smart design, innovative features and a willingness to comply with the suggestions from the planners got the Adi brothers close to being named the poster boys of the development community.
The two brothers who operate the company, with their Dad back stopping them, saw real potential with Village Square and attempted to find a negotiating point with the Friedman family at which something could be agreed upon. That didn’t work out and Village Square has since been taken off the market. Many wonder if the property was ever really for sale.
Artists Walk has also been closed – Debra Friedman has decided to close the operation that was a venue for local artistic talent.
 The ADI development on the north-east part of the city is certainly different from past projects by other developers and should appeal to a younger market. The issue at city hall with ADI Developments is the sale of units at the LINK project out on Sutton and Dundas. Their application for a zoning change has yet to be approved but the company is believed to be selling units in the development.
What this amounts to is the selling of something the developer does not yet have. The zoning change they have asked for is reasonable and it will set out how many units are going to be permitted in the project.
 The LINK project snuggled right up to Bronte Creek where there should be exceptional views for the units on the east side. Some very innovative design work done with this project. Once that is known the developer can then do a final pricing and roll out a marketing plan. Until the zoning is in place offering a unit for sale, while not illegal, does raise some questions as to just what a buyer is getting.
Developers do have problems in financing a project. Bankers and other sources of cash want some assurance the project is going to work and that the units built will be sold. So they pre-sell. A developer loves to be able to put up one of those “60% sold” sign on a project. It satisfies the bankers and gives buyers a sense of confidence as well.
Selling units in a project that doesn’t have zoning approval is not something planners are uncomfortable with. If something goes wrong the public tends to turn to the city and ask why this was permitted. It leaves a poor impression of the city and, as it was explained to us: “it isn’t the best of practices”.
ADI developments did not respond to a request for comment.
Other ADI development stories:
Guelph Line project breaks ground.
Developer sees potential at Village Square, tries to romance the owners daughter
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