 By Staff
July 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The latest challenge to Enbridge’s plans to expand the flow in its Sarnia to Montreal pipeline and begin shipping diluted bitumen from the Alberta tar sands took place at a dig on a portion of the Line 9 pipeline in North Dumfries Thursday morning.
 Line 9 runs right through rural Burlington; a break would leak highly toxic oil into creeks and streams that run through the city into Lake Ontario. There was a similar action earlier this week in Etobicoke. The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation has won the right to appeal the March National Energy Board decision that had seemed to clear the way for the controversial project.
And in a further blow to Enbridge’s potential bitumen export plans through an ocean port in Maine, massive public intervention has convinced the South Portland city council to block tar sands passage through that city. On July 9, the council voted 6-1 to “prohibit loading crude oil, including tar sands, in bulk onto marine tank vessels and would block construction or expansion of terminals and other facilities for that purpose” at a meeting attended by nearly 500 people. A ratification vote is scheduled for July 21.
Burlington hasn’t been quite that aggressive – it isn’t in our DNA, but we did send a letter to Enbridge telling them we weren’t very happy and the city did organize a meeting at which residents were able to talk directly to Enbridge staff. Line 9 runs right through rural Burlington and while it hasn’t sprung a leak yet – or at least not one the public knows about – ther is a concern that many feel is just not being addressed.
“This isn’t just about line 9 – or Northern Gateway. Should there ever be a break in the line it will have an immediate and direct impact on the creeks that run from the Escarpment to Lake Ontario.”
In a statement the protesters said: “We know that there is a lot of public debate about oil pipelines because we are beginning to see that the old ways of doing business are no longer acceptable because of issues like global climate change and species extinction.”
In an echo of Enbridge’s actions in Hamilton and elsewhere along Line 9, it has been revealed that Trans Canada has given $30,000 to one of the Ontario towns in the path of its pipeline in return for a promise that the town will not comment on Energy East. Enbridge handed out monies along Line 9 to municipal governments and police forces including nearly $45,000 to the Hamilton police department.
 Line 9 crossing on Walkers \Line – also happens to be a favourite spot for the Regional Police to hide their speed traps – talk about toxic! The grant to Mattawa came with a written agreement that stated “the Town of Mattawa will not publicly comment on TransCanada’s operations or business projects. It has never been revealed if there were conditions attached to the Hamilton grants from Enbridge, but the Hamilton 350 Committee is continuing to seek provincial intervention to block the police from accepting corporate donations.
Background links:
Did Burlington get bought off?
Listen to the evidence.
 By Staff
July 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The fish never did bite but the local librarian and I are now “buddies”. She was fascinated over the fact that we could publish up here for all those people down there.
 This is what summer is about – beats sitting in the council chamber. The book that I thought was going to be great – wasn’t all that good but I did come across a fine piece of pure “trash” and read that while swinging in a hammock. Learned that arguments just don’t seem to get any traction at a cottage.
Learned too that one of the step-daughters is a great cheat at board games.
Was wondering what the city council candidates will come back with as their biggest concern for their ward and for the city. We also asked them what they would do for the city at the Region. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say.
The Gazette has been in a summer mode for the past five days – that did not mean we weren’t publishing – just not as much.
There was fresh material up every day and we monitored events from the cottage. We did miss the Beer Fest at Spencer Smith Park.
Catch us on Monday.
 By Staff
July 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The sun will set while Henry Schilthuis and his invited guests enjoy a summer evening and talk about the ordeal most of them went through during the construction of the Brant Street Pier.
The event took place at the Discovery Centre where more than 75 invited guest enjoyed beverages and appetizers and listened to Henry Schilthuis thank each and every one of them for standing by him during the toughest ordeal he has ever had to face.
The concrete used in the Discovery Centre was poured by Schilthuis when that building was constructed. It seems fitting that Henry and his friends should enjoy themselves in a building he helped build and be able to look out at a building he was not able to complete.
 Henry Schilthuis at the official opening of the pier. He decided the pier could not be safely built at the agreed upon price with the plans he was given. But he had the courage of his convictions and showed up when it was opened to the public. When Schilthuis walked off the site because he believed the pier could not be completed successfully with the plans he was given – it was the start of a legal process that would have bankrupted his firm were it not for the fact that trades people, suppliers and advisers chose to wait for Henry to pay them.
One individual who was party to many of the discussions within city hall about managing the pier problem questioned the veracity of the “would have gone bankrupt” comments. He asked if anyone had seen the Schilthuis financial statements? The comment is reflective of the attitude the city took to the problem the contractor was having.
The contractor sued for millions while the city counter-sued for more millions and also sued the project manager and the insurance company for $10 million each. Neither of the three law suits produced as much as a dime for the city. They did manage to recover most of their legal costs.
The city however was never at risk financially – they had taxpayers they could turn to for the additional funds (more than $6 million) needed to complete the pier.
While the public will never officially hear a word from the city, the problem has the potential to become an election issue if the public can get its head around just how serious a travesty of public stewardship this really was. For Mayor Goldring to say that some projects turn out to be problems – and that these things happen is disturbing if not a close to total abjegation of public responsibility.
Schilthuis has recovered from the damage the experience inflicted on his firm and he will move on to other projects. His insurance company bonding was back in place well before the settlement was reached.
Holding an event to thank people is very much in the Schilthuis tradition and a part of the way the company does business. Holding the event right under the noses of city politicians is a wonderful form of poetic justice. Will we see Schilthuis bidding on a future project in Burlington? You never know. Will there ever be a rapprochement between the current city council and Henry Schilthuis? If members of this council had as much class as Henry Schilthuis there would be at least a courtesy call.
When the city opened the Community Garden behind the Seniors’ Centre Henry Schilthuis was in the crowd. When the pier was officially open, Henry Schilthuis was out on the pier.
The one senior person left at city hall who was involved in the pier, Tom Eichenbaum announced his retirement and will turn in his keys at the end of the month.
Don’t ask if Eichenbaum was pushed or if he decided to walk – we all know the answer to that question.
Come October the citizens of Burlington might decide to push a couple of members of council out of those comfortable seats.
 By Pepper Parr
July 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The fat is about to get dropped into the fire.
The Burlington Executive Air Park Inc., has hired a locally based firm of consulting engineers to guide them as they seek site plan approval.
 Vince Rossi, president of the Burlington Executive Air Park and believed to be the sole shareholder of the private company, has hired a firm of local engineers to help him prepare an application for a site plan. Amazing – after paying out more than $60,000 in fees to the city of Burlington for court cases that needn’t have taken place, Vince Rossi has seen the light and decided that he will seek permission to change the lay of the land he owns between Appleby Line and Bell School Line.
