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BURLINGTON, ON. April 5, 2013 This could be a landing pad for ET – or it could be the place where citizens of Burlington dumped close to $20 million.  $20 million and counting – and then there are the court cases and the legal costs. It will look great when it’s officially opened in June – they are going to horn in on the Sound of Music Festival and hold the opening then when Spencer Smith Park will be packed with people. This is – the picture of the week. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON April 5, 2013 Burlington has an Urban Forest Management Plan that was approved in 2012 and included 40 recommendations, one of which is to consider a by-law that would limit or prevent people from cutting down trees on private property. The moment you mention “private property rights” in this city all those die-hard “my house is my castle” conservatives find they have to check their blood pressure. For some reason people feel that a tree that has been on a piece of land for more than 100 years can be cut down just because they hold the deed to the property. The trees are owned by the community – they just happen to be on a particular person’s piece of property. Burlington isn’t quite at that point in its intellectual evolution. Trees add value to just about everything. The values of homes on a well shaded street are always superior to that of houses in new developments that have a sapling on the front lawn.  Should we be cutting down trees of this size? The city, through its Urban Forest Management Plan, is committed to working with its partners and the community in both urban and rural areas of the city to ensure that this essential resource is managed effectively to maximize tree cover and health, increase native biodiversity, minimize risks to public and property and contribute to the environmental sustainability and quality of life in Burlington. “Burlington’s urban forest grows predominantly on private property” said Cathy Robertson, director of roads and parks maintenance. “We realize that the residents and other stakeholders who own or manage land in the city have the greatest ability to influence our urban forest. However, we also realize that there is a broad range of opinions on this subject.” The feasibility study will include a variety of engagement opportunities for affected stakeholders to actively participate in developing options and alternatives that provide a balance between the ability to use and enjoy private property, and the desire to protect trees. The city will be conducting a telephone survey, along with a number of online surveys and a community workshop. A survey of what other municipalities are doing is being undertaken – some city’s have a very strong policy – others, like Burlington have nothing.  This is an urban forest. Who do the trees belong to? The people on whose property they are growing. Fortunately, most of these are on city property. But what if they were not all on city property? Do the owners of the property on which the trees have the right to cut them down. Imagine what this street would look like then. Still think trees are private property? Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure puts it this way: learn what they are doing in this way: “At the end of the day, we want to have something that recognizes the impact trees have on our environment and quality of life but also is manageable from both the community’s and city’s perspective.” The really “sticky issues” usually get handed off to Stewart – right guy to have on this file. While the feasibility of a private tree bylaw is looked at the city wants to update existing bylaw on wood lot protection in the Halton Region for woodlots between 0.5 and 1.0 hectares. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. April 5, 2013 OK – so we are the best mid-size city in the country to live in – but this is taking that just a little to far. A Toronto resident is facing a plethora of criminal charges for his involvement in numerous break and enters to commercial properties throughout the Region. Check out this list: November 9/12 – North Halton Golf and Country Club at 93 Maple Avenue, Halton Hills November 9/12 – Sheridan Nurseries at 9674 Winston Churchill Boulevard, Norval November 13/12 – Arbor Garden Center at 6556 Trafalgar Road, Milton November 13/12 – Agram Garden Center at 2018 Dundas Street East, Oakville November 13/12 – White Oaks Golf Club at 1429 Dundas Street East, Oakville November 28/12 & December 4/12 – Terra Greenhouses at 12800 Britannia Road, Milton December 4/12 – Jade Garden Center at 5532 Trafalgar Road, Milton December 9/12 – Terra Greenhouses at 2275 Dundas Street , Burlington December 9/12 – Holland Park Garden Center at 2243 Fairview Street, Burlington December 15/12 – Petrie and Son’s at 740 Weller Court, Oakville  He did this ten times: must have thought he’d discovered the easiest place in the province to steal in – but they caught him. Toronto resident held without bail. Most entries yielded the accused a quantity of cash and damage was incurred to the premises themselves. Investigation led to a search warrant being executed at the residence of the male in January 2013, but efforts to locate him were unsuccessful. On April 4, 2013 the accused was arrested at his residence and held for a bail hearing.
ACCUSED: Jonathan ALLAN, 33 yrs of Toronto CHARGES: Break, Enter and Theft (seven counts), Break, Enter with Intent (four counts), Fail to Comply with Probation (12 counts), Possession of Burglary Tools Ouch!
