Lest we forget.
A veteran on the reviewing stand during a Remembrance Day parade
Let we forget. A veteran on the reviewing stand during a Remembrance Day parade.
Let we forget. A veteran on the reviewing stand during a Remembrance Day parade.
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November 11th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
It takes months of planning and dozens of meetings to put together the Annual Junior League Holiday House Tour – and the woman who do all the work get a small treat – touring the homes before they are opened to the public. Dianne Brown, co-chair of this year’s tour sent along some early snapshots of the Burlington Hampton Court home and the home in Ancaster. The Junior League looks for three to four homes each year that are decorated for the Holiday Season by decorators that are a combination of companies who have volunteered their services for a number of years while others are new to the event.  Peacock feathers on a Christmas tree fit in very well with a home that had a very open modem look that the Interior Design/Build people put together. Marnie Warner and her team from the Interior Design House in Burlington did the Hampton Court house which her firm also renovated and added a large master bedroom above the garage.  Whimsical art provided by the Interior Design House was placed in a corner with lots of light changed the feel of the room. Work was being done on the renovation, that was very extensive, while the Interior Design House people were bringing in furniture. It go a little hectic the final day.  A more traditional approach taken to a Christmas tree in the Ancaster home. The Ancaster home was decorated by a team of designer/decorators that included Holland Park, Alto Interiors, Toth Interior Design, Green with Envy and Images Staged with Flair – each are doing different parts of the four bedroom, four bathrooms home. A third home in eastern Burlington is included in the tour. That home was decorated by Hudson Interiors, Details Interior Design, Welcome Home Interiors, Megan and Megan, House of Fraser Décor and Marquis Cavalier Dream Store.  From left to right: Dianne Brown, Fonda Loft, Jackie Cracknell,Liz Vandenberg, Annette Hamm, Cate Banfield, Karyn Glibbery, Roseanne Grego-Venneri, Sarai Spzak, Barb Oliver, Jane Tynan-Byrd, Iris Hughes. Middle: Anne-Louise Watts, Kathy North-Ross, Wendy Powell Front: Rachel Griffiths, Emily Stewart The group of woman who enjoyed a well-earned glass of wine before the set out on their pre-tour tour are set out below in their group photo.  A formal dinning room set up in the Ancaster home. The Junior League Holiday Home Tour is the organization’s annual fund raiser. The Tour takes place from Friday through to Sunday: The event hours for this the 34th Annual House Tour are: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on Friday, 10:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available on-line – cost $25 for the three house tour; $30 if you are paying cash at the door
November 11, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
James Burchill, the guy that beavers away creating a network for those commercial services operators and budding entrepreneurs who don’t fit in at the Chamber of Commerce and aren’t comfortable at the service club level but who nevertheless want to be part of a network, is back. Burchill created the Social Fusion Network that went through several toothing experiences. He has put on two mini trade shows that out shone, significantly, what the Chamber of Commerce put on recently at the Holiday Inn. Burchill is a shameless self-promoter – who understands social media and uses it to great effect for both his own interests and those of his clients. He is also as up to date as anyone can be on the almost hourly changes in the high tech field. He needed to take some time off for personal family matters – life tends to get in the way of business – and is now able to give his networking operation the time and attention it needs. What do my people really want asked Burchill. So he did what anyone with the initiative would do – sent out a survey. He had to send it out several times (there were no repeats in the responders) to get a statistically valid return. Here is what he knows – and it was enough to decide there would be another trade show at the Performing Arts Centre – but that won’t be until April 6, 2017 Here is what Burchill knows – and what you now know: What did the repondes have to say? While they may have said maybe to several of the questions – they had comments. Having to pay for parking sucks. They (the B&B) really should compensate for that I think. Sometimes you get the same people out every week….need new blood! Speed dating like encounters with frenetic networker’s. Also, should have members take an oath to be honest in their engagement practices. Location requires parking costs, just a minor annoyance. Tend to see the same people, however that makes it easier to spot and connect with the new ones. Not long enough Too many changes with this group. It’s