The city was in the last stages of a process that will result in the imposition of a revised site plan by law which was due to go to the Development and Infrastructure Sanding Committee last week. That report was apparently withdrawn and it will not go to Standing Committee until the fall by which time the Air Park will have filed their site plan and come under the old bylaw rather the one that has been vetted by every agency and council within the Region.
Is the city letting an opportunity slip through their fingers?
Will it ever see a site plan application from Burlington Air Park Inc.?
 There is a reported $400 million + in mortgages on the property. More questions than answers on this file. The elephant in the room is the 200 acres of land and the $4 + million in mortgages on the property.
What is now out on the table is Mr. Rossi’s latest gesture to the community – perhaps a let’s kiss and make up? His Letter to the Editor, published yesterday irritated a few people but appears to be a yawn to most.
Link to the Letter
By Staff
July 16, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The fish aren’t biting and there is a line up at the library for internet access.
This summer break is – relaxing. Brought along several books and enjoying th time over lazy evening meals that go on until the wine bottles are empty.
Writing like crazy – lots to publish when we get back.
Was thinking about the major stories as we get into August and take better looks at all the candidates who have nominated themselves for public office.
 Will this stretch of land remain public or will it get sold to private interests and be lost forever to the pubic? Former Mayor Mary Munro has some strong views on any sale Wondering where things are with the provincial ministry of natural resources and that bit of property south of Lakeshore Road along the edge of the lake that your city council is prepared to sell but the natural resources people are thinking about.
The Gazette has moved into a summer mode – that doesn’t mean we are not publishing – we just aren’t publishing as much.
There will be material up every day and we can monitor events from the cottage – just as long as we are able to hop along to the library where there is WiFi access.
Catch you full time on the 21st
 By Staff
July 16, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
John Sweeney has said he will not be running for office even though he blew $100 to nominate himself as a council member in ward 4. He hasn’t withdrawn – yet. He wants to keep his name out there and be able to comment on what he feels are matters of interest – and he certainly has things to say about the structure of the new Economic Development Corporation.
 wev Sweeney asked Mayor Goldring and Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison to comment on several questions:
Here is what they had to say:
Sweeney points out that “they did not answer all of the questions. They did some of the politician “side-step” or just answering the portion of a question that they wanted to instead of just answering in its entirety. They do however confirm that the Board of the BEDC will be compensated and the costs will increase but they are not sure by how much.
Dennison points out that he, Councillor Sharman, the Mayor, the city manager and General Manger Scott Stewart will sit on the board – Stewart will not have a vote.
“The burning platform, according to Dennison “is the fact that Burlington is the slowest growing city in the GTA and the oldest city.
As a result, our increase in assessment growth is projected to be .50% in 2014 compared to 1.5%, 3 years ago and 3% 10 years ago.
This slow growth, if not acted upon, will create tax rate increases higher than we would like and service reduction as well.
In addition any additional growth we can get from the ICI Sector pays approximately double what residential pays for identical assessment, while generally not putting additional strain on infrastructure.
Sweeney wanted to know: Why the rush to get this done? Is there a phased option? Repurpose BEDC right now and then spend some more time on the specifics of the hold/devco options. The current budget for BEDC is established and approved why not wait until next year and makes this part of the OP and also secures the support of the Council in place after the election since they will be executing it.
The response: The new BEDC will be a more structured, focused and purposeful organization that will take some time to transition.
 Councillor Jack Dennison sits on the board of the reformed Economic Development Corporation – expect him to urge that they be both direct and aggressive. First, get the new board and CEO in place. Secondly, focus on more aggressive strategies around attraction and retention and then pursue development opportunities that could include land banking and partnering with developers
Why is it “For Profit”? Why not a “Non-profit” structure?
We want BEDC to have the potential to act as a developer if necessary. That does not mean that BEDC has to generate profits no matter what.
If the end result is to have a Servco capability, this could save tax payers money and potentially have a for profit component that could also reduce the continual strain on the city operating budget.
3/ Is there an increased cost? Different skill sets, higher salaries, more people?
Yes – although the specific details are yet to be clearly defined.
4/ Is the current BEDC Board compensated? Will the new BEDC Board be compensated? How much? Will the members of the interim board be eligible for the new board?
The governance of the new BEDC will be created similar to Burlington Hydro which does pay directors. Last year, directors were compensated in the $10 – $12k range.
5/ Who will have the “controlling” interest on the board of directors?
The board will report to council in the same way Burlington Hydro reports to council.
There will be 3 reps from the city on a board including the City Manager or designate, Mayor and one Councillor.
6/ How will we measure and ensure that we focus on economic development and jobs instead of making profit for the various “ventures”?
The focus will be on jobs and assessment growth. Making “profit” could be a secondary outcome.
7/ If I am a private developer that does not want to/need to work with BEDC Inc., am I at a disadvantage? How will I be supported? Do I have to pay for it?
 Mayor Rick Goldring may find himself talking to a lot of business people about the new economic development corporation. Absolutely not. The role of BEDC will be to guide developers through the process. In fact, I see the potential for a rep from BEDC to literally knock on doors of landowners to advise them of the tremendous potential they have and offer to help. Existing, aging strip malls are a classic example of an opportunity to rezone as mixed use with retail and office below and residential above, all using existing services.
8/ Is it really appropriate to have allow this organization to spend up to $1,000,000 without going to council?
Currently the budget of BEDC is over $1 million so they can spend their budget the way they see fit. Another view was that the budget approval does have a level of specifics and Council is expecting that funds be spent with-in those guidelines.
Expect to hear more on this once the public, particularly the business community gets a clearer idea as to just what is happening at BEDC. Executive Director (why didn’t’ they make him president) Frank McKeown has his work cut out for the next few months getting some clarity out into the public realm.
By Vince Rossi
July 15, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It has been suggested that I am suing a number of people who have publicly opposed the expansion of the Burlington Executive Airpark to try to shut them up. Nothing could be further from the truth.
 Mr. Rossi focuses on the water testing reports – which are a serious concern. Most people think it is far too early to tell if the water table is being contaminated. Little is known about where much of the landfill came from. \that it was dumped with out a site plan is seen as outrageous to almost everyone. Mr. Rossi makes no mention of his “unlicensed landfill operation”. The fact is I welcome debate on the future of the Airpark, the important role it plays in our community, and the future potential it represents in terms of jobs and economic opportunity.
The reason I am suing is because despite repeated attempts to reason with this small group of people, they continue to knowingly spread false information that is damaging both to the Airpark and to me personally.
