By Pepper Parr
 BURLINGTON, ON September 9, 2011 – On Sunday, September 11, from 2 to 4 p.m., Sean Bray’s Peach Trio will kick off the third season of the popular Jazz at the Museum series at Halton Region Museum, located in Kelso Conservation Area in Milton.
“Take a break from the back to school hustle and enjoy the last days of summer with a performance at the Halton Region Museum by this talented trio,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, who probably won’t be on hand. The setting, which is inside an old barn is really quite nice and the music is as good as it gets in any Jazz Café in a large urban center. Somebody at the Region cam up with a good idea – take it in. I’ve been and will go again.
 The trio includes Sean Bray on guitar, Mark Dunn on bass, and David MacDougall on drums. A respected guitarist, composer and teacher, Sean Bray studied at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York. He now teaches at The University of Guelph and has played with and/or recorded with George Garzone, Pat LaBarbera, Bob Mintzer, Jon Faddis, Liberty Silver, Matt “Guitar” Murphy from the Blues Brothers, Mike Murley and Vincent Wolfe. His compositions have been featured in films and television shows.
Mark Dunn has appeared in the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, Markham Jazz Festival, and performs regularly in Toronto area clubs as a sideman. Drummer David MacDougall keeps time through the trio’s songs that include an honest hybrid of instrumental Americana Roots with Jazz Improv sensibility.
 Accomplished Jazz guitarist Sean Bray will be at the Halton Regional Museum – worth the time and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Limited tickets are available at the door for $20 per person and include light refreshments. The performance, a fund raiser for the Halton Museum Foundation, takes place in the Hearth Room in the Museum’s historic Alexander Barn from 2 to 4 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
“We’re delighted to welcome Sean Bray’s Peach Trio as our first performer of the fall Jazz at the Museum concert series,” said Nancy Field, Manager, Heritage Services. “According to jazz guitarist John Abercrombie, listening to Sean Bray is a real treat, so join us for a lovely fall afternoon in the Hearth Room”.
To purchase tickets or for more information on the event, call 905-875-2200, ext. 27
The Halton Region Museum is located inside Kelso Conservation Area in Milton – the site that was originally settled in 1836 by Scottish immigrants. The Alexander family farmed the 200-acre property through four generations. Today, one of the Museum’s focal points is the Alexander Barn with additional buildings to be opened to the public over the coming year. The upper two floors of the historic building feature exhibits and artifacts that reflect Halton’s natural and cultural heritage. Two unique meeting and reception rooms located in the Barn are available for corporate or social events, group presentations and educational programs.
This first seasonal event is part of a program that runs through to December. Tickets are very reasonably priced $20. Call 905-875-2000 extension 27 to order. More details at https://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=44998
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By Pepper Parr
 BURLINGTON, ON – September 1, 2011 With the campaign offices opening up and the official start of the campaign beginning on September 7th – well, the feathers are flying.
Respected Conservative blogger Russ Campbell posted a piece on what he thought of the McKenna nomination. (See Tim Hudak and Jane McKenna: I’ll hang onto my money and sit this one out.), in which he lamented the loss of a decent democratic process. He didn’t quite get away with his comments – an anonymous writer took exception to some of the Campbell statements but Campbell came right back and put that whipper-snapper in his place. Here is a taste of how that dialogue went.
 Some tough words are going to get thrown around during this election. Is Burlington going to change it’s political stripes from Blue to Red? Campbell said he felt the Burlington Progressive Conservative riding nomination process has been hijacked by PC headquarters in Toronto. “Such is the state of what passes for democracy in my riding”, he lamented.
“Following my article”, said Campbell, ” I’ve received two comments from an anonymous “PhilC” who has taken me to task over my disappointment that Jane McKenna was, apparently, the only PC candidate qualified to represent Burlington in the upcoming Oct. 6 Ontario general election. PhilC wrote:
“It is gotcha journalism like this that discourage Canadians from running for public office, which they have every right to.”
“PhilC then went on at great length to tell me Ms. McKenna is “a passionate community advocate,” among other things.
“In my essay, I expressed concern regarding Jane McKenna’s suitability to be a candidate. The relevant quote from my essay follows:
“As far as I could tell, McKenna had no previous political experience other than losing badly in the 2010 municipal election—she ran as a candidate for Ward 1 City Councillor against winner, Rick Craven, and placed a poor fifth out of five candidates. I was shocked for I thought that surely we PCs could do better than a candidate that could only garner 565 votes for a fifth place finish in the Ward 1 race.”
“To that, PhilC wrote, “Who cares what place you come in?”
“I wrote a comment of my own to answer PhilC, but decided to share the debate with others. So, here is a more complete response to PhilC.
“Of course we should care how McKenna placed in her only election. Did you miss the point that we PCs want to “win” the Burlington riding.
“As to your comment: “That’s why she won the nomination.” Nonsense. McKenna won nothing; she was acclaimed—there is a big difference.
“Your words: “Heagle and Papin, on their own accord dropped out because people started to support the better candidate.” Again nonsense. I know both of those candidates, and your claim is far from the truth, but I think you know that very well. According to Mr. Papin’s—a former president of the Burlington PC Riding Association—media release at the time of his withdrawal:
“I have been advised that my candidacy, at this time, does not fit the strategic direction of the party, and that it would be in the best interests of the party if I were to withdraw.”
“This sounds nothing like your claim he dropped out on his “own accord.” When you make such outlandish claims anonymously though they may have been made, you could at least offer a reliable source or two.
“And this silliness: “Even though everyone thinks this election is about Burlington and that’s all that should be discussed, it is really about Ontario.” Nonsense! Wherever did you get the idea that “everyone thinks this,” I don’t. I would remind you, however, that to win Ontario, we Burlington voters have first to win Burlington riding. Voting for a dud does nothing for the residents of Burlington.
“And finally: “Jane McKenna is by far the most qualified candidate for the job… .” Bollocks! Give a single scrap of evidence to support this outrageous claim.
“The purpose of a nomination meeting is for voters in a riding to select the person they want to represent them; not to rubber stamp some candidate selected for them by PC headquarters.”
Now that my friends is spirited debate – we need more of it and I am indebted to Russ Campbell for using the King’s English the way it was intended and the way Sir John A himself also expected us to use the language.
 Liberals accusing Tim Hudak of breaking a promise. He says he’s just “thinking” about a change. The Liberals weren’t prepared to devour their own the way the Progressive Conservatives are but they are certainly out there throwing big punches. The Mayor of Ottawa, speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) expressed concern that a Hudak government would not honour an agreement Ontario municipalities had with the government on the downloading of services that took place during the Harris reign. The agreement was to last through to 2018 and had a value of $1.5 billion placed on it.
Tim Hudak, leader of the Progressive Conservative opposition told the municipal politicians at the AMO conference that he would honour what had been done to date but he wasn’t as certain that he would honour the last half a billion. And that certainly put a fright up the skirts of the municipal people.
We can expect to see all kinds of accusations flung about and promises galore made – but don’t forget folks – this is YOUR money they are spending.
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 1, 2011 The email started with: “I’ve decided to leave well- enough alone” which meant that Casey Cosgrove was not going to be a candidate in the forthcoming provincial election. He would have run as an independent, something not done very often.
