It’s a horse race!

Lawyer and community leader Karmel Sakran and Alyssa Brierley, also a lawyer who works in the regulatory regime for refugees while completing a PhD in international politics, officially threw their hats into the ring at a Burlington Provincial Liberal Association (BPLA) Board meeting, Feb. 19^th.

And while the pair promises a spirited race for the nomination in April, they agreed on one thing: the Burlington provincial riding is winnable for the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty.

“No matter who the Tories put forward in the October election, we can win Burlington for the Liberal Party,” said Brierley.

All Burlington Liberals need to do is ensure voters here know that Liberal policies are far more humane than those of the Hudak Tories, who hearken back to the rigid neo-conservatism of the old Mike Harris governments, Sakran said.

Still in High School when the Harris government was in power, Brierley recalled she often brought coffee to her teachers who were on strike and picketing. “The McGuinty government not only made peace with teachers in Ontario, it established a clear, positive direction for education that will benefit our children for generations to come.”

Sakran, who just completed a stint heading up the Burlington United Way campaign, went to Burlington’s Central High School and took a law degree at the University of Windsor. He’s also currently serving his fifth year on the Board of Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital.

For him, the issues in Burlington will include the mid-Peninsula Highway, which Tory leader Tim Hudak says he will immediately launch – despite strong environmental opposition in Burlington to paving over more farmland.

“When you consider that Burlington is the hub of Hamilton, the Niagara Peninsula and the GTA, it’s peculiar that we always seem to be passed over – despite the fact Tory MPPs represented this riding for more than six decades,” said Sakran. “We must take our place in the provincial agenda and if I’m fortunate enough to win the nomination and get elected, I’ll be working for that.”
[retweet]

Basically it is a bunch of people who give a damn.  The logged in hundreds of hour producing a report they felt could not be left to gather dust on a shelf and so they organized and lobbied and delegated and now wait to see what the city is going to do.

The only complaint one ‘might’ have with the group is that they are ‘self’ appointed.  You can apply to be part of the group but the group decides who will become members.  This approach invites the description: A “self appointed interest group” that was used by one Council member at a recent meeting.

Shaping Burlington consists of former members of the Mayor’s Citizen Committee on Civic Engagement (Shape Burlington) working to encourage the implementation of the Shape Burlington Report recommendations by the City of Burlington.

