 By Pepper Parr
June 3, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington is going to have three different people representing different parts of the city in the House of Commons on October 20th when the federal election results are known.
 The creation of the Oakville North Burlington riding was due to population shifts. The Conservatives held a very public dog fight over their nominations – it was so bad that the Conservative party sent both the candidates packing and put a new executive in place. The Conservative nomination is expected to be held June 7th There is the riding of Burlington, currently held by Mike Wallace that had bits and pieces chopped off; there is still the riding of Halton where Lisa Raitt is the sitting member and there is now a new riding called Oakville North Burlington.
Pam Damoff was acclaimed the Liberal candidate last week after the untimely death of Max Khan. Both Damoff and Khan were members of Oakville’s city council.
The Conservatives are believed to be holding their nomination meeting June 7th where there are at least two known candidates for that nomination; Burlington’s Blair Lancaster and Effie Triantafilopoulos, a former Chief of Staff for Conservative Cabinet Ministers in the three key economic portfolios: Industry, Trade, and Treasury Board.
 Damoff has been a Liberal since her university days when she was influenced by Pierre Trudeau and went to Ottawa to work with a Member of the House of Commons. Damoff graduated from the University of Western Ontario and went to Ottawa to work for an MPP and then moved into the financial world where she was a numbers cruncher for a small financial consulting group that got absorbed by a larger firm which in turn got absorbed by an even larger firm.
Her first run at municipal politics saw her lose by 150 votes – then won a number of years later by more than 50% against six candidates – Damoff had clearly learned how to win an election
She is a passionate woman who will cry when she wants to – for her it is all about people – what she can do and how she can help.
There is the capacity to manage detail and an openness that can be disarming.
While being a Member of the House of Commons is a lot different that handling pot holes and snow clearance Damoff looks as if she will continue to serve the people of Oakville and now some in Burlington as well as she has in the past.
 Pam Damoff tends to wear her emotions on her face – a smile that will light up a room and the ability to tear up when she is moved. So – who is she? A parent, a person committed to her community and silly enough to wade into freezing water on New Year’s Day in Oakville’s popular Polar Bear Dip.
She has been a big, big supporter of the Terry Fox run because she believes it is important for young people to have role models that show what is possible.
Damoff explains that at 19 Terry Fox was a student, at 20 he struggled with cancer and at 21, after a heroic battle against that cancer, he was suddenly no longer with us.
That level of commitment and dedication are what Damoff wants young people to see – and it is to a considerable degree what she is personally. She built the Terry Fox run from 43,000 participants to 132,000
Damoff is a team player; this is no roaming ego looking for all the possible places to land. The environment is an issue for her and she claims to ride her bike often – expects to campaign on her bike whenever she can.
Her nomination was a part love in and part sad evening as the torch was passed from the Khan family to Pam Damoff who had no idea she would be running as a candidate in a federal election. She fully expected to be part of the Khan team – now she is part of the Justin Trudeau team and holding memories of the role Justin’s Father, Pierre Trudeau, played in shaping the country.
Damoff was heavily influenced by Pierre Trudeau and the changes he brought to the country; now she is part of a campaign that is being led by his son.
As a student at Western Damoff worked on John O. (Jack) Burghardt’s campaign which got her to Ottawa where she leaned how the place works.
She is a close friend of Paddy Torsney who represented Burlington in the House of Commons for a number of years. Damoff will be on the phone with Torsney frequently should she win the election
 Good healthy crowd for the acclamation of Pam Damoff as the |Liberal candidate In her moments of reflection – and Damoff is a reflector, she might wonder at the way things turn out. In the next four to five months she will work her tail off and if she can convey to the voters who she is and what she stands for – she will find herself back in Ottawa – this time as a Member of the House of Commons – expect her to tear up when she is sworn in.
Damoff has a small short lead on the yet to be nominated Conservative candidate, however five days after her acclamation there isn’t a Damoff web site in place and there was no mention of using social media in her campaign.
Pam Damoff might choose to do it the hard way – door to door – face to face; it’s the way politics was meant to work.
By Staff
June 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A Broadway production on the stage of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre? Yup – Saturday Night Fever will be in town for a one night performance January 28th
 Just a one day production – this one will sell out – a Broadway production on the Performing Arts stage. Brian McCurdy made the announcement during the introduction to the 2015 – 2016 program for a theatre that appears to have found its footing and now has a robust, diverse program offering that does what the people behind the idea of a performing arts centre in the city wanted it to do.
It has been a struggle – a lot of financial ups and downs; a change in the management with another change coming in the not too distant future.
Bringing a popular Broadway production to the city – even if only for a single production – is a step forward.
By Staff
June 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was brazen and except for the video that was taken they got away with it – so far
Two people stole two high quality Gibson guitars from the Long and McQuade Musical Instruments location on Mainway
The Halton Regional Police are seeking the public’s assistance in catching the thieves.
 Female suspect – caught on camera stealing a guitar ![Intel(R) JPEG Library, version [1.51.12.44]](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20238%20170'%3E%3C/svg%3E) Male suspect caught on video stealing a guitar. Early in an afternoon, two suspects, one female and one male entered Long and McQuade Musical Instruments located on Manway. Both entered the store carrying empty guitar cases. The suspects were observed on video surveillance to select two high end guitars and place them in the cases. The suspects then exited the store making no attempt to pay for the concealed items. The two stolen guitars are a GIBSON ES 345TDC and a GIBSON USA LP Traditional.
Both were captured on video.
Brazen indeed.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Erin Cooper of 3 District Criminal Investigation Bureau at (905) 825-4747 ext 2313 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com; or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Pepper Parr
June 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Last week Regional Council made it a go – the implementation plan that leads up to the development of a bigger, fancier public park is on.
More design work is probably part of the going forward. Which brings up the matter of public involvement in that design.
Other than one public meeting at which the public got to see a bunch of large drawings and some of the detail – the public hasn’t had a chance to say a word about what they think the park should look like.
 The Waterfront Trail Burlingtonians use today will look a lot differently in 25 years – 50 years ago there were railway tracks on the walking path, The park will be a Regional Park and I guess they feel the people in Burlington will just have to put up with whatever the Region’s designer thinks is best.
 Beachway residents didn’t want to hear much about the park that was planned – they wanted to remain in their homes. There have been problems in getting the public involved. Every time there is a meeting the property owners tend to hi-jack the meeting and ask aloud how the Region can design a park to go on land they don’t own.
