 By Jeannie Løjstrup
June 16th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Modern online casinos offer many slots that differ in theme, mechanics, and bonus options. Jackpot slots are especially popular among Canadian gamblers because they allow them to win a large prize. Many reputable online casinos, including Robocat, offer this format of gambling entertainment. In some of them, the jackpot sizes can reach millions of dollars.
What is the difference between fixed and progressive jackpot slots?
Top gambling sites, including Robocat online casino, offer slots with fixed and progressive jackpots. Below, we will explain the main differences between them.
Slots with fixed jackpots
A fixed jackpot is a specific amount of payouts you can receive in a particular slot. Usually, the limit on the win is set by the provider, but there are slots in which the online casino determines the prize amount. The size of the fixed jackpot does not depend on the number of rounds and the popularity of the slot. You need to collect a winning combination or pass levels to get the biggest win.
The most popular slots with a fixed jackpot, which are offered by a random online casino:
- Electro Coin Link. This slot from Fugaso allows players to win one of four fixed jackpots (Grand, Major, Minor, Mini), which are activated by the Running Wins bonus feature. Each of them has a fixed value, which depends on the size of your current bet. The maximum win in Electro Coin Link is up to 5000× of the bet.
- Immortal Ways Sweet Coin. You can win one of four fixed jackpots by launching this colorful and dynamic slot. To do this, you need to activate the Prize Wheel bonus feature. It is triggered by collecting six or more gold coins on the reels. RTP of the Immortal Ways Sweet Coin slot is 96.28%. Volatility: medium.
 Juicy Win. This slot allows players to win one of four fixed jackpots (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) activated during the bonus game with the Hold the Spin mechanic. You must collect three coin symbols on the reels to launch the bonus game. The maximum win is up to 3600× of the initial bet.
In addition, reliable online casinos offer other slots with fixed jackpots. The most popular are Coins of Ra Power— Hold & Win, Power Coin: Trinity Series, and Eagle Strike.
Slots with progressive jackpots
 A progressive jackpot is a cumulative prize, the size of which consists of deductions from each bet. With each game round, the size of the progressive jackpot increases. This means that the more bets gamblers make, the higher the maximum payout. Another feature of progressive jackpot slots is that winnings do not depend on the bet size. A player who has made the minimum bet can win.
The most popular progressive jackpot slot on sites like Robocat online casino is Super Wolf from Skywind Group. It allows players to win a progressive jackpot, which is activated when five multi-colored gems fall on one active payline. The slot’s RTP is 95.34%, of which 0.4% goes to forming the jackpot. Super Wolf has medium volatility, which ensures frequent but moderate wins.
Try to perceive large prize payouts in online casinos as a way to get bright emotions and pleasure from the game, not as a source of income. Rationally manage your bankroll and adhere to the principles of responsible gaming.
 By Pepper Parr
June 15th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 The structure on the right, 19 Bloor West, is the third-highest tower in Toronto. At the Bay Area Economic Summit held recently in Burlington Mike Moffatt said: “we need to get away from the mindset that a unit is a unit when we are counting. The 400 to 600 square foot condos that attracted investors are not housing for a family. We need three and four-bedroom units if families are to be accommodated.”
Moffatt is an assistant professor of business, economics and public policy at Ivey. In 2018, Moffatt was appointed director of policy and research at the progressive think-tank Canada 2020.
He is the Founding Director of the Missing Middle Initiative.
A news item out of Toronto made mention of the units in the tower being built at 19 Bloor Street West’ “The residential units themselves will range from studios to three-bedrooms, with some of them getting pretty tight, even by Toronto standards.
According to design plans, a number of the studios will measure as small as 287.8 sq. ft, with many of three-bedrooms being as snug as 863 sq. ft. The largest unit shown in the plans is a three-bedroom measuring 941.8 sq. ft.
One-beds will take the lion’s share of units (48%), followed by two-bedrooms (36%), three-bedrooms (10%), and studios (7%).
Related news story:
Mike Moffatt at the Bay Area Summit
 By Pepper Parr
June 14th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The story of the week has to be the announcement by the Art Gallery that they wanted to tear down the existing building and erect a new three-level structure – at a cost of at least $116 million.
 Art Gallery Chair Susan Busby on the right wanders where Executive Director Sankey is going with the presentation. While the gallery leadership did its best to assure council they had consulted far and wide on their plans, that wasn’t the feedback we have been getting.
Whatever changes are going to take place – it won’t happen overnight. Two things became very clear from the people we talked with – no one wanted their names used and every said they didn’t think the $116 million was a realistic number.