Cosgrove was a candidate for Ward 5 during the 2006 municipal election where he came in second – just 480 votes behind Rick Goldring who then went on to become Mayor in the 2010 election.
 There will be no election signs with the name Casey Cosgrove on the lawns of Burlington homes. “I will use my energies in the fall” said Cosgrove “to start a foundation ( connected to cancer support for young families), and may blog in my own straight- shooting way on the election , and try to connect Burlington voters ( more aimed at traditional non- voters) in that way.
I will also take up the offer and opportunity to share whatever support, ideas that I can to our Mayor and his team in an ongoing and informal manner.
A good one got away on us.
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By Staff
 Burlington, ON September 2, 2011 The house was empty and that was all two suspects needed to break into a Burlington home and steal jewellery valued ay more than $11,000.
The homeowners appear to have some kind of internal security system because police have the following description:
Suspect #1 is described as a male, Asian descent, 35 years old, 5’4 ” tall , 160 lbs, with dark spiked hair. He was wearing a red and white plaid long sleeve shirt and blue jeans.
Suspect #2 is described as a male, East Indian decent, 6’tall, 150 lbs, with short dark brown hair. He was wearing blue jeans.
A dark blue passenger van was observed parked in the driveway at the time of the break and enter.
The break-in took place sometime between 9 am and 5 pm on August 8th when the front door of a Pine meadow Drive home was forced open. Once inside, the suspect(s) ransacked the second level master bedroom and removed several 22 k yellow gold jewellery sets valued at $11,500.
Sounds like an inside job to us.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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).
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By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON August 29, 2011 – If you want to serve your community as a volunteer the Halton Regional Police Service Auxiliary Policing Services Unit might interest you.
The unit, that was founded in 1989, is comprised of trained civilian volunteers.
It is a demanding yet rewarding activity where satisfaction is derived from making a significant contribution to the safety and wellbeing of the community at large.
Halton Regional Police Service Auxiliary Members:
• Support the work of regular police officers on local crime prevention initiatives
• Participate in ground searches for lost or missing persons
• Volunteer at numerous, large-scale, annual events throughout the year.
For additional information and applications, please visit the Halton Regional Police Service website (www.haltonpolice.ca) or contact the Auxiliary Policing Coordinator, Staff Sergeant Robert Lloyd at 905-825-4747 ext. 4705 or by email, AuxiliaryPolicing@haltonpolice.ca
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By Jim M
 BURLINGTON, ON August 29, 2011 – So finally, the long awaited, and much anticipated line up of performers at Burlington’s new center for the performing arts has been released. Power house acts such as World renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka , Canadian iconic group Lunch at Allen’s and the play Jason and the Argonauts, to name a few, will grace the new stage of this beautiful venue in the up coming months. Perhaps the biggest name announced will be Sarah McLachlan performing to what promises to be a full house for the “exclusive” Red Carpet event to mark the inaugural grand opening of this Performing arts center.
Going through the Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s first season brochure, nicely designed and presented you find that average ticket prices range from $28.00 – $55.00, with selected discounts for youth and seniors. For a special evening out these ticket prices are affordable and within the reach of the average family. Let us remember that this new facility is city run and paid for by the taxpayers of this city. Yet to be realized will be the true operating cost of this facility in which more taxpayers dollars could be spent.
What is of great interest, is the motivation of the board of directors to price what most would consider, the grand opening, a great event to be able to attend, way out of reach for the average family. At $400.00 plus tax per ticket, what family could? Has this been priced this way to only delight the well to do and all others need not enter. It would seem it is only lip service from our mayor and city councilors regarding community involvement and inclusivity.
How does alienating the larger portion of this cities population from a city run facility by shear cost give us the taxpayers, the feeling… we are important! When will our politicians truly walk the talk? Let’s not hope we hear that the board of directors of this facility, senior city staff, elected officials, and selected public figures have been given complimentary tickets. This quite frankly would represent a double hit to us the taxpaying community.
Editors note:
We normally do not post comments that are anonymous but in this instance we have done so and want to add the comment we got from the contributor.
Further to our conversation, I was not intending to have my name published. I am trying to find a job in the area and don’t want to jeopardize my ability to obtain work.
Jim’s comments do not speak well of Burlington – that a citizen would feel he cannot comment on public matters for fear of not being able to get a job. Unfortunate, very unfortunate – both for Jim and for Burlington.
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By Pepper Parr
 BURLINGTON, ON August 29, 2011 – The city publicly opened four tender bids for the completion of the Brant Street Pier last Friday. Here is what the bids said:
BOT Construction Group (Oakville)- wants $10,503,350.00 to complete the pier. The “thanks but no thanks” letter should have been in the mail the same day.
Graham Infrastructure (Mississauga) a JV – $6,429,700.00 – that JV means it’s a joint venture with several different groups involved – that will require a much closer look on the part of the team reviewing the bids. This one however is the lowest number.
Rankin Construction, St. Catharines wants $6,714,234.00 to complete the pier.;
Zenith Contracting wants $6,703,160.00 to complete the pier.
Now some might look askance at those numbers and point out that the three in the $6 million range are above the $5.8 million council allocated for the job – and so Council should do what they said they would do if the bids were too high – take the pier down and return all the grant money the city was given.
But those numbers aren’t as high as they appear to be. Here’s why.
The bids had to include 13% HST – so the price you see INCLUDES the HST – and while you may not have known this – municipalities pay just 1.76% HST.
So let’s look at those numbers again. We will exclude the greedy little outfit in Oakville that wanted $10.5 million and focus on the three that came in at just over $6 million and do the same calculation for each one.
Here is the calculation.
We take out 13% of the price in the bid and then add back in 1.76% of the new number.
And that gets us the following
Graham $5,692,290.57 or $107,709.43 under the allocated amount.
Rankin $5,944,191.93 or $144,191.93 over the allocated amount.
Zenith $5,934,387.99 or $134,387.99 over the allocated amount
On a. purely price basis these are very good numbers for the city. But then so were the Harm Schilthuis and Sons Ltd numbers during the first bidding round – remember, they were the lowest bidder back then. So the lowest price isn’t necessarily the best price. Burlington certainly now knows that.
 The city changed its mind about the use of the trestle that belonged to a sub-contractor of HSS, the original contractor hired to build the pier. When the bids came in for the original contract to build the pier current Director of Engineering, Tom Eichenbaum said the contractors that submitted bids were not given much more than a cursory review. The city didn’t make that mistake this time. The city hired Morrison Hershfield to prepare a tender for a new contractor to complete the Brant Street Pier and also bought in project management firm METTKO in April 2011. Procurement consultant Cassels Brock was hired to help prepare a tender package.
There was a bit of a kafuffle over the uses of the trestle that belonged to a sub-contractor who just wanted to be paid or at least get his trestle back. That mater got messy but the Mayor stepped in and that problem got put to bed.
The funds to pay for what the city now calls “phase two” of the pier construction will come from the city’s capital purpose reserve fund
The plans that were included in the tender had significant changes that might create some legal problems for the city but that’s a different kettle of fish that will get dealt with later – and you just know that it will come back to bite us.
