 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 16, 2013. City Council has been known to whip through their televised city council meetings in as little as 20 minutes. Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison will be able to take part in the first half hour of the Council meeting Tuesday, May 21st – (Council meetings start at 6:30 pm) after that he will be next door in Room 247 speaking to his application before the Committee of Adjustment, to be allowed to sever the property he owns and lives in on Lakeshore Road.
 Councillor Jack Dennison at a community meeting in Roseland that was collecting views on the character of the community. The application has had a bumpy ride in the community. Dennison’s neighbours in the community are opposed to the severance and have been successful in opposing applications from others at the Ontario Municipal Board level.
The Roseland Community Association with a membership at the 125 level in a community with something in the order of 500 homes appears to have a lot of clout and is well-organized. They were well enough organized to refuse membership to Dennison, the Ward Councillor
It should be quite a show. Perhaps Council will choose to adjourn for a period of time so that everyone can take in the Committee of Adjustment hearing. Maybe Committee of Adjustment will move into Council Chambers where their proceedings can be televised live. That just might up the Cogeco ratings a bit.
 Dennison’s property on Lakeshore Road is to be the focus for an application to sever the land into two lots There are different views in the community on this one. Some feel Dennison has the same rights as everyone else in the community while others feel he is held to a higher standard. My colleague, Joan Little who writes a regular column for the Spectator and has served as both a municipal council member and a member of the Regional government and still serves on the one of the Niagara Commissions had this to say about the situation Dennison is in:
Where is the line between being a Councillor and a citizen? Sometime it’s blurry, but the
rights of a citizen are enjoyed by Councillors, except when they pose a conflict of interest.
There is already strong neighbourhood concern about a severance, and variances, applied for by Councillor Jack Dennison. It isn’t a conflict technically, but questionable from an optics perspective. I can’t imagine that he intends to run again in 2014 if he’s alienating an old established (voting) neighbourhood. But then, he was roundly criticized in 2006 for being two years behind in his business taxes, but ran successfully.
City planning staff have to recommend approval or refusal – the same staff Dennison works with daily. And members of the committee of adjustment are appointed by council. Would you like to rule on an application for one of the people who appoints you? One member, Peter Thoem, is a former council colleague. While Thoem and Dennison weren’t close buddies, it’s still awkward for Thoem, as for them all. And what if there is an appeal?
Dennison would be smart to avoid these discomforts for all by putting his application on hold while he’s on council. At best, if he runs again – when he ran the first time, about twenty years ago it was for one term, he said – he’ll face stiff opposition from a key part of his ward, and at worst, could lose.
Dennison has always done what he does his own way. He is aware of the risks and he is also aware that there is at least one very credible candidate ready to run and an also ran who might decide to give it a go again.
 By Ray Rivers
BURLINGTON, ON. May 17, 2013. Justice M. Green put it very well when he said, of the federal governments Safe Streets Act that it represented “…an ideology of unabashed Puritanism marketed through fear-mongering and invidious exploitation of communal differences.”
Justice Green was writing about one of the Harper government’s signature legislative pieces, (Globe and Mail – May 2, 2013). Indeed, if puritanism was the driving passion, then why not just bring back the pillory stocks, the dunking stool and the whipping post. 17th century puritans used to nail their prisoners’ ears to the stocks – so they would have to face their victims. And, the multitude of crimes in those days included treason, sedition, arson, blasphemy, witchcraft, perjury, wife-beating, cheating, forgery, coin clipping, dice cogging, slandering, conjuring, fortune-telling, and drunkenness.
 Putting people in pillory stocks was a common practice in the 1800’s. We have progressed since then; haven’t we? It took four centuries to narrow down the list of crimes and, more recently, two generations of socially progressive efforts, to whittle down the number of criminals in Canadian prisons. And the reality is that crimes, criminals and costs have further fallen over the last two decades. So Mr. Harper’s new law – Bill C-10, ‘The Safe Streets and Communities Act’ can only turn the clock back.
This legislation has the ultimate purpose of expanding the prison population and increasing the number of costly prisons required. Why? A good question. Since, ironically, the changes being instituted are happening while crime rates are falling and streets are generally safer in Canada. It is also ironic that the very government which claims to be promoting safer streets is the same one which shut down the long gun registry and destroyed almost all of its weapons records. It is also the government which has made our country more of a potential target for international terrorism through it’s unbalanced foreign policies.
If US-style laws and US prison systems are the models in Mr. Harper’s mind, then privatized for-profit prisons cannot be far behind. And if profit-oriented US prison providers, like ‘GEO’, are to be engaged, we should expect that higher US-style crime rates will also follow. The US, with the highest incarceration rates in the world is a poor model for us to emulate, by any reasonable person’s assessment.
These American for-profit organizations tend to feed on the underprivileged and the poor, while making greater profit from the increasing number of inmates facing longer sentences. Looking objectively at the prison system in Canada, it is hard to miss the imbalance which already exists – how certain minorities are over-represented. For example, less than 13% of Saskatchewan residents are aboriginal and yet aboriginals make up over 80% of the prison inmates in that province. This is something the so-called ‘Safe Streets and Communities Act’ will do absolutely nothing to improve – it will in fact exacerbate the problem.
‘The Safe Streets and Communities Act’ will be the topic of a Town Hall Meeting I am moderating at McMaster Innovation Park (175 Longwood Rd. S.) in Hamilton, 7 PM, May 22. The event is free and open to the public; it would be nice to see you there.
 Ray Rivers Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a political animator. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 16. 2013 Earlier in the week just past mid-afternoon a resident arrived home to find a vehicle in the driveway and a man descending a flight of stairs from his apartment area. Once at his apartment he recognized it had been broken into and property had been stolen.
The man he had seen on the stairs had taken off running down the street and the suspicious vehicle had hurriedly backed out of the driveway and was seen to pick up the man a short distance away. The victim recalled seeing the same man the day prior when he appeared at his door attempting to sell him CD’s.