not exciting like it used to be to attend. I used to look forward to this meetup in Burlington.. I get three copies of each message you send and at times I feel a little badgered. paying for parking People who throw their cards in your face before saying hello! Timing. Clear theme and goals. They are always welldone! Thank you Sometimes there are too many people that are just running around handing out business cards. A lot of members really push their products/services Always in downtown Burlington. How about a location at the mall off Burloak or something closer for Oakville folks? So many realtors, insurance people and investment people many of which only want to pass out as many business cards as possible in the evening without making any real connections with others No focus. Start time should be 6pm 8pm Perhaps that it may not be the best demographic for my particular service. Too many financial planners. Need new people to join. People trying too hard to sell their services and not interested in your own Always the same people from very small service businesses providing mostly consumer type products hanging out with each other need more business to business members It lost it’s local flavour long ago. It needs to be a Burlington group with Burlington business. Far too many people coming from way out of town for a “quick hit”. Successful networking is about building comfort & confidence in a relationship. These were previously quick encounters, like speed dating! We have to give Burchill credit for letting it ll hang out. Those doing the objectionable stuff – take notice. The Trade Show is GO!
November 10th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
We know a little bit more about how your city council got to the point where they could approve a Staff recommendation to reduce time for delegations to city Standing Committees to five minutes from ten.  Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward manged to delegate often enough to build a profile and get herself elected to Council where she is reported to be preparing to run for Mayor in 2018. Delegating does have its advantages. According to Marianne Meed Ward, who was responding to a resident, the Community and Corporate Services committee was considering a staff report to “make changes to the procedural bylaw. The report was produced by staff and a subcommittee of council that included Taylor, Craven and Lancaster. “One of those changes to the procedure bylaw included in the report was a recommendation to change delegation speaking time from the current 10 minutes to 5 minutes. “Jack Dennison moved the staff report with a change to the report to keep delegation speaking time at 10 minutes. “Votes were taken in parts. “First we voted on this section, to keep speaking time at 10 minutes. That failed 3-3 with one member of council absent. “Then a vote taken on the entire report, which included the recommendation that delegations be limited to 5 minutes. That passed 5-1 – I did not support” said Meed Ward.
November 8th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Just days away from the Junior League Annual Holiday House tour when you will get to see what professional interior designers can do to give a home that festive look. One of the Premier designers in the city, Marnie Warman, was given the task of decorating a home for the season that she renovated for her client. Located in Roseland the 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom – 6000 sq. ft. house was gutted and rebuilt and is now getting a holiday season festive touch added.  The stairway to the second level doesn’t make a grand statement. The lower level is wide open – that;s the statement. You have to see it to appreciate it. “When we were given the renovation assignment” said Warman “ we began to go over the house – there are always problems. This house still had live knob and tube electrical service and parts of the house were really not properly supported.” “There was a lot of basic structural work to be done. The house was broken up into a bunch of small rooms with walls everywhere.”  What will a designer do with a sun room like this to make it festive? “The client wanted a more open concept and we were able to do that. The result is a large area that could easily hold a party of sixty people who could mill around form the kitchen at one end to a nice sun room on the other end.” In between there is a fire place that can be accessed from both the inside of the house and from the outdoor patio. “We added a master bedroom above the garage that has as much privacy as anyone could want.” The 76 year old house had a radiator along one wall that was so big it had to be cut into two pieces just to get it out of the building. There are some situations said Warman, where it is probably better to tear down and re-build but this home was on a double lot and had good bones. The end result is certainly worth seeing.  