	David Auger David Auger has lived in Burlington for twenty-five years. His career spanned banking, marketing, planning, and publishing at financial, technology, and non-profit organizations. In 2009, David founded Community Media Burlington on the notion that individuals and communities benefit from a broad-based and inclusive exchange of public dialogue, news, and information.
	John Boich John is a retired educator who has been active in local government through involvement in a number of advisory committees to City Council.
	David Conrath Dave is a retired academic (information systems) who, after 25 years at the University of Waterloo, moved into administration, most recently as the Dean of Business at McMaster and then at San Jose State (CA). He is a political neophyte who hopes to bring the perspective of an outsider to Shaping Burlington.
	Ken Edwards Ken has been active in municipal government affairs for 20 years, when he chaired a local residential committee in negotiating a large land development proposal.  Since then, Ken has participated in a number of city, community and regional committees, including the redevelopment of the Burlington Art Centre, the City of Burlington Smoking Committee, Waste Water Management Committee, an information gathering committee pertaining to Governance in Halton Region, among others.
	Larissa Fenn Larissa Fenn is a Burlington-based communications professional with a background in public policy. She has developed and implemented communications and government relations strategies on topics ranging from municipal infrastructure projects, to environmental and consumer financial issues. Larissa currently leads the Communications function at a GTA Conservation Authority.
	Shannon Gillies After more than a decade working in the publishing industry, Shannon is now a teacher with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. A lifelong resident of Burlington, she lives in the downtown core.
	Mark Henderson Mark has been an active Burlington citizen and educator for years. Currently a member of the Ward 2 Citizen’s Advisory Committee, Burlington High School Parent Council, worked on the Shape Burlington Mayor’s Advisory Committee, and helps train Chinese teachers of English in China in his spare time.
	Paul Mitchell Paul worked for more than 30 years in daily journalism, including 27 years at the Hamilton Spectator where he was Business Editor and Business Columnist. After leaving The Spectator, he joined Brickworks Communications in Burlington, where he worked with clients in both the public and private sectors, including the City of Burlington and Burlington Transit. Paul graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in Politics and worked at the BBC in London before immigrating to Canada.
	Walter Mulkewich A Halton Regional and Burlington City Councillor from 1976 to 1991 and Mayor of Burlington from 1991 to 1997, Walter has had successful careers in education, business, and social services, and has been an active participant and leader in Burlington political and community life since 1962.
	Liz Nield For over 10 years, Liz has been involved in collaborative planning and community engagement throughout many different communities in Canada – on a wide range of topics and issues. Most of her work has been focused on public sector policy development and planning. Her passion is to better engage communities, committees, organizations, schools through all ranges of audiences. She is currently the CEO of Lura Consulting an organization focused on community-based planning and collaboration.
	Peggy Russell Peggy was a very active Halton District School Board Trustee for 10 years, including being elected Vice Chair, and continues to be involved in a wide variety of community activities regarding children, women’s and family issues. For example, she is currently a member of the Burlington Transit Advisory Committee and Poverty Free Halton as well as being involved in fund raising for the United Way via Burlington’s Amazing RACE. She has received numerous awards for her community work, including Halton Woman of the Year.
	John Searles John moved to Burlington 13 years ago from the United States where he practiced law for many years. Experience includes several years as a small business consultant in Canada and the USA. Married to a Burlington native in 1997; became Canadian citizen in 2007.
	James Smith A resident of Burlington for 23 years, James is a Designer, CAD Technologist & Instructor working with a wide range of clients across Canada and the United States and is part of Phillip H. Carter Architects Design Team that was recently given an Ontario Library Award of Excellence for Toronto’s S. Walter Stewart Branch. He is a founding member of the Burlington Conserver Society and was a member of Burlington’s Official Plan citizens advisory committee as well as serving on the board of the Burlington Arts Centre.
	Roland Tanner Roland Tanner is co-owner of Tanner Ritchie Publishing and Tanner Ritchie Web Applications, and has been based in Burlington since 2003. He manages development of websites and applications for a number of Burlington voluntary organizations and businesses, as well as publishing academic resources for leading universities and research institutions worldwide. Prior to coming to Canada, Roland worked as a historian, specializing in parliament.
	Chris Walker (Chair) Chris is a retired professional planner with wide community involvement experience e.g. the Burlington Sustainable Development Committee, the Rolling Meadows School Council, City of Burlington Council citizen representative on the Conservation Halton Board of Directors, and Shape Burlington. He is currently on the Niagara to GTA Corridor Study Community Advisory Group and the Stakeholder Advisory Group for the Dundas St. Improvement Study. He also serves on the Burlington Transit Advisory Committee and is Chair of Shaping Burlington.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON,  February 21, 2011  –  She isn’t going to run again.  Joyce Savoline, MPP announced on Monday that she would not run for the provincial seat of Burlington that she has held since 2007.  She is the third member of the Progressive Conservative Caucus to announce they will not run in the October provincial election.

Savoline has served Burlington for some time.  She was with Halton Region from 1994 to 2006.  In 2000 she was elected Chair of the Region.

She ran in the 2007 provincial by-election that was held when Cam Jackson gave up his Queen’s Park Seat.  Savoline beat Marianne Meed Ward, but not by all that much; 21,517 for Savoline and 19,693 for Meed Ward.

Savoline was born in Shanghai, China and moved to Canada with her parents and sister in 1953. She and her husband moved to Burlington in 1973.

The race for the Burlington seat is beginning to take shape.  The provincial Liberals have at least two candidates who are planning to seek the nomination. 

Meanwhile Alyssa Brierly, has announced that she will seek the Burlington Liberal a student during the Mike Harris years, and I experienced first-hand the impact that the devastating cuts had on our public education and health care systems. The Liberal government has worked hard to reinvest in these areas and we simply can’t allow ourselves to go backwards.

A second Liberal with plans to see the nomination has yet to publicly announce.

Cam Jackson, a former Burlington Mayor and MPP for Burlington as well said that he has been “getting lots of phone calls” and says there is a lot of time to “think about the shifting political ground”.

No station for it to stop at in Burlington.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  February 2, 2011  –  Well – there is a committee – but don’t expect that committee to keep the Freeman Station in Burlington.  It is being led by council members Blair Lancaster and Marianne Meed Ward but they aren’t going to lead – they are going to facilitate.