The Region responds by saying they are working on that – and indeed they are working at it.
They have put together a very enticing package of financial goodies to get the property owners to sell to the Region.
Incentive Options for Willing Sellers in the Beach includes:
Lease-back Opportunities and Extended Closing Periods:
Life Estates
Relocation Services and Moving Costs:
Environmental Remediation Costs:
Payment Options
Right of First Refusal:
Removal of Fixtures/Chattels
Availability of Halton Surplus Lands
Legal/Professional Costs
Appraisal Costs:
That is an impressive effort on the part of the Region. They have included everything – even the kitchen sink.
We get into the details on each of these “goodies” further on in this article.
 What is pretty close to a shack was one of three properties bought by the Region in the past two years. The incentive package might result in additional sales. The Region has planned on a 15 to 25 year property acquisition time frame Over the past 5 years, the Region has acquired four properties in the Beach area. It is anticipated that additional purchases from willing sellers will be made at a frequency of 1-2 properties each year; they estimate it will take between 15-25 years to acquire the remaining 27 privately held Beach properties on a willing buyer/willing seller basis.
The Beachway residents hate the phrase “willing buyer/willing seller” – they argue that there is just the one buyer and that is the Region. Under those conditions the residents had every right to squawk.
The package the Region has put together is generous and allows for a lot of time for the current owners to live out their lives in the property they own.
Perfect it isn’t but this is not a perfect world.
The recommendation was to implement the strategy immediately. Regional Staff are going to continue to engage property owners in the Beach area to identify additional options that may be made available to willing sellers as the implementation of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront park proceeds.
 This property sold for something in the $600,000 range. The owners also got a rental agreement to remain in the home. There was real fear on the part of the residents that they would be expropriated – and when it comes to the bitter end some 25 years from now the Region may have to actually expropriate a hold out. The package that has been put together is as fair as it can get.
Each resident wants to look at the various options and choose the one that suits their situation. It also appears that the Region has decided they will do everything they can to meet reasonable requests – but the park is going to eventually get built.
It would be a better park if there were homes in it – but politically that option is off the table. Given the time frame the Region has to get the park built the political landscape may change – Burlington my get a council that sees the story differently and that Council might manage to find allies in Oakville and change the policy. Some of the homes that are in the way could conceivable be moved.
There are a number of heritage properties in Burlington that would like to find a new location – developers have better us for the land and it would make some sense to move a half a dozen or so heritage properties to the Beachway – include the Freeman Station in that list of properties.
That kind of thinking would certainly create a different park – all it takes is political will to bring about a change.
In order to get some sense of fairness in the talks the Region is talking about creating an index that would be reviewed and revised every three years.
 How does one place a value on a home that is yards away from a noisy expressway on one side and yards away from Lake Ontario on the other side. The Region intends to create an index that will give allow property owners to benefit from the increase in the value of their properties. The index would be a collection of “comparable” homes in south west Burlington that would be used to create a base price for properties. The idea was to come up with something that would allow the homeowners to at least think they would be in on some of the excellent property appreciation that has been taking place in Burlington.
The Burlington Beach Waterfront Park Master Plan implementation will be incremental with the park being fully in place in the next 25 years.
Now that the Plan has been approved, implementation can begin.
 By Pepper Parr
June 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part two of a series
In the municipal world the vision gets some attention – it is the pot holes and the snow clearance that crate all the squawking.
How has Burlington done in the eyes of the 771 people who were polled by Forum Research in February – 771 interviews was seen as statistically valid – on the quality of the services city hall delivers?
In this part two of a series on the polling that was done we set out what Forum Research learned. The results of the research will guide the |Strategic Plan deliberations that are taking place now.
How satisfied were residents with the services provided overall?
 When respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with services overall, the large majority said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied (47% and 42%, respectively). Compared historically to 2008 and 2011, there was a small movement of respondents from being somewhat satisfied to being somewhat dissatisfied. Respondents who were ‘somewhat satisfied’ decreased 6% since 2008 and 4% since 2011; at the same time, respondents who were ‘somewhat dissatisfied’ increased by 4% since 2008 and 2011. Despite this small increase, satisfaction with services in Burlington overall remains strong.
Satisfaction with Public Safety Services
Forum Research began to drill down into some of the responses and asked how people felt about specific services.
 Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with various Public Safety Services by indicating either excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor. Looking at top 2 box responses (excellent/good), the highest satisfaction ratings were recorded for fire protection services (95%), and emergency management (83%).
Satisfaction with Maintenance Services
 Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with various maintenance services offered by the City of Burlington. Looking at top two box responses (excellent/good), the highest satisfaction ratings were recorded for parks and open space maintenance (90%), cemetery maintenance (88%), and tree management (78%). Lowest satisfaction was recorded for surface water drainage, i.e. flood erosion protection for properties and structures (57%).
Satisfaction with Roads and Transportation Services
 Looking at top 2 box responses (excellent/poor) for roads and transportation services, the highest ratings were recorded for roads and structures, i.e. design and construction (69%), as well as traffic operations management, i.e. traffic signals and crossing guards (63%). Lowest satisfaction ratings were recorded for transportation and network planning (52%), as well as transit services (55%).
Satisfaction with Leisure Facilities, Programs and Events
 When respondents were asked about their satisfaction with leisure facilities, programs and events offered by the City of Burlington, a strong majority of respondents rated all items as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. However, the highest level of satisfaction was recorded for parks, open spaces and sports fields (90%).
Design and Building Services
 When it comes to services related to design and building in the City of Burlington, 84% of respondents said parks and open green space, i.e. design and development was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (32% and 52%, respectively). Looking at top two box responses (excellent/good), the majority of respondents were also satisfied with community design and development review (66%) as well as building code permits and inspection (63%).
Satisfaction with Emergency and Disaster Assistance
It was important to measure how much confidence residents have in the ability of City of Burlington to provide effective assistance in the event of a major emergency or disaster. The majority of respondents (60%) said they were ‘somewhat confident’ and 29% said they were ‘very confident’. Worth noting is that 1 in 10 respondents said they were ‘not at all confident’.
Feedback to Improve Resident Confidence in Emergency Preparedness
When respondents were asked what the City could do to make them feel more confident in the event of a major emergency or disaster, the largest proportion of respondents said to communicate the disaster preparedness plan to the public (22%). Other top mentions included: educate the public on what to do in the event of an emergency or disaster (11%), as well as communicate / raise public awareness more generally (9%).