A before picture of one of the two islands in the kitchen. Can you imagine what a designer will do with this space. You can get to see for yourself during the Holiday Tour that begins on Friday. A new stairway to the upper floor was included in the renovation. There is nothing grand about the stairway – it doesn’t make a statement but it is a very attractive access point to the upper level of the house. Warman has been doing design work for more than 26 years. She studied design at Sheridan College and has done a number of total renovations in the Oakville Burlington market. She has watched the change in the way people want to use space. “Most of the time people aren’t exactly certain as to what they want. Living rooms have become obsolete; family/recreation rooms have become media centers.” “The kitchen has become the hub. The home, being decorated this year for the Junior League event, has two islands in the kitchen area that is close to the side entrance where the two car parking garage is located. The houses in the more mature neighbourhoods in Burlington and Oakville were built at a different time explains Warman when the needs and desires for space were quite different. People now want things to be open with lots of light. The Hampton Court house was turned over to Warman and her crew in September of last year when they basically gutted the structure down to the studs. “This isn’t for the faint of heart” Warman will tell you. The other side of her operation is the IDH Build Group – these are the people that renovate and rebuild. Warman will tell you that the only thing they don’t sell in the store is mattresses and appliances. The homes that the Junior League includes in their annual tours usually involve several different designers with each doing a different part of the house.  A cozy corner TV space just beside the open kitchen. When the designers are done that lone Christmas tree will have company. The other two homes in the tour, a second home in Burlington and a home in Ancaster are being decorated for the Holiday Season by a number of different firms. In Ancaster Holland Park, Alto Interiors, Toth Interior Design. Green with Envy and Images Staged with Fair are doing different parts of the four bedroom, four bathrooms home. The second home in the east end of Burlington is getting the touch from Hudson Interiors, Details Interior Design, Welcome Home Interiors, Megan and Megan, House of Fraser Décor and Marquis Cavalier Dream Store. Warman who has all but lived in the Hampton Court house for the past week working feverishly with her team to get the house completed – she flies to Peru on Wednesday to take part in her son Trevor’s wedding. That was cutting it close. The Junior League Tour take place from Friday through to Sunday: The event hours for this the 34th Annual House Tour are: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on Friday, 10:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available on-line – cost $25 for the three house tour; $30 if you are paying cash at the door
November 8th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
We now know what the City Solicitor told members of city council when they went into closed session yesterday afternoon. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ordered Burlington Airpark Inc. to pay City of Burlington court costs in the amount of $118,327.53.  The Air Park corporation dumped tons of land fill on their property to level out the land and in the process earned thousands of dollars in fees collected for permitting the land fill on the property without an approved site plan, The black line indicates the boundary of the Air Park property. The cost award is related to the June 30, 2016 decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in favour of the City of Burlington’s application to compel Burlington Airpark Inc. to submit an application for a site alteration permit to comply with the city’s bylaw. With the court ruling, the Airpark was required to file an application for a site alteration permit for the fill deposited between 2008 and 2013 before Aug. 31, 2016 and has now been ordered to pay the city’s court costs on a substantial indemnity basis.  Heavy construction equipment parked on a 30 foot + hill 50 yards from the kitchen window of the Sheldon property on Appleby Line next door to the Air Park landfill operation. Many thought the overnight parking of the equipment overnight was intimidating An appeal by Burlington Airpark Inc. to the June 30, 2016 judgement in favour of the City of Burlington is scheduled to be heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal on March 28, 2017 at Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen St. West in Toronto. The City of Burlington site alteration bylaw 64-2014 regulates the placing, dumping, cutting and removal of fill or the alteration of grades or drainage on a piece of land. Individuals doing this type of work must first submit an application to the city for a site alteration permit. This is getting to be a very expensive experience for the Air Park and almost a profit center for the city. This is not the first time a Court has ordered the Air Park to pay the city very substantial costs.