“It is the community that is going to make this happen” declared Meed Ward at a very short city council meeting last Monday night.

Meed Ward’s comments followed a delegation by Jane Irwin who explained that the Save our Station group that was operational from 1993 to 1997 was disbanded when CNR, the people who owned the station, sold it. 

Irwin explained some of the history and  said that the  ‘what to do with the Freeman station’ question has been out there for some tine – there is reference to the station in a 1985 Waterfront Report.

The Committee that Meed Ward and Lancaster has formed will meet in February to see what the interest level is but they don’t have a lot of time to waste. There is a time limit to the effort to get back to Council with an update. Council agreed to halt any demolition efforts until the community had one last chance to save the station.  Council is expecting an update at the end of April and appeared willing to give an extension then if there were positive signs that something was going to get done.

 A number of months ago city hall asked for expressions of interest from people who wanted to do something with the station and while there was some response there were complaints that the requirement to post a very large bond deterred at least one group from taking up the opportunity.  City staff admitted that the requirement for a bond was perhaps not the best idea.

At that Council meeting, Paul Sharman, Ward 5, patiently and graciously asked all the people who delegated at the meeting that if whatever group was formed was unable to come back to council with a solution then  would they give up and let the life of the Freeman Station come to an end, and each, reluctantly agreed that this was the last chance for the station.

It was further agreed at that meeting that the group was not to revisit any of the places that Council had already turned down.  This had to be a fresh approach.

 Council had given up – much to their everlasting shame – and if the community does manage to come up with the solution there had better not be a single politician in sight when they cut that ribbon.  Absolutely disgraceful behaviour on the part of councils going back as far as at least 1985.   The various historical groups in the city don’t deserve much in the way of pats on the back either.

Irwin spoke to Council of three reports that had been prepared, one of which Irwin thought would be very valuable – Meed Ward had not heard of it and wanted to know where a copy could be obtained.  Irwin advised Meed Ward that the document was in the Historical Society collection of documents at the library.

Irwin advised Council that the building could probably be designated but that it had to be on a site and not sitting in a parking lot – which is where it is now..  “The building can’t be homeless” advised Irwin – but once it has a home – it can be moved to some other location.

 o it would seem that the first step is to find a decent location for the building where it can be worked on and refurbished.  Meed Ward appears to expect the community to join in with the actual refurbishing and renovation of the structure.

Irwin pointed out that Aurora had managed to save its old railway station and that the Burlington station was an even better structure.  Their station was just as much as mess as our station is” said Irwin implying that if we can get our act together we can have a beautifully restored building too.

“The overwhelming wish of the community” said Irwin,  “is to find a home for the station and save it.

As Irwin was preparing to end her delegation Lancaster recruited her to work on the committee that is being formed.   So there is now at least four members of the community prepared to do something to save the station.

Later in the meeting when Council members had an opportunity to make comments on issues Meed Ward advised Council that she was in the process of setting up a Citizens Committee and that she has had many expressions of interest and several hundred dollars in pledges.

There will be a web site set up for this initiative (of course) and then Meed Ward asked for volunteers who could help with restoration work, grant writing, serving on a Board. 

Meed Ward advised that she and Lancaster would be stepping into the background and serving as facilitators

Lancaster did her usual positive twist and advised that there were different options being considered and all seemed very viable – but we didn’t hear a word on what some of those options might be.  There’s that transparency – accountability deficiency again

The federal Stimulus money that was to be used for the station went to paving a road somewhere else in the city, so other than $145,000. that is in a fund at city hall – there is no money available to do any reconstruction.  It doesn’t look very promising.