What one wonders is why the city didn’t give the public all the details – this is a good news story folks. But based on the news release the city put out, every one of the bidders was over the allocated amount of $5.8 million.
Now of course “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings” but the fat lady has a song sheet in her hands and she can read music – so Mayor Rick Goldring may have more than hit the nail on head when he said he looked forward to the opening of the Sound of Music Festival in 2013 taking place on the Pier with the Burlington Teen Tour Band marching out onto the deck playing a rousing piece of marching music.
Of the seven contractors that had been pre-qualified to submit a bid – just four actually submitted a document. There was at least one on that list that is seen as the best in the business and quite why they didn’t submit a bit makes one wonder.
 Scott Stewart, General Manager Community Services Department, leads the staff group that has stick handled this project to the point where the city now has at least three bids that on the surface look pretty good. The details will get a thorough scouring from Stewart who is a no nonsense kind of guy. He came to Burlington from Hamilton. The bids are now in the hands of a group that consists of at least Scott Stewart, General Manager Community Services; city engineer Tom Eichenbaum and Craig Stevens, Project Manager, Corporate Strategic Initiatives This group will review the bids and look at any of the provisional items that are in the document and then rank them and take their report and recommendation to the Community Development Committee on September 14th.
Everyone that counts within city hall will have had numerous discussions on which contractor the city should go with and the decision will probably have been made, at least in the minds of most, before the committee meets. There will of course be debate and discussion and there might be some surprises from any delegations that register to speak – but on balance – it looks as if the city has moved one more significant step towards getting the construction of the pier back on track.
A city hall source who was not authorized to speak said the bids were “good news with 3 very close and within expectation”.
Why did we expect them all to be over the allocated amount of $5.8 million ?
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON August 26, 2011 The Burlington Chamber of Commerce announced on August 9th that they are now accepting nominations for the 2011 Business Excellence Awards and the Mayor’s Community Service Awards. Closing date for nominations is October 7th . The awards will be handed out April of 2012. Guess they want to beat the Christmas rush.
Burlington just loves handing out awards and holding gala fund raising events. It is almost a cottage industry in this city. The awards are to recognize overall success and excellence of local area businesses and are given in several categories including Manufacturer, Retail/Wholesale, Service Industry, Small Business, New Product and Young Entrepreneur.
A new award will be presented this year to the Employer of the Year. Awards are not necessarily given in every category each year. All companies or divisions of companies that are located in Burlington OR are members in good standing of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, AND have a tangible business connection within the City of Burlington for a minimum of three years are eligible to be nominated. Sounds as if anyone can lob their name into the basket.
Nominees for the Mayor’s Community Service Awards will be considered on the basis of criteria that show how they contribute to Burlington’s quality of life, making Burlington a better place in which to live and work. The first award to be considered is for a for-profit business and the second is for a not-for-profit organization providing charitable works or services in Burlington. The nominees must be located within the City of Burlington and not have received a Mayor’s Community Service Award within the past five years.
Does the Mayor make the selection? And if it is a “Mayor’s Award” why is it being touted by the Chamber of Commerce?
The deadline for all nominations is October 7, 2011. To nominate a company visit the Chamber website at www.burlingtonchamber.com and click on Business Awards Gala.
All awards will be presented at the Business Awards Gala on April 12, 2012 at the Burlington Convention Centre.
The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in Burlington and represents over 1,000 member companies at the local, regional, provincial and federal level. For more information visit the Burlington Chamber website at www.burlingtonchamber.com
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By Staff
 The Halton District School Board is the lead on the new Alton community complex that is scheduled to open sometime in 2013 (before the Pier?). A contract to construct the multi use facility at the intersection of Tim Dobbie Drive and Dundas Street was awarded today to Bondfield Construction of Concord, Ontario.
The joint facility will cost approximately $40.2 million, to be shared by each of the partners – City of Burlington, Burlington Public Library, and the Halton District School Board. Site preparation will begin immediately, with the official groundbreaking anticipated for September 2011. The architect for the project is Svedas Architect Inc. of Burlington.
“We look forward to working with our partners to bring this unique facility to completion, and to offering families a state-of-the art high school in north Burlington,” says David Euale, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board.
Representatives from the school board, Burlington Public Library and City of Burlington signed a three-party agreement August 17 at Burlington City Hall to move forward with the project with completion scheduled for fall 2013.
 The last major development in Burlington is under construction in the Dundas and Appleby Line area and will include an integrated high school, library and community centre. The facility, located at Dundas St and Tim Dobbie Way, includes a high school built to accommodate 1,200 students, a recreation complex, and a shared library which will be used by the public and the high school. A joint construction team that includes the City of Burlington, the Burlington Public Library and the Halton District School Board will manage the project. Construction began on the adjoining Norton Park in spring 2011 where a skate board rink is being constructed.
The Alton Project will include a 147,069 square-foot (13,663 square-metre) school, an 11,840 aggregate square-foot (1,100 aggregate square-metre) joint integrated library and a 53,886 square-foot (5,006 square-metre) community centre. A common entrance, parking and other shared areas will connect these buildings.
“Families in Burlington will benefit from the expansion of library service to the Alton community while benefiting from having a high school and community centre close by,” adds Library Board President, Carrie Brooks-Joiner.
This shared Alton facility will include four competition-sized double gyms, a three-storey high school with a 200-seat auditorium, and a shared 11,840 square-foot (1,110 square metre) integrated library which will be used by the public and the high school, with flexible classroom and public meeting space.
In partnership with Burlington Hydro, the complex will support a rooftop solar system, which will feed energy back into the city’s power grid system.
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By Pepper Parr
This is the third in a series of interviews on the three candidates running in the provincial election taking place October 6th. Each candidate was asked the same questions.
Along with their answers are the impressions and insights gained from the time spent with each candidate. Some we had met before the interview – others were new to us.
There are those in the community who describe Our Burlington as a news source with a “Liberal” slant. Not true. As the publisher of Our Burlington my responsibility is to the community. On balance I personally tend to vote Liberal but have voted for other parties. John Robarts was a great Premier and Bill Davis did a really good job as well. One’s political party is a philosophical choice but my view is that you look for the best person to represent your community. We started this series with Karmel Sakran, the Liberal candidate, and then Peggy Russell, the NDP candidate. In this issue we publish our interview with Jane McKenna, the Progressive Conservative candidate. The intention is to follow up with the candidates as the election progresses.
BURLINGTON, ON August 24, 2011 – The one issue that come up again and again with Burlington Progressive Conservative Jane McKenna is family and community. The Escarpment is not her concern – “we need roads so that people can get from place to place in a decent amount of time.”
 Jane McKenna, Progressive Conservative candidate for Burlington in the forthcoming provincial election. Ready for this level of public office? She wants to be the voice for the community at Queen’s Park. There isn’t however a list of any length of the things she has done in the community. McKenna has been employed in media sales with a number of publishing and brand development companies in the city. McKenna was working as campaign manager for Rene Pepin who withdrew from the race. Shortly after Pepin withdrew Brian Heagle also withdrew which left the PC’s with no candidate. McKenna filled the breach and was nominated at one of the shortest nomination meetings this city has ever seen.