November 8th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON City council spent a full four hours on Monday making changes to the way the public gets to interact with them. Marianne Meed Ward delegating at city hall.  Vanessa Warren delegating at city hall. One of the biggest changes is the amount of time you will get to delegate. It used to be 10 minutes – on a tie vote the Standing Committee voted to cut that back to five. Councillor Blair Lancaster was not present at the meeting – so when the recommendation gets to council it might be different.  Monte Dennis delegating before city council, The Gazette was not in the Council chamber on Monday and cannot tell you who voted for the reduction in delegation time and who voted against it. We have noticed that the cameras that record the web cast did not pan to the members of Council as they voted which means those viewing the city’s business on the web cast don’t get to see how members of council sitting as a Standing Committee. This city council has in the past voted against their votes at Standing Committee being recorded. It looked as if this was deliberate. If it was that is a very unhealthy sign. If you value the time you used to have delegating – get on the telephone and let your elected member of Council know that you aren’t too happy with the recommendation. This is what citizen involvement is all about and they are about to take away half of the time you used to get. To be fair – a Standing Committee can extend the time a speaker has or a member of Council can engage the delegation and give them the chance to complete their point. Things are being tightened up at city hall – a better word might be squeezed.
November 8th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
The police would like to know if you got stung by this one. A male was at the cash register of a Shoppers Drug Mart store and purchased a package of Halls cough candy. Total cost was $1.46 The suspect handed the cashier a Canadian $20.00 bill. While the cashier was making change the male said he would pay with coins instead.
A similar incident occurred at a variety store in Burlington involving the same male. Through investigation the male was identified, arrested and charged with two counts of fraud. Police believe there are additional victims who are either unaware they have been scammed or who declined to report the incident at the time. The police would like to hear from them Anyone with information is asked to contact Constable Michael Garvey at 30 Division in Burlington at 905-825-4747 ext. 2305, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
November 8th, 2106 BURLINGTON, ON
Something is up with the Air Park and its legal battle with the city. City Council went into a 22 minute closed session for an update from city solicitor Nancy Shea Nicol on what was described as an Air Park matter. The Air Park has filed a site plan with the city’s planning department but that plan has not come before council yet.  Vince Rossi, president of the Burlington Executive Air Park and believed to be the sole shareholder of the private company. The Air Park is in a very delicate situation. They have to file a site plan and the city gets to approve that plan. The city is believed to want quite a bit of the land fill that was dumped on the property removed – that would prove to be very expensive for the Air Park The Air Park was sued by the city for not filing a site plan – they lost that court case but have appealed the decision. The appeal is to be heard in March of 2017  This is not the view the Appleby Line property owner had when she bought the property. She doesn’t believe the Air Park had the right to dump all that landfill next to her property line. While all this legal arm wrestling takes place there is a property owner on Appleby Line who has to look at piles of landfill in excess of 30 feet high on either side of her property. No one at city hall is doing anything for this taxpayer. This is an ongoing saga not only for the residents who live in the rural part of Burlington but for two residents who were sued for libel by the Air Park. The Burlington Gazette was also sued – but that court case doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.
November 7th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Dania Thurman made her first delegation to city council yesterday. It was not that pleasant an experience for her – even though she gave a strong, informed presentation. Council didn’t ask her a single question about what is perhaps one of the most important issues about the kind of downtown the city is going to have in the future. Thurman argued that closing the Central High school would damage the downtown core community.  Dania Thurman – vice chair of the Central High School parent group. Thurman is the Vice-Chair of the parent group opposing the closing of the high school. She was delegating along with another parents the same time that Halton District School Board, Director of Education Stuart Miller was explaining to council the why behind why high schools had to be closed.  The T-shirt tells it all – for the parents – it is about the community. Central Strong, the working name of the parent committee, was formed to organize and inform the downtown core residents, parents, alumni and business owners who will be impacted by the Halton District School Board’s proposal to close Burlington Central High School explained Thurman. They have 2000 people a week going to their Facebook page and the 500 lawn sighs printed have been snapped up Thurman said: “Burlington Central High School is the heart and soul of our downtown community and generations of students have attended and excelled there. Our Central Strong team is committed to keeping our school open so the students can benefit from the true community spirit of our school. This includes everything from dedicated staff (many of whom are also alumni), unique programs (like robotics, theatre and theatre tech), and the joy of walking or biking to school every day (which has also been proven to increase student focus and overall success). “We truly hope that the recommendation to close the Central and Pearson schools is indeed only a starting point for discussion as was indicated by the Director of Education and the Chair of the Board of Trustees.  