City Communication and Support for Emergency Preparedness
Respondents were asked whether or not the City of Burlington is encouraging and supporting emergency and disaster preparedness within the community. The majority (61%) said it is, while 23% said the City it is not.
Top Priorities amongst Respondents
Respondents were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 (1=low priority, 10=high priority), how much of a priority various issues are for the City to focus its attention on. Items that were of highest priority (rated 8, 9 or 10), were: community safety (76%), commitment to infrastructure (76%), healthy community (73%), sound financial practices (69%), as well as parks and community open/green spaces (69%). More attention most members wanted to admit was asked for on open, transparent and accountable civic government.
As the city gets into detail and specifics on the Strategic Plan that will guide their efforts for the next three years expect those that are colour coded red to get a lot of attention.
By Staff
June 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When I asked what the prices for ticket at the about to open CineStarz were going to be were Bruce Gurberg said – 3,4,5.
Huh!
 No I mean the price for a ticket to a movie. Bruce Gurberg again said: 3,4,5.
Gurberg was telling me that the price was $3.99 on Tuesday, 4.99 for children and seniors and $5.99 for adults and general admission.
Those are good prices. The line-up is pretty good too:
Far from the madding crowd
Ex Machine
Hot Pursuit
Furious 7
Age of Adeline
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Kingsmen
Cinderella (This title has yet to be confirmed.)
First run at the CineStarz on Brant Street will be Friday evening. On Brant – in the Upper Canada building.
By Staff
June 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone was out on Saturday – we all stayed in on Sunday. Summer isn’’t ready to show its face yet.
 It was warm up time for the several hundred Carpenter Hospice volunteers and supporters before the took a long leisurely walk along the Waterfront Trail to the canal and back.  The weather was as good as it gets – the Carpenter House supporters in the blue T-shirts were out in force. The waterfront was the place to be on Saturday. The hundreds that support Carpenter House were out exercising and then walking the Waterfront Trail.
 While hundreds walked the Waterfront \Trail an additional 100 + planted new saplings in the environmentally fragile sand dunes.  Carefully tamping down a new sapling one of the hundred + people who put in half a day ensures the roots have a chance to growth into the sand. Close by just over 100 people dug away in the environmentally fragile sand dunes that make up a large part of the Beachway Park.
They were out there on their hands and knees making sure new saplings were firmly bedded. The Sunday gave them a solid soaking.
In the past residents in the park would be out with their pamphlets and petitions looking for support. None of that in site this Saturday. It seems as if they are resigned to what is going to eventually happen – or they are saving their energy for another day. For some the fight to keep their homes in the park will never end.
By Pepper Parr
June 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
She has one of those million dollar smiles, is thistle thin and she is pumped.
Ashley Worobec, a practicing chiropractor in Burlington and is this city’s representative in the Pan Am Games torch run.
 When the public sees Ashley Worobec she will be wearing a Pan Am Torch Relay uniform and carrying the Relay torch. Ashley originally thought she was going to be running quite a length – turns out this marathon runner will get to do about 200 metres – from the Discovery pond at the foot of Spencer’s on the Waterfront to the Pier. Even that she isn’t all that sure about.
“I don’t have my uniform yet or my information package so I’m really not that clear on the details.”
Ashley is clear on this though – she wants to represent Burlington well.” I don’t want to drop the torch any anything like that.”
 Three year old daughter Casey looks on while Mom does up her running she laces. Originally a native of Calgary where she studied at the University of Calgary and then completed her chiropractic training, she is now a proud resident of the city where her husband is a high school teacher who coaches football.
“We are a fitness household” said the mother of two children who lives in the Orchard.
Ashley plans to talk to people as she does her portion of the Pan Am torch run. “I won’t be running very fast” she said
“My parents are flying in from Calgary to watch the run that will last minutes. I get goose bumps when I think about it” she added.
Ashley is a competitive marathon runner who realizes that this gig is going to amount to not much more than a jog – doesn’t matter – Ashley is pumped.
Ashley is on staff at the Burlington Sports and Spine Clinic
She was nominated by a neighbour – “I didn’t even know they had put my name forward.”
 Pan Am Torch Relay route. Starting time is late in the afternoon. The Burlington portion of the run starts at Brant and Leighland and works its way through the city to Spencer Smith Park where the Sound of Music will be taking.
Ashley Worobec represents the city – there are other people representing the province; others still representing the federal government, the stakeholders and the sponsors. Matters not to Ashley “I am representing Burlington and I want to do proud by the city.”
By Staff
June 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Police Getting Help from Halton Elementary Students to Name our New Canine Recruit
Halton Regional Police is looking forward to the addition of a sixth Canine team; this new four-legged recruit is due to join us in late summer.
 Regional police are asking all the elementary students in Halton to take part in a contest to give this police pup a name. The new Police Service Dog will join PSD Tracker, PSD Storm, PSD Parker, PSD Bishop and PSD Nero in their efforts to protect and serve the communities in Halton.
The retired Police Service Dogs are: Chase, Kingston, Sniper, Justice, Honour, Gage, Kruz, Baron, Titan, Juno and Valour.
The Regional police have invited all the elementary schools in Halton to take part in this name the K9 contest. They have until Friday June 5, 2015 to submit their chosen name.
The police are encouraging the children to be original and imaginative and to come up with one name entry for each school. A single syllable is preferred; however a maximum of two is accepted. A gender neutral name is also suggested.
How the community can get involved:
Beginning June 10, 2015, the community will have two ways in which to vote for their favorite name.
A hashtag campaign will be run on the @HaltonPolice and @HRPSK9 Twitter accounts and non-Twitter users can go to our website at www.haltonpolice.ca.
The name that collects the most hashtags and online votes will be the winning name which will be revealed on Monday June 22, 2015.
The school who nominated the winning name will receive a visit from Chief Tanner, the new K9 handler and new Police Service Dog when its training is completed in the Fall.
By Pepper Parr
June 1, 2105
BURLINGTON, ON
Today is the first day of a summer vacation he never had in the years he was been with the Planning department in Burlington.