Seven different reports by independent third-parties including Halton Region, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Environment Canada, and Pinchin Environmental have found no safety issues with the commercial fill we have been using as part of the planned expansion of the Airpark. These same reports conclude that local well water and soil quality are not being negatively affected by any of our expansion activities.
Despite this overwhelming evidence, the opponents of the Airpark continue to engage in fear-mongering. They rely on a single report that is full of errors and omissions – so much so that it has been discredited by the provincial environment ministry.
If they were being completely transparent, they would admit that this is a run-of-the-mill commercial dispute. Nothing more.
The leader of this group owns a horse farm just north of the Airpark. She apparently feels that we cannot co-exist even though the Airpark at its current location since 1962. It’s equally apparent that she feels she is unlikely to gain much sympathy if the public knew the true nature of the dispute, and that it revolves around her own financial interests.
 There is the belief in the minds of many that the tonnes of landfill dumped on air park property without adequate testing has the potential to seriously damage the water table. Rossi argues that six of seven reports prove him right – then why the problems with Freedom of Information requests ask the citizens of rural Burlington. Despite all the evidence to the contrary she and others insist in referring to the single flawed report. Trust me, if I could get them to stop suggesting that local well water is being contaminated without having to go to court, I wouldn’t be in court. As it is, going to court is my only recourse.
 Vince Rossi, president of the Burlington Executive Air Park and believed to be the sole shareholder of the private company, at a meeting in a barn one property away from the end of one of his two runways. The Airpark is a key transportation and training facility that also provides a vital humanitarian role, facilitating organ donation flights and patient transfers to local hospitals that don’t have heli-pads or landing facilities. Police, military and search and rescue teams regularly use the Airpark, as well.
In short, the Airpark is an essential community and regional asset, and the case for expansion is compelling. It will create even more opportunities for employment, training and economic development in our area.
I welcome discussion on the future of the Airpark and I am more than happy to work with my neighbours and the community at large to find a way forward. My only request is that we stick to the facts.
Vince Rossi is the owner of the Burlington Executive Airpark.
By Staff
July 16, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Burlington got the McMaster University DeGroote campus but it doesn’t seem to make all that much of a difference to the city – stuck out in a field the way it is.
The campus was supposed to be located in downtown Burlington but like many things planned for the downtown core – that one got away.
Halton regional council voted Wednesday of last week to throw its support behind Wilfrid Laurier University’s efforts to establish a full service campus, adjacent to the Mattamy National Cycling Centre (Milton velodrome).
 Velodrome construction: site has room for a full scale campus if the province goes along with Wilfred Laurier University setting up a satellite campus. seems to be a better deal than Burlington got with McMaster. The campus would provide a range of undergraduate, liberal arts, science and professional programs and a full range of student services for approx. 2,500 students.
Milton has pledged to donate 150 acres of land to Laurier for a new campus including 100 acres of protected land and 50 acres within the proposed 400-acre Milton Education Village (west of Tremaine Road, between Derry Rd. and Britannia Rd.)
Burlington has never managed to exercise the clout it should have at the Regional level. Chair Gary Carr is reported to have said to one candidate for municipal office that Burlington doesn’t seem to fully appreciate the role it can play and gets out-muscled by both Oakville and Milton. The leadership needed by Burlington at the Region just never seems to materialize.
Burlington Council members often go to the Region with different agendas and objectives – frequently not as a team with a consistent objective. We saw that with the Beachway issue.
John Taylor who is experiencing a full-scale snit over the advocacy for safe bike lanes on New Street when the re-surfacing of that road takes place in the near future, argues that the Burlington city council does not pull together all that often. Others argue that because it is a small council – 7 people – it develops a sense of collegiality but at the same time allows each council member to go their own way.
The council members tend to get very territorial as well and fail to recognize that while they are elected to represent a specific ward they are also in place to look after the interests of the city as a whole.
At one city council workshop Councillor Craven spoke in favour of rules that would keep council members out of the turf of another council member. Councillor Meed Ward gave did her best to set him straight on just what the role of a council member is.
Councillor Taylor found himself stepping in for a ward 1 resident in the Beachway who had no water for nine months (don’t ask why – it gets complicated in the Beachway). Councillor Craven was livid.
As much as Mayor Goldring would like to believe that he heads up – doesn’t lead – a collective that is working towards the same goal – it isn’t so.
Milton had no problem agreeing on the donation of a large piece of property in a prime location – 2500 students. Imagine something like that happening to Burlington?
By Pepper Parr
July 14, 2014
BURLINGTON. ON.
We received an email on Friday advising us that:
The office of The Duke and Duchess thought it extremely kind of the people of the City of Burlington to think of Prince George in this way. The book of greetings left Rideau Hall this afternoon for London and will be delivered to Kensington Palace on Monday, July 14th. Baby George will have it in time for his birthday!
The people who worked very hard during the month of June to make this happen were delighted. When the project was in the thinking stage the group, organized as the Burlington Royal Reading Trust, didn’t realize that their lead hand was going to have hip replacement surgery which would keep him off his feet for a number of weeks.
Joe Veitch took the reins and pulled together the volunteers who manned the tables at the Seniors’ Centre, the library and Tansley Woods, while Susan Fraser covered Hayden High and the Haber Recreational Centre.
Interim city manager Pat Moyle was kind enough to get us a pass on the fees for a tent and a table that was set up on Canada Day in Spencer Smith Park.
It was truly a collaborative event – and with the first year behind us we can now move forward and make this an annual event that will have Burlington seen as a city that appreciate and acknowledges its history – which will be a lot better than that magazine award that says we are the best mid-sized city in the country.
 Spine of the Book of Best Wishes with its gold embossing and finely tooled markings. Our binder Felton Bookbinding in Georgetown did superb work for us and Cora Brittan did excellent work as the calligrapher – while she was nursing a broken ankle.
Unfortunately few people got to see the quality of the binding and the superb calligraphy because the Book of Best Wishes was sent to the Prince.
 Cover of the leather bound book of Best Wishes that went to Prince George for his first birthday. We did have a duplicate copy of the book with blank pages so next year people will be able to see what we are sending. We will also have the calligraphy work done further in advance and make copies for the public to see.
The original plan was to have the Book of Best Wishes presented to city council where members would formally sign the book while the Town Crier rang his bell and addressed the members of Council.
Democracy being what it is and communications frequently showing us that we sometimes get it terribly wrong we found ourselves with a Town Crier who was double booked, a city council agenda with 12 delegations and a mis-communication with a city general manager and the Clerk’s office.
 From the left: MP Mike Wallace proudly displaying the Book of Best Wishes that went to the Prince as a first birthday card, Councillor Jack Dennison, Joe Veitch, without whom the Book of Best Wishes would never have been done; Mayor Rick Goldring who was an early supporter of the project, Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, originator of the Book of Best Wishes idea and publisher of the Gazette, Councillors John Taylor and Rick Craven.