 View from the parking lot at the rear of the property.  Intersection of Lakeshore Road and Brock There is a Strategic Plan out there somewhere that the Art Gallery has yet to produce. Two people we talked with said they had seen the document. Staff at the AGB have yet to find it.
What we were able to get was the financial picture as it stood at the end of 2023.
There was an infographic on what took place in 2023.
 By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) works to enhance the downtown experience for all its many residents and visitors, we are thrilled to introduce The Green Lanyard Project.
 Green lanyard with badge holder This newly launched program works by freely issuing a green lanyard to business owners and staff, patrons and visitors of our downtown. The use of this lanyard is to signal to others that the wearer of the lanyard (or a member of their party) has an invisible atypical ability. This suggests they may need more time, more patience and more empathy as they navigate their environment.
So why a green lanyard? Green is often seen as the colour that most widely represents mental health. It also provides a gentle and comforting nod to neurodivergent community members as well.
What does neurodiversity mean?
Great question! As education is a great first step to breaking down barriers and building understanding, let’s talk about it! Neurodiversity is medical framework designed to consider and understand the human brain within sensory processing, motor abilities, social comfort, cognition, and focus as neurobiological differences. Autism Spectrum Disorder ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette’s, Dyspraxia, Synesthesia, Dyscalculia, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, and chronic mental health illnesses such as Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression.
How does the program work? Starting June 20th, you will be able to submit a request to the BIA for a lanyard, for free, which will then be mailed to you, to use at your discretion. The lanyard can then be worn when visiting and exploring our downtown. Through a series of community and public education pieces, our downtown businesses will remain as they are, providing you with the incredible hospitality and warmth our community is known for – we’re just adding a touch of green! Lanyards also proudly feature a BDBA branded pin, complete with emergency release mechanism. Lanyards will take 7 to 10 business days from day of request to arrival.
The Green Lanyard Project was developed in partnership with Stefanie Peachey, Peachey Counselling and Family Support. Our dual commitment to this program, along with the support we have received from our small businesses, clearly demonstrates that your BIA is working to make our community more accessible, inclusive, and comfortable for those in need.
For more information, please visit https://burlingtondowntown.ca/thegreenlanyardproject/
 By Pepper Parr
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Liberals put on their fanciest shoes and deepest pockets earlier this week for leader Bonnie Crombie’s banner fundraising dinner, where tickets topped out at a sizzling $3,400 a plate. Sources inside the room tell QPO it was equal parts schmooze-fest and war-chest flex, with a smattering of quiet leadership tension. And yes, I got my hands on the menu.
 It looked like a walk to a Coronation when Bonnie Crombie walked to a Liberal Party meeting in Hamilton – the momentum stalled – not being able to win a seat in the Legislature hasn’t helped. The party’s comms team is touting a $5 million haul so far this year — a $500,000-chunk of it thanks to last night’s glitzy affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. That number would put the Grits ahead of their usual pace — the party claims to have raked in $5.4 million last year — and is a not-so-subtle message to anyone still questioning Crombie’s pull with the party’s donor class. Case in point, the official line: It’s “a clear sign of a party on the rise.”
But while the cash was flowing, the vibes were…complicated. Crombie is staring down a leadership review in the fall, and not everyone in the red tent is convinced it’s going to be a coronation. As I previously scooped, her inner circle is now holding regular Monday meetings focused squarely on making sure the review doesn’t turn into a full-blown referendum on her rookie-ish leadership.
One insider described the mood as “strategic” but not “panicked” — though others were tittering about a shadowy group of grassroots Grits that has emerged, setting the bar (and the trap) for the leadership review.
 The energy now goes into keeping the job instead of building the party. Crombie’s 66% problem: The anonymous group calling themselves the “New Leaf Liberals” says that unless Crombie gets 66 per cent of delegate support for the leadership, it’ll be time for her to pack it in.
In their words: They want “the resignation of the current party leader at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, should they not reach a two-thirds majority (66%) of the delegate vote.” Oh, and they want the party not to fill vacant delegate spots in the meantime — translation: no parachuting in last-minute Crombie loyalists. As of this morning, the petition had 75 signatures.
The party line? Everything’s fine. Some are brushing off the New Leaf Liberals as noise from the cheap seats. They’re quick to point out that Crombie still enjoys the public blessing of the entire caucus and party executive, and technically speaking, she only needs 51 per cent of delegate support to survive.
But insiders know all too well: 66 per cent is the quiet cutoff in Canadian politics. Fall short, and the knives tend to come out.