 Bruce Krushelnicki was frequently at the table working with citizens, listening to their ideas and explaining the why and how things were done. The reports his department issued were frequently as good as they get in the planning business.  Insisting that there be commercial space at grade level was not an easy conversation with the developers of the Buntin Wharf project on Lakeshore Road between Locust and Brant – imagine that part of the city without this look? Bruce Krushelnicki left city hall on Friday afternoon and summarized for the Gazette what he managed to get done during his time with the city and some of the things that haven’t happened yet.
Planners build on the shoulders of the people who came before them explained Krushelnicki I didn’t plan the Alton Community – my job was to implement the plan and ensure that the original design was adhered to.
Krushelnicki was heavily involved in the creation and implementation of the Plains Road Village Vision (PRVV) which has changed radically the road that used to be the only one that got you to Niagara Falls.
We had to do a lot of talking to the Shoppers Drug Mart people to get them to see things our way – we wanted the entrance to the store open to the street and they did build the door – but it is locked.
We wanted a two story building – and they did that – now there are doctors’ offices on that second floor – what better place to have a doctor’s office.
Plains Road is no longer just a major traffic artery – it has been going through a process of change for a number of years – that job is far from finished.
Getting developers to see the longer term potential for their properties can be a time consuming process explained K. We had many conversations with the Molinaro’s about street level store fronts on the Buntin wharf property that stretched between Locust and Brant. Can you imagine Brant Lakeshore Road without that stretch of patio space? They make that part of the city feel like parts of Europe added Krushelnicki.
For some developers talking wasn’t enough and the building permit they had been issued was pulled. Drewlo learned that lesson when they made major changes to the way vehicles were going to enter and leave the underground garage of the multi building apartment complex they were building on Plains Road.
 Early version of the Maranatha design had more massing then the planning department was prepared to accept.
 After a lot of negotiating and discussion the final look of the Maranatha project looked like this. Preparing the land for construction has begun The Maranatha project on New Street that is now having the land prepared for construction was another project that Krushelnicki believes benefited from intervention by the Planning department. The building has significant massing and even though it was set back from the street further than most people realized it was a large building. By tapering the ends and creating a large glass section in the middle the building is much easier to look at.
There are those who still feel it doesn’t fit in with the neighbourhood to which Krushelnicki replies – neighbourhoods change – they are supposed to change – but at a pace that fits with where planners feel the city is going.
Most of the two storey properties on Brant Street have four storey zoning as of right and can get eight storeys once they have worked with the planning department to ensure that what is planned fits in with what the residents of the community – and the city believe is appropriate for the area.
Krushelnicki knows now that the malls created in the 70’s do not meet the needs of the community the way they once did and that they need to be re-developed to include a residential and commercial component.
Making more efficient use of land will mean changing the way some sectors of the local economy use the space they have. Krushelnicki points to Mississauga where they created a part of the city that was for the automotive sector. Burlington doesn’t have that Krushelnicki of space available anywhere in the city but Krushelnicki does see the possibility of automotive dealers going up rather than continually going sideways.
The land at the corner of Fairview and Brant has too much value to serve as a parking lot for used cars – the same would apply to the automotive dealers along Fairview and Guelph Line. The planning department did have conversations with most of the automotive dealers in town to talk about different configurations that could be used. “They weren’t ready for a change yet” explained Krushelnicki at a committee meeting.
In the world of planning and development the Ontario Municipal Board is the 800 pound elephant in the room – it is an organization Krushelnicki understand very well. He served as an OMB Commissioner for a period of time and wrote one of the more definitive texts on just how the OMB works.
 The walkway that was built at the bottom of what was once the infamous Rivieria Motel was the result of a land swap Krushelnicki put together with Mayrose Tyco the developers of the property that will house a 22 storey, a seven story condominium plus an 8 storey hotel. The hotel was originally going to be open for the Pan Am games which isn’t something you can blame on the now retired planner, While many of the decisions on what would be built on the waterfront were made before Krushelnicki joined the city as the planner 11 years ago he does get credit for coming up with a land swap that extended the waterfront the public could use a little further to the east and gave the people who were developing what is today called the Bridgewater hotel.
Burlington currently has a major case before the OMB – the ADI development on Martha and Lakeshore that he won’t say a word about because it is before the board.
Krushelnicki taught for twelve years and has until very recently done some teaching at Ryerson and Waterloo. Is there some teaching for a man who is in excellent shape and still holds his truck driver’s license.
There are those who believe Krushelnicki never stopped teaching. On numerous occasions when there was a planning issue of some significance one could see all the junior members of the Planning department in the council chamber – many of them taking notes. And there were always a number of the senior members watching a master at the craft of explaining how planning is supposed to work.
 The concept of precincts to define neighborhoods was an approach Bruce Krushelnicki brought to Burlington’s Official Plan Burlington is in the process of re-writing its Official Plan. The Plan that was approved in 2006 was a Krushelnicki creation. We created a precinct approach and grouped interest and gave them a precinct name and applied zoning development guidelines to them. While the word “neighbourhoods: didn’t actually appear in the official plan – it was vital from Krushelnicki point of view that the way people had organized themselves in the city be respected.
Krushelnicki didn’t live in Burlington but he had a feel for the city that must have run through his mind as he came over the Skyway Bridge and saw it set out before him.
The people writing the new Official Plan are all Krushelnicki prodigies – his finger prints will be all over the document.
Krushelnicki did have his detractors. Many felt he was too restrictive and that he didn’t manage his staff as well as he might. He certainly had strong views and had little difficulty making them know. What made Bruce Krushelnicki so different was the way he would frame and arrange his comments.
He certainly had the best tailor in town and would not take off his jacket when making a presentation. One could not even imagine Krushelnicki wearing a pair of those plaid trousers golfers tend to wear.
During what was really an oration at a Committee of the Whole recently at the LaSalle Park Pavilion the sun was shining directly onto Krushelnicki’s back and the beads of perspiration on his forehead were showing. One of his senior staff who was within his line of sight patted her hip a number of times.
I wasn’t quite sure what she was doing or why – but realized she was sending her boss a signal. The staff member knew that Bruce Krushelnicki always kept a fresh handkerchief in his jacket pocket; she was trying to remind him that it was there.
The staff within the planning department for the most part adored the man. He treated his people with respect and saw his major role as one of developing them and making them better civil servants.
Krushelnicki was without a doubt the most literate senior staff member the city has. During the crafting of the Strategic Plan in 2011, when asked what form it should take, Krushelnicki said keep it to two pages and write it in Latin.