Just because there isn’t a lot of political experience doesn’t mean this lady is going to stand still. She has a lot to learn but she also has a tremendous capacity to learn and she is a tiger when it comes to going after what she wants.
The Mother of five children, all born at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital she will tell you if you give her three seconds, has sold ideas or services all her life – and if McKenna ever calls on you to sell you something – get out your cheque book.
McKenna isn’t a thinker – she’s a doer. “I went as far as grade 13” she will tell you. “What you see is what you get” she adds. The problem is that there just isn’t that much to see. Perhaps we will see more during the Chamber of Commerce all candidate breakfast September 27th
 Strength in numbers. McKenna on the left with Halton Progressive Conservative candidate Ted Chudleigh and current Burlington MPP Joyce Savoline. McKenna will lean heavily on Chudleigh as the old master shows her how it’s done. She has the Burlington Progressive Conservative machine behind her – what isn’t clear is just how well oiled that machine is less than sixty days away from the election. The campaign probably will not want for money – there are some pretty deep pockets within that band of blue brothers and the cheques will get written.
The challenge is going to be to get out the vote – and on that level McKenna brings an engaging personality and impressive energy to everything she does. Can she motivate the Conservative base and does she have a campaign team that has the drive, energy and experience needed to pull this off? Many of the team come from the Cam Jackson era – and that is not good news.
There are those that believe McKenna fit the profile that the Progressive Conservative party had for the riding – a younger, professional, presentable woman. Burlington, while conservative has in the past elected women to both federal and provincial seats. Paddy Torsney, whose brother Brian is the president of the company McKenna works for, represented Burlington very successfully for a number of years. It was problems with the Liberal leadership that cost Torsney her seat in 2006.
Joyce Savoline was Regional Chair and is the current MPP. Women work – pick one that looks the part and go with her, would appear to be the criteria that was used to choose McKenna who got the nomination at a meeting that lasted less than 20 minutes.
For McKenna the PC leader Tim Hudak’s Change Book sets it all out and she tends to read directly from the book.
 McKenna has good listening skills which she will use intensely for the next 50+ days. McKenna ran in Ward 1 during the 2010 municipal election and came in last. She was basically a Bill Carty sponsored candidate. Carty apparently had an issue with the city at the time relating to a property he had offices in and he had targeted the sitting Council member Rick Craven. McKenna didn’t live in the ward and didn’t generate much in the way of traction.
 Keith Strong, a local conservative mover and shaker, is believed to be the conservative who suggested to McKenna that she go after the PC nomination. She was originally the campaign manager for Rene Pepin who withdrew from the nomination race Politicians have been known to grow once they are elected. Rick Goldring stumbled a bit during his first few months in office and he didn’t exactly inspire in the last election. He did however put out the best set of policy papers and he did have a very clear idea as to why he was running. He won because the city just didn’t want either of the other two candidates running. Goldring has grown into the job of Mayor and he has a lot more growth in him.
Does McKenna have growth within her ? No way of knowing that yet, at this point all we have to go on is a hope that she will grow into the job if the city decides she is who they want.
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By Pepper Parr
 This is the first of a series of interviews on the three candidates running in the provincial election taking place October 6th. Each candidate was asked the same questions.
Along with their answers are the impressions and insights gained from the time spent with each candidate. Some we had met before the interview – others were new to us.
There are those in the community who describe Our Burlington as a news source with a “Liberal” slant. Not true. As the publisher of Our Burlington my responsibility is to the community. On balance I personally tend to vote Liberal but have voted for other parties. John Robarts was a great Premier and Bill Davis did a really good job as well. One’s political party is a philosophical choice but my view is that you look for the best person to represent your community. We started this series with Karmel Sakran, the Liberal candidate, and now Peggy Russell, the NDP candidate. Next we will publish our interview with Jane McKenna, the Progressive Conservative candidate. The intention is to follow up with the candidates as the election progresses.
BURLINGTON, ON August 20, 2011 – It doesn’t take long to realize you are talking to a women who has strong views and little difficulty in making them known. Peggy Russell, the NDP candidate for the Burlington seat in the provincial legislature, served as a school board trustee for ten years and ended that career because she felt her work was done, is now clearly ready to begin working for the people of Burlington again.
 NDP candidate in the forthcoming provincial election Peggy Russell has her team in place and her issues clearly laid out and is taking them to whoever will lend her an ear. For Russell – the three key issues are: The infrastructure first, saving the Escarpment second – and “can I get back to you on the third one”? This interview took place before the provincial government announced it had approved the upgrading of the Joseph Brant hospital but that announcement wasn’t taking any wind out of the Russell sails.
In a statement made after the funding of the hospital was announced Russell said “… the Liberal Plan to finance the hospital expansion and modernization through a private financing scheme. While the full details of what is planned have not been released, the Liberal government has indicated that it will continue with the P3 model of funding that they have renamed AFP (Alternative Financing Plan). Given the significant cost overruns and service reductions that have happened under this model, first adopted by Mike Harris”, Russell says the community has good reason to be concerned.”
 If you don’t have you family delivering flyers and knocking on doors then you really don’t have a campaign team. NDP candidate Peggy Russell poses with part of team. For Russell the hospital is all about community and Russell’s focus is very much on community. She feels both the former Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government and the current Dalton McGuinty Liberal government failed Burlington by letting the hospital deteriorate to the point where it was not a very good hospital, but a place very much in need of an upgrade and the province wasn’t putting the funds needed to get the hospital back to the point where it met the needs of the community.
“We have people being taken out of the Region for health care” and for Russell that is “just not acceptable”. The announcement that the hospital will be upgraded pleases Russell but she is not going to stop beating on this “until I see shovels in the ground”.
Infrastructure for Russell is putting in place the services people need to live their lives in dignity and with food and shelter they can afford and hydro bills that don’t strip their purses and wallets of the money for those small discretionary things that give life some depth and meaning.
Russell doesn’t really trust government, yet she wants to be part of one – she wants to be part of a government that will put the people in communities first. People come before budgets Russell will tell you, and while that sounds good – services can’t be delivered without some balance between tax revenue and money spent on services for people.
Russell will argue, very strongly, that better administration and paying attention to the little things before they get out of hand and become big things, is the route to go and she believes that the New Democrats can bring that kind of government to the province. She makes no comment on Bob Rae’s NDP attempt to govern Ontario.
Russell was born in Quebec, moved to Ontario where she raised her three children who were schooled in the city. She worked as a Clerk for an Administrative judge and saw first hand the cases involving young people in conflict with the law who inevitably came from broken homes. They would get “processed” and then eventually released but because they had no marketable skills they would come into conflict with the legal system once again. It was a revolving door that is very expensive to maintain, says Russell. There has to be a better way and she certainly doesn’t think having provincial jail inmates cleaning trash out of highway road sides is the solution.
During her ten years as a school board trustee Russell served as the vice chair and negotiated seven of nine contracts signed.
 Russell is rock solid on her opposition to any kind of highway going through the Escarpment. Issue number two for Russell is the Escarpment and she makes the point that the issue over the Escarpment seems to be about transportation – which is fine with Russell but she adds that people are confusing the transportation of goods and the transportation of people. “We need to look at those two things differently” she said. Russell seems to be saying that getting a tractor trailer load of steel into Toronto isn’t worth destroying the Escarpment and North Burlington. The problem she adds is that if there is ever a highway put through the northern part of the city, the developers will want to build between that new highway and the 407/Hwy 5 road line – and if that happens “you can kiss the Burlington we know goodbye”.