When the leader of a political party fails to win a seat, the tradition is for a sitting member in a very safe seat resigns and lets the party leader run for office. The Poilievre situation is an example. It is interesting to note that so far none of the 14 Liberals has stepped forward. Telling
 By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The news on the fund raiser that brought in xxx for the Ontario Liberals was less than a day old when word of a group, described as a “grassroots movement,” is planning to mount a push to defeat the Liberal leader at the party’s annual general meeting in September.
 Bonnie Crombie: charged with an “inability to undertake the necessary steps to rebuild our party.”  They go by “New Leaf Liberals,” and they’re gearing up to challenge Bonnie Crombie’s leadership in the fall.
While organizers wouldn’t disclose the full strategy yet (“stay tuned,” we’re told), the group launched an online petition calling for “renewal” this morning.
Aiming to grow the rank-and-file, “win back” trust, expand the candidate and volunteer base and modernize campaign infrastructure, the group is calling for a ground-up overhaul — and new leadership to lead it.
They blame Crombie for her “inability to undertake the necessary steps to rebuild our party.”
“We believe that there needs to be some accountability from Bonnie Crombie and her team,” the organizers wrote in a document reviewed by this reporter.
What they want: The group is asking Crombie to quit if she is unable to clinch a two-thirds majority at the convention, and to pledge to freeze the delegate list and leave any vacancies as-is. They don’t want the Crombie crowd to pad the delegate list with their supporters..
By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
An alarming number of Canadians — over 414 — are diagnosed each day with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
By 2050, this could add up to more than 1.7 million cases, translating to 685 new diagnoses every day or 29 every hour.
That’s why reimagining Alzheimer’s care in Canada is not just important for the system — it is imperative for all Canadians.
 The data comes from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.
It’s going to take more than reimagining? Families are going to have to learn how to care for people who will be close to or at the point where they cannot care for themselves.
 By Staff
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The weather is going to be decent.
The breeze off the lake will make it a wonderful day.
And the bands will be on the stages.
Add the great deal on getting to Spencer Smith Park and you have as close to a perfect day as you are likely to get.
Park at the Burlington Centre and take the free bus to Spencer Smith.
By Eric Stern
June 13th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
In Ontario, municipalities are required to conduct ward boundary reviews. Reviews are undertaken every 12 to 16 years. In Burlington, a review was conducted in 2005 when the city’s population was approximately 139,000. Recently, our council completed a new review, resulting in new ward boundaries for Burlington.
Burlington has the smallest number of councillors in Halton Region and the second-largest population. Have a look at this table.
Before the ward boundary review, some councillors represented over 12,000 more people than other councillors.
Burlington has one councillor, on average, for 26,707 people, compared to one councillor, on average, for every 14,513 people in Oakville and Milton.
In addition to their responsibilities as councillors for both Halton Region and Burlington, our councillors oversee a significant number of Agencies, Boards, and Commissions. Ranging from Burlington Hydro, through BEC, to the Sound of Music Festival. Each Burlington councillor has an unelected full-time assistant to help manage this workload.
The region controls the number of regional councillors through a separate ward review process. Burlington can’t independently add more regional councillors.
This chart shows the makeup of the Halton Region council.
If Burlington were to increase the number of local councillors, not all of the new councillors would be regional councillors.
What do other municipalities in Halton do?
Oakville and Milton: Each ward has a local councillor and a regional councillor; the regional councillor is also a local councillor.
Halton Hills: Each ward has two local councillors and a regional councillor; the regional councillor is also a local councillor.
In Oakville, a local councillor earns $53,964. A local and regional councillor earns $115,276. Mayor Burton earns $204,368. Mayor Meed Ward earns $202,712.11.
What are the issues associated with more councillors?
Cost: On the surface, more councillors will cost more money. There are some counterarguments to this. When comparing councillor salaries, we can see that Oakville councillors earn slightly less than Burlington councillors. More councillors should mean less work per councillor. Each Burlington councillor has a full-time unelected councillor assistant; arguably, these positions should be elected, resulting in better representation and accountability for taxpayers at no additional cost.
What was the result of Burlington’s ward review?
Burlington will not follow the model set by Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills. Each councillor will continue to be a local and regional councillor. Burlington’s councillors will represent almost twice as many people as councillors in other municipalities in Halton. Major decisions impacting the future of the city will continue to be made by as few as four councillors voting for an issue. Four councillors constitute a majority on a 7-member council.
Without citizen action, this will be the status quo for the next 12 to 16 years.