 Krushelnicki must have explained what “top of bank”meant to citizens groups more than 1000 times while he was Director of Planning for the city. During his time as Burlington’s planner he must have explained what “top of bank” meant more than 1000 times – he also tirelessly explained that approval of some height density on one lot did not serve as a precedent for every lot in the neighbourhood.
Krushelnicki had a style that was very much his own. His ethics were beyond reproach, he had that old school politeness about him and more often than not he knew what he was doing and why he made the decisions he made
Krushelnicki was no where near retirement age – but some took the position that his time had come.
By Pepper Parr
June 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 1 of a series.
Public opinion polling is an important tool used by politicians at every level to determine what people think and feel about an issue.
A critical issue for Burlingtonians, besides saying how well they feel they are serviced by the various city departments, – is how involved they feel they are in the decisions made by city council.
The data produced by the polling and the way it is being interpreted by city hall and the different members of council was significant enough for the Gazette to cover that story separately
As city council prepares to begin debating what the strategic Plan should be for the next four years they gather together as much data as they can.
One of the major research projects is polling the public for their opinions on how well their government is doing.
The good stuff will get trumpeted and the not so good gets a quick look – maybe a nod and then they move on.
Some of the questions asked of the public are so self-serving as to be painful – others elicit a lot of very useful information
Let’s take a detailed look at what the city learned about itself.
Forum Research interviewed 771 people. The same firm did the public research polling in 2011.
In a preface to the report Forum said:
With a population nearing 180,000, it is cherished for its small town feel, green city heritage, and a high quality of life. As well, its economic strength and sustainable growth has made it one of the most thriving City’s in Southern Ontario. Committed to open and transparent governance that delivers quality services to its residents, the City of Burlington hired Forum Research to conduct a Community Satisfaction survey to gather resident input for various topics and issues.
Specifically, the purpose of the 2015 Community Satisfaction survey was to:
1: Measure resident satisfaction and importance toward various services offered by the City of Burlington;
2: Measure perceptions toward quality of life improvement;
3: Determine key sources that respondents are using when seeking information about programs / events / festivals happening in the City; and
4: Determine awareness and attitude toward citizen engagement opportunities in Burlington.
The report produced was extensive and we will take you through as much as we can.
The crunch point for a number of people is how well the city is doing on community engagement – the numbers were not good but the current Mayor and a number of members of council somehow found a silver lining in the data.
This research was conducted via live agent Computer-Assisted-Telephone-Interviewing (CATI) of randomly selected residents in the City of Burlington. Respondents were called between 5:00pm and 9:00pm from February 5th to February 12th, 2015. A total of 771 interviews were completed, each approximately 18 minutes in length. The margin of error was +/-3.5, at the 95% confidence interval level.
 Overall Impression of Burlington as a Place to Live
When respondents were asked to rate the City of Burlington as a place to live, nearly all respondents (96%) said it was at least ‘good’. However, the majority of respondents (86%) said it was either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ (48% and 38%, respectively). Just over 1% of respondents said ‘very poor’. The overall impression of Burlington as a place to live amongst respondents was very positive, and consistent with findings in 2011, as well as in 2008.
Has quality of life in the City of Burlington changed in the past four years? Although the majority of respondents (54%) said quality of life has stayed the same in Burlington, 28% said that it has improved. Less than 10% of respondents said quality of life has worsened.
 What Respondents Like Best about Burl ington
Respondents were asked what they like best about living in the City of Burlington. Top mentions were: access to amenities and services / has everything we need (15%), sense of community / small town feel (13%), it’s safe / low crime rate (11%) and easy access to Toronto / central location (10%).
 Respondents’ Vision of Burlington
This question reads as if it was written to pull a positive response; what was there not to like in the question which asked: whether or not they agreed that the following statement is a good reflection of what the vision for Burlington should be: “A place where people, nature and businesses thrive”. Nearly all respondents (96%) agreed. How could you disagree with it?
The politicians will be pulling the answer to this out of their bag of tricks for the next six months.
Part two of this series will focus on the delivery of specific services and the public satisfaction.
By Pepper Parr
May 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There he was – a politician on a stage – what more could he have wanted?
For reasons he said he never understood Mike Wallace Burlington’s MP said he always gets nervous when he is on the stage at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Brian McCurdy wasn’t nervous but he choked up a bit when he thanked Wallace for the federal grant of $175,000 to cover the cost of a band shell that will be added to the stage set up.
“It will really make a difference when we have orchestras playing “ said McCurdy – “the sound will be projected so much better.
Wallace also took part in recognizing two people who were inducted into the Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
 Lawrence Bonanno inducted into the Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame. Lawrence Bonanno, a member of Theatre Burlington since 1960, was part of a group that exposed thousands of Burlington citizens to live theatre. Lawrence first became involved in Burlington Little Theatre (now Theatre Burlington) when asked to help with sound recordings for a play. This morphed into directing and producing, building sets, running sound and special effects.
“As one of the recipients of the 2012 Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre, Lawrence serves as an inspiration and role model to all. He also formed a technical committee along with Joe Henning and Ron Hebbard who spent countless hours planning and working with the architects to create the Performing Arts Centre.”
 Stuart Laughton inducted into the Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame Stuart Laughton blew his first note on the trumpet at age nine and fell in love with the instrument. At the age of 19, Laughton was the principle trumpet player at the Hamilton Philharmonic. Stuart was asked to join a new group, the Canadian Brass. He spent just the one year with Canadian Brass and left to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He formed Opening Day Recordings, and released 18 discs of Canadian music, four of these releases were Juno-nominated, plus one Juno win. Stuart has performed as concerto soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Quebec’s Les Violins du Roy, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Winnipeg Symphony and was the principle trumpet for LaScala Opera.
After an absence of 35 year he rejoined Canadian Brass for a short time before founding roots/rock band Porkbelly Futures, that released three CDs of original material.
Leighton and Bonnano join Gordy Tapp and Rainer Noack who were inducted in 2012 ans 2013
By Staff
May 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is week #6 for the Halton Regional Police Service “Fugitive Friday” initiative that has the Halton Regional Police, Burlington station reaching out to the public to help locate wanted persons and hold them accountable for their actions.
There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place.
 Michael John RAMSAY In this edition of Fugitive Fridays the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Michael John RAMSAY, 40 years old, of Burlington, ON.
In May 2014, the accused was involved in an altercation and subsequently charged with assault.