As for the Liberal promise not to build the road, Russell raises an eyebrow and notes that “the Environmental Assessment hasn’t been stopped, has it?” “We can”, she goes on to say” “and should be looking for ways to use electricity to move people”.
When asked about the values that drive her she responded with “community” then “family”.. “If you are truly part of a community then you must contribute to the growth and welfare of that community. You get out what you put into it. You work to make it a better place, it is like being part of a larger family.
Each of the candidates was asked which comes first: the policy of their political party or the views of the community. Russell responded with: “The community, they elected me, I serve them. My job is to make sure this community’s voice is heard.”
When Russell met with NDP leader Andrea Horwath she says she made it clear to the party leader just where she stood on a number of issues. Russell is very good at making her point very clear. This is not a woman who minces her words. During our interview, the back and forth of questions and answers and follow up questions, Peggy reached out and touched my wrist and with a deep penetrating look said: “Pepper, you’re pulling my chain.” Peggy Russell does not like being taken off topic.
The Escarpment was major for Russell and the hospital right in there with it. No problems for Horwath on either of those. These two women would probably twin in terms of their thinking
Russell says that the politicians job is to be tough on the issues, not tough on the people. Her experience with the damage done to the province’s educational system when the Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government slashed and burned by closing schools and totally trashing the trustee system we had in place. Russell is very blunt in telling you that the province is still recovering from the Harris damage. “We lost close to two generations of students through high school drop out because of that government.”
Russell explains that whenever there was a problem with Queen’s Park “we would drive into Toronto and meet with the appropriate people one on one. It didn’t matter what it was – we would drive in and make our case. There wasn’t one school closed in Burlington on my watch” claims Russell.
 Former Burlington Mayor Walter Mulkewich held a fund raising BBQ for NDP candidate Peggy Russell then gave a rousing speech that reminded one of the days Mulkewich was running for office. For Russell being open to every idea possible before you make a decision is critical. “I don’t know everything. When I am asked to make a decision or to develop a policy I need to know what people think – and in order to know what they think I have to listen. I have to make myself available. There were many times when I didn’t know how I was going to vote on an issue at the school board. I certainly understood the question but I didn’t have the answers and so I taught myself to listen. I was prepared to be swayed, I think that’s important. I was certainly assertive in my quest for information.
During the course of the interview Russell suddenly blurted out: My third issue is affordability – and then she launched into how critical it is for things to be affordable to people.
Affordability: Many of our seniors are in trouble. They want to be able to stay in their homes and maintain the dignity they had when they were younger and more active.
Russell sees caring for the elderly as one of our biggest concerns and with the massive shift in the demographics of the province about to take place, her comments are important if she is going to sit in the provincial legislature and speak for Burlington.
 Russell tells her troops what they have ahead of them during a fund raising BBQ. Russell says “we have to change what we are paying people who are providing care. It’s not about budgets, its about people. True, but the programs have to be paid for and that means balancing a budget. The province is currently so broke that it has to go to the private sector and have someone build the hospital that then gets leased back to the province.
The chances of the New Democrats forming a government in Ontario are slim to non-existent. Does that mean electing Peggy Russell is a mistake? The current member of the Legislature really hasn’t done all that much for the city. Should Peggy Russell convince enough of the voters in this city to vote for her – one thing is certain – she will speak loudly and I suspect very effectively for Burlington.
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By Pepper Parr
This is the first of a series of interviews on the three candidates running in the provincial election taking place October 6th. Each candidate was asked the same questions.
Along with their answers are the impressions and insights gained from the time spent with each candidate. Some we had met before the interview – others were new to us.
There are those in the community who describe Our Burlington as a news source with a “Liberal” slant. Not true. As the publisher of Our Burlington my responsibility is to the community. On balance I personally tend to vote Liberal but have voted for other parties. John Robarts was a great Premier and Bill Davis did a really good job as well; I voted for both of them. One’s political party is a philosophical choice but my view is that you look for the best person to represent your community. We start this series with Karmel Sakran, the Liberal candidate, and will follow with Peggy Russell, the NDP candidate. And then Jane McKenna, the Progressive Conservative candidate. The intention is to follow up with the candidates as the election progresses.
BURLINGTON, ON August 19th, 2010 – The three top items in the provincial election for Liberal candidate Karmel Sakran are the hospital, the proposed escarpment highway and the economy. He has developed views on what the hospitals needs are, the result of his e served on the Board and was part of the hiring committee that brought in the current President and CEO, Erik Vanderwall.
“Eric told me that all he needed was the funding to get the Joseph Brant Hospital to what it should be for a city like Burlington”, said Sakran. He added “the hospital has not had a significant upgrade since it was built and points out that the hospital has had the same footprint for more than forty years and that the community has grown significantly over that period of time.
 Karmel Sakran chats with guests and supporters at a fund raising event held for him at the home of Dr. James Henry, Burlington’s Senior of the year. Burlington has been waiting for some time to learn when the province is going to commit to upgrading the hospital. The city has more than $2.5 million sitting in a reserve fund waiting to give it to the hospital and a commitment to provide an additional $2 million a year for the next ten years. Should Sakran actually get to Queen’s Park one can expect him to follow through on his experience on the hospital board. But given that there is an election going on which becomes – make good on the promises time – we can expect an announcement on the hospital before the votes are counted.
Karmel says he has had two conversations with the Premier and believes there will be a very positive announcement very soon. “The leader knows where I stand”, said Sakran. As a candidate there isn’t much more the guy can do.
Besides serving on the hospital Board, and had he not resigned, as he had to, when he declared his candidacy, Sakran would have eventually become the Chair of the hospital Board, a position with a significant amount of social prestige. Besides his involvement with the hospital (and involvement is putting it lightly) Sakran was one of the founding members of the Carpenter Hospice. “I was at a Rotary meeting” he explains ” when Tony Goodrow spoke of an idea that former Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac had come up with, which was the creation of a hospice for the community. I put my hand up and said I’d like to be part of that. I did the legal work for what is a non profit corporation. I was heavily involved in that project which opened in 2002.”
Sakran then came up with an idea for an annual fund raising event for the hospice: Annual Wills and Powers of Attorney that has raised $50,000. since its inception. Last year Sakran donated the money raised the United Way campaign which he chaired and pushed the campaign past its target of $2. million. Sakran has certainly earned a lot of brownie points for his community work – is that enough to elevate one from community to the legislature?
 Mayor Rick Goldring in conservation with Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne with Liberal candidate Karmel Sakran looking on. The Mayor isn’t all that sure the Minister’s promise not to run a highway through the Escarpment is something he can rely upon. Sakran is hoping her promise will deliver some of those old Tory votes to him. The “promise not to build a highway through the Escarpment and a hospital announcement will certainly do wonders for a Liberal candidate – but 43 years of Conservative history isn’t easy to overcome unless you really motivate the voters. Can Sakran do that?