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 No one knows how many times this vote button was pushed. Often enough to bring $20,000 to Burlington. BURLINGTON, ON April 5, 2013 Goderich managed to get more votes for themselves than Burlington and they get the $100,000 Kraft – The Games Goes On award – but Burlington was most definitely in the race and will be given a $20,000 award for the Burlington Lions Optimist Minor Hockey Association (BLOMHA) John McNeil was the Burlington “poster boy” for this feat when Kristen Priestner nominated him as the “manager extraordinaire” and that got McNeil in as a finalist. The contest, which was open to any community in the country that ran a minor hockey team that met the Hockey Canada criteria, was based on nominations that came in from individual communities. The country was broken out into five regions, with Ontario being one of them Once all the nominations from each region were in, Kraft narrowed down the list to five from each Region. Burlington was up against Goderich, Lakefield, Cornwall and Stittsville. Just over 18 months ago Goderich got hit with a major hurricane that tore apart the centre of that city – the community had to pull together and that experience would have had them well-oiled for the Kraft – The Game Goes On contest. The selection was based on “votes” but these were not like the usual vote – in this game a person could vote as many times as they wanted and for whoever they wanted. All you had to do was log in click the vote button, key in the code to ensure that you were a human being and not some computer out there dialing in. Then all the user had to do was click on the vote button. And then did it all over again until your were numb with exhaustion.  There it was – proof positive that BLOMHA was in the winner’s circle. No one knows yet what the individual counts were for each community – the total for the country was reported at 750,000 which seems quite low. Dirk Wolterbeek from Goderich, Ontario, received the most votes and is being recognized today with a $100,000 award to the Goderich Minor Hockey Association. The other four inspiring Ontarians earning a $20,000 award for their selected minor hockey associations include Mike Goble from Lakefield, Rod McLeod from Cornwall, John McNeil from Burlington and Cathy Bureau from Stittsville. Burlington’s nominee, known as a “Manager Extraordinaire,” John McNeil was described by his nominator, Kristen Priestner “as going above and beyond for the Major Atom A Burlington Bulldogs. Whether fundraising, coordinating tournaments, hosting the Parents’ Christmas Social or organizing this year’s Ontario Hockey Federation Playoffs, McNeil is the heart and soul of his team.”  As we reported on this event during the two-day race to get as many votes as possible – the picture that told the story for us was this one. The kids are focused and just clicking away. That guy in the middle is going to be playing the game – real soon. The voting started at 9:00 am last Saturday and other than a small hiccup at the start it went smoothly. Burlington parents were involved in their hockey end of season games. Besides driving to London twice and getting their kids out to two games in Burlington this band of parents had to hustle anyone they knew with a keyboard to dial in and vote.  Working from a “hot spot” on the 401 and a cell phone – these “bulldogs” managed to vote frequently. “We used a cell phone to find a “hot spot” on the 401 and had kids on-line via the cell phone to vote as a parent drove” explained McNeil. The winners of awards were announced Monday night during a Flyers -Canadiens game (Montreal lost which was not a good sign) and Kraft announced the $100,000 winner for Ontario – Goderich.  Well – they certainly no where their bread is buttered. A $20,000 prize tends to pull smiles like this. This is the BLOMHA core that made the award possible – there are probably a couple of bodies that didn’t make it. I want to know – which one is Kristen Priestner? For fans – it is all about the game and $20,000 is nothing to sneeze at. McNeil who doesn’t control the award does expect the BLOMHA executive to use the funds to defer fees for kids who can’t afford to play and to buy equipment for those who need better than what their families can afford. The core team did gather at McNeil’s house to watch the results – “it was a school night and we had practice last night, practice tomorrow, all the parents are going to a community fundraiser Friday night and we have a game Saturday…. Busy busy.” And they still managed to bring home $20,000 worth of bacon. McNeil hopes Kraft releases the numbers. “we would like to see how we fared against the other communities – it will give us a sense of where our strength is and where we can improve”, said McNeil. Ever the analyst – he wants data. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. April 3, 2013 – The first hint that there were going to be neighbourhood character studies was when the Planning department held a very small workshop at the Performing Arts Centre where they gave three groups of people the same very large map and asked them to define the neighbourhoods on the map. Each of the groups came up with vaguely similar boundaries but there really wasn’t much in the way of a clear expression of just what a neighbourhood was. Little wonder: according to Alan Gummo, formerly with the planning department and now retired, the word neighbourhood doesn’t appear in the Official Plan, a document the city was setting out to review as required by provincial legislation. The city’s Planner had decided the 2013 review would be much deeper than past reviews, doing so for a number of reasons. Bruce Krushelnicki now had Provincial guidelines he had to adhere to and he had a much more robust Strategic Plan to adhere to as well. That document was crystal clear in its viewpoint – there were to be “vibrant neighbourhoods” and while that concept has been used to slip through some pretty dodgy spending, there was no getting away from the fact that it was something that had to be dealt with. If there are to be vibrant neighbourhoods the planners needed to know just where those neighbourhoods were located.  Fifteen acres, 30 homes, three streets are all part of the Indian Point enclave felt to be the oldest neighbourhood outside the Burlington core. Krushelnicki explained to the residents from Indian Point Tuesday evening, that Burlington was a core city that just added neighbourhoods as it evolved. Indian Point was probably the very first neighbourhood that got described as an “enclave” with 30 properties that were made distinct by large lots bounded by a creek on the north and Lake Ontario on the south. Aldershot evolved. Roseland came into being, Millcroft, the Orchard are a few of the others that followed. The most recent is Alton Village that came about when the 407 was built which created a piece of land that was no longer north of the rural boundary. Other than some housing to be included in the Tremaine Road/Dundas development in the eastern part of the city and the Eagle Heights development in the west, the city is pretty well-built out and as Krushelnicki put it “we now have to better manage what we have.”  Anne McIlroy, standing, talks to Indian Point residents about their views and vision for the community that is part of an Official Plan review character study.