In December 2014, the accused fail to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest for the charges of:
Assault
Breach of Recognizance
Fail to Appear Court
The accused is also wanted by Hamilton Police Service for:
Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Refuse – Breath Sample
Fail to Attend court x 2
Michael RAMSAY is described as 5’10”, 230lbs, blue eyes and brown hair. RAMSAY has several tattoos (Left forearm – Warrior Demon, Dragon with a Scottish shield and a Heart with name in the centre of it, Right arm – sleeve with a Dragon, Family Crest, Demon and a Heart.
RAMSAY has ties to Halton, Hamilton, Toronto and the surrounding areas.
Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in identifying him are encouraged to contact Det. St. Denis – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2305/2342 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
The Regional police share “Fugitive Friday” information on their website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.
By Pepper Parr
May 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There is no business like show business – the bright lights and the Hollywood Stars and the Red Carpet and the dress that reveals more than the one your wife wears – the glitter and the glamour – some of it is working its way to downtown Burlington.
 The frumpy bumpy theatre that operated out of Upper Canada Place shut down their marquee for the last time a number of months ago and the place remained dark. The previous owners found that the cost of upgrading the equipment to run digital operations was more than they were able to handle.
 Gone are the days when cans of 35mm film were shipped to theaters around the country – today the flick comes loaded onto a hard drive tat is slipped into a server and programmed fr viewing. CineStarz technician is testing the system before a planned June 5th opening. CineStarz, an organization with six movie theatres under its management is doing a major upgrade to the space and the facilities.
“I’m putting more money that I planned on spending into the renovation” said Bruce Gerburg, the man overseeing the opening of the new location.
 Projector is one of seven in the room – one for each theatre at the CineStarz.  Server sits beneath the projector. Films are loaded onto a hard drive and just slide into the server. The renovation and upgrade of the theatre that will have everything its predecessor didn’t have.
Bigger screens, better projection equipment and a much more modern look.
 Bruce Gerburg, who lives on his cell phone, runs a six theatre operation and will open the latest one in Burlington on June 5th. He prowls through the projection room where equipment is being wired and programmed for the big opening. Painters, carpenters, electricians and video technician are crawling all over the place to have things ready for the opening on June 5th
What will projected on the screens? – Gerburg can’t or won’t say until he has firm information from his booking agent.
The intention is to have all the current cinema offerings with at least one of the six screens devoted to “art” films.
Art wasn’t a term that Gerburg defined.
The biggest difference, besides the look of the place, is going to be on the second floor where all the projection equipment is located.
Movies are all digital now – there are very few that have reels of 35mm film trucked in. “These days we get what is basically a hard drive that we slip into the server” said Gerburg. “We program the projectors from a lap top or from something as simple as a smart phone”
 Technician can program any server in the seven theatre set up from a smart phone. “I can have the guy who is selling popcorn in the lobby program a projector in another city” – the technology makes all this possible.
New seats are being installed and “there isn’t a seat with a poor sight line” said Gerburg.
By Walter Byj
May 29, 2105
BURLINGTON, ON
Lucy Veerman (Superintendent of Business Services) presented, for approval on June 3rd, the 2015/16 Capital and Operating Budget.
Revenue was projected to be $686,712,959 and expenses of $674,843,009 which represent an increase of $8 million in revenue and $7 million in expenses over the current fiscal year.
In the upcoming year, the Halton board will have approximately 62,000 student which will represent a 1.2% increase overall which is being driven by increases in Oakville and Milton.
Burlington will experience a decrease of approximately 50 students next year. The 50 page long report will be voted on June 3rd. In the meantime the trustees have some homework to do.
With the budget discussions on the back burner until the trustees have digested all the data the board began to look at French Second Language Teacher Recruitment Primary Core French Update.
The Halton region is facing an uphill battle in hiring proficient French teachers for the French programs being offered in Halton. There continues to be an uptake in French Immersion enrolment and with the success of the Core French program, demand for qualified French teachers, in Halton and Ontario, continues to grow while the supply is limited.
While all the politicians will tell you that Halton area is a great place to live, new teachers face the high cost of living (housing) along with our current traffic that results in a number of them choosing other locations. Jeff Blackwell (Interim EO, Human Resources) did express some concern that despite their recruitment efforts, there might not be sufficient French teachers for the upcoming school year.
By Staff
May 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The next municipal election is not until 2018 and for Burlington it might be a lot different than the one you took part in last October.
Ontario is taking steps towards giving municipalities the option of using ranked ballots in future municipal elections. Burlington’s current Mayor is on record as wanting a ranked ballot election. Had we had ranking in 2014 it would not have made any difference except for ward six where there would have been a run off. What will make a difference in 2018 is the 2016 census data.
 Will these seven people all be gainfully employed come 2018? The province is reviewing the 1996 Municipal Elections Act, to explore how ranked ballots could be implemented by municipalities across the province. Ranked ballots allow a voter to rank candidates in order of preference instead of voting for a single candidate. The option to use ranked ballots would give municipalities an alternative to the current municipal voting system.
The review will also assess whether the rules about electing municipal leaders are clear and simple and whether the Act reflects how modern campaigns and elections should be run. To that end, the review will evaluate the current effectiveness of rules about campaign financing, third party advertising, enforcement and accessibility in municipal elections.
A working group made up of municipal clerks, municipal representatives and ranked ballot advocates will provide the government with advice on how to make ranked ballots work best in Ontario.
Dave Meslin, who runs an organization called Unlock Democracy thinks this is “”truly an historic moment for Ontario. Ranked ballots make local elections more fair, diverse, inclusive and friendly. I applaud the Province’s efforts to give municipalities the option of using ranked ballots.” Time will tell.
The province will probably go for some form of ranked balloting – it fits with the way Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne interprets the democratic process.
2016 census data will mean changes in Regional representation
Burlington’s ranks could change.
What is looking the Region of Halton right in the eye is how representation will be determined at that level. Each of the four municipalities, Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills has representation on the Regional Council. Burlington and Oakville each have seven members. In Burlington every city council member is also a member of Regional Council – this dual role is reflected in the pay cheque they get.
 Seven of these faces are from Burlington serving as Regional Councillors. How many seat at the Regional Council table will we have in 2018? In Oakville there are members of Council who do not sit on the Regional Council.
Milton has three members on the Regional Council; that will change once the 2016 census data is in. Growth in Milton has been massive and they will be entitled to greater representation.