Throughout the 50 minute interview Sakran wanted to put forward what the government had done for the province and what the opposition was not being honest about. Our purpose with these candidate interviews was to get a look at the candidate and find out who they were and what they would do for Burlington.
We asked each candidate: which came first: their political party or their community. Sakran doesn’t say exactly which comes first. One gets the impression that for Karmel Sakran it is the individual more than the wider community that counts. Sakran says, quite forcefully, that one has to respect the listener. “You have to believe their intentions are good and see the best in them when you advocate on their behalf. I try to understand the motives behind what people are saying and believe in the goodness of the individual.”
He adds that much of the work for an MPP gets done at the office. I will meet with my fellow MPP’s and gain their support for something I want for Burlington. He fails to add that in asking for support for a project he will be expected to give support to the MPP for their projects.
Sakran points out that his experience as a lawyer is advocating and he firmly believes that while he has no political experience he can be a solid advocate for Burlington. “I will have to make my case but that’s what I do for a living” and indeed Sakran does know how to make a case. “It is really about how well you advocate, how well you do your homework, how connected you are to caucus – and that you are always “upfront’ with people. “Choosing who should represent the community boils down to: leadership, judgment and credibility”, according to Sakran.
Sakran likes the provinces Places to Grow policy. “We have to cut back on the urban sprawl and use the land we have responsibly. Sakran is glad there is a “consistent province wide approach and sees the policy as “cutting edge legislation
On the matter of a highway through any part of the Escarpment – Sakran is dead certain – No! However, when asked for his views on the current OMB hearing on the Nelson Quarry expansion, Sakran equivocates and says it would be inappropriate for him to comment on a matter before the OMB. “It would be irresponsible to not let that process go to completion.” The Nelson Quarry application for an expansion is all part of what is going to happen to the rural part of Burlington. The OMB hearing is not a court case; it is a hearing at which different parties make their views known. Sakran isn’t a party to the hearings, there is no reason he can’t make a comment as a citizen. But he chose not to. To me it came across as hiding behind an excuse. He is an informed citizen and surely understands the link between allowing further quarry mining on the Escarpment and possibility of building of a highway through that part of the city. So much for putting the community first.
 When you are running for the governing party you’re able to bring in Members of the government. Here Ontario Attorney General Chris Bennett chat with a group of lawyers. Karmel Sakran, Burlington Liberal candidate is on the extreme right. Sakran is the kind of guy who goes after what he wants. After graduating from law school he decided he wanted to work in the criminal prosecutors office in Toronto and sent in an application. He got what he was pretty sure was a form letter response saying basically – no thanks. So he called up the person who had signed the letter and explained to them that they didn’t understand – he was the kind of person they should be interviewing a and he got an interview. On the appointed day he was sitting in a coffee shop opposite the government office at 720 Bay at 7 am “sweating like crazy” for his 8 am appointment. “I wasn’t going to be late for that interview. He got hired for the short term position.
Karmel Sakran is the son of an immigrant grocer who came to Canada from the Middle East so that his children could have a better life. Norm, his Dad was a highly trained professional in the Middle East and gave up his life in that part of the world so that his boys could grow and be educated in a safer society.
Karmel’s Father was the touchstone of his life. His Father supported his community anyway he could. There wasn’t a lot of money around, small convenience stores don’t generates piles of money but Norm was always there with a helping hand. Karmel is fond of saying that for years few knew him as Karmel. “I was mostly known as Norm’s kid.”
Sakran has an odd view on giving speeches. He feels better sitting with people one on one, but there are times when a public person has to speak to the larger community. Sakran prefers to speak from the heart – which suggests that there isn’t a full understanding of what it is to give a speech. Winston Churchill certainly spoke from the hearts when he held the spirit of the British people aloft during the darkest days of WW II. And John Diefenbaker was speaking from the heart when he shook those jowls of his and let Canadians know what he thought. On the speech level, Sakran may have something to learn; perhaps he was trying to differentiate himself from the public view of politicians.
 It was both a fund raising event and a cultural festival. Sakran, the Liberal candidate in the forthcoming election steps his way through a dance routine. There was an interesting piece in the New York Times that talked of what politicians need to do when they make speeches – it is appropriate to pass some of that article to you.
“The stories our leaders tell us matter, probably almost as much as the stories our parents tell us as children, because they orient us to what is, what could be, and what should be; to the worldviews they hold and to the values they hold sacred. Our brains evolved to “expect” stories with a particular structure, with protagonists and villains, a hill to be climbed or a battle to be fought. Our species existed for more than 100,000 years before the earliest signs of literacy, and another 5,000 years would pass before the majority of humans would know how to read and write.
Stories were the primary way our ancestors transmitted knowledge and values. Today we seek movies, novels and “news stories” that put the events of the day in a form that our brains evolved to find compelling and memorable. Children crave bedtime stories; the holy books of the three great monotheistic religions are written in parables; and as research in cognitive science has shown, lawyers whose closing arguments tell a story win jury trials against their legal adversaries who just lay out “the facts of the case.”
When Barack Obama rose to the lectern on Inauguration Day, the nation was in tatters. Americans were scared and angry. The economy was spinning in reverse. Three-quarters of a million people lost their jobs that month. Many had lost their homes, and with them the only nest eggs they had. Even the usually impervious upper middle class had seen a decade of stagnant or declining investment, with the stock market dropping in value with no end in sight. Hope was as scarce as credit.
In that context, Americans needed their president to tell them a story that made sense of what they had just been through, what caused it, and how it was going to end. They needed to hear that he understood what they were feeling, that he would track down those responsible for their pain and suffering, and that he would restore order and safety.
These stories are called speeches – that is what leaders do when their community needs to hear from them. The full articles van be found at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html?
The economy is important to Karmel Sakran. He understands the need for a strong economy but then all politicians say that – what Sakran wants to focus on is a stronger “local economy”. He doesn’t get specific but makes the point that more and better government involvement is possible when the member for the city is part of the government.
Sakran makes the statement that 90% of the people who live in Burlington are one pay cheque away from poverty – which I found an exaggeration. There are poor people in Burlington but this city is not a poor city and while there are never enough social services we do not have people standing outside soup kitchens.
Sakran trots out the usual line of public service being the highest form of trust one can have with their community that is equaled only by the trust people have in the police and the trust that one has with their spouse. Given the high divorce rate in this province one wants to look askance at spousal trust.
Serving the community is a job that not all that many people can do well. It calls for understanding the community and finding a way to balance all the competing interests and still be able to get the job done. Being chosen by ones peers is humbling for the community has publicly selected you to lead.
 The Sakran family ran and still runs the Ontario Variety, a small store that has served the community for many years. Karmel worked behind the counter and swept the floors and was always known as “Norm’s kid”. His Father was revered and respected by his peers. The son of a grocer, Sakran has a deep appreciation for the community he grew up in and now lives and works in. “Burlington is the hub of a collection of communities; we are the apex and play a significant role in the make up of the GTA” he explains. “For the longest time we were happy to be a bedroom community, an unappreciated jewel in the Golden Horseshoe – but those days are past. Queen’s Park hasn’t paid much attention to Burlington and I think that day should be past as well. We can’t stay silent anymore.” Sakran wants a change and hopes that people in Burlington vote for more than a tag line.