Central High school corridor – the place reeks of local history. “Our group’s mission is to provide as much accurate information as we can to aid in finding alternative solutions. Our opinion is that Burlington Central is not the right choice to close and we will work as a community to find creative alternatives to the issues the board may face that don’t involve the closure of Burlington Central High School. We believe that alternatives exist and would be healthier for the students, families and the community than a school closure. “In addition to this, the Central Strong Community group has officially aligned itself with the growing uproar from the Ontario Alliance Against School Closures, who are calling on the government for an immediate moratorium on school closures. The Ontario Alliance Against School Closures represents 27 school groups across the province. It also has the support of “The Community Schools Alliance” which represents 33 municipalities and approximately 350,000 residents. Thurman argues that the Ministry’s Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline, as it is currently written, is both damaging and undemocratic. It fails to take into consideration, the value of a school to its community, municipality and local economy. Close to the entire student population at Burlington central can currently walk to school. The physical and mental health of our students impacted by these closures and consolidations is completely disregarded. The municipality should also be concerned as this will ultimately result in increased busing. “Our environment and an already congested infrastructure will only further deteriorate. You should also be deeply concerned about the narrow vision of the Pupil Accommodation Review process and how it will affect our city and Burlington’s Strategic Plan.” Thurman was direct, brought up strong arguments but didn’t get a single question from city council. Michael Kukhta, also a member of the parent group delegated. He was asked a lot of questions which we will cover in a seperate story.
November 7, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
The Province of Ontario announced the Ontario Senior Achievement Awards that recognize men and women who have made outstanding contributions to their communities through voluntary or professional activities after the age of 65. There were 20 Ontarians who were recognized – none from Burlington. Not a healthy sign for a city that is reputed to have the fastest growing senior’s population.  The Seniors table at a Bfast transit meeting. These people know how to mobilize themselves. A comment from a reader suggests the may be a change in priorities at city hall. Phillip Wooster wrote “I really believe that this mayor and council, including Meed Ward, have made seniors a very low priority. Not only is the Seniors Centre symptomatic of this, but seniors should note how the City Hall elites have put public transit on the back-burner. Most telling is the email I received from the Mayor publicizing the Todarian PR Event on November the 14–all kinds of committees were listed–except……you guessed it–SENIORS.”
November 7, 2107 BURLINGTON, ON
There is a group in Toronto that have done something really smart – and there is an opportunity for you to get involved if climate change means anything to you. The Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) and Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) have launched an accelerator program for social enterprises tackling greenhouse gas emissions.
Applications are now open until December 11th, 2016! Log in at https://socialinnovation.org/apply-climate-solutions/ for the application form. Over the course of one year, Agents of Change: Climate Solutions will provide social enterprises with workspace, training, mentorship, access to capital, advisory services, impact measurement support, and membership in CSI’s community of over 1,000 organizations, with the goal of accelerating and scaling promising products, campaigns, services, and technologies that lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Benefits of Being an Agent of Change: • Workspace: Hot Desk 100 package for one year, providing you with free workspace for up to two people in your organization and member rates on meeting rooms. For organizations outside of the GTHA, linkages to regional incubators and social enterprise supports will be provided. Their past experience:
November 7th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone appears to still be in the dark as to just what is going on at the Seniors’ Centre. One source said “I went on the Centre web site there was only a notice of what has happened and the Board would be meeting in November and the results of that meeting would be posted on that site, so like everyone else I am in the dark. “There is a general notice at the Centre of what has happened issued by the city you could call and pick one up they are on the front counter.” The Board seems to be hiding behind their web site. The city has just moved in and taken over – so much for citizen participation. The Seniors will get angry and at some point elect a new board.  Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward serves as the city representative on the Seniors Advisory Council. The city council representative on the Seniors Advisory Board, Marianne Meed Ward has said she “was hoping the discussions the city and board were having over the past year would lead toward a new MOU that would benefit both parties.” At the same time she said: “The BSCI now has an opportunity to chart a new role for itself serving seniors in Burlington, and I have committed to stay on the board to assist them in this transition for as long as they would like.” This is very unlike Meed Ward. Every battle she has taken on – the Pier, the different developments during her six years as a city councillor, the sale of waterfront property – you name it – she has been at the front of the parade. The Beachway was not in her ward and it drives Councillor Craven crazy when she involves herself in that issue. There has never been anything shy about Marianne Meed Ward in the past – so why the backing away now? This was the organization with the potential to be a large part of what was going to propel her into the Office of the Mayor. To say that the BSCI “now has an opportunity to chart a new role for itself” is so completely disingenuous. It would appear that she too has left them to their own devices and with the leadership the BCSI has at the moment it is going to be slim pickings for the over 55 set. For the first time in a very long time Meed Ward’s political instincts appear to have deserted her. Everyone loses.