Burlington spent at least $220,000 hiring consultants to conduct the ward review. The result is the new ward boundary map shown below.
 The boundary lines on this map will be effective when the 2026 municipal election is called. Eric Stern was a member of BRAG – Burlington Residents’ Action Group. He formed Focus Burlington when BRAG was dissolved.
 By Pepper Parr
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario’s information and privacy watchdog has blasted staff in Premier Doug Ford’s government for using code words and private emails to discuss the controversial Greenbelt land swap.
 Patricia Kosseim: Ontario Privacy Commissioner. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC)’s 2024 annual report highlights a call for the provincial government to address regulatory gaps and secure public trust. The report, titled “From Vision to Impact: Five Years of Privacy and Transparency in a Digital Ontario,” emphasizes the need for better protection of Ontarians’ personal information from cybersecurity attacks, commercialization of children’s data, and the use of AI technologies without clear rules or oversight
The RCMP is working its way through a criminal investigation of the $8.28 billion Greenbelt scandal, Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said the government’s tactics “frustrated” searches under freedom of information legislation and broke laws requiring proper records on official decisions.
The Toronto Star, picking data from the Privacy Commissioner’s report, published the following:
“When key government decisions are not properly documented, when code words are used, or when records are stored in fragmented ways across personal and official systems, transparency suffers and with it public trust,” Kosseim wrote in her annual report released Thursday.
“Ongoing oversight remains essential to ensure corrective measures are not only implemented but sustained.”
Code words included special project, SP-GB, GB and special project — GB, all of which made it difficult to search for documents using standard search methodology.
Even worse, the use of G* as a code made it “virtually impossible” to find records because the use of the asterisk returns any word starting with G, resulting in a deluge of records “wholly impossible to sort through,” Kosseim noted.
New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles said the dodgy practices are “disturbing.”
 New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles “Today’s report makes it clear that the Ford government broke the law while trying to cover up their Greenbelt carve-up,” she added in a statement.
“Deleting government records is illegal. The last time this happened, someone went to jail. Enough hiding. It’s time for the premier to come clean,” she added in reference to the conviction of David Livingston, chief of staff to former premier Dalton McGuinty when natural gas-fired power plants were cancelled in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election.
Almost three years ago, Ford rezoned 7,400 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the 2-million acre Greenbelt around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area despite promising not to do so.
An investigation in November 2022 found eight of the 15 parcels slated for housing construction had been bought up by developers after the Tories were elected in 2018 when the land was still protected.
In August 2023, the auditor general and the integrity commissioner each released reports that revealed property owners with ties to Ford’s Progressive Conservatives were “favoured” in the rezoning process.
 Premier Doug Ford A month later, against the backdrop of plunging poll numbers, Ford cancelled the land swap. The Mounties launched their criminal probe weeks later.
Despite all this, Doug Ford got re-elected.
What will it take to bring an end to this?
The RCMP report.
 By Pepper ParrJune 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
It may not be readily apparent, but what follows is, in my opinion, the first part of a run for the office of Mayor by Lisa Kearns.
Based on what I know and what I have concluded, Lisa Kearns is not going to run for the Ward 2 in 2026. She will work hard right up to the last day – but being a Council member is not on her radar screen.Being the Mayor is on her radar screen. A final decision has yet to be made.
Standing outside the empty parking lot on Old Lakeshore Road opposite Emma’s Back Porch, Kearns said:
 Lisa Kearns standing in front of the empty parking lot at 2083 Lakeshore Road where the developer wants to build a 24 storey mixed use tower “It’s important that I am accountable and transparent to the community I serve. I voted to uphold a planning recommendation by staff in support of 27 storeys at 2083 Lakeshore Rd.
“I know there is a different planning vision the community thought possible for quite some time, our own Staff report says it’s “no longer achievable on this site”.
“I reviewed and challenged every technical report, agency, and staff on this file and ultimately found the position of both staff and the applicant defensible – heavily due to the planning context that was the result of OLT (Planning Tribunal) decisions.
“This is what happens when precedent is set.
“I believe in fighting for our community, but I also heed the loud desire to respect our tax dollars.
“I’ll fight for you, but I won’t fight just for the sake of a fight. And I won’t spend your tax dollars when I can’t justify the return. And when we really need to mount a fight, I’ll be there, and make sure we have the funding to do so.”
Final report goes to Council June 17 where a decision will be made.
By Pepper Parr
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
As the Member of Parliament for Burlington Karina Gould sits on the far right side of House – some distance from the front row seat she had when she was the Liberal House leader. By the way, she did a fine job as House leader.