The victim had a television and Apple IPOD stolen from his apartment and he recalled seeing a television in the rear seat of the suspicious vehicle when he passed by it.
Suspect #1 (driver) – male, black, 30 years of age, 6’2”, 180 lbs, thin build and dark hair in dreadlocks or braids
Suspect #2 – male, black, mid 20’s in age, 5’5”, 160 lbs, short buzzed hair, wearing a black sport jacket with a green t-shirt and dark blue jeans
Suspect vehicle – beige in colour, possibly a Ford Contour with structural damage to the driver’s front bumper and passenger door area
The scam for these two appears to be going door to door trying to sell DVD’s and checking out a residence then going back and breaking in. Alert your friends to this one.
There are an increasing number of daylight break-ins taking place. Police advise residents to not even attempt to apprehend anyone you see breaking into your home. Stay as calm as you can and look for details you can give the police – but call 911 first.
Look for facial details, license numbers, clothing details. It is this kind of information that helps police catch the culprits.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 x2315, Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 16, 2013 RIDE, that program that pulled us over during the Christmas season to do a quick check on just how much we had had to drink; looks like it is being extended to WHAT
Halton Police have bought into the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police’s 2013 Drive Safe! R.I.D.E. traffic safety campaign developed to focus on rail and road safety issues as police continue to see far too many incidents of serious injury and death related to vehicle and pedestrian interaction with railway lines and railway crossings.
 The grief suffered by people who know those killed at railway crossing never leaves their lives. Better security at the crossing is the first step. City council is working on this – sooner than later would be nice. So far, 2013 has seen three pedestrian deaths on railway lines, two in Burlington and one in Oakville. The prior year saw four pedestrians struck by trains on railway lines in Halton, three of which died.
 Notwithstanding the inherent dangers involved, it is illegal to disobey railway crossing signals or drive around lowered railway crossing gates. It is also illegal to trespass upon railway lines.
The campaign will feature a new public information booklet with information on rail and road safety as well as pedestrian safety, drinking and driving, traffic collision reporting, protecting consumers from fraud when purchasing a vehicle, and Ontario’s “pullover” laws.
This campaign is made possible through the support of a number of partners: VIA Rail Canada, Roy Speed & Ross/Globali.com, Canadian Tire, Smart Serve Ontario, Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, Accident Support Services International, Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club, the Government of Ontario, Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, Canpar, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, Labatt Brewing Company, and Alcohol Countermeasures Systems.
 While having improved police involvement in railway crossing deaths is a positive sign – keeping people off the railway tracks when there are paths like this all over the city is the real problem. While it is nice to see all these companies stepping up to support such a program – isn’t this something the public services are there to provide?
And, isn’t this something our municipal council members are in place to endorse as well? Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison certainly didn’t help when he said publicly that he scoots across the railway tracks at Cumberland where he owns a business all the time. That comment must have made police chief Tanner cringe. Send one of those booklets along to Dennison at city hall, while he is still there.
 By Diane Gaudaur
BURLINGTON, ON May 15, 2013. I understand that Heritage Burlington met yesterday evening and that there was a 6 to 3 vote to support the severance at 3083 Lakeshore Road.
I further understand that derogatory comments were made on the record and offhand about Roseland and the Roseland Community Organization. We are duly incorporated as a non-profit organization to resist egregious development in our neighbourhood, and unapologetically so. We have the right to exist for our own purposes. We are not ‘anti-severance’ but we are against egregious development. We have well over 100 members. We have further ‘non-member’ support from other Roseland residents.
 Diane Gaudaur, president of the Roseland Community Association discusses the kind of community they want during a Neighbourhood Character Study; [part of the Official Plan Review. The community does not see the Councillor Dennison request to sever his property as fitting in with the character of the community. I complained earlier about Jeff Sutcliffe writing an inflammatory and erroneous letter to the editor in the Burlington Post. As a voting member of Heritage Burlington, I feel he should not be inflicting his personal views on the public when there is an active and pending Application for Minor Variance. I understand he not only voted, but was forceful in suggesting that it be brought to a vote and also made comments about our organization. When I complained about his behaviour earlier, I was told he was a private citizen expressing his views. I suggest that everyone at City Hall is a private citizen, but that there should be an appropriate code of conduct when dealing with City business.
That there seems to be none for Committee members is unacceptable. Meetings should be conducted by the Chairperson and in a professional manner. I am told that this was not the case. That there should be questions of procedural issues pertaining to voting and to whom this vote should be expressed to, is clearly unprofessional.
Mr. Sutcliffe has a clear public stance on the rights of property owners. The purpose of this committee should be to protect and respect Heritage in Burlington, not to rubber stamp demolition permits and other issues which they vote on. This Committee has long been disrespected by the public, and continues to be so by a significant number of city residents.
This decision is clearly in defiance of the Staff Report in the Application, with clear and unambiguous judgments by Planning on the appropriateness of this severance from a heritage perspective.
 Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison discusses the “character” of the Roseland with residents who don’t want to see the severance to his property he is seeking approved. It is difficult enough to undertake opposition to severances. It is even more challenging on many levels when the applicant is our Ward Councillor. We now proceed to the Committee of Adjustment, one of whose members I understand to be a developer and all voted in by the Ward Councillor.
I am appalled that there was no procedure in place for dealing with an application and further that it was not dealt with within the same time frame as other Staff reports. Furthermore, one’s personal agenda should not be the driving force behind the Committee’s action or non-action.
This committee needs a complete overhaul. Members should be there to protect Heritage not undermine it. If having property rights activists and developers on the Committee is for the sake of balance, I suggest that this is an approach that is not working.
The culture at City Hall should remember why they were hired, nominated or elected to be in the positions they are in. Residents and all parties deserve to be treated respectfully and fairly.
Diane Gaudaur is the President of the Roseland Community Organization.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 13, 2013. They go to the meetings; they take on the extra tasks; they convince other people that their idea is a good one and they use their personal resources to advance their cause. That is why we call them Burlington`s Best and why we take an evening in May once a year to acknowledge and publicly recognize those special people who make the city what it is.