November 6th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
What would Spencer Smith think if he could see what they have done to the park he created? The willow trees that he planted 70 years ago are gone.  This is the Gazebo that was. The Gazebo that used to be on the waterfront is gone too. Come the Spring the eastern end of the park will have a much different look. There will be a new concrete pathway that will wind from the beginning of the Naval Promenade to the back of the new Gazebo and loop back to the Promenade  This is the |Gazebo your city i in the process of constructing for you. New trees have been planted. In a couple of years we will have forgotten what it used to look like and the trunks of those willow will have been turned into table tops. Maybe some of the wood carvers at the Art Gallery will fashion a desk that will sit in the office of the Mayor.  This is where the new Gazebo is gong to be built – it looks like it will be quite a bit bigger. Spencer Smith would probably approve of that. There are a couple of hundreds clippings taken from the willow trees that were cut down – they will be handed out to people in the Spring. All good stuff – but where was the public input in all this. Remember – this government was going to be transparent – they were going to include you the tax payer. We didn’t see any drawings for the new east end of the park with different ideas the public could comment on. The landscape architects just went ahead and did it because they could.  This is one of the scenes you get to enjoy from the park. while Burlington isn’t a port city – Hamilton is a large inland port and everything that sails into Hamilton sails by Burlington. That is not healthy civic government. Related articles:
November 6th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
There is someone else out there who asks the question the Gazette has been asking for some time.
The best I can come up with is – the owners of the gas stations know they can get away with it. They see Burlington as a wealthy community that they can suck extra dollars out of. If you want it to change – walk with your wallets. A couple of years ago we did a piece on this. Nothing has changed. The prices were higher but the differences we basically the same – you pay more in Burlington. Why – because we have a better civic government?  Burlington Esso on Guelph Line $1.249  Regular gas at the Hamilton Esso station $1.226  Shell station on Guelph line $1.249 per litre  At the Shell station on Main West in Hamilton – $1.219 per litre of regular gas
Related article:
November 5th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
It is almost done – close to being ready for a ribbon cutting ceremony if the Mayor is foolish enough to do any such thing on the site of where he went along with giving away a significant part of the city’s heritage. The Mayor didn’t do this all by himself – every member of Council except for Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, voted to sell the land next to the lake to the people whose property abutted land that was owned by the city and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.  The potential was for a lovely little parkette that would have been a nice quiet place to enjoy the lake. The city sold a critical part of land that was owned by both the city and the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources. The patch of land to the west on Market Street was made into a Window onto the Lake – the patch of land to the east on St. Paul was also made into a Window on the Lake. They sold the family jewels for a pittance – and put an end to a true Waterfront Trail.  It is an absolutely superb site that was sold because the city council didn’t have the foresight to keep the land and let it become a part of the Waterfront Trail. We did get two Windows to the Lake out of it – and they are close to being ready for public use.  The Window at the foot of St. Paul is a little austere but it is better than nothing. What a great place to sit down and read a good book. Plenty of space to set out a blanket and just enjoy the view.  Resident makes the best of late afternoon sunshine in new chairs placed in one of the city’s newest Windows on the Lake. There are two Windows, one on Market Street and the other at the foot of St. Paul.  The Window at th foot of Market street is a nice, quiet secluded area tucked in behind a small grove of trees. Great place for a quiet conversation.  Looking north to the foot of Market street the red leaves and the blue chairs are a lovely contrast. Of the two the one at west on Market is the nicest. It is tucked into a nice small grove of trees and is a little more intimate than the one on the east side.