By Pepper Parr

Like Sgt. Friday in the old TV series “Dragnet” used to say, “Only the facts M’am. Just give me the facts.” Eric Cunningham, former member of the provincial legislature for a Hamilton constituency and a consultant for both the Paletta family as well as a consultant for the Tiger Cats – sounds like he is the guy who acts as the go between – is trying to get some facts on the table but can’t get heard with all the noise in the room

Cunningham points out that a move to Burlington for the team is not the end of the world for Tiger Cat fans – they will be given an opportunity to get their seasons tickets on a first come first served basis and the team will recognize the rights of all the existing ticket holders.  “And”, adds Cunningham, “the name of the team is not going to change.”  One commentator points out that the Ottawa Senators don’t play in Ottawa, their arena is in Kanata, a couple of miles from downtown Ottawa.  Almost the same distance between Hamilton and Burlington – a hop, skip and a jump

Cunningham has a problem with some of what he calls “really stupid remarks by people who should know better” and points to comments made earlier in the week by Marianne Meed Ward on a Hamilton television station.  Cunningham was “horribly disappointed with MA Meed Ward comments on CHCH”  She was “against a proposal that she has not seen. I know she is new but???  there is no ask yet.   He added: “She has no idea how much the tiger Cats etc could bring in.  Troubling.”   Meed Ward is the council member for Ward  in Burlington.  Remember now, Cunningham does earn an income from two of the players in this game – that doesn’t mean his comments don’t count, he is closer to one set of facts than anyone else at this point.

What our Council has to do is dig out those facts and determine if there is a real opportunity for the city.  A number of years ago the Economic Development Corporation did a feasibility study on a hockey arena – are we digging out that report, updating it and putting more facts on the table?

Were this a corporate situation – there would be a team of smart people crunching numbers and asking the hard questions.  They would be working long hours. Did anyone burn any midnight oil at city hall over the holidays?  Most of the council members have been on the telephone much of the time the last few days. 

Based on the city’s organization chart it is safe to assume that Scott Stewart, General Manager – Community Services, will lead the task of pulling together the data and writing the report the Mayor has asked for.  Stewart is a solid guy – no nonsense with him, however he doesn’t have all that much in the way of bench strength to support him and there isn’t much time to bring in outside help. But Stewart will put his shoulder to the wheel and get this done.

Just what is it we are looking at here?

What we are looking at is a situation where the PanAm Games organizers will have to determine on February 1^st whether or not Hamilton is going to be able to build the stadium needed for the soccer games and if Hamilton can’t do that, they – The Games organizers – have to find another location, and they don’t have a lot of time.  We don’t know for certain if Hamilton is not going to be able to agree to actually build a stadium but the prospects don’t look all that good.

Burlington has this very narrow window of opportunity to determine if this is a good thing for the city.  It could be but we don’t know that yet.  And in the next few weeks there will be any number of people with special interests of their own trying to convince the city to do what they want.  The city has to look at just the facts.

We have two people on Council with well honed business smarts and a couple who have been around a long time and know how things work in the municipal world and the ways of developers.  We also have two new members who are learning and this is there opportunity to learn – listen, look at the data and make a reasoned, sound judgment.

This Council has an opportunity to go forward and do something right.  Let’s use the brains we have and show the world that Burlington is a “smart” community.  The Pier is a fiasco – this opportunity doesn’t need to go down the same path.

Cunningham makes a point.  Lets get the facts on the table and then debate.  Ward 5 council member Paul Sharman is choosing to be very cautious.  He wants something in the way of guarantees to ensure that the city doesn’t get stuck with costs that will force it to cut back on other projects.  Very good point but as that political wag John Boich pointed out: “This is the opportunity of a century and we need to look at it very, very closely.”

Let’s do that.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON December 31, 2010  –  The city of Burlington has begun to set the ground rules for any business it might do with the Hamilton Tiger Cats.  You want to deal with us, says the city – put it in writing. 

Yesterday the city formally requested an Expression of Interest from the Tiger Cats. “Without something in writing we don t really have anything to consider”, said a spokes person for the Mayor.

Let’s see what the football players come back with.  Good on our guys for doing it right.  Up front, out front and transparent.

Stay tuned as this story breaks.

Delivered at a Burlington Chamber of Commerce Breakfast

January 20, 2011

I have to tell you….the first time I became aware of this event was September 22, at the Chamber Lunch where General Rick Hillier was guest speaker.

A PowerPoint presentation announced the Mayor’s State of the City Address would take place on January 20^th. It was a very sobering moment during the campaign as I remember thinking, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE I could be the one delivering that address.

I have so much respect for both the current and past leadership as well as the members of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

During the late 80’s and early 90’s, I had the opportunity to serve on the Chamber Board as Chair of the Political Action Committee, Chair of the Financial Trade Show Committee as well as a member of the Career Education Committee.