We ended up with a table outside the council chamber where people could sign the book.
With the signature forms from Canada Day in hand it was a mad dash to Georgetown to get the pages sewn together and fitted in the custom made case and the shipped to Ottawa.
We made it – and the book will be at Kensington Palace by the time you read this.
We have no idea how the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge are going to react to the birthday greetings. We have been told that we can expect a letter from the Palace – that would be nice – and we will share it with you if such a thing arrives.
The Post office isn’t going on strike is it?
By Staff
July 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Time for a bit of a break.
Time for some sunshine and cool waters of a Northern Ontario lake.
The Gazette has moved into a summer mode – that doesn’t mean we are not publishing – we just aren’t publishing as much.
 There was a time when the city didn’t have more than $14 million of taxpayers money sitting at the end of Brant Street. There are those who think it should have been left the way it was. There will be material up every day and we can monitor events from the cottage – just as long as we are able to hop along to the library where there is WiFi access.
 There is material being written on two very significant retirements; the background on why what you knew as the Burlington Art Centre, now re-branded as the Art Gallery of Burlington where the wee cafe is no longer there and many are wondering if there is any relationship between the people who had the contract and a local lawyer who wants to put a restauranteur in jail. Stay tuned for more on that story.
Catch you full time on the 21st
 By Staff
July 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there a member of Council so put off by the case being made by the cycling community for bike lanes on New Street that he has actually said to people he might withdraw his name from the race?
 Every report put out by staff gets a thorough going over by Councillor John Taylor. Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor does wear his emotions on his sleeve and he does get exercised with how we manage the re-building and maintenance of our roads.
Councillors Taylor and Dennison both look for ways to scrape money away from any budget line they can find and apply it to road repair – which both men will tell anyone who cares to listen that we are millions of dollars behind on.
New Street is due for major work and the cyclists have argued, quite convincingly, that this is the time to get bike lanes in – once the re-build is done it will be 30 years plus before there is another opportunity to put in really safe bike lanes.
In many of the staff reports that get sent to Council we are seeing consistent reference to the need for a project to be walk-able and cycle-able.
The cycling community has become quite a bit more aggressive in their push for safer bike lanes. One advocate points out that planners often talk about providing a service and watching that service get taken up. “Build it and they will come” is the catch phrase. Build more roads and the cars will find those roads. Build a transit line and people will find it – not so much in Burlington but certainly in most municipal situations.
The cyclists argue that if more bike lanes are built – and they are safe bike lanes – we will see more people using bicycles to get around the city.
 Councillor John Taylor All this appear to have Councillor Taylor very exercised. We got a call from a source we see as very reliable saying that other council members are talking about Taylor’s concern over the re-build of portions of New Street. We spoke to a senior staff member who commented that he had heard the same thing.
Is John Taylor thinking of throwing in the towel and withdrawing from the October election? He has served the city well for the past 20+ years – but age, energy level and overall health do change the way we look at things.
There is a time to leave public office – and John Taylor may have decided this is that time for him.
And that presents some very serious problems. Taylor has been such a success in ward 3 that no one has come forward to run against him. Cory Judson did his best – but he moved to Stoney Creek and started a family. Lisa Cooper, a several time candidate, sees herself as sitting in the wings waiting for Taylor to leave.
Should John actually decide to spend more time smelling the roses – he owes it to the ward to work hard in the next month or so and find a candidate that understand the political process at the municipal level and then do two things: Work to get that person elected and stick around to mentor them during their first year.
John Taylor is a little bit like the American Library of Congress – he knows it all and we need him to make that background and history available to others.
And while we are at it – could we appoint Taylor to the Hamilton Harbour Commission – John still has a lot to say.
We were able to reach John Taylor, who said he has never run from a difference of opinion and he is not pulling out of the race. But there are still those three sources – all very reliable, and none of them have a vested interest – they all speak very highly of John, know him well and respect the work he does.
There may be more to this story.
 By Staff
July 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Ray Rivers, our lead columnist has done a column every week for the past 14 months. In each column he adds extensive background links for those who want to delve in the subject in more detail. Creating all those links is a chore but one we do willingly.
Rivers did a column on the new federal prostitution laws and expected more than the usual response he gets. Was it the subject or the summer? There is that wonderful British comedy: “No Sex please – we’re British” that just might apply to Burlington?
 The British farce, which premiered in London’s West End on 3 June 1971, was unanimously panned by critics, but played to full houses until 1987. It did not share the same success with American audiences, running for only 16 performances on Broadway in early 1973. It did not run in Burlington.
Whatever – Rivers decided it was – we’ll let him tell his story in his own words: “I think I’ll just take a break for a couple weeks – I have had no responses to the last column – which I thought might have got some interest – It’s summertime and the readers are easy – the fish are jumping and the cotton is high….”
See you in a couple of week’s Ray.
By Pepper Parr
July 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Now it gets interesting. We got an email from a source who says: “So I am involved in a lawsuit involving a downtown Burlington Restaurant owner. I am currently trying to put him in jail.”
The writer had my attention. First thing I had to do was verify that the writer actually wrote the email. Yup – it was real.
The writer continues: “His lawyer emails me the other day and states: “My client has recently advised me of his friendship and political connection with Councillor Rick Craven.
The source goes on to add that there a was a meeting with “the litigant” (that’s the guy the source wants to put in jail) and Councillor Craven regarding downtown events. To be open, I told the arts person I was having coffee with that I was in the process of trying to put “the litigant” in jail.
Now that is a hot news item. Don’t know yet who the restaurateur is, do know that the source of the information is running for office as well. We expect to speak with others on this story later in the week.
By Pepper Parr
July 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
He needed a little while to reset his compass but Frank McKeown has found his bearings and will focus on what he knows best – business. He was appointed Executive Director of the BEDC Inc., the city’s arm’s length operation created to drum up business for the city. And goodness knows we need it.
The organization has been without a rudder since last October when, on All Hallows Eve, then Executive Director Kyle Benham was shown to his parking space and sent home with his keys to the office in someone else’s hands.
McKeown is one of those quiet, very effective guys, who goes about his business asking incisive questions and taking notes.
 Frank McKeown, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Rick Goldring asked about how politicians can handle complex issues, when voters tend not to be informed and don’t have the background needed to arrive at decisions. He was involved in Rick Goldring’s 2010 election campaign and wrote most of the position papers that Goldring put out. McKeown will tell you that the Mayor managed to deliver on most of those.