November 5th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
They come and they go. The people who run the city are people we rely upon to come up with the solutions to solve the problems. In the five years the Gazette has been reporting on this city we have seen four city managers. Currently James Ridge, a former Canadian army veteran who served in the Military Police.  City manager James Ridge There was a point when the city had three General Managers who reported to the city manager. That level of management no longer exists and the city manager has a team of Directors who meet with Ridge as part of what he calls his Leadership Team. And as long as you do things the way Ridge wants you to do them – you get to stay on the team.  Retiring Director of Transit Mike Spicer on the left attends a community meeting with city manager James Ridge. One of these two is not a happy camper. Mike Spicer, Director of Transit will be leaving the tram November 18th. The Gazette got a note from a reader who brought Spicer’s resignation to our attention. It took a few days to get comment from Spicer who we found to be usually available for comment. We asked Spicer if there was any truth to the rumour we received. Here is the flow of the conversation: Gazette: Got a note from someone saying you had been shown the door. Spicer: I was not shown the door. I resigned. Last day is November 18th. Gazette: Where are you going and what are you going to do next? Spicer: Seeking new opportunities, don’t have anything concrete at this moment but am looking at a few opportunities.  Mayor Goldring reading a transit app on his cell phone. To his left is Joey Edwardth of Community Development Halton and Doug Brown – the guy who knows more about transit in the city than anyone else. He seldom gets a call. Good luck to Mike. He had a difficult job – he was expected to provide a transit service without the funds he needed and the full support of city council. He did slip up on a number of occasions – failing to attend meetings that were put on by transit service advocates was a killer.
November 5th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
It is the best show in town for the political junkies – and it seems that tens of thousands of Canadians are fixated on what our southern neighbours are putting themselves through.  A graph that updates almost every 10 minutes. One of the best data site on the American election. There is a web site that provides exceptionally current data. Link to the site: www.fivethirtyeight.com/
November 5th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
A 13 year old boy was struck by a vehicle on Friday at the intersection of Appleby Line and Taywood Drive in the City of Burlington. The boy was on the bicycle heading northon Appleby Line within the crosswalk when a northbound white Volkswagen attempted to turn left onto Taywood Drive. The vehicle hit the male and fled from the scene.
A coordinated search of the area resulted in the suspect vehicle being located at a residence close to the collision scene. The driver of the vehicle returned to the scene of the collision and was arrested for failure to stop at scene of an accident causing bodily harm. The driver was identified as 23-year-old Stephen BALON of Burlington. Mr. BALON will appear in court on December 7th at the Ontario Court of Justice, 491 Steeles Road, Milton Ontario. The status of the bicycle rider has been upgraded to stable condition. Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905-825-4747 extension 5065, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
November 4th, 2016 BURLINGTON, ON
So the election is Tuesday and like so many others, I am not crazy about either of the main candidates Americans have to choose between. For a while it sure looked like Hillary had it in the bag, but the FBI staged something as close to a coup as one can in a liberal democracy. And now it’s too close to call. Except I’m calling it for Trump. He has the momentum and sometimes stuff just happens – look at Brexit.  The leader of the Western world? And what would we expect from a President Trump? It will depend on whether he has a Republican Congress or whether he is at the mercy of a Democrat-dominated House and/or Senate. And even if the Republicans keep Congress, it is not a given that they will simply rubber stamp all his nutty notions. Many have distanced themselves since learning of his roving small hands and filthy mind. But if they managed to bury that hatchet we might see some big changes in American foreign policy given what Trump, the candidate, has said to date. NATO would be in for a shake-up at a minimum, and this might get the EU nations off their butts and taking their own security seriously. The US will break its Paris commitment on climate change, as Trump mimics one of GWB’s earliest actions, and that will have some spill-over here in the great ‘still-white’ north. We are America’s largest traditional trading partner, after all. And who knows whether Trump will really tear up NAFTA or just tinker with it the way Chretien did with the Canada-US trade deal he inherited? And would Mexico still pay for the wall?  