During the election campaign, I would often think of how I would be spending my time if I was not successful. In addition to being back full time in business, I would definitely want to play a meaningful role in this organization.

I am honoured to be able to present a State of the City address this morning.

My first draft simply stated “things are great…any questions”………. however, I expect that everyone here is looking for a little more insight than that.

My remarks today will focus on the current State of our City; what my Vision is for the City; and a five-step action plan to achieve these objectives.

When you leave this morning, I hope you remember just four things:

• My Vision for Burlington is a place that is viewed as affordable, inclusive and complete.
• I will lead our City by listening and learning from others and wherever possible building consensus.
• Working together, we will tackle the challenges ahead with a measured approach that balances our wants, our needs and our ability to pay.
• What you see is what you get. Expect me to be honest, direct, clear and enthusiastic. A Mayor that values gaining and maintaining your trust and confidence.

Now a little bit of background about me.

• I speak honestly and directly. I haven’t yet learned the art of the non-answer.
• The Pan Am/Ticat Aldershot stadium discussion provided me with great on the job training but I still have a lot to learn.   
• I am a sports fan and love going to live events especially NASCAR races. I go to several races a year with some long time friends and don’t see that changing.
• I was a hardcore runner and ran on average 35 miles per week for 20 years and completed five full marathons. However I am now happy to get to the “Y” 3-4 times a week.
• Many people know that Cheryl and I have seven daughters between us.
•  And oh yes, I recently changed jobs.

Current State of the City

As you all know in this room, we have all just come through a global recession. Canada has weathered the storm very well. While Ontario has experienced challenges especially in the manufacturing sector and Burlington has experienced some of this, we have come through the recession in good shape.

Our local unemployment rate peaked in 2009 at 9.2% and is now reported at 7.6%. This is higher than we would like to see, however the trend is going in the right direction.

The Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) reports that we have added 852 new jobs in Burlington, up from 577 in 2009. We remain prosperous.

Burlington has the 16^th highest family income in Canada and remains more affordable than Oakville, Newmarket, Mississauga, Milton, Hamilton, Toronto, and Richmond Hill.

At both City and Regional Council, we like to talk about complete communities and 2010 saw progress in this area.

The City has started setting aside funds to support the $312 million Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital re-development and expansion.

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre that is on time and on budget will be open in the fall of this year. This is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of the whole city and will provide significant positive impact to the continuing development of our downtown.

Individuals and corporations have contributed over 10.3 million dollars toward the capital cost of the facility. The facility is governed by an independent board composed of a broad cross section of people including entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, as well as people with experience in the arts.

A new twin pad opened at Appleby Ice Centre in the fall of 2010, providing continuing opportunities for youth and adults to remain active. The Users have funded a large part of the project.

In 2010, the DeGroote School of Business of McMaster University opened the new Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington. This outstanding facility is the centre for the DeGroote MBA program.

Also, Charles Sturt University, one of Australia’s largest publically funded universities has expanded its Ontario Campus in Burlington to offer Degrees in Education, Science, and Business with plans to add Degrees in Nursing and other fields and to grow into a full-fledged multi-disciplinary University. 

Yes, there has been capital spending, however because of the recession, much of the spending was at costs lower than originally budgeted. 

One of the best times for the public sector to build is during an economic downturn when resources are available and costs are reduced. As an example, the projected cost of the Appleby Arena dropped by over $3.0 million with the recession and Performing Arts Centre was able to include many important components to the building that we originally thought would be deferred into the future. 

Federal and provincial stimulus dollars have helped this City and province manage through the recession.

In total, the City received some $22.4 million in Senior Government Funding through various stimulus programs. This stimulus funding provided for among others:

• Appleby Arena
• New dressing rooms at Nelson Arena
• Paving of multi-use pathways which are seeing increased use
• Northeast Burlington Fire Station # 8
• New Transit Operations Centre

In addition, at the Regional level we received $90 million towards the upgrade and expansion of the Skyway Wastewater facility on the Beachway. Not very exciting, but a very important investment in our Regional infrastructure.

Traffic is being improved with the King Road Grade Separation and the Waterdown Road Interchange.

Our City also saw some key improvements in Public Transit.

The Presto fare payment system was introduced in May this year and will ultimately improve the usability of our system and connect Burlington’s transit system with the GTA network.