If Milton gets more – who gets less? Or is the solution to create a larger Regional Council?
If Burlington gets fewer seats at the Region who doesn’t get to be a member of the Regional Council. Would fewer seats at the Region mean a re-drawing of the ward boundaries and the creation of elected officials who serve at the Region and on Council and some that are just city council members?.
Is the answer to create a large council for Burlington? The current Mayor likes the size of the Council we have.
Big issues that will begin to get some attention as we ease into 2016.
By Walter Byj
May 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board wants to boost the development charge by an additional $500; explains that growth in Oakville and Mississauga will require additional school facilities.
The Board of Education 2014/2015 Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP) data that covers new capital initiatives from 2016/2017 to 2019/2020 indicates there are going to be more students than the current schools can handle.
The board administrators seen the need and are disappointed at the public response. Domenico Renzella (Manager of Planning), said there were a total of 1100 hits on the LTAP page on the board’s website which resulted in a 104 survey responses. This seems like a low number for the whole of Halton and begs the question, was the method of advising the community adequate?
 Halton District School Board wants to add $500 to the development charge it levies for new home construction Perhaps it was and the community is satisfied with the board. If not, then the communication needs to improve. The LTAP is a solid document and is the result of hard work by the staff and will proceed to the next stage, but the lingering question is, did the public have adequate input.
In part, due to high residential growth in Oakville and Milton and the need for additional schools, the board will be asked to pass an amendment to the current Education Development Charge; the board is being asked to increase the residential charge from $3380.00 per residential unit to $3969.00. For non-residential units, the proposed increase is from $.87 per square foot to $1.02.
Notice has been sent out that public input is requested at a June 3rd meeting to be held at the Halton District School Board at 7:00pm.
The Halton board, along with other boards in the province are legislated to have strategies that cover at least four years. 2015/2016 represents the final year for the current board strategy and Stuart Miller (Associate Director of Education) presented to the board for approval the 2015/2016 strategy. The strategy which encompasses students, staff and systems provided for a thoughtful discussion between Mr. Miller and the trustees.
By Ray Rivers
May 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is easy to become complacent on a sunny spring day in Burlington. It is easy to ignore the cumulative effect that our lifestyle is having on the planet’s climate. But the TV news tell us about the destruction from increasing levels of tornado, storm and flash floods, as we saw recently in B.C. Then there is California experiencing its worst drought ever. It’s all so depressing that you just want to change the channel.
 Developing economies use coal because it is available and it is relatively cheap – we eventually all pay the price. Blame China, Korea and India for their dirty industrialization policies, using cheap dirty coal to fire their economies and take them out of the dark ages and perhaps into a new one. It is ironic and sad that they started burning coal in a big way just as we learned how bad these carbon emission can be for the atmosphere. Of course we in North America, Australia and even Europe still burn coal (though Ontario has eliminated coal power plants). And you can change the channel but that TV was probably made in Korea.
In the last federal budget, Mr. Harper’s election budget, as every other one of his budgets, has ignored our ever increasing contribution to climate change. And we’re not alone. US presidential contenders, Australia’s dinosauric leader and even the leader of once progressive New Zealand have allowed the global commons to slip almost completely off the political page, as they pursue today’s issues without any consideration of tomorrow..
There are people who still think there is a debate about whether climate change is real, a phenomenon psychologists call being in an echo chamber. They have pre-conceived notions that the environment is a conspiracy, constructed by a ’60’s hippie crowd, to take away their freedom… to pollute – so they just listen to themselves. Why shouldn’t we live the way we always did? These folks are watching the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ channel or something on 100 Huntley Street.
 Making a point; speaking for Canadians – is he saying what we want him to say? Canada’s environment minister pulled some imaginary emissions targets out of the air. But without a hint of a roadmap there is no hope of getting there – though perhaps that is the idea? Just like a New Year’s resolution, they’re soon to be forgotten the next day. So why even bother? And besides, these new numbers pale in comparison to the imaginary numbers the Americans and Europeans have generated.
The 21st annual United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Paris this coming December. But you can tune out because all expectations are that we’re looking at another failed conference. The only meaningful attempt at global climate cooperation, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, was critically wounded when GW Bush took the US, it’s chief architect and player, out of the deal only a couple of years later. After all, he has oil in his blood. And Canada’s own wanna-be-oil-man, our PM, whited-out Canada’s signature on Kyoto as soon as he had nailed his majority government.
So this year’s meeting is featuring something called ‘intended nationally determined contributions’ (INDC). These virtually meaningless theoretical voluntary commitments will be offered up by many of the 194 nations in the global climate change game. But since the national targets will be internationally unenforcible, no party will be held to account. So this meeting in the City of Love will not have much to do with love for the environment, or for our children’s children.
It is the ‘tragedy of the commons’ that brings all these nations together once a year, to keep alive the process that requires nothing short of re-genesis. Whether a common pasture, the oceans’ fisheries or the planet’s atmosphere, the ‘tragedy’ can only be abated or avoided through more governance, not less. And that was what Kyoto was all about. Today we have ISIS and an errant Russia gone rogue to add to the mix, so don’t expect any re-runs this year.
Canada’s excuse is that, despite being one of the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting nations per capita, we are still a relatively small part of the global GHG contribution. That is our echo chamber and we’re sticking to it. Canada rationalizes that doing almost nothing is just OK. Inertia has become our climate change strategy. And business as usual, despite occasional lip service to the contrary, prevails, at least at the federal level.
In fairness, the previous Liberal government did little more than sign onto Kyoto with its ambitious targets, which even they would have had trouble to attain – though the Ontario and Quebec governments did. So maybe targets are important. I’ve always believed that it is better to shoot for a high goal and fail, than to have never shot at all. I mean what kind of hockey player goes out on the ice without the prospect of scoring a slap shot on his/her mind?
 But Canada’s hockey-author, our PM, is just not into the game when it comes to protecting the atmosphere. He was an ardent climate change denier in his opposition days. And his government has stayed pretty true to form on that count. So even if individual Canadians wanted to contribute to the fight against climate change they are leaderless.
If your national leader is missing in action on this matter, how does a nation mobilize? My New Zealand friend refers to sic critical lost years. We in Canada will have recorded a lost decade, perhaps it is time to change to change the channel.