Each year Burlington names a Citizen of the Year and names a recipient for the Community Service Award. For 2012 Ancilla Ho-Young was named as our leading citizen and Ross Kay was named as the recipient of the Community Service award.
Both richly deserved.
 The seven people nominated and chosen as the Best Burlington has when it comes to serving the city and its citizens. Mayor Goldring stands in the center. Amy Schnurr was given the Environmental Award for the truly outstanding year BurlingtonGreen had with the two-day visit by Jane Goodall followed by a remarkable CleanUp – Green Up turnout – more than 13,500 people cleaning the ravines and other public places in the city.
Morgan Muscat, a film maker was named the Arts person of the year and Noah Parker was named the Junior Citizen of the year.
Joe Veitch was named Senior person of the year. That had to be for the sums he convinced the city to give the Seniors’ Centre.
Jane Irwin was recognized as the Heritage person of the year. It was a posthumous award – we lost Jane earlier this year.
It is by publicly recognizing those who we see as leaders; the people who selflessly just do things for others with no expectation of any reward.
Last week we got the chance to applaud these seven people. It was one of those occasions when a standing ovation was deserved.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 15, 2013. John Mello is the kind of guy who stands around a lot. He is usually thinking five or six steps ahead of the people he is involved with. He’s a railroad guy – didn’t actually work on a railroad – he just likes trains. Not the model railway trains guys build in the basements and then wear a funny hat and walk around with an oil can in their hands. Mello talks about BIG trains, preferably steam engines.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. That ability to talk about big trains comes from his 44 years of experience in the railway business where he started as a “train order operator”. Long before cell phones – back in the days when it was a telegraph operator sending messages in Morse code engineers would be given their instructions written out on small pieces of paper called flimsies that were attached to a hoop and passed up to the engineer as the train slowed down. Mello goes back “that far” – lots of history in the man.
 The Freeman Five – with John Mellow in the center listening to city council make a decision. This isn’t a group Council was going to say no to easily. Mello is one of the group that is refurbishing the Freeman Station. It has been a long haul, a very long haul and they are nowhere near where they want to be but there are glimmers of hope and small, even if faltering steps, taken that move the ball up the field.
While there are pounds of paper, documents, permits and who knows what else, Mello leaves all that messy stuff – and it is messy, to others. He has his eye on the bigger picture.
The next step is to get the station off the really shaky set of blocks it is sitting on and onto sturdy steel beams so that it can be at least moved to its new site – which is less than 100 yards away.
The structure sits on what they call “cribbing” – been there since 2005 and Mello says” it’s still pretty solid”. Mello explains with the ease of a truck driver who can move one of those eighteen wheelers through downtown traffic just how it is all going to happen.
 This beam, one of four that will be used, is being shoved under the station. Once it is in place it will be jacked up and take the weight of the station – 100 tons. Then dolly wheels will be attached to the beams and it will be slowly moved from where it has sat since 2005 and to its new home – 100 yards away. There it will be refurbished and restored and then it will be ready for transfer where it truly belongs – on Lakeshore Road next to the old railway line. In the fullness of time all that will happen. The steel beams are being slid underneath the building where they are levelled and shifted to make sure they are right underneath beams in the building that can carry the weight of the building. Then the beams are jacked up high enough for the person overseeing the restoration of the building can get underneath and do some of the work that has to be done before the building is actually moved.
When everything is ready for the actual move a couple of sets of “dolly’s” – wheels that are together are attached to the beams and the building gets rolled forward and through the fire station parking lot on Fairview and then back into its resting place on the Ashland property where the serious restoration work will begin.
“They’re going to drive forward from over there” said Mello pointing to the station and then “pull the truck right up to the curb here and slowly back it in and then lower it to the ground” explains Mello.
And he knows exactly where that here is going to be. “The end of the station will be here” he says as he point to a spot in an open field with hydro towers and a patch of sumac trees that will have to come out. The trees are very young – easily replaced with something more substantial. The other end of the station will be close to that tree over there” he adds.
 John Mello points out where one end of the Freeman Station will rest. The other end will be at about where the tall tree is in the background. Sod turning will take place May 23rd. “A roadway will come in through here and curve around to the front of the building where there will be parking for a couple of cars”, adds Mello.
When will all this happen? In the fullness of time is the best Mello can say – he’s not the type to be rushed.
He does hope that the public turns out to watch the actual move. The structure weighs 100 tons – “they made them good in those days” explains Mello. “They had wood we don’t have today.
Mello is looking over the horizon at the bigger picture. The lot of land the Friends of Freeman have is quite large – there will be quite a bit of landscaping to be done and that too will be done in the fullness of time. Maybe there is some railway track and a couple of engines in the station’s future? Maybe an original steam engine and a diesel as well. Mello worked for GO transit for a number of years and he’s the kind of guy who makes friends he can call on.
Fundraising, an ongoing task for the Friends, is currently focused on selling the equivalent of railway ties that will hold imaginary track. One railway tie moves the station six inches. They’ve sold a couple of hundred of the things so far. For $20 you can move the station six inches.
Sod turning on the site is to take place May 23rd, in the forenoon. All the people who managed to put up or secure funds for the moving and refurbishing the station will be out along with the politicians. It’s not much more than a photo-op – all part of the process when you work with city hall.
 It was Councillors Blair Lancaster, on the right and Marianne Meed Ward that kept the Freeman station idea alive while citizens like Freeman Station president James Smith, second from left and John Mellow in the middle, pulled together a citizens group that will restore and refurbish the structure. That Thursday will be a very full day for the friends of Freeman Station – in the afternoon they gather to celebrate the life of Jane Irwin, one of the biggest advocates for saving the station. The sod turning ceremony, a real high for the people who got the station to this point, which is a long way from the day the city ran an advertisement asking if anyone wanted to take the thing off our hands. There were no takers.