Burlington Transit ridership increased by 5.4% in 2010 and the introduction of low floor fully accessible buses has dramatically improved accessibility.

The Burlington Public Library is reaching customers in new ways and has put access to the Library in the palm of your hand with the City’s first mobile APP.

Our best practices and outstanding staff were recognized this year with a number of awards and honours.

The City continues to be an innovative municipal leader.

City Finances

I think it appropriate to also speak to the financial status of the City itself.

Based on my education and experience I’d give us a B+.

Taxes are comparable with other communities. Our balance sheet has a little more debt than I would like to see and we have seen a moderate deterioration in asset maintenance spending. 

The City has $2.0 billion in fair market value assets. Roads and facilities are the bulk of the assets. We need to spend about 2% per year of fair market value just to protect and maintain these assets. We have not been doing that.

Municipal councils throughout Canada have similar challenges and have to juggle priorities and balance the need for infrastructure renewal, with additional services and other community needs.

Over the last four years the City portion of property taxes increased by 29%.

I have set a target of 10% over the next four years and I want to keep this number a priority in our civic agenda.

I’d like to talk a little bit about why 10%.

• First, we need to set targets that are meaningful and achievable and I believe that this target is both.
• Second, I believe that it is time to review our services and operating structure. Our operating structure has been relatively static for 15 plus years and the City has changed in culture, size, demographics, development profile and needs.

It is my observation that despite the tax rate increases that we have experienced, council continues to ask staff to do more with less and this cannot continue. We need to take a different approach.

• Thirdly, the City has to think long term about its human resources. Over the next four years we have a number of staff retiring. If we want the right people, the City should be an attractive place to work and build a career. It is in all our best interests.
• Fourth, I believe that the City has to review its processes and its use of technology and communications tools to be more productive and more effective.
• Lastly, I want to restore a culture at the City of Burlington where Council, Staff and Community are working together to fulfill the long term vision of the city.

I believe that our circumstances call for an focused, collaborative and measured approach with the objective being an updated City Hall operation which deals with 21st century issues using 21st century technology, people and processes and which demonstrates the ability to operate within a sustainable economic plan.

As we move forward together we have some key challenges:

• Burlington is now growing more slowly than any other community in the GTA and will see less revenue as a result.

We will have to approach City operations and services in a different way.

• Burlington’s demographics are changing. Burlington is soon expected to have 20% of its population at retirement age or older.

These key issues lead us to the key questions that we as a community have to address:

• How do we live within our means with slower growth and a changing demographic profile?
• How do we re-align the City’s services to meet the needs and priorities of the community?
• How do we keep a motivated professional staff in place at the City and deal with the costs?
• How do we support and grow our local economy to maintain our quality of life?

Some thoughts on City Issues of the Day

Community Engagement: We have a very engaged community with an abundance of service groups, special interest groups, volunteer sports groups, foundations and fundraising organizations. That said, we can do a better job getting the views of our citizens.

During my first term as a Ward Councillor I conducted several leading edge community consultation processes. These were very effective and helpful and I believe that this type of engagement is an example of ways to improve our connection with the community.

Downtown and the Waterfront: We have an excellent Downtown / Waterfront Plan which was developed with extensive public consultation and included input from over 1400 citizens.

 I plan to revisit it through a public symposium, and update it to ensure it continues to reflect a 10-20 year community vision. We also have to expand this neighborhood approach to other areas of the City.

The Pier: The new Council has spent 14 hours in briefings on this issue and is united in our resolve to complete this project. We will fix this as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. 

Thinking of community-building brings to mind a recent inspiring speech by Barack Obama last week.

Some of the themes spoke to me and I’d like to share with you now.

–          We need to keep the ‘civil’ in civil society.

–          We need to be more respectful towards others, and rediscover the virtue of humility and modesty in private and public life.

–          We need less ego. In City-building, we need more ‘we’ not ‘me’.

–          We need to accept that we live in a complex world. The challenges we face are complex.

–          The truth is not always black and white.

–          Solutions to every problem are not always quick, easy, simple or even possible.

–          We need to listen better.

–          We need to be willing to work with others to achieve agreement, even if it means compromise.

–          We need to accept that a meaningful community debate means sometimes hearing what isn’t popular. Achieving good public policy is most often a messy process.