Shortly after being elected Goldring appointed McKeown as his Chief of Staff, which at the time seemed odd – staff consisted of 4 people. Turns out Frank was really the chief thinker on the 8th floor.
 He was heavily involved in the Strategic Plan discussions in 2011, where he was frequently referred to as the “seventh council member” at times disparagingly by others, who took part in those prolonged meetings.
McKeown’s job was a political one. He was there to think and to run interference for the Mayor. But two years into the job McKeown got despondent and came to the conclusion, he couldn’t get much done with the culture at both city hall and the eighth floor. He gave the Mayor six months’ notice and headed back to the private sector.
There was a period of time when McKeown was talked about as a possible candidate for public office – first as a council member and then as Mayor. McKeown gave it serious thought, but decided instead to take the opportunity to head up the rejuvenated economic development operation.
Much of the rejuvenation that organization is going to get will be driven by McKeown – and he has a mammoth task on his hands.
He has a brand new board that has to learn how it wants to function. That board has to figure out how it wants to operate; what it is going to take to city council to get their rubber stamp placed on – and by the way, who will the BEDC be presenting to? Which councillors will be keeping those seats warm?
There is a small staff that has been poorly led in the past, badly served by the large board that was in place and now wonders what the future holds for them.
McKeown, who fully understands the need to nurture, mentor and grow staff, has his hands full. Nothing wrong with the people on the payroll – they have all done their best. They now need to know, what it is they are going to be expected to do – and that is not yet clear. We are about to see just how good the McKeown skill set is.
McKeown now takes the position that he is no longer a “public” figure and that he doesn’t have a public profile. Nice try – the job McKeown is taking on is one of the most critical and vital to the economic health of the city and what kind of a city Burlington is going to be economically.
In the past the BEDC has not been very good at telling not only their own story, but that of the city to the rest of the world. They got pulled into the same trap as the politicians and touted our being the “best medium sized city in Canada”.
But major corporate organizations were leaving the city and there wasn’t much being said about those that were setting up shop here.
The past iteration of the BEDC focused on networking and producing report after report and telling the public that the new tomorrow was just over the horizon.
McKeown is going to need until the end of this year to get all his ducks lined up. His board has yet to learn to work together as a team and the public needs to know, who they are and why they are there.
The business community tends to get rather shy when it comes to media and public scrutiny – they prefer to issue media releases and say as little as possible.
It is not yet clear as to just how transparent the operation will be. McKeown says he will be fully transparent, but was reluctant to release the names of the new board members. They are known – but for some reason McKeown wants to wait a bit before going public. That doesn’t fit with any definition of transparency we are aware of.
The new board consists of:
Gary Graham, Chair, Partner with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP; Rick Goldring, Mayor, Paul Sharman, Councillor; Jack Dennison, Councillor; Ruta Staukas, VP – Human Resources Boehringer Ingelhein; Bonnie Prior Executive Director, Appraisal Institute of Canada; Randall Smallbone, Dealing Representative, Portland Investment Council; J. Michael Hanna, president, Kylin Developments; Gordon Knack, VP operations, MHPM Project Managers Inc.; D. David Conrath, president, Conrath Communications; Pat Moyle interim city manager, Burlington.
In their first public statement The Board of Directors of The Burlington Economic Development Corporation has announced that business executive Frank McKeown has been named the BEDC’s executive director.
“I want to welcome Frank to the position of executive director on behalf of the staff and the board of directors of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation,” said Gary Graham, the BEDC’s board chair. “Frank’s leadership skills match the BEDC’s needs as it takes an invigorated and proactive approach to the recruitment and retention of employers and those willing to invest in the development of employment lands.”
McKeown was chosen by the BEDC board at a June 24 meeting. The BEDC is being transformed to better align with the objectives of the city’s strategic plan, which include meeting the city’s economic prosperity goals and creating more jobs.
McKeown is an experienced business executive, who has held several executive roles, leading companies through restructuring, investment and public offering processes. He is a former chief of staff for Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring.
McKeown is the founder of KnowledgePark Technologies, a business mentor with HalTechRIC, an advisor to CONNEXXUS, and a mentor to Innovate Burlington.
“I am thankful to the board of directors for giving me this opportunity,” McKeown said. “I am committed to the economic development of the city and recognize how important these activities are for the long-term prosperity for residents.”
“Jobs and investment are critical to our future,” McKeown said. “Our economy is changing and we must meet these challenges. I look forward to working with the BEDC staff and Board to achieve our mandate together.”
BEDC is a non-profit, private-public partnership that promotes economic development on behalf of the City of Burlington, by creating a positive business environment that encourages new investment, supports Burlington’s local businesses, and facilitates opportunities for local growth and prosperity. BEDC is the first point of contact for companies seeking assistance, advice, and localized business solutions.
This is the same old baffle-gab that the corporate sector uses, mushy stuff that makes your mother proud, but doesn’t really say very much.
Let’s give them some breathing room and see where they are in a month or so.
By Pepper Parr
July 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The pages, with signatures from more than 3000 Burlingtonians, who signed the Book of Best Wishes, celebrating the first birthday of HRH Prince George Alexander Louis were sent to the book binder in Georgetown.
With everything prepared beforehand the pages were sewn together and the case that holds the pages was completed and couriered to Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
 Everything that goes to Rideau Hall gets x-rayed before anyone opens anything. That kept the Book of Best Wishes out of the hands of the people who will arrange to get it to Prince George for his birthday, which will be celebrated at Kensington Palace in London, England on July 22nd
 A splendid volume with a fine message and the best wishes of thousands of Burlingtonians inside. We don’t know yet just how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are going to handle the Book of Best Wishes, when it arrives. We believe Burlington is the only city in Canada that has prepared such a volume.
It was touch and go for the small committee that made this happen and there was some thought to skipping the first year – but we decided that if this was going to be a Burlington tradition, then we had to be there for the first year and every year thereafter.
 Classic binding is an ancient craft – there are few that do this kind of work in Canada. The firm we used, repairs old books as well as binding titles in leather for presentation purposes. They do the binding for the Giller Awards each year.
Keith Felton, the Master Binder who undertook our project, advised on the leather and the approach to the binding. His Georgetown shop is filled with equipment that has been used by the binding trade for centuries.
 Some of the calligraphy used to convey birthday greetings to a Prince. Cora Brittan did the calligraphy for the Book of Best Wishes. She chose the type style she wanted to use and added 22 karate gold decorations to many of the letters. Cora has done work for a number of different denominational Bishops.
She takes on a number of commissions each year and teaches calligraphy as well. Cora and her husband Eric are established, respected artists who hold an annual show in the Beach Blvd community in Hamilton. They have sold at the Art Gallery of Burlington at their annual auction.