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By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON August 18th, 2011 Halton Regional Police Service are getting reports from homeowners about people they have seen lurking in their back yards. The Regional police are investigating a number of these reports.
One of the more recent reports came in on August 16th, at 2:20 am from a Maple Crossing homeowner who heard a noise coming from her backyard. The homeowner peered into the backyard from her window and observed a silhouette. The suspect saw the homeowner and fled the area.
Earlier in the day, a male suspect was observed in the area peeking into the patio door of another resident.
Halton Regional Police remind homeowners to lock their backyard gates and to be mindful of not leaving windows unlocked especially during the hot summer months.
Tough to do for those who do not have air conditioning. Crime can be prevented and lessened through vigilance and caution. If there something that you see that you think is suspicious – call the police. Your suspicion is what the police can work from – don’t hesitate to call.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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).
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By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON, August 19, 2011 More than $40 million later and the box office is open. On Saturday you can buy your tickets for the more than 32 events booked for between now and April of 2012 – and if you’ve won the lottery or your pension cheque has come in then you can pony up the $400. for the opening night tickets. Think this is for the fur coat crowd. For the rest of us – this is good theatre in a great building put up by people in this city who had the courage and the conviction five years ago to see great things for the city in the future. That future is this week.
 The sound from those lips were the words “cha ching” which for Brenda Heatherington was the sound of a cash register – she wants you to head over to the Box Office which will open on Saturday, and buy the reasonably priced tickers for any one (or more) of the 32 events booked for between now and April of 2012 The opening is a remarkable achievement and the people that made it happen deserve our sincere gratitude – and for those who have called the Burlington Performing Arts Centre a “nice to have” – don’t you dare look for a free ticket opening night.
It is going to be really nice to have and if you want to be able to walk into the building and just gawk – then be on hand Friday, the 19th at 10:00 and watch as all the dignitaries roll back the construction fences in preparation for the opening of the Box Office on Saturday, August 20, 2011.
Brenda Heatherington, Executive Director for The Burlington Performing Arts Centre, who will undoubtedly buy a new pair of shoes for this event (and Blair Lancaster may well wear who pink suede work boots) invites you to attend and applaud.
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By Staff
A pair of thieves, one male, one female are approaching seniors in retail stores and super market parking lots saying they are looking for the hospital and have a map in their hands.
Halton Regional Police Service detectives are urging seniors to be cautious if they are approached by a man and woman in their mid-30s to early 40s claiming to be lost and looking for the hospital.
The suspects are targeting elderly patrons of grocery and retail stores, and distracting their victims by asking them to point out directions on a map which they place over the victim’s wallet or purse, thereby giving the thieves an opportunity to steal the property unobserved.
The female suspect is described as Caucasian, in her mid 30s to 40s, slim build, between 5’7 and 5’8″ tall with long dark hair and a European accent. The male suspect is described as Caucasian, in his mid 30s to 40s, approximately 5’6 to 5’8″ tall with dark hair and a European accent.
 Constable Wendy Moraghan of the Halton Regional Police Service works with seniors in their communities within the Halton Region listening to concerns they have and explaining a problem they should be cautious about. Detectives have determined that the suspects have targeted at least six different victims since August 6, 2011. The pair appear to be operating primarily in the Oakville and Burlington areas, and targeting seniors who are shopping alone. They have approached victims both inside the retail location and outside in the parking lot just prior to the victim departing.
“Unfortunately, this is another variation of a crime targeting our elderly population under the guise of someone in distress and asking the senior for help – in this case, needing directions to the hospital,” said Cst. Wendy Moraghan, Elder Services Coordinator. “Seniors can help police by being extremely cautious when approached by a stranger asking for assistance. Direct them to a store clerk instead, and ensure your personal property is protected and in your sight at all times.”
Constable Moraghan has worked with seniors groups explaining how they need to be both cautious and observant.
The Halton Regional Police Service Regional Fraud Unit is continuing its investigation into this case and are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying these individuals. If you or an elderly relative has fallen prey to this scenario, or if you have any information related to the investigation please contact Detective Brad Murray at (905) 825-4747 Ext 8982 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON August 17, 2011 Reports of new batch of mosquitoes collected last week have tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the 14th batch of mosquitoes collected this year and for the first time positive testing mosquitoes were found in Action.
We are still in a the West Nile Virus season and as the map shown below indicates there are more pools of infected mosquitoes being found. In Burlington the following are locations where mosquitoes were captured:
- New Street and Guelph Line (4 pools)
- Upper Middle Road and Walkers Line (2 pools)
- Lakeshore Road and Appleby
- Guelph Line and Dundas
Halton health services report that their “surveillance indicates that there is a risk of West Nile virus infection throughout the Region this year and there are still several weeks of summer to go,” said Dr. Bob Nosal, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health. “It is important that all Halton residents continue to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites throughout the rest of the summer.”
Mosquitoes can transmit WNV to humans after becoming infected by feeding on birds carrying the virus. Older adults and people with underlying illnesses should be particularly cautious as they are more likely to develop the illness. The following are steps that residents can take to protect themselves and their families from
The Regional map showing where mosquitoes were captured is set out below:
Using the appropriate repellent and long sleeve shirts are first line of defense measures you can take. For more on what West Nile Virus is and how it is transmitted please click here. For details on Burlington area infected mosquito locations click here.
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON August 17th, 2010 Some things go smooth as silk and others – well there is just bump after bump. The date for the opening of the tenders for the completion of construction of the Brant Street Pier has been moved back to August 24th.. It might get pushed back a little further. A total of five addendums have been issued by the city. An addendum is a document that sets out a question a contractor has asked and the answer the city has given. The rules of the tender approach to getting the best price is that every gets all the information that is handed out.
 The trestle is a vital piece of equipment needed to complete construction of the Pier. The one shown above would have to be re-tested to insure that it is safe for us before any construction equipment can be placed on it. No one is taking any chances on safety with this project. Owners of the trestle don’t want to pay for testing – city says then remove it. As things stand now – the bids have to be in the hands of the city Engineering department no later than 2:00 pm on Wednesday the 24th and will be opened 15 minutes later in Room 247.
As has been pointed out before the number that gets read out at the public opening is the price the contractor says they are willing to complete the construction of the Pier for – however, more often than not there are conditions and small adjustments and comments made by the contractors and what appears to be the lowest price at first glance turns out not to be the lowest upon review and inspection. This is why the engineering department will take away the bids and review and analyze and then take them to the appropriate Council committee where they will be debated and get voted upon and then passed along to full Council where they get voted on and – after that – we have a deal.
Everyone at Engineering can’t wait until the envelopes with the numbers are opened. That there are delays in the opening tenders date is a sign that the contractors are asking a lot of questions – one of which might be – is there a trestle we can use?
The following constructions firms picked up tender packages – a 40 page document with a roll of drawings and a bunch of forms that had to be filled in: ConCrete USL Limited; Toronto Zenith Contracting Limited; Belor Construction Ltd; Rankin Construction Inc.; Bot Construction; PCL Construction Canada Inc. and Graham Infrastructure. According the city staff all the construction firms are still in the game.