–          We need to have the courage to share our ideas with one another and encourage others to contribute and improve on these ideas.

A Vision of Burlington

So it’s fair to ask, what is my Vision of the City, and how will we achieve it together?

I feel we should continue to strive to make Burlington an affordable, inclusive, complete community.

Affordable so new families can move here and seniors can stay in their community. Inclusive and complete communities offer an attractive quality of life.

It’s time to take a regional view of the place we call home. Let’s appreciate and embrace the amenities, services and facilities next door as part of our unique Quality of Life.

McMaster, a university ranked in the top one percent of comprehensive universities globally is a 10 minute drive away and we have easy access to Mohawk and Sheridan Colleges.

We have an emerging technology centre in Kitchener-Waterloo an hour away with one of the most successful technology companies in the world.

We also have a world recognized wine district in Niagara.

And Burlington sits in the epicenter of all these amenities and attractions.

My Vision for the City also rests on a foundation of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Enterprise and the amazing contribution business create through wealth-generation, jobs and prosperity is what will help keep Burlington an affordable, inclusive and complete community. The Burlington business community must continue to thrive for all of us to prosper.

So what will Burlington look like 25 years from now?

Imagine:

–          A city of about 193,000 nestled on the lake with an escarpment and a rural backyard.

–          A city with a strong local economy which allows more people to work close to home.

–          A public transportation network which connects Burlington with the GTHA and allows us all to move around better and preserve the environment.

–          Increased access to lifelong learning opportunities so that our community can compete and thrive in a global economy.

–          An inclusive community which provides for youth and seniors and is a tolerant and cultural oasis in the region.

–          A beautiful and well-maintained city with unique and diverse neighbourhoods that are pedestrian and cycle friendly.

–          A community that values and achieves sustainability through clearly defined ecological and environmental practices

To achieve this Vision I’m proposing a five-step action plan.

1. We need a New Strategic Planning process for the community. Council will be defining a very different process that will provide all citizens a variety of opportunities to provide input into the future of our city. The result will be a more meaningful and measureable civic strategic plan.

1.  I am proposing to start a new relationship with our community stakeholders with the Mayor’s Community Roundtable. We will have our first conversation next week. The 25 or so Community leaders attending represent a broad cross section of the community through their members, congregations and participants.

1. I will be introducing a series of lectures leading up to our next Official Plan review to inspire Burlington to look at ways of changing and improving our quality of life.

1. We need to support efforts of the BEDC and the Chamber and others to bring new business to our community and to help existing businesses be successful. Burlington needs to be open for Business including not-for-profit, co-ops and other forms of emerging social entrepreneurship.

1. We will create a 4 year financial plan to maintain a manageable level of taxation and live within our means while delivering the services the community wants and this plan will be sustainable in the long term.

In summary, we live in a prosperous caring community blessed with a tremendous natural environment. We have the opportunity to live an urban, suburban or a rural lifestyle. We have the infrastructure and the services needed to provide for the community and most importantly we have a community of citizens that show their commitment every day to our city and the people that live in it. Our opportunities are many and it is up to all of us to build our community to care for those around us. I have complete confidence that we can do this together.

Thank You.

Will there be roses?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON Jan 31^st, 2011  – Will they be throwing roses on the stage when the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) budget gets debated by city council later this month?   Council members will get a copy of the budget this Friday afternoon and, based on some of the comments made at previous council meetings, the plans may be in for a rough ride.

Ward 3 council member John Taylor was a little antsy last week when he complained about not knowing what the budget was going to look like and how much the deficit was going to amount to for the first year of operation.

The BPAC is an arms length organization, run by a 13 person Board that sets out policy and a staff that runs the place which is scheduled to open this fall.  The city’s role in the operation is to pick up whatever the deficit amounts to – and there will be a deficit the first couple of years.

Former Chair, and now Past Chair, Keith Strong advises that the deficit will be much less than  a million dollars but many suspect it will be higher because there hasn’t been all that much in the way of financial information from the BPAC people.

To date, the BPAC has held a number of open houses which let people see how the construction has proceeded.  Strong points out that the place is “on time and on budget” – something he adds that Burlington hasn’t seen in some time.