 Train order operators used hoops like this to pass messages to trains as they passed slowly through a station. John Mello was one of the people who wrote out the instructions on what were then called “flimsies”. “We used carbon paper in those days – does anyone even know what that stuff is today” wonders Mello. Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster were the two members of council who were not prepared to let the station fade from the pages of the city’s history. They kept the issue before council while citizens formed a group and got themselves organized.
When the day is done on the 23rd people will return to their homes with fond memories of Jane Irwin and the knowledge that turning the sod for new Freeman station home was a good thing to get done.
John Mello will slip down to the basement of his Burlington home and look through his railway memorabilia collection and let his mind slip back to when he reached up to engineers with that hoop holding the instructions telling them where they were to go and what they would face in terms of oncoming rail traffic. That’s the way they did it in those days.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON. ON. May 14, 2013. What do you make of this?
In a media release put out by the city, Mayor Rick Goldring said “The Brant Street Pier is nearly completed, and will be a waterfront icon at the foot of Brant Street for families to enjoy for generations to come.” He then added: “There is still some outstanding business regarding legal action related to the pier. The city will be as open as possible in sharing that information.”
 View from the pier looking east. That patch of land between the two building is where the Riviera Motel used to stand. It is the site where an 8 storey Delta Hotel will be built, plus a seven story condominium and a 22 storey condominium. Small site for that many buildings. The railing shown in the picture are just place holders. Are those two sentences related? Is the opening of the pier to the public being held up in any way by the “legal” problems?
At a recent council committee meeting Councillor Jack Dennison wanted city hall staff types to let the public out on the pier just as soon as possible and didn’t want the public kept off the pier until the “dignitaries” got to do their thing and have their pictures taken.
 Diver in the water taking out the caissons that were embedded in the lake bottom to keep the construction trestle in place. The trestle will be out by the end of the week. The project team thought the pier could be ready for the public as early as June 3 – that date seems to be slipping. The FINAL Project Update made mention of granting the contractor “Substantial Performance which meant the pier would be transferred from the contractor to the city and the city could then decide when it was ready to let the public out onto the pier.
There are people out on the pier now – late at night “punks” go out onto the pier with their beer and make fools of themselves. The city will want to create some form of security for the site. There will be barriers that prevent cars from going out but they don’t appear to be wide enough to keep bicycles and motorcycles off the site.
It will probably take six months before the city realizes that a security camera is going to be necessary.
Actual construction has been proceeding very well. The rails that will keep people from falling over the edge have yet to get put in place but that is in hand. Most of the balustrades that will hold the rails are in place. The team that is going to install the steel wire rope are in town – they were brought in from Vancouver. The rails are getting galvanized and painted – then they can go up.
 These three “amigos” kept the construction of the pier on time and resolved each of the many problems that cropped up. The stairs on the left lead to the node. Craig Stevens, Project Manager for the city on the left and Brad Cassidy the on-site manager for the construction company on the right. Eric Carriere stands in the middle; we never quite knew what Eric did – he was just always there. The concrete for the stairs that lead to the node will get poured this week.
Weather is hampering things a bit but there hasn’t been anything that was unmanageable on the construction side. The problems are all on the legal side.
A number of weeks ago City Manager Jeff Fielding announced that he was hiring a specialized communications team to help with managing the flow of information to the public on some legal matters. We’ve known this was coming for some time.
While the city has been telling the public that construction of the pier has been on time and on budget – which for the most part has been true, they haven’t been saying very much about the legal problems that have dogged the city since the original contractor walked off the job and lawsuits started being served on anyone who had a finger in that pie.
This story is far from over. There are all kinds of things going on with the several law suits – the city would rather you didn’t know about those – they want to dazzle you with fireworks and tell you all about the wonderful view – and it is a great view. Just not worth the $14 million + number the city uses when they talk about costs. Think in terms of closer to $20 million.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 13, 2013. It was a thrilling way to open the season for the Burlington Bandits who took their first home game by a slim 1 run win in the final inning when Paul Saville drove in the winning run with a double to cap a three-run ninth inning rally.
The host Bandits were up against the London Majors.
The Bandits scored three runs with one out in the ninth to steal the win from the Majors (0-2) in their first game of the season. Burlington trailed 10-4 after four innings but stormed back much to the delight of their hometown crowd.
 The Burlington Bandits were pumped as they went into their Home Opener and beat the London Majors by a single run in the 9th inning. Great baseball! Saville drove in three runs and scored a run for the Bandits, while Jeff McLeod drove in three runs. Darryl Pui added a pair of RBI, while Kyle Morton added a solo homer for Burlington, which made five errors and won despite being out-hit 12-7.
Jason Pilkington started for the Bandits, going three innings. He allowed seven runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Reliever Matthew St. Kitts got the win, allowing one run on three hits over four innings, striking out four.
Adwin Springer homered and had two hits, three RBI and four runs scored for the Majors. Paul LaMantia had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI, while Derrik Strzalkowski drove in three runs for London.
London pitchers were badly hurt by 11 walks. Starter Cory Hammond went 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on three hits with five strikeouts and six walks. Ryan Lapensee was the loser, charged with six runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.
NEXT: The Bandits play against the Brantford RedSocks, in Brantford on the 15th, then the Barrie Baycats on Thursday the 16th at Nelson Park in Burlington and then meet the Kitchener Panthers on Saturday the 18th. After that is on the road playing against Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Pitts May 19th.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 12, 2013. Early in the afternoon of Mother’s day an ambulance traveling south on Appleby Line collided with a vehicle at the intersection of 1 Side Road in Burlington.
The Emergency Services (EMS) ambulance collided with an eastbound Buick.
 A Halton EMS ambulance traveling south on Appleby Line collided with a Buick turning into the traffic. The driver of the Buick, a 93-year-old Burlington man, was seriously injured in the collision and remains in hospital in serious condition. The 2 Halton Region EMS paramedics involved in the collision received minor injuries and were also transported to hospital.