 By Staff
July 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Lowville Golf Course on Britannia Road had late night visitors, without membership cards, who broke a glass door and loaded 14 golf bags and one set of golf clubs into a cube van and drove off.
Two male suspects drove a rented cube van, with unknown marker/decal on it, onto the property and parked it outside the entrance to the pro shop. They smashed the glass on the front door to gain entry.
Suspect #1:
Male, white
Approximately 20 – 35 years old
Lean build, tall
Wearing a dark coloured baseball hat backwards, dark handkerchief over his face, black sweatshirt, black skinny pants, and dark shoes. No gloves.
Suspect #2:
Male, white
Approximately 20 – 30 years old
Lean build, medium height
Wearing a dark coloured hoodie with his hood pulled up over his head, dark green knee length shorts and white running shoes. No gloves.
Three other golf pro shops in the surrounding Hamilton area have been broken into over the last few weeks.
Anyone with information on these crimes is asked to contact D/Sergeant Ron Hansen of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 ext 2315, or
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Ray Rivers
July 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
As long as there are men and women – and money – prostitution, the world’s oldest profession, will be with us. Prostitution is legal in Canada, though some supporting activities aren’t, such as soliciting, operating a bawdy house and living off the avails. The Supreme Court last year determined these pesky laws could endanger prostitutes in the conduct of their business, violating their Charter rights, and so gave the government a year to fix them or they’d be history.
Canada’s justice minister, Peter MacKay, could have pulled a Kim Campbell and simply allowed the prostitution laws to fade away – as Campbell had done with abortion, thereby removing it from the criminal code. These prostitution laws are archaic, originating before confederation and based on the dated puritan ethics of the time. Aside from any question of morality there is no need to regulate the money for sex business at the federal level. Municipalities are best equipped to deal with zoning, traffic issues, licensing, and public health as they do for other businesses.
 Justice Minister Peter McKay Nevertheless, Canada’s Justice Minister has decided what we need is more, not fewer laws. He is proposing to make buying sex illegal, ban advertising, and restrict selling sex to places free of minors. The only way sex workers will be able to conduct their trade is in back alleys, in customers’ cars and/or working through pimps. Instead of meeting his stated goal of eliminating prostitution this will just make it more victimizing, dangerous and unhealthy.
Prostitution is loosely defined as trading sex for some kind of payment. But defining payment and sex are problematic for an activity which comes in a variety of flavours, including males, females and everything in between. Coitus or intercourse may be what most people think of, but sex can be anything from oral to anal, sexual touching, just touching or even just talking.
Some ‘pros’ may see themselves as semi-professional sex therapists helping their clients with sexual problems, though don’t expect OHIP to pay for that service. And indeed, professional sex therapists do employ surrogates to provide sexual services.
And it really is about the money – money to live on. And if MacKay and Harper really wanted to do something significant to reduce the size of the industry they might start by ensuing all Canadians receive an adequate annual income. That way they wouldn’t have to resort to renting their bodies. Lifting the poverty level would remove the very reason that so many people turn tricks in the first place.
Legislating morality is a tricky business, especially in a multicultural Canada endowed with various religions, ethnic origins and cultural values. And societal values are constantly evolving as we shed the taboos of the past in favour of a broader enlightenment in this 21st century. Today there are a host of match-making, dating and even spouse-cheating services on-line and yet nobody talks about outlawing these businesses, which are really only a stone’s throw from what we call pimping.
 Mr. MacKay calls his new legal framework made-in-Canada, but it really just mimics the so-called Nordic model which most researchers on the topic admit is a hopeless failure at either eliminating prostitution or reducing potential violence.
Other jurisdictions, such as New Zealand, have effectively legalized (decriminalized) most aspects of prostitution making it safer for all parties involved in the business. And despite such liberalization of the oldest profession, evidence is that prostitution levels have not increased, as many feared they would. And they would know because sex workers there pay taxes on their earnings, unlike here.
If MacKay was really serious about what he calls victimization in the industry, the New Zealand model is what he should be looking at rather than that mixed bag he is bringing to the table – a mixed bag that the Supreme Court will once again rule against. And the moralistic Harper government will have to go back to the drawing boards to re frame the oldest profession.
And speaking of professions isn’t it time MacKay changed his or, rather, that his boss moved him into some other line of work. Almost every time this justice minister goes before the Supreme Court he loses his case – how on earth has he continued to hold his ministry with a record of incompetence like that.
If I were a PM that prides himself on being in control, I’d certainly want to change MacKay’s ministry if not his vocation. Come to think of it, he wasn’t much better as Minister of Defence either. Where is Kim Campbell when we need her?
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 against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Background links:
Prostitution Sex Workers The Wrong Way Flawed Information Street Walkers
International Statistics New Zealand Model New Zealand Harper’s Pitch
An Other View
Sex Surrogates – Nordic Model
What Sex Workers Say
By Pepper Parr
July 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Kim Phillips. General Manager Corporate and Community Services leaves the city payroll at the end of July. Tom Eichenbaum, Director of Engineering also leaves at the end of July – both move to that place, where pension cheques get deposited regularly and the email traffic is a lot smaller.
 Retiring General Manager Kim Phillips on the job during a United Way fund raising week. That leaves Burlington with just the one General Manager and a City Manager, who serves as an interim until at least after the election and probably into 2015. It is certainly not what you would call a top heavy organization.
Probably the biggest task on interim city manager Pat Moyle’s desk is the workforce plan, he will put to council during a Committee of the Whole meeting, with his rationalization for a new structure. Moyle, who has a strong municipal background, much of which wasn’t made public when he was appointed, explains that Burlington is basically out of the “greenfield” business – that phase, where we just took large swaths of land and plunked down suburban bungalow after suburban bungalow and kept building north of the old city that sort of ended at about Caroline Street.
The development charges for all this construction kept the city coffers full – life was good.
The decision made to maintain a large rural sector that will not permit development north of Dundas is said to be cast in stone – but this reporter has heard economic development people talk of at least some form of development on the north side of highway 407 – which would be the thin edge of the wedge.
The rural boundary creates other problems because there basically was no plan –other than that there would be no development – which is what allowed the air park growth to get out of hand.
The province has told Burlington to get into the intensification business – and we are getting there, but not with the joy and determination with which we built all those bungalows.
Moyle explains that we don’t need a city bureaucracy focused on new growth and development – we need a bureaucracy that does fixing and maintaining and providing programs and services for a population that now has a lot more older people than there were in those prime development days.