There are some top ranked firms in the list. The city has indicated that it has $5.8 million left in the piggy bank for this project, which lets the contractors know that the city is serious, but that there is a limit as to what they are prepared to pay out to have the project finished.
 Peter Smith of Bermingham wants his trestle back – the city says he can have it – they want him to get it out of the construction site by the end of September. One of those careful what you ask for situations? The trestle is one of the issues that now has to be worked out. The thing may no longer be certified to take the load that would be put on it once heavy equipment is brought in. The owner of the trestle is getting a little antsy about being paid and is putting the squeeze on the people who appear to be paying the bills. HSS got more than $4 million from the city – they are the ones who should be paying that Bermingham Construction invoices.)
The present tender calls for the removal of the existing trestle by the new contractor.
While it has been a bumpy road the Mayor has consistently said he will see this project through but that he is not going to pay both an arm and a leg to get the Pier built. $5.8 million – but you know it is going to creep a bit higher than that.
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON August 16, 2011 The federal government announced today that the ships at sea, which have been until now known as the Maritime Command, will now again be referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy and the air force would be known as the Royal Canadian Air Force.
 They were always the Royal Canadian Navy. The government just forgot to use the words for the last 45 years. In 1968 then Minister of Defense Paul Hellyer, took away the Royal reference as part of his drive to integrate the three armed forces.
Now perhaps they will fly the white ensign and get things back to where they were before the politicians got silly.
Finally, some common sense and a respect for tradition and history has returned to the country. Hopefully they will serve us a double ration of rum today.
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON August 15, 2011 – The Queensway community, that collection of neat, smallish houses on really large lots south of the QEW and west of Guelph Line has decided they don’t think they have to accept the decision of city council to let a developer put up 54 units on land that had just six dwellings and they have taken their complaint to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) where they will argue their case for a reduction in the number of units.
Until there is a decision, the develop has to sit on his hands and wait. Richard Szymczyk, the very able community spokesperson is leading the effort even though he no longer lives in the community. His view is that he doesn’t want to abandon his neighbours even though he doesn’t live amongst them.
 Sign selling homes that may not get built for some time.. Szymczyk put forward a pretty sound argument at the committee level where his neighbours were also heard. When the matter got to Council, Szymczyk got cut short and wasn’t given time to complete his delegation. He had gone past the five minutes allotted but others had been given a little extra time in the past. Queensway didn’t get that courtesy.
Burlington knows that it has to intensify and the Queensway community looked like a good place to add additional housing – most felt that going from 6 to 54 was just a bit too much. Let’s see what the OMB thinks.
When the community took their argument to city council they failed to convince a majority that the development was far too big. Szymczyk had a number of very capable communicators with him – it will be interesting to see how the OMB reacts to their concerns.
We will try to keep you posted.
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By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON August 15th, 2011 – Elections are fascinating events. People talk about who is going to run for public office and who is ahead and why this person should hold office and why this person shouldn’t.
We organize our elections around political parties whose members decide who their candidate will be. The political party that wins the most seats forms the government. We’ve been doing it that was since Confederation. However, one does not have to belong to a political party to run for public office. A person can deice to run as an independent and not be attached to a political party. There is an honourable tradition of independents in this country – and Burlington just might produce the next independent to sit in the provincial legislature.
 Casey Cosgrove – running as an independent? It all seemed to start with some chatter on the internet between Casey Cosgrove, Lawrence Winterburn and Brian Heagle. Here is the way the Facebook chatter went.
Casey Cosgrove had made a comment about the way the provincial election was going and Brian Heagle, 2009 Citizen of the Year, candidate for Ward 4 in the last municipal election and a candidate for the Progressive Conservative nomination before he withdrew replied:
Heagle wrote: “Casey, I didn’t realize you spoke Daltonese – and in several languages!. The decision to “green light” redevelopment is opportunistic, but not just for Liberals with their vote-getting timing. It’s the chance for Burlington voters to elect an MPP who understands and will support the community for such a vitally important concern – regardless of political orientation, or who may want to “kill the deal”. Voters need to look closely at the individual, not so much their Party, in this case. We will need a true local champion with integrity, smarts and tenacity to keep the “green light” on after October 6.”
Cosgrove, who was a candidate in Ward 5 in the 2006 election and came a very respectable second (480 votes behind Rick Goldring who won and went on to challenge Mayor Cam Jackson in 2010 and won at that level as well.) Cosgrove is the director of the Canadian Centre for Financial Literacy (CCFL), which is a division of the national charitable organization and also teaches at Guelph University, Casey responded: “..now you’ve got me thinking of running as an independent in October. gosh, just when things were quieting down around here..”
Lawrence Winterburn then jumped in with:
“Paying wealthy people to put up solar panels, increasing taxes in the middle of a recession-(no Ontario isn’t even close to back where we were-regardless of propaganda-), Trading good paying jobs for part time retail sounds like a progressive plan. Ontario has great leadership presently…. of course I have a 60 IQ and I am blind from starvation…but yes, re-elect Dalton. Casey–you will notice this is a non- partisan comment, any party is fine with me too, I just want somebody with benevolence, intellect and honorable intent.”
Heagle came back with:
“Casey, I believe Lawrence may have just provided your campaign for MPP with a great slogan: “Cosgrove – The Benevolent Independent”.”
Cosgrove wasn’t going to let that stand and came back with:
“I don’t use words I can’t define. I don’t like independent, I prefer interdependent. Brian, I have a couple hundred ‘engage, listen, lead’ signs that have been rotting behind the shed for 6 years – I may just use those. I also have 2 old Heagle signs back there if you want them :)”
The dialogue then took a surprising twist when Casey wrote:
“Brian, I will credit you and one other friend-Chris K, for getting me worked up enough that I may just do this. so tired of all three leaders…just cleared it with Bryna.. Looks like one more kick at the can for me :). Larry – I know you will join my team!”
Later in the day Cosgrove goes public – sort of ands says:
Musing today about a run in the fall election as an independent (interdependent). Not sure I could sit under a banner of any of the three party leaders at this point, so why not just run under my own ‘Burlington ‘ banner? Am I joking? Not really. Bryna just smiled, gave me that ‘uh,oh, I see that look in your eyes’ glance….hmmm, decisions, decisions.. 🙂
In a message sent to us from Cosgrove he said: “I clearly don’t mind people knowing I’m frustrated enough to be thinking about this, but I wanted you to know I will spend the next couple weeks at the cottage with the family before even considering jumping in. Just wanted to be up front with you.
Cosgrove seems to have said he could be an independent candidate and go after the Burlington seat at Queen’s Park. Wow, this social media does make things happen. We may not use the media the way the thugs in London use it and we may not use it to take to the streets the way they did in Cairo – but seeing it used to bring another candidate to the surface. Amazing, truly amazing.
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The trio includes Sean Bray on guitar, Mark Dunn on bass, and David MacDougall on drums. A respected guitarist, composer and teacher, Sean Bray studied at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York. He now teaches at The University of Guelph and has played with and/or recorded with George Garzone, Pat LaBarbera, Bob Mintzer, Jon Faddis, Liberty Silver, Matt “Guitar” Murphy from the Blues Brothers, Mike Murley and Vincent Wolfe. His compositions have been featured in films and television shows.