The collision occurred as the driver of the Buick attempted to make a left hand turn onto Appleby Line. The ambulance was driving southbound on Appleby Line and was not responding to any priority calls, it did not have its emergency lights or siren activated, and there were no patients aboard the ambulance.
Due to the injuries sustained by the Burlington man, the Halton Regional Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) attended and took carriage of the investigation. The intersection was closed for approximately 5 hours for the scene investigation.
Speed does not appear to be a contributing factor in the collision. Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact Detective Constable Oliver Caves at 905 825-7474 extension 5124.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 13, 2013 What might turn out to be a sunny Sunday afternoon is also a chance to spend a bit of time soaking up the sounds of what “bookmeister” Ian Elliott, over at the Different Drummer calls, “ marvelous, captivating music of many eras in a sublime performance”.
 Frances Cohen, Paul Burnip and Shiori Kobayashi of Grenadilla Winds
Grenadilla Winds–the brilliant, nationally renowned clarinettists Frances Cohen, Shiori Kobayashi and Paul Burnip–render their generous program in exquisite style, Sunday, May 26 3pm, at a Different Drummer Books, 513 Locust Street
GRENADILLA WINDS present THE VIRTUOSIC CLARINET
Refreshments, and a chance to meet the performers, are offered right after the performance. Tickets are $15, $10 for students.
To reserve seats, please contact us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 10, 2013. The Beachway Master Plan – one of those projects that has been going on forever, finally got to Burlington’s city council. It didn’t get a round of applause but it did get a thorough trouncing with more questions from Council than the three people presenting the report were able to answer.
Many of the questions were tabled giving staff time to dig out the answers.
 The area studied in the Beachway report is on the left. A prime focus is the residential properties show in red – there are 30 homes in the area Reality took a bit of a hit during the lengthy meeting at which the public and city council went through a report that was biased at best and lacked any imagination whatsoever. It seemed to focus on getting the residents out of the parkland and, as Councillor Meed Ward put it “create space for parking cars”.
It was a long report, a complex report; one that required more than the five or six days the residents of the Beachway Park community had to read it and digest the contents.
It wasn’t clear if the Region, which produced the report, had made an early draft available to Burlington for comment.
Wednesday evening was a meeting to receive the report from the Region and to give the public an opportunity to comment. In the past the Beachway residents have been very vocal, close to disruptive at times, with good reason- the report talked about their homes and there are people at the Region who want to put them out on the street. There was a previous public meeting, a workshop that was looking for ideas and views on what might be done with the Beachway.
There are some in that community who are prepared to sell their property to the Region but they want a decent price – which is something the Region claims it has not been able to do. More on that below.
The Beachway falls in Councillor Rick Craven’s ward and he hand delivered copies to the 30 homes in the community.
 Residents on the Beachway have spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their properties – this is where they live and where they want to stay. One of the better examples of improved properties is this house on Lakeshore Road Wednesday evening they were ably represented by Glen Gillespie who gave council a passionate view of the community, the parkland and what could be done. He entertained them and to some degree informed them as well, but it isn’t the city that is driving this agenda – and the community does not appear to have been able to get through to the Regional people.
At the end of the meeting Council made it clear to the Regional people that they had a lot of questions and didn’t see this as being anywhere near a done deal. Problem is the city doesn’t have all that much clout on this one and there isn’t a clear vision from the city as to what it wants to do – at least not yet.
There is no clear leadership from this Council on the issue. Craven seems to lack any imagination on the file and is more concerned about encroachment of public property by the residents – he has a point on that one – than he has about the bigger picture which is what does Burlington want to see done with the parkland?
Craven has a habit of asking “incisive questions” in an almost prosecutorial manner that usually results in a ‘no’ from the person being questioned and then sits back looking as if he has made a major point. Wednesday evening he asked each of the Beachway residents if they were aware of the provincial policy related to properties on the Beachway. Did you ask your lawyer or your real estate agents about any provincial policy, Craven asked. Get real Councillor – real estate agents tell you about the granite counter tops, the “ensuite” bathrooms and the hardwood floors.
Acting General Manager Chris Glenn directed the meeting. After two hours of presentations, delegations and some questions Glenn broke the discussion into four areas and did his best to channel the flow of conversation along those paths.
 While the focus of the Beachway report was on flooding, the dynamic beach and the residential housing there are three other very large users of the area. Joseph Brant Hospital will face Lakeshore Road when it completes its re-build, the Ministry of transportation has a large equipment yard on the west side of Lakeshore and the Waste water treatment plant, currently undergoing a massive upgrade is also in the area. Land use – what use was the land that is owned by the Conservation Authority, leased to the city and comes under policy created at the Region, going to be put to?
 Much is made of the flooding hazard – and there have been very significant floods in the past. The focus of the Beachway Review report has been on what flooding will do to the residential homes – much less said about the impact flooding will have on the waste water treatment plant and the hospital – both of which are in the flood plain. Flooding: what is the flooding issue? There are a lot of misconceptions in the minds of many; some outright fear mongering on the part of Regional staff; data that is true one week but not true the next and a bit of a “not telling the whole story” on the part of the bureaucrats. The residents deserve better and Burlington has to press the Region and the Conservation Authority quite a bit harder to get the truth out on the table about the flooding threat.
Servicing the community and the park in general. The Region states that it is parkland and therefore cannot be serviced but there is a Pavilion that has water and waste service; a Pump House the city would love to lease out to someone, that has water and waste service and then there is a waste water treatment plant right smack in the middle of the community. The residents feel, quite legitimately, that they are being had.
 A layout showing the location of the private homes in the Beachway Park. The Region appears to want to want to buy the properties – the residents say that if the Region is going to purchase they want a fair price. Some think the Region wants the property for future parking when use of the park expands.  Examples of some of the homes in the Beachway that residents want to keep. The last subject areas was “acquisition” – how is the Region going to acquire the homes if that is what this all comes down to, then the practice they have followed the past five years has been a total failure. Of the eight properties that came up for sale – the Region managed to get just the one. All the others sold privately – one for double what the Region offered.