 If you’re going to throw your hat into an election ring – make it something fashionable. When the Liberal Party went looking for a new leader (Justin had said he was going to resign) Gould surprised many when she threw her hat into the ring and campaigned across the country to be named the leader of the Liberal party, which would automatically make her the Prime Minister.
It was always a long shot.
When Mark Carney formed the government after winning the April 25th federal election – he chose not to invite Gould into Cabinet.
So as a Member of Parliament she does what good parliamentarians do – stand up in the House and xxx
Yesterday she said the following:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to celebrate the Hon. Irwin Cotler, who is in Ottawa to be honoured by the Pearson Centre tonight for his lifetime of service to Canada and his work on human rights and justice.
 Irwin Cotler: a former member of Parliament and cabinet minister, an emeritus professor of law at McGill and an international human rights lawyer. “He is a former member of Parliament and cabinet minister, an emeritus professor of law at McGill and an international human rights lawyer, and I am very proud to call him a friend. As minister of justice and attorney general, Irwin enacted same-sex marriage equality laws, appointed two women to the Supreme Court, tackled wrongful convictions and launched anti-racism initiatives.
“In his so-called retirement, he founded and now actively chairs the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, which advocates for political prisoners, human rights, justice and democracy. He also served as Canada’s first special envoy on combatting anti-Semitism. Irwin is today, as he has always been, a powerful advocate for the marginalized and a champion of progress and justice.
“I speak for all Canadians when I thank Mr. Cotler for his incredible and ongoing service.”
By Staff
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 Community Development Halton has served the needs and interests of the not for profit sector very well the past few years.
They are now doing a survey to get a better understand how nonprofits in Ontario are faring
The 2025 NonProfit State of the Sector Survey from the Ontario Nonprofit Network takes about 15 minutes to complete
Without data from ALL nonprofits, including charities, grassroots groups, volunteer-run organizations, nonprofit social enterprises, and nonprofit cooperatives – they cannot paint an accurate picture of our shared struggles and opportunities for progress.
In 2024, 90 Halton nonprofits completed the survey. This year, our goal is 100 nonprofits. Help us match and beat that goal AND provide valuable information to help ONN and CDH advocate for our sector.
The ONN is the independent network for Ontario’s 58000 nonprofit organizations.
Click HERE to start the survey
By Jeannie Løjstrup
June 12th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario’s online gambling industry enjoyed a record-breaking end to 2024, with Q3’s online casino spend showing a 38% year-over-year increase, amounting to $18.9 billion. This money was taken in during the 3 months leading up to December 31st, and puts the province in a healthy position for 2025.
 Since April 2022, consumers have been able to play online poker in Canada with operators who have entered into an agreement with iGaming Ontario and registered with the AGCO. Consumers can also enjoy a variety of casino games with licensed and offshore betting sites, but only revenue taken by Canadian operators is counted towards the revenue figures cited.
Following a strong finish to 2024, 2025 started in a similar fashion, with online gambling enjoying a $7.84 billion handle in January, a record for the month. Of this total, online casinos led the way by taking in 83%, and 70% of the total GGR for the month. This has been put down to the excellent selection of operators and games available to consumers.
Online slots are the most popular casino attraction, but traditional table games also appeal to a lot of customers. Tech developments have helped online casinos to bridge the gap between online and in-person gambling experiences, with live dealers, AI-enhanced gaming, and state-of-the-art graphics.
Despite online casinos taking the lion’s share of online gamblers, sports betting markets have also experienced growth. The gross gambling revenue of $91.9 million for January represents a 32.2% year-on-year increase, and a 133.8% improvement on December’s figures. Sporting fixtures and events have had an impact on these figures, but operators have proven that they can capitalize on opportunities.
Some aspects of Ontario’s gambling industry are still in their infancy, with single-event sports wagering only being legal since 2021, and online betting following in 2022. However, operators have been quick to act, with more than 80 unique gaming facilities and 50 operators now in action.
 People can gamble on a game of chance from their smart phone. The success of the online gambling industry can be attributed to the estimated 14.6 million Ontarian smartphone users, roughly 84% of the province’s population. Operators are able to provide convenient gambling for customers, and bonuses, offers, and competitive odds have also been key to securing new users.
While these improving figures are great for Canadian gambling sites, they have also helped to generate significant tax revenue streams, including more than $145 million in the first quarter of the 2024/25 fiscal year. Tax revenue since 2022 is rapidly approaching the £1 billion mark, and this has benefited public services and infrastructure, healthcare, and education. The industry has also had a positive effect on employment in Ontario, with an estimated 15,000 full-time jobs being created.