Taylor wanted to know what acts and performers have been booked and how much had been spent.  Staff assured Taylor that all would be revealed when the budget and business plan are presented.  Taylor wasn’t satisfied. “Events have to be booked well in advance” said Taylor at a recent meeting – “so they must know what we are going to see in the fall.”   Staff couldn’t add much in the way of information other than to say that the report was “in the works”

Once can’t expect Taylor to be throwing roses on the stage for the BPAC Board’s premier performance before council.  Taylor has never been a big fan of the centre and points to failure after failure of this type of organization.  HECFI in Hamilton is going broke he will tell you and most opf the smaller theatre groups in Burlington don’t like what’ve heard of the cost structure to use the new building.  The fact is that few Executive Directors of new performance Centre’s last much more than a year and a half, but that doesn’t seem to have phased Brenda Heatherington who is beavering away at getting the building completed and planning for the first six months or so of performances.  This is a woman who wears a construction helmet and velvet gloves at the same time.

The completion of the building is, as Strong says “on budget and on time” and one wonders why the Board isn’t being given credit that that achievement – no small feat in Burlington.

Alan Pearson, chair for the current year is pretty aggressive with his comments and he doesn’t have a lot of time for the ‘nay sayers’.  “The train has left the station on this issue” says Pearson.  It is too late for people to carp about whether or not this is a good thing for Burlington, he adds, sounding like a guy who believes everything is under control.  “We are planning a soft opening with a series of low key events that will give the community time to get used to the facility” explains Pearson.  So, it looks as if there isn’t going to be a big budget, boffo event that will cost a fortune and be foisted on a community that is still getting used to the idea that we have a performing arts centre.

Strong says talking about the specifics of performances now is premature.  There s a lot to get done and the public will know all about what is planned when it is appropriate.  Well, it is ‘show business’ and I guess we have to leave it to the people behind the curtains do develop the buzz and create the hype that will result in sold out performances.

This is a new step for Burlington and except for the small kafuffle over which brick to use on the outside of the building – there haven’t been any problems.  We have an Executive Director who has the experience needed to make the place work and a fund raising team that has done exceptionally well with more than $10 million raised to date.  Denise Walker has taken over the fund raising effort for the final drive.  Strong explains that fund raising expenses, which are minimal, get paid with the interest earned on the funds raised and held by the city.   Nothing financially flabby about this organization.  Lean and driven so far.  But Strong grouses that the city pays a miserable 1% – you get the sense that if her were managing the money the return would be a little fatter.

The Board is a pretty hard driving bunch of people.  They meet once a month at 8 am.  With two Council members on the Board Rick Craven, Ward 1 and the Mayor, and one senior city staff member, Steve Zorbas, former city treasurer (so he will know how to count the jelly beans) and now Acting General Manager Infrastructure and Development plus ten other people drawn from the community –  the public interest is certainly well represented.

The Budget and the attendant documents get known on February 14^th – Valentine’s Day.  Pearson should perhaps bring chocolates.

What it cries out for today is some reaction on both sides of the coin, of the revived interest in Aldershot as a new home for the Ticats. Its location is perfect in terms of visibility, parking and transportation, but it removes this fabled football team from within the confines of the City of Hamilton. (That said, someone pointed out that the Buffalo Bills don’t play within Buffalo-proper.)

I can’t imagine this will be totally free of tax implications or infrastructure costs for the good burghers of Burlington. That said, the positive elements, (new employment opportunities, another attraction for Burlington as an employment mecca, new tax income etc.) may well balance out the negative implications.

It’s an issue with huge ramifications for Burlington at a time when other projects like the Performing Arts Centre and the pier stand out as large tax-consuming items.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if the mere mention of Aldershot as a stadium site is enough to make Hamilton’s council reconsider Confederation Park as a site — just to keep it in “The Hammer.”

Seems to me, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina is in a win-win situation: he can blame the whole stadium mess on the previous council and if it goes to Aldershot, Hamilton can focus its heritage funds on other, more appropriate projects that will help that city in its renaissance efforts. 

This is the big end-of-2010 story for Burlington!

Site looks great. Nice balance of stories and a light, bright, tight writing style.

Ron Dennis

Editors note”  Ron is a drinking buddy and we published a review of his recent book: Adventures in Shroomville: the mystery of Hedgehog Hill, so he might be just a little prejudiced – but we don’t mind.