The report, it actually has the word “comprehensive” in its title – chose to be selective in what it put its spotlight on. There were a number of critical decisions made in previous reports that go back to the 70’s, that got brushed over. The writers of the report chose to pick parts of previous document that supported their viewpoint.
There is much more delving into to be done on the file. However, there is a clock ticking – the Region has put a schedule in place that has the report going to the Planning and Public works committee in October.
There were four delegations before Council; three from people who had homes in the Beachway and a third from the Burlington Waterfront Committee, the eye on the waterfront created by Councillor Marianne Meed Ward when the Waterfront Access Protection and Advisory Committee was sunset by city Council.
The three residents were crystal clear on what they wanted – either give us a fair price for our homes or clear up the zoning mess and let us remain where we want to be.
The Waterfront group came out very strongly for keeping the community on the Beachway.
Based on the “pie in the sky” view the Region has put forward and the fear mongering they did Burlington is going to have to get its act together and form a plan that it wants to advance.
Spencer Smith Park, which is the eastern part of our Waterfront, is nicely developed and works for everyone. Time now to decide what the city would like to see done with the western end. Time may be the one thing the city and the residents don’t have.
There was a time when the Beachway part of Burlington was a small but robust community with its own stores and police service. That time is part of the city’s history – which got precious little mention in the report received by city council last Wednesday.
The roll out schedule for this is:
Presentation to the Regional Waterfront Parks Advisory Committee: June 26 and August 21, 2013
Presentation to Conservation Halton Board on June 27, 2013
Back to the Burlington Community Services Committee Sept 11, 2013
Region of Halton Planning and Public works committee October 3, 2013,
The October meeting is where the direction to be taken will be determined and the actual creation of the Master Plan will begin.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013. A former employee of Royal Botanical Gardens was arrested today for a series of fraudulent transactions committed during her tenure.
 What do you do with a 70 year old who used a corporate credit card for their own use over a period of five years? Jail? Between May 2007 and May 2012, over $350,000.00 in unauthorized cash advance transactions were drawn on Royal Botanical Gardens – Corporate Credit Card.
Ethel GALLANT, 70 yrs, of Hamilton faces three counts of Fraud over $5000 and will appear in Milton Court on June 5th.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013, All those pennies they told you were now close to worthless turn out to be worth a decent dollar – just as long as the copper in those coins is smelted out and rolled out into sheets or pressed into ingots.
Someone figured this out and between May 4th and May 6th broke into Tallman Bronze on Industrial Road and made off with copper valued at $250,000.
 We were all savings our pennies – thieves didn’t want to save – they just stole a truck load of copper – worth a cool quarter of a million dollars. Burlington detectives are seeking public assistance with their investigation into the break-in. Investigators believe a large truck would have been needed to transport the copper from the site.
Police are appealing to area businesses and local residents who may have noticed any suspicious activity occurring in the area of 2220 Industrial Street over the weekend of May 4th to May 6th.
Anyone with information pertaining to this matter is asked to call Detective Andy Forde of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825 4747 x2385, Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web or by texting ‘Tip201’ with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9th, 2013. You know the feeling. You have just ordered fish and chips and the waiter sets down a juicy hamburger for the guy at the next table. You recall the price was the same and wish you’d ordered differently – then your fish arrives and you want to ask the waiter to change it for the burger. That’s Andrea Horwath. She demanded poorly from Kathleen Wynne, in the provincial budget, and now she’d like to order again.
Take the 15% cut in insurance rates. I didn’t think that could happen. Aren’t the rates set on the basis of claims, as they’ve always told us? Are we going to have 15% fewer accidents this year? Possible, but I doubt it. So that means we’ve been paying at least 15% more a year than we should have. And look at your insurance bill. Why are we paying for accident health coverage in a province with universal OHIP? Talk about being over-insured.
New Zealanders have true no-fault auto insurance. They understand nothing is risk-free. So if you are on the highway and have an accident, the biggest insurance pool in the country, the government, takes care of you – but you can’t sue a third-party for personal injuries. I bought a used car there and my yearly insurance bill was $99.00. Why can’t we do that here?
The NDP platform on car insurance, when Bob Rae became the first Dipper Premier, was to nationalize it. But he chickened out – wouldn’t do it then. Has the NDP dropped the idea entirely, or did Andrea think it was too much to ask, and wishes she had now? I mean BC, Quebec and Manitoba – all have variations of public auto insurance for their people – and they pay lower premiums. Why are we fattening the big insurance companies? Keeping that money in our pockets would be like a tax cut. A good way to stimulate the economy.
But the best we can do is fifteen percent, this time. Horwath made her play and now she’s not so sure. She’s hiding in her office, waiting to hear from… who? You’d think she would have done that before she made her ask on the budget. Now it is just about stalling, checking if the chips, which came with her fish, are salty enough before she slips one into her mouth. But they are getting cold as she hesitates, pretending she’s not really all that hungry.
Horwath is in a pickle. The Liberals need her far more badly than she ever thought, and Andrea now wishes she’d asked for more – because she probably would have got it. But she didn’t – so it’s time to lift her knife and fork and dig into that plate she ordered. Act like the adult you want people to think you are, if you expect them to make you Premier some day. Take the deal you demanded and make it work – then maybe, next time, be a little more careful about what you order up.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a political animator. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013 The weekly Mountain Bike series at Kelso Conservation Area is back this summer with races starting on May 21 and running every Tuesday until the Finale Event on August 27 (last series race August 20).
With 14 races in total and multiple distances/categories this is a great addition to your training program with some of the best climbs in southern Ontario, or a fun way to challenge yourself to achieve a personal best.