If it ever gets built – how would Donald Trump make the Mexican government actually pay for it? Some kind of wall will likely get built along the US/Mexican border, but with much of the border comprised of shared rivers (Rio Grande and Colorado), it won’t be nearly as formidable as the one in his imagination. His promises of mass deportation of illegal migrants will also pale in light of the fact that more Mexicans are now leaving than coming to America. But tough love for criminals will make a comeback, including stop and frisk for minorities, and maybe some new punishment for women who have abortions once he gets his hands on Roe v Wade. Trump hints that he would make the US insular or isolated, though that was also what “Dubya” said as he was plotting to invade Iraq. The result of which led to ISIS, Trump’s number one target. Though his talk of cooperation with Russia makes one wonder if he’d just abandon all of that Syrian mess for Russia to deal with. Despite that, it is unlikely that Putin and Trump would be soul mates for very long – there is too much distance between them for that. And with Trump promising an even larger military machine, Putin may very well regret losing Obama as his primary punching bag.  Will this man ever address the Canadian House of Commons? Trump is wealthy so it is no surprise he is a fan of trickle down economics – give to the rich and it’ll trickle down to the poor. But just about every economist in America says he is wrong, and that his massive tax cuts would result in massive deficits, a falling exchange rate, recession and/or crazy inflation. And with Obamacare gone it’ll be back to getting health insurance the old way – if you can and if you can afford it in the Trumped down economy. The problem with Trump bringing these few wild promises with him to the White House is that nobody is sure how serious he is about them. The rest of what he is offering is short on detail and full of bravado. And the reason for that is simply that he has such scant knowledge of the issues that would be before him. Even worse he is his own chief advisor and one with zero experience in government. It could be an ugly election and I feel sorry for Americans. Friends in the US are expecting riots in the streets almost immediately should Clinton win. This election is better, or worse, than anything else on TV these days, with the possible exception of the ABC/CTV series Designated Survivor. And the late night talk shows are almost as much fun to watch. Except it isn’t funny. Americans are faced with two markedly different visions of their future for the next four years, and if I’m right they’re about to make a huge mistake. It was never supposed to end up like this. Sure we all knew Hillary was going to model for the Democrats but nobody expected this buffoon to to even get the GOP nomination, let alone be readying himself for the role of most powerful leader in the world.  What will she be Wednesday morning – some think it could be just Mrs. Clinton If Hillary loses, she’ll have no one to blame but herself. Her flawed judgement calls as Senator and Secretary of State have come back to take their revenge. And while she is a powerful speaker with a solid presence she has failed to connect with so many Americans, like the millennial crowd. But Trump has promised to put her in jail after the election is over, anyway. One could argue that her time in the foreign office wasn’t her own, that aside from the email flap she was only carrying out Obama’s largely unsuccessful foreign policy. Even the former chief of NATO has come to that conclusion, calling out the US president for his weakness as a leader. One wonders when the Nobel prize folks will be knocking on Obama’s door, asking for their peace prize back. They could have given it to Bob Dylan, but then they’ couldn’t find him.
Background links: Mexico-US Border – Canada-US Trade – NATO – Economists on Trump – Republicans and Trump – Designated Survivor –
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Ray Rivers is an economist and author who writes weekly on federal and provincial issues, applying his 25 years of involvement with federal and provincial ministries. Rivers’ involvement in city matters led to his appointment as founding chair of Burlington’s Sustainable Development Committee. He was also a candidate in a past provincial election