The online gambling industry in Ontario and Canada as a whole is in a strong position, thanks to a well-structured regulatory framework and the dedication of operators to embrace technological developments that can improve the user experience. As the industry continues to develop, consumers can expect an even greater game choice, as well as improved payment options that can streamline deposits and withdrawals.
 By Staff
June 11th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
It happens once a year. The Performing Arts Centre holds an event that is for members only.
 Executive Director: Sara Palmieri The occasion is used to announce what the line is for the season.
This year, the members got to meet the new Executive Director and some of the staff
Members were able to buy their tickets that evening and exclusively for the next few days.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 13, at noon.
The lineup has a lot of great talent.
Box office: 905-691-6000
Online: https://burlingtonpac.ca/events/
By Pepper Parr
June 11th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 An aerial view of Burlington looking north from the Skyway bridge. Density and height are the focal points when people talk about the changes taking place in Burlington.
Week in – week out, a unit of housing gets sold, then built.
Just how many housing units are there? Keep in mind that we are talking about high density housing.
The graphic below tells part of the story
 ARU> Additional residential units.
By Pepper Parr
June 11th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
 City Hall: Piggy bank central Municipalities are not permitted to go broke. The province doesn’t permit that.
If a municipality does find that it can’t meet the payroll the province sends in a team of people who take over running the financial side of a city.
The cities get around this by creating reserve funds that they shovel money into on a regular basis.
Some reserve funds are mandatory.
So – what does Burlington have in the way of reserve funds? You will be surprised.
By Pepper Parr
June 10th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be 19 storeys high, and be a purpose built residential building that will have a significant amount of affordable housing.
 Developer wants shovels in the ground this summer. And directly across the street from City Hall
Council spent a considerable amount of time debating the development which will have .66 parking spaces per unit.
There will be 140 1 bedroom units; 58 two bedroom units and 3 three bedroom units.
The developer, who got their funding from Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), was under a tight deadline if the funding was to be in place.
We found it interesting that when the spokes person for the developer was giving the presentation to Council none of the drawings or renderings were shown. We will dig those out for you.
The timeline – they would like to have shovels in the ground during this summer.
We now know why Kelly’s Bake Shop was give the required notice to vacate – just 60 days.
We also know that the location of the Bake Shoppe will be a door leading to a stairwell in the new building that has yet to be given a name.
 A 19 storey structure with 201 units – 25% will be designated as affordable housing. More to follow.
 By Jeannie Løjstrup
June 11th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario’s online gambling market has undergone a significant transformation over the past several years. At the beginning of 2022, on April 4th, the province introduced a fully regulated iGaming framework, creating an unprecedented range of legal wagering options. Today, Ontarians can enjoy everything imaginable, from live casino games to sports betting and even niche virtual experiences. This is all with the protection of provincial oversight. Look at this informative guide and explore all these exciting, legal gaming opportunities step-by-step.
Land-Based Casinos & Racetracks
 25 fully licensed casinos in the province. Ontario offers more than 25 fully licensed casinos in locations such as:
Toronto
Niagara Falls
Windsor
These venues provide various games, including slot machines, table games, live dealer experiences, and poker rooms. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) ensures that all casinos adhere to strict standards of fairness and security.
 The Mohawk Race track is a 20 minute drive from Burlington. Racetracks & Off‑Track Betting
Racetracks such as Woodbine and Mohawk feature live horse racing and simulcast feeds. Under AGCO oversight, bettors and horse race lovers enjoy regulated horse race wagering (with some fund restrictions) both in person and online.
Online Casino Games & Regulated iGaming Sites
Ontarians can access over 80 licensed and regulated online gaming sites through partnerships between private operators and iGaming Ontario. These platforms host a wide variety of casino games, including the following:
-
 Slot machines are pure games of chance. Pull a lever or press a button. Slot Machines
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Poker
- Craps
- Live Dealer Games
- Instant Win Games
- Bingo
- Keno
- Scratch Cards
- Game Shows
- Aviators
- Crash Games.
Leading operators in Ontario, like BetMGM and Casumo, are compliant with AGCO regulations, ensuring modern games have protections like responsible gambling tools. Over 86% of Ontario players prefer regulated iGaming sites, up from 70% pre‑2022. This is a testament to consumer confidence in licensed, safe gaming environments.