 Great trails for many different ability levels on some of the best climbs in southern Ontario. The series is now in its fifth season and often sees over 200 riders of all ability levels from all over southern Ontario and beyond. The staff at Kelso keeps the focus on fun, and has nurtured a strong and supportive community of riders over the years.
Registration is now available online, and in the Visitor Services Centre at Kelso, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Riders can also come out on May 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. to preview the trails and register on-site for the series.
Riders can pick up a discount coupon to save an extra $10 on your series registration from one of our many great sponsors, who are listed on the race webpage. Sign up for the series (14 races and the finale event) and choose to race as many as you want; or sign up for individual races whenever you want.
We encourage everyone to sign up for the series as it’s such a great value. Once again a safe, fun, challenging and free kids course will be offered at the base of the hill, so be sure to bring the little ones out for a taste of the action.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 8, 2013. It took four months but the members of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau were able to arrest a suspect who would target vehicles left for repairs at auto body shops, smashing out the windows of the vehicle and removing property from within.
The accused, Mark TRAVIS, 44 yrs, of Burlington was arrested and held for a bail hearing.
Next the police can focus on the series of thefts from the contents of vehicles in the Alton Village and Orchard Park communities. That people have left their cars unlocked has made it easier for the bandits but police will eventually catch these guys as well.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 8, 2013 If the city grants Graham Infrastructure “Substantial Performance” people will be able to walk out onto the pier – just like that.
Graham is the company that built the pier – actually they tore down the first version of the pier and then started all over again – but that’s another story. Everyone now wants to move on and hold the opening ceremonies with balloons and fireworks and speeches and pretend that all the problems were not our problems. We will all become Jamaicans for a few hours and tell ourselves there are “No problems”
This “substantial performance is one of two conditions that have to be met before the pier can be opened to the public.
During debate at a council committee when city staff was giving council their FINAL pier update Councillor Dennison wanted to know just when the public was going to walk out on that concrete deck. Staff had said that the Burlington Teen Tour Band would be the first “public” to use the pier which they thought was fitting and would certainly gladden the hearts of many in this city.
 There was almost a cheer when city staff advised council they were making their FINAL project update on the Brant Street Pier. Dennison poked away a bit and referred to the FINAL Pier Update and noted that once the city has granted Substantial Performance the pier can be used.
Substantial Performance means that in the eyes of the city the work on the pier is complete and the contractor turns it over to the city. During construction the pier is in the hands of the contractor.
With “substantial performance” the contractor gets a significant payment – so you know they want to see this done. Liability for the pier becomes the city’s problem and a deficiency list gets drawn up.
Every project has a deficiency list – some take years t get done. They are usually always very small and it is the city that keeps after the contractor to ensure they are fixed.
All this leads up to – when will the pier be open to the public? We know it will be open on the 14th – every dignitary in the Region will be out there. It will be fun to watch former Mayor’s Cam Jackson and Rob McIsaac share the platform – not much love lost between those two.
McIsaac struggled to get the pier built and when the crane topped during construction Jackson wanted to blow the whole thing up. The current administration moved heaven and earth to find a contractor to complete the job and sent millions more than anyone expected to see the job done.
The “mistake on the lake” will finally shed its lousy public image.
There are two big public events: June 14th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm which will be the plaque unveiling, recognition of the dignitaries and thanking them for giving us back our own money to build the pier. This is when the Burlington Teen Tour Band will march smartly out to the end of the pier and then in a grand fashion march from the end forward to the front where the public will have gathered.
After all the speeches and the photo opportunities everyone retires to the Sound of Music VIP tent for a reception.
 The beacon atop the node – cross braces have yet to go in and all the LED lights have yet to be put in place. Looks kind of nice as it is. The day after – Saturday June 15th is the Community Opening. This event will run from noon to 3:00 pm during which there will be “animation activities” for the public. Details are still be worked out by two different city departments. The “big shot” event is being handled by the city’s communications department and the Community Opening is being run by the city’s Special Events people.
They put on the Children’s Festival – a two-day event that is hugely popular and know how to make something work. It will be interesting to see how well they do – and interesting as well to see how the two different departments do their jobs.
 Looks cold and lonely out there? In a couple of weeks the railings will be in place and the public will strut out to the end of the pier and marvel at it all – and the cost as well. But the really interesting thing is: WHEN WILL THE PUBLIC BE ABLE O WALK OUT ON THAT PIER? Dennison isn’t on for waiting until the dignitaries are on hand. If it safe and complete – then let the public out onto the thing is the view Dennison took at the last council committee meeting.
Will he be as insistent at Council later this month and will he have the support of his fellow council members? Dennison could use a win on this one. He got close to black- balled by his community over his plans to apply for a severance of his Lakeshore Road property and he took a shellacking over his view that Lakeshore Road should have separate bicycle lanes.
If he manages to get the public out on the pier during the first week of June – will all be forgiven?
 By Staff
HAMILTON, ON May 7, 2013. Tim Bosma was selling his truck.
Two people showed up at his door to look at the truck. They wanted to take it for a test drive. Bosma decided to go with the two men. That was on May 6th. Bosma hasn’t been seen since.
 Friends created a Facebook page and are using social media to get the word out and find Tim Bosma The truck, a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 with license plates 726-7ZW has not been seen. Hamilton police Detective Steve Pacey is leading the investigation
A source told Our Burlington that Bosma was a little suspicious about the men who showed up to buy the truck and decided to go with them.
Family and friends are using social media to get the word out and to spread the license number far and wide.
If you see the plates on a black pick up call 905-546-4930
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 7, 2013 The natives in St. Luke’s Precinct are getting restless – they don’t like the look of a development that is going to chew up a whole block of Caroline from Hager to Burlington Streets.
Barry Imber, a Hager resident explains: “Myself and a bunch of downtown neighbours are amassing to say no to a new housing development that’s proposed for Caroline
 The St. Luke’s Precinct is bordered on four sides roughly between Brant Street and Maple Avenue at the sides and Central High School to Lakeshore Road top to bottom. Street between Burlington Ave. and Hager Ave. The developer wants to tear down a number of homes and replace with higher density town homes which local Councillor Marianne Meed-Ward insists are semi-detached structures.