The financial structure has changed as well. Moyle, with the experience he gained while serving as CAO for the Region, explains that most of our infrastructure is paid for – the waste and sewage structure is basically complete. The major road work to be done is on arterial roads which are a regional responsibility. “All we have to do is maintain the local roads we have” says Moyle – which Councillor Dennison will remind him that we are millions of dollars behind.
Moyle has a decidedly different view of the city’s financial position than that of his predecessor Jeff Fielding, and looks forward to a Council meeting in September, when he brings forward the Results Based Accountability approach the city will be taking for the 2015 budget.
It isn’t often that one sees bureaucrats getting excited, especially when they are talking about numbers, but Pat Moyle gets a gleam in his eye, when he talks about the people in finance and the change they were asked to make by Jeff Fielding; how the money was spend and the work they do gets explained to the public.
 A career as a municipal civil servant, who believes the culture of every city hall should be: You are here to serve. When Jeff Fielding bought a one way ticket to Calgary, the city found itself in an awkward spot. It needed a city manager and found one in Pat Moyle. It was a good fit and he had the capacity to take the city through the recruiting and selection of a new city manager. The problem was that he had one of his two general managers retiring and had to come up with a staffing plan that would work for the new kind of organization the city needed.
When a new head honcho is hired that person usually wants to create their own team and put their own stamp on the organization they will run. Kind of hard to do that if the person they hire sees the situation a little differently – unless Council decides to hire someone who buys into the decisions that have already been made – which kind of limits the choices.
Moyle has some pretty clear ideas on how the hiring process should go. Because of his extensive municipal experience there isn’t anyone out there, at least in Ontario, that he doesn’t know and he probably knows, who the top talent is in the rest of the country.
The plan, as Moyle explains it, is to advertise, review the resumes and then ask the short list to do some “game playing”. Each candidate would be given an information package and asked to design or scope out how they would organize the city to meet the challenges set out in the information package. It will be a little like putting them in a sandbox and giving all of them the same tools and toys and then watching what they build.
A good approach – but who will pull together the information package. Jeff Fielding saw the city’s financial situation one way – Pat Moyle sees it differently. Councillor Paul Sharman will tell you that the data is what matters most. Garbage in results in garbage out.
 The dean of city council with more than 22 years in the building has his hat in the ring for yet another term. All this will begin once there is a new council in place. October 28th will tell us who will be sitting around the horseshoe. While ward 1 has a growing number of candidates nominated – not always a good sign, one of them is going to have to come up with a very strong campaign to beat Councillor Craven. If there is an upset in ward 1 – it will stun most people, but elections are funny things – ask Cam Jackson.
Meed Ward is a shoe-in for ward 2 unless she pulls the faux pas of the year. John Taylor can’t be beaten in ward 3 at this point. Dennison is in trouble in ward 4 but that community doesn’t yet have the person that can take him down. There is word that Brian Heagle might put his hat in the ring. However, few are betting against the old fox but many want him out of office.
 Councillors Sharman and Lancaster – both newbies and both members of the group that produced the Shape Burlington report that basically went nowhere: will the same be said for these two council members. Lancaster has a field of six running against her, Sharman has a race in ward 5 and Lancaster has a battle in ward 6 – perhaps an epic one for her. With six people running against her – her hope is that the vote gets split and she comes up the middle. Jennifer Hlusko appears to be doing the kind of work that gets a candidate out in front.
The city could have three new council members come the end of October.
Those are the people that will make the decision as to who the next City Manager should be. Keeping someone in the city manager’s chair has been a bit of a challenge for Burlington. Roman Martiuk didn’t complete his five year contract, Jeff Fielding left for bigger and he thinks greener pastures and Pat Moyle is with us as a care taker – a quality care taker, but nevertheless the guy that is keeping the good ship Burlington upright, while general manager Scott Stewart does all the grunt work and Kim Phillips gets ready for her goodbye party.
The best way to understand Pat Moyle is to look at his very extensive municipal experience and use it as a guide as to how he works. Moyle got into the municipal world as a planner after graduating from Ryerson. Much of his experience has been with northern Ontario municipalities His work with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) kept him in touch with the municipal community across the province and because Ontario was he most powerful province, he worked closely with all the other provincial municipal associations.
Moyle was with AMO during the Harris/Eves years when the province downloaded service delivery, but no money to the municipal level. Moyle learned in the trenches how one has to deal with a provincial government that basically turned the tables over.
This depth of experience, especially the time spent at the Region, results in a view of Burlington and its problems that few have and allows Moyle to look for specific skill sets and approaches to problem solving, as he prepares to bring forward candidates for the job of City Manager for Burlington.
There are always internal candidates; Moyle talked of one situation, where there were more than three internal candidates and none got the job. Burlington doesn’t have a tremendous amount of bench strength at the director level and there are a number of people due for retirement.
The work being done by the finance department as they prepare for a Result Based Accountability (RBA) approach to the spending the city does will mean a huge shift – individuals will become responsible – not just a department.
Moyle began his career in the municipal field at the age of 29 in Huntsville, worked at one point for Brampton, where he crossed the path of Hazel McCallion who suggested he spend some time at AMO, where he headed up a board of 80 members representing 447 municipalities. It was invaluable experience.
Moyle has seen every form of municipal organization there is and comments that the structure Burlington has with its 880 employees is the same as that of Toronto. “We don’t need the general managers we have” explains Moyle. The fire department is our largest – why does it have to report to a General Manager, who then reports to the city manager. Expect to see the fire department as a direct report to the city manager in the future.
Almost every senior person you talk to about the city staff, point to a couple of dozen young people, who do sterling work and are technically savvy, innovative and bringing with great ideas.
Is it Moyle’s intention to suggest the city look for a manager that will focus on developing this young talent and move the city to a level of services it has not seen in the past?
Moyle appears to want to create a flatter organizational structure and move much of the responsibility to the line people delivering various services.
”It is important” said Moyle “that we fully understand what the problems we are trying to solve really are”. At the core of it all explains Moyle – staff are there to be of help – to serve. That is the culture city hall needs to have in place.
Moyle remarks on a comment management guru Peter Drucker made: “Culture eats strategy” – get the culture in place and the right strategy will follow.
Burlington is in a state of transformation – it is a city that is going to grow in place. There are few greenfield locations left to develop. He adds however, that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 residential units approved and ready for construction – so things are happening.
Jeff Fielding pointed out that while residential is great for the development community it isn’t the best situation for the city – new residential means more in the way of services that have to be delivered.
The development on the industrial, commercial and institutional sector is where Burlington lags and, according to Fielding, the city shouldn’t expect much in the way of new development from those sectors for 12 to 18 months.
The Burlington Economic Development Corporation finally put a new executive director in place and created a thinner more focused board. They have shifted from an organization that focused on networking, to an organization that is going to get right into the weeds of economic development. But that shift is going to take time – don’t expect to see a “good news” announcement this year.