Mobile & Digital Casino Experiences
Licensed online gambling platforms ensure seamless mobile gameplay with touch-friendly interfaces, responsive design, and complete casino gaming functionality. They offer everything from spinning slots to betting live on roulette tables. Regulation and fairness are also a top priority at many sites. Casinos are monitored to ensure encrypted mobile apps and sites, fair RNG operation, and transparent, responsible gambling features, which are all mandated by AGCO technical standards.
 You can wager on almost everything. Sports & Esports Betting
Since iGaming Ontario’s launch, single-event sports betting has been permitted, bringing Ontario in line with modern global betting practice. Legal sportsbooks offer bettors the chance to wager on:
- NHL
- NFL
- NBA
- Soccer
- MMA
- Horse Races.
A fast-growing segment includes regulated bets on games like the ones below. The best sports betting platforms provide market options from match winners to in-game prop bets.
- CS:GO
- League of Legends
- DOTA 2
Daily fantasy sports have been a huge hit and are also covered under Ontario’s regulated framework, with operators offering pools for several games such as:
Government-Run Games: Lotteries & Keno
Traditional lotteries run by the OLG, like Lotto Max and Pick‑3, are fully available for residents to enjoy and try. These casino gambling games can be purchased via lottery terminals or online. Top sites offer Keno-style ticket games, which are known for offering players the best casual play experiences.
Why Legal Regulation Matters
 Legislation and regulation matter when gambling for real money at land-based and online casinos. Legislation and regulation matter when gambling for real money at land-based and online casinos. Licensed sites are held to standards including audit compliance, certified RNGs, privacy measures, and support for responsible gambling, such as deposit limits, cooldowns, and self-exclusion. Ontario operators guarantee that player deposits are securely held and winnings are paid out. Offshore sites, by contrast, carry higher risks of fraud or unfair play.
Skill-based and prize-based games are heavily regulated in Ontario to prevent illegal forms. Some bars offer skill-based gambling machines under strict loophole control. Such machines can be risky and are not under AGCO regulation.
How Can Ontarians Legally Get Started & Play Online?
Getting started at an online gambling site can be overwhelming at first, but it’s pretty simple. Follow the step-by-step process below and start playing your favorite games.
- Verify Age: Must be 19+ to participate.
- Choose a Licensed Platform: Look for the official iGaming Ontario/AGCO badge.
- Register & Verify: Full KYC (proof of identity, residence).
- Set Responsible Limits: Use built-in tools to manage deposits.
- Make a Deposit: Options include Interac, credit cards, and e-wallets.
- Enjoy Gaming: Play your favorite games, bet on sports or races, all legally and securely.
The Final Say About Gaming Experiences For Ontarians
Ontario’s gaming landscape in 2025 presents an expansive, modern, and highly regulated environment. Ontarians can legally enjoy a wide range of stunning offers such as traditional casino games in land-based venues and online platforms, regulated sports and esports betting, lottery, horse racing, skill games, and fantasy sports. With over 80 regulated platforms in Ontario that focus on fairness, secure transactions, and responsible gambling measures, players have safe and diverse experiences at their fingertips.
By Pepper Parr
June 9th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The discussion was related to the development planned for 2083 Lakeshore Road. This is the property that is currently the parking lot opposite Emmas Back Porch.
 Second from the left – front row.  Entrance on the south side facing the lake. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward made the following comment:
“Thank you, Chair. I will be brief. I will not be supporting the recommendation, although I do want to thank staff for all their work on this and the applicants for for all of their work trying to get to some consensus on the few items that were outstanding.
“I think this is overdevelopment for this area. I believe that for a very long time, this will create a canyon of towers on both sides of a very narrow road, Old Lakeshore Road, right in proximity to our waterfront. I understand that there may be folks who think that the ship has sailed on this issue, but I am not going to give it any wind.
“I believe that this is not the right development here. My vision for downtown is not to see this type of height and density; it better belongs at the Major Transit Service Areas (MTSA) locations- where we have now shifted our urban growth center to.
“I maintain that vision. I will stand by that vision. I will fight that vision and I will continue to be consistent in what I think the downtown should be.
Councillor Kearns followed the Mayor with her comment – a tad cheeky. She has been smacking the Mayor more often these days.
 The captain here said Kearns “The captain here, through the chair, the ship has sailed, and here’s why. I went through this planning file with deep scrutiny, and I think that the commissioner can attest, we spent about an hour reviewing some of my initial questions, and I circulated many to staff in advance as well.
Here’s what I was looking for. I was looking for a defensible way out of this particular application, recognizing the contextual area in which it’s been landed. That’s why I referenced the provincial planning policy statement. I referenced the MTSA justification, the UGC.