The neighbourhood has been dealing with this for some time – early meetings took place sometime in 2012.
Meed Ward has arranged for a meeting at city hall – on a Saturday – in the late Spring no less – that tells how restless the natives are. Takes place at City Hall — 10am – Room 305 with developer Maurice Desrochers in attendance. Locals understand that the developer wishes to show new drawings. The neighbours wish to speak to him about the impact of his proposal on the way they live downtown.
 Caroline looking East from Hager: community wants to retain the single family home zoning fr the precinct. The developer is seeking different zoning for the site: Imber says the problem is, as we all know, change one zone and the dominos fall and you stand to lose the zoning for our unique little core area.
The developer is believed to have changed architects – leaving John Williams of Burlington and taking his business down the road to a Toronto Architectural firm. The developer is also reported to have
Changed the drawings to get a more period historical look — between late 1800’s to early 1900’s
The city is reported to have impressed the developer that the goal of the St. Luke’s Precinct is to preserve the Single Family Home zoning as established character — not simply an aesthetic.
The St. Luke’s Precinct is bordered on four sides roughly between Brant Street and Maple Avenue at the sides and Central High School to Lakeshore Road top to bottom.
Social media lets anyone with a keyboard and internet access the opportunity to put together a blog and get their story out. There are loads of smart people in the precinct who have their site up and created a space for the developer to get his side of the story out – which is what Desrochers did with this comment:
“I appreciate your concern. You are totally misinformed and misinforming your neighbours. This is a site specific zoning change and does not affect the zoning in the rest of the neighbourhood, nor does it affect the neighbourhood in a negative way.
 Residents believe the developer has focused solely on the positive nature of the aesthetic – they are concerned about density and the intrusion of anything other than single family homes. You have not even seen what the new proposal is. Its leading edge and a great example of good positive change .I trust that you will be impressed when you see the new proposal. Even some of the new single homes in the core are not a good example of tying in with the neighbourhood. I look forward to seeing you on the 11th.
The community has come right back and responded:
Your effort to connect is much appreciated as is making yourself available to discuss the project with residents on Saturday May 11th at the city.
In response to your note we understand that the city grants zone changes site specific. However, we all know that they consider the zoning of an area or neighbourhood by the type of zoning around it. This raises a number of concerns:
1. “The city worked with the province’s mandate of intensification to conclude that the St. Luke’s Precinct was a unique and cohesively zoned area that should be protected from changes that could effect character — concluding that the Precinct should keep it’s contiguous zoning. This means they recognize the significance of site specific zoning as it effects the broader area. Therefore, a change of zone in one lot will effect all lots and tear apart the precinct’s status.
2. “Area residents have seen how site specific zone changes in their neighbourhoods have come back to haunt them when developments have applied and were granted site specific zoning and character changes. Recent examples can be cited. The reality is that a single zone change is significant as it heavily influences the future decision-making of council when they consider impact of change on each site by site occasion.
“For these reasons we believe there is no misrepresentation. We are being clear that the zoning change will effect the entire Precinct. Anyone who suggests otherwise is being naive or hiding the reality of the precedent that is set by site specific changes.
“In the end your new proposal, if still requiring a zone change to a higher density away from single family dwellings, is the first disastrous destabilizing step for the neighbourhood that will be irreversible. It will invite future developers to speculate by buying groups of homes for dense developments and leave us with no defence as we will have lost our precinct’s unique cohesive zoning as currently recognized by the city.
“Lastly you address aesthetic. In your initial meeting with residents you focused solely on the positive nature of your aesthetic and believe it is a fit. I’m certain this next proposal will be aesthetically well-considered too.
“The challenge is that though you believe your aesthetic to be superior to others and that there should be an ideal — citing that there is infill that doesn’t meet your standards — the reality is that this neighbourhood consists of many looks and home sizes; a diverse aesthetic that has evolved over time. This is a natural process that is central to the beauty of the area and a direct result of the single family home zoning.
“The single family home zoning influences the process by maintaining a graceful influx of home buyers that purchase because they love the Precinct and appreciate the nature of the place. Then some renovate, some replace — but all one home at a time to an outcome that though eclectic, is importantly slow and to scale with the neighbourhood. A scale both in the size of the homes but more importantly the scale of disruption. One home on one street being renovated or rebuilt is limited in its disruption — in all senses. One home at a time upsets a minimal in terms of traffic, emotions, neighbourhood people’s relationships and families. One home at a time is not divisive to the people.
“A development of a number of homes — a whole street block — that hopes to change the zoning tears a hole in a neighbourhood. It is destabilizing. It changes character. It divides people. It disrupts daily lives and flow and demands all people accommodate and change for the needs of the development.
“Your proposed development, and any similar future development that needs zone changes, will do more than change the look of the street. It will divide the neighbourhood and force everyone to change the way they live, and the way they relate to each other. It will erase what generations have loved about the downtown core’s neighbourhoods.
“This is why a growing number of neighbours have concluded that this type of development is destructive and misguided.”
 Desrochers has been in the business of buying up historical properties and rental them out as executive accommodation for short periods of time and in doing so has kept some very important buildings in use. Has his decision to move into development going to damage the reputation he had. Above is a fine example of a structure Desrochers has on his properties list. Desrochers operates Burlington Furnished Rentals, which owns a number of very distinctive looking structures which it rents out as short-term executive suites. Among these rental residences are approximately 6 homes on adjacent detached single family lots along the north side of Caroline which are the focus of their redevelopment. The group has presented a plan to tear down the homes and build multi-level townhouses and increase the dwelling density to 8 or more units on this land.
Is this application going to be seen as just a necessary part of downtown intensification or will the concept of a distinct look to a Precinct be something that prevails?
The community will get some sense as to where the city’s planning department is coming from when there report is completed and sent along to council.
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