Background links:
Climate Change Canada
World’s natural Disasters More Disasters Climate Change Echo More Echo
100 Huntley Street Conference Tragedy of the Commons New Zealand
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
By Staff
May 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario is introducing new legislation to increase protections for condominium owners, improve how condo corporations are run, and ensure that condo boards are governed professionally.
 One of the many condominiums in Burlington. The rental unit market is, to a large degree, made up of condo’s bought as investments and rented out. The proposed Protecting Condominium Owners Act marks the first major overhaul of the province’s condominium laws in more than 16 years. It is based on more than 2,200 consultation submissions from condo owners, developers, managers and industry experts during a public review of the Condominium Act.
If passed, the proposed legislation would establish:
• Clearer, more comprehensive rules to prevent owners from being surprised by unexpected costs after buying a newly-built condo
• A new Condominium Authority to provide quicker, lower-cost dispute resolution and help prevent common disputes
• Strong financial management rules for condo corporations to help prevent financial and organizational mismanagement
• Better governance requirements for condo boards, including training for condo directors
• Mandatory licensing and education requirements for condominium managers.
 The Brock, controversial when it was proposed, now fits nicely into its neighbourhood. More than 1.3 million Ontarians live in condos – a number greater than the populations of Saskatchewan or Manitoba.
More than 50 per cent of new homes being built in Ontario are condos.
There are currently 700,000 condo units in Ontario, up from 270,000 units in 2001. – 51,000 units are currently under construction.
The government received about 200 recommendations for updating the Condominium Act through its public consultation process.
Related story:
Condo management operator arrested for bilking condo corporations of $4 million
By Staff
May 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you use the transit service on Sunday, May 31, 2015 from 12 to 6 p.m. be prepared for Route Detours
On Sunday, May 31, 2015 from 12 to 6 p.m., during the Car Free Sunday event along Appleby Line, routes 10 East and West, 4 East and West and 20 will detour as follows:
Route 10 West Leaving Appleby GO
• Leave the Appleby Go and proceed along Fairview St to Inverary Rd
• Left on Inverary Rd
• Left on Longmoor Dr
• Right on Tipperary Dr
• Right on New St
• Resume regular routing
Route 20 Leaving Appleby GO
• Leave the Appleby Go and proceed along Fairview St to Inverary Rd
• Left on Inverary Rd
• Left on Longmoor Dr
• Right on Tipperary Dr
• Left on New St to Appleby Line
• Resume regular routing
Route 10 East approaching Appleby GO
• Regular routing until New St and Tipperary Dr
• Left on Tipperary Dr
• Left on Longmoor Dr
• Right on Inverary Rd
• Right on Fairview St and proceed to the Appleby Go
Route 20 approaching Appleby GO
• Regular routing until New St and Appleby Line
• 20A will continue on New St to Tipperary Dr
• 20B will turn left from Appleby Line onto New St and continue to Tipperary Dr
• Right on Tipperary Dr
• Left on Longmoor Dr
• Right on Inverary Rd
• Right on Fairview St and proceed to the Appleby Go
Route 4 East
• Regular routing until Longmoor Dr and Shannon Cr
• Right on Shannon Cr
• Left on New St
• Left on Timber Lane
• Right on Pinedale Av
• Right on Wedgewood Dr
• Right on New St
• Right on Tipperary Dr
• Left on Longmoor Dr
• Right on Inverary Rd
• Right on Fairview St and proceed to the Appleby Go
Route 4 West Leaving Appleby GO
• Leave the Appleby Go and proceed along Fairview St to Inverary Rd
• Left on Inverary Rd
• Right on Longmoor Dr
• Regular routing resumes.
Complex – but at least they are telling you a couple o days in advance.
One of the routes is used by the current Mayor when he isn’t riding his bike to work.
|
|
By Pepper Parr
![Intel(R) JPEG Library, version [1.51.12.44]](https://burlingtongazette.ca/wp-content/uploads/Male-susepect-Long-McQuade.jpg)
When respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with services overall, the large majority said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied (47% and 42%, respectively). Compared historically to 2008 and 2011, there was a small movement of respondents from being somewhat satisfied to being somewhat dissatisfied. Respondents who were ‘somewhat satisfied’ decreased 6% since 2008 and 4% since 2011; at the same time, respondents who were ‘somewhat dissatisfied’ increased by 4% since 2008 and 2011. Despite this small increase, satisfaction with services in Burlington overall remains strong.
Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with various Public Safety Services by indicating either excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor. Looking at top 2 box responses (excellent/good), the highest satisfaction ratings were recorded for fire protection services (95%), and emergency management (83%).
Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with various maintenance services offered by the City of Burlington. Looking at top two box responses (excellent/good), the highest satisfaction ratings were recorded for parks and open space maintenance (90%), cemetery maintenance (88%), and tree management (78%). Lowest satisfaction was recorded for surface water drainage, i.e. flood erosion protection for properties and structures (57%).
Looking at top 2 box responses (excellent/poor) for roads and transportation services, the highest ratings were recorded for roads and structures, i.e. design and construction (69%), as well as traffic operations management, i.e. traffic signals and crossing guards (63%). Lowest satisfaction ratings were recorded for transportation and network planning (52%), as well as transit services (55%).
When respondents were asked about their satisfaction with leisure facilities, programs and events offered by the City of Burlington, a strong majority of respondents rated all items as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. However, the highest level of satisfaction was recorded for parks, open spaces and sports fields (90%).
When it comes to services related to design and building in the City of Burlington, 84% of respondents said parks and open green space, i.e. design and development was ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (32% and 52%, respectively). Looking at top two box responses (excellent/good), the majority of respondents were also satisfied with community design and development review (66%) as well as building code permits and inspection (63%).
No I mean the price for a ticket to a movie. Bruce Gurberg again said: 3,4,5.
Overall Impression of Burlington as a Place to Live
What Respondents Like Best about Burl
ington
Respondents’ Vision of Burlington
The frumpy bumpy theatre that operated out of Upper Canada Place shut down their marquee for the last time a number of months ago and the place remained dark. The previous owners found that the cost of upgrading the equipment to run digital operations was more than they were able to handle.
But Canada’s hockey-author, our PM, is just not into the game when it comes to protecting the atmosphere. He was an ardent climate change denier in his opposition days. And his government has stayed pretty true to form on that count. So even if individual Canadians wanted to contribute to the fight against climate change they are leaderless.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. 