“I asked how that could still hold. I asked about the leading policy context, and I asked about how a proposed scale intensification of the surrounding area affected the staff recommendation for approval before us today. And I was satisfied with those answers.
“I asked what would preclude the proposal to range from 10 to 15 storeys, and was met with an appropriate answer that was steeped in that planning, planning policy context. I went back to the concept plan. I checked the amenity spaces to see if there was any gapping, on mixed use, on amenities, on parking and any of those types of things, and I was remiss to not find any.
“That is why it is a complete report. I asked questions about the floor area ratio to see if it was outside an acceptable standard. And really it is 1.11 to 1.16, which is just a shortening of the parcel, but the same calculation holds the instruction to refer this file to staff to continue working on it, resulting in essentially immaterial changes – they are immaterial and almost imperceptible to the built form context and to the neighbouring areas.
 “I don’t work on my personal opinions in this role. I work on expert, technical staff, recommendations and reports and supporting policy pieces. That is why I have been led to a supportive position on this file.” “I talked deeply about the infrastructure, and I worked with the regional commissioners as well at the region about the holding zone placed in regards to junction street wastewater pumping station.
“I also consulted with the applicant on if they were satisfied that they could make efforts to release that holding zone as well. I asked questions of finance. Sorry, maybe not finance, but to finance through the Commissioner on how it may or may not affect DCS. And I asked questions of the region on how a holding zone would affect things like site plan, occupancy, etc. I worked very hard on behalf of the community to scrutinize this particular file and the place that I continue to land, although maybe outside of my personal opinions.
“I don’t work on my personal opinions in this role. I work on expert, technical staff, recommendations and reports and supporting policy pieces. That is why I have been led to a supportive position on this file.
“I would like to have a very different vision. I would like to have a completely different context. But the reality is, is that that is not where we sit today, and we would be leading ourselves to a tribunal if we failed to approve this development. I can’t speak about that, because that’s a legislative process; it would be extremely difficult to go against staff, technical experts.”
Councillor Nissan was up next:
“My personal point of view, and that which I brought forward, was not supporting tall buildings that were too high and in the wrong places. And at the time, what was going on in the football would have been the wrong place for such a tall building. Unfortunately, through OLT decisions, primarily, it has become clear, as demonstrated through the presentation, that the reality on the ground is not what I came for, not what I would like it to be, but we need to be real and be grounded in and what’s actually occurring.
 Councillor Nisan: “The context has shifted.” “In addition, we have a housing crisis in our province, including in Burlington. We have a staff. We have staff supporting it with their best expert advice, and they haven’t supported every development downtown, far from it. I think of the Waterfront Hotel development, where we were successful, but unfortunately being surrounded by buildings of a similar height.
“It is a reality. The context has shifted, as noted in the report. This will not in my opinion, be something we will be able to prevent this. Furthermore, we need the units, every extra unit in our community has an impact on supply, which is the only real way that we’re going to have more affordable housing is by increasing supply.
“So it would be one thing if staff weren’t supporting it be one thing if the immediate context were different. We fought those battles with success at the Waterfront Hotel, but not so much elsewhere. So indeed, the ship has sailed on this location. But we need to also ensure that we have enough housing for the next generations in our community, and whatever the cost of these units are, the supply is, what will having supplies? What will make that happen? So I will be supporting this.”
Some observations: If Councillor Nisan thinks the development is going to include affordable housing, one has to wonder how much he knows about the developments he is approving.
It was quite clear that the Mayor and Councillor Kearns were going to have a go at each other. What is motivating Kearns? She likes the look of the bling the Mayor has when she puts on the chain of office.
Expect to see more of this kind of behaviour.
 Mayor Med Ward: “I maintain that vision. I will stand by that vision. I will fight that vision and I will continue to be consistent in what I think the downtown should be”, For Meed Ward to issue the declarative statements –“ I maintain that vision. I will stand by that vision. I will fight that vision and I will continue to be consistent in what I think the downtown should be”, – has to be seen as a little on the self serving side. Back in 2010 she got herself elected on a Save the Waterfront platform. A little late in the game to bring back that vision.
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By Jeannie Løjstrup
A progressive jackpot is a cumulative prize, the size of which consists of deductions from each bet. With each game round, the size of the progressive jackpot increases. This means that the more bets gamblers make, the higher the maximum payout. Another feature of progressive jackpot slots is that winnings do not depend on the bet size. A player who has made the minimum bet can win.