The tag line for the Official Plan review is: “We are growing in place” – we are going to experience our growth with what we have. We appear to be in a planting the seeds mode on the staffing side and hoping that we get it right this time – a city manager that makes Burlington home – for more than five years.
By Staff
July 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
If you want to get it done you go to the guy everyone calls. The fellow that is busy, busy but who somehow always finds the time – and manages to keep his life sane at the same time. Guys like that have a sense of humour and they not only think outside the box – they live outside the box.
 At its annual general meeting, the Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) confirmed the appointment of Ron Foxcroft, Owner of Fox40 International Inc. and Owner of Fluke Transportation since 1982, and Haydn Northey, Vice President, Operations and Chief Privacy Officer, Pioneer Energy, to the board of directors.
2014 is a milestone year for BCF as it celebrates 15 years of strengthening Burlington. Chair Tim Dobbie said he was “ very pleased to welcome Ron to Burlington Community Foundation’s board during our anniversary year.”
Best known for inventing the internationally celebrated Fox 40 whistle – which is officially sanctioned by the NFL, CFL, NCAA and the NBA – Ron was a professional basketball official for three decades. Off the court, he’s also a legend among community supporters – recognized as the 1997 Hamilton Citizen of the Year, 2011 Burlington Entrepreneur of the Year and holds an Honorary Doctor of Law from McMaster University.
The BCF celebrates 15 years of service to Burlington and currently manages more than $8.4 million in assets. Since inception the BCF has provided over $2.7 million in grants to the community – that’s a lot of potential for good for every corner of our community. BCF responds to many of our city’s hidden needs and I’m proud to help advance BCF’s mission to strengthen Burlington, today and for the future.”
  Also joining the board is Haydn Northey, a 28-year veteran of the retail petroleum industry. Currently Vice President of Operations and Chief Privacy Officer at Pioneer Energy, Haydn held leadership roles with Texaco Canada, Imperial Oil and Suncor Energy (Sunoco). An avid hockey and lacrosse coach, Haydn shares, “I’m delighted to join BCF’s board of directors and help connect funds to vital needs across our great city. Each and every Burlington Community Foundation grant truly makes a difference to people’s lives.”
Established in 1999 as a centre for philanthropy, 2014 marks a celebration of Burlington Community Foundation’s 15 years of service to Burlington residents. BCF collaborates with donors to build endowments, address vital community needs and support areas of personal philanthropic interest. To learn more visit the BCF website.
–
By Pepper Parr
July 7, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Late in 2012 we ran a police drug bust story on a 24 year old Hamilton resident who was charged with Possession of Cannabis Resin for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Cannabis Marihuana over 30 grams, Possession of Psilocybin, Possession of Ecstasy, Production of Cannabis Marihuana, Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking.
This was a drug trafficker with a significant inventory. We did not follow up on this information to find out if there was a conviction.
Several days ago we got an email from the drug trafficker asking if we would remove the story because it was “causing trouble in my job career as people are Googling my name and I am having difficulty holding a job due to this. Can we please have this removed as I do not wish to pursue this legally and go through the court system as I’m sure you guys don’t wish to waste your time in the courts either.
 Some of the evidence gathered in a drug raid is truly scary – the weapons are very real. This photograph shows drugs in its early form – it gets refined and moved through the supply chain. And make no mistake about these drugs – there is a demand. “It has been over 2.5 year that this event occurred and it would be greatly appreciated if my name and the other names be removed or blanked out. If I don’t receive a reply within the next few days to weeks I will have no choice but to contact a lawyer and take this to court, again I really don’t wish to do this as it would just be a waste of time and money.” The writer provided us with an email address and we contacted him saying we would have our lawyers be in touch with him to arrange for the receipt of any claim for damages he might wish to serve on us.
The young man replied: “I didn’t mean to threaten you in any way, I just wish to have my life back in order. This is creating a huge burden for me, I just wish to have it removed with little work as possible (meaning no lawyers, judges and so on), it’s just a waste of time for everyone.”
There are a number of readers with very strong views on the damage the drug trade does. We sent this along to one of them who came back with:
Too bad buddy. Your name is out and you have to deal with the choices you made in your life; that is one of the consequences of criminal behaviour. Why make a potential employer Google your history; why not disclose your past and try being honest because that is your only hope to fix any damage you may have caused to yourself. Your threats for a potential damage claim are laughable. Drug dealers are the ones that cause all the damage.
I am a parent who has tried desperately to fight off drug dealers for many years in an attempt to save my children from the life destructing effects of the drug world. I hate drug dealers. Through my experience and ongoing education of how the drug world works, I can tell you that drug dealers cater to kids as young as 9 and 10 years old; that is very disturbing. My kid got fed cocaine from an adult drug dealer at the age of 14. That adult drug dealer now knows I know, and he carries that burden wherever he goes out in public and also where he lives; that type of constant feeling of being shadowed by a loving parent cannot be a good feeling, but, it is one of many consequences of being a drug dealer.
There are others, and I believe from personal experience that a parent’s efforts do not go unnoticed by all those active in the drug world. Dealers do not like publicity, so it is somewhat comforting to know that once in a while we get to know who these people are through media and police bulletins. Another method is to go to the courtroom and sit and witness all these idiots get processed through the system; this is all ultimately public knowledge. It is actually quite a pleasant feeling to watch as the names of dealers get exposed.
 When there is a major drug bust the police frequently lay out all the evidence to be photographed and then make the pictures available to the media. It is all part of the regular media work they do, which includes the name of the accused. But it is not easy to find who the drug dealers are and more importantly where the supply originates. I am one of those parents who likes to find out, because I want to know where and why tens of thousands of dollars of my money went as a direct result of these scumbag dealers that lurk amongst the rest of the people in society. It takes a long time to recover from the effects that these dealers bring upon the rest of the world; similar time as this goof now trying to get assistance to hide his past. This will take a long time buddy, and you deserve every minute of your struggle and waiting time. Accept your frustrations now as a bit of payback for your dealing actions. Your other option is to return to dealing; nobody will deny you that type of access to work; you can start today; no Google.
I want this information posted on a billboard at a busy intersection; names and pictures of all the drug dealers. It would be a very good deterrent. I will pay for the billboard. It can be a place where other parents, ones that may not be as active in the fight against this scum, can come to see who these people are that are killing our children. Parents have a right to know who is killing their children.
The writer of the above is a respected professional that we have met. It will be interesting to see if his views are shared by others.
As for the drug dealer – we think he has some work to do to convince the community that he deserves a second chance.
|
|