The Halton Catholic District School Board has 192 staff members on the provincial governments “sunshine list of people earning more than $100,000 per year. The public school board has 328 people over the $100,000 level while the city of Burlington has 117 people at that level. Are the numbers reflective of what is earned in the private sector? Do we have an educational system that is taking more out of the public purse than it is putting back into the education of our children? The figure at the end of each line is the taxable benefit paid to the employee. We apologize for the formatting. ADOLPHE, ELSIE Secondary Department Head $101,579.92 $72.00 AGRO , ANTHONY Principal $118,255.90 $244.64 AGRO, DEROSA LAURA Vice Principal $111,503.44 $244.64 AMOROSO EUGENE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 ANDERSON JUDITH Vice Principal $104,035.19 $244.64 AQUILINA MELITA Secondary Department Head $101,079.92 $72.00 ARESTA VINCENT Vice Principal $116,696.72 $244.64 BAKAIC EMI Principal $115,615.30 $244.64 BALOGH STEPHANY Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 BARBATI JOHN Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 BATTAGLIA VITO Secondary Department Head $105,371.72 $72.00 BAUMAN CLAUDIA Special Education, Consultant $102,122.28 $71.92 BEHAN BARBARA Principal $110,316.18 $244.64 BERTIN MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 BIEN SONIA Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 BLACK JOANNE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 BLAIN VINCENT Secondary Department Head $104,458.32 $72.00 BOELHOUWER KAREN Secondary Department Head $106,103.62 $72.00 BOIAGO CATHERINE Vice Principal $105,682.33 $244.64 BOYD KEITH Ontario English Catholics Teachers Association – Secondary President $124,639.08 $72.00 BRADY KEVIN Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 BRAIDA MICHELE Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 BROCK RICHARD DENNIS Ontario English Catholics Teachers Association – Elementary President $160,850.86 $71.92 BROWNE TAMI Vice Principal $104,281.59 $244.64 BURNS GREGORY Secondary Consultant $101,248.02 $72.00 CACCAMO VINCENT Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 CALZONETTI JOSEPH Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 CAMILLETTI GINO Secondary Department Head $100,848.02 $72.00 CAMPBELL DANIELA Principal $104,409.85 $244.64 CAPORICCI CHRISTOPHER Vice Principal $102,223.36 $244.64 CARTER KELLEY Vice Principal $103,535.93 $244.64 CASCONE BROWNE KELLY Principal $117,257.28 $244.64 CASTELLAN DEAN Secondary Department Head $101,099.21 $72.00 CASTELLARIN TERESA Vice Principal $108,549.37 $122.35 CAVERLEY CAROL Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 CEELEN ANTHONY Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 CHESSER MARK Secondary Teacher $100,600.79 $72.00 CHIARELLI MICHAEL Principal $114,738.38 $244.64 CHOMA CATHERINE Vice Principal $102,223.36 $244.64 CIANCIOLO PAUL Principal $126,188.39 $244.64 CIPRIANO CAMILLO Principal $116,328.97 $244.64 COLTERMAN JOHN Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 CORBACIO GIACOMO Superintendent, Facilities $164,423.66 $1,370.40 CORDEIRO ANTHONY Vice Principal $107,279.22 $244.64 CROWELL JEFFREY Vice Principal $109,087.89 $244.64 CSERNYEI JULIUS Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 CULINA BRANKO Secondary Department Head $105,371.72 $72.00 DALY CHRISTINA Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 DALY PATRICK Principal $125,420.55 $244.64 DAVIS THERESA Senior Administrator, HR $106,035.78 $71.88 DECLERICO CHRISTINA Principal $114,098.85 $244.64 DELUCCA MALETTE RITA Principal $115,615.30 $244.64 DEMERIS TREVOR Vice Principal $104,412.76 $244.64 DENNIE MARGARET Vice Principal $100,321.62 $244.64 DEONI PAUL Vice Principal $103,535.93 $244.64 DESANTIS JOANE Vice Principal $111,482.92 $122.35 DIDIODATO ROBERTO Secondary Department Head $100,418.47 $72.00 DIDONATO CESARE Secondary Consultant $101,079.92 $72.00 DIIANNI PAUL Vice Principal $101,090.10 $244.64 DIIANNI ROCCO Vice Principal $115,956.50 $244.64 DINOLFO NANCY Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 DOBBIE KAREN Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 DOMINICK PAULA Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 DUFFIELD ALEXANDER Senior Administrator, Facilities $106,035.78 $71.88 DURRAN THOMAS Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 ELLISON SONIA Elementary Consultant $103,768.19 $71.92 ELSHOF WAYNE Senior Administrator, Information and Technology $114,057.50 $71.88 ESPOSITO YOLANDA Vice Principal $104,412.76 $244.64 FACH KATHLEEN Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 FAVERO CARLA Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 FAZZARI MAUREEN Secondary Department Head $105,371.72 $72.00 FERGUSON PAUL Secondary Department Head $100,848.02 $72.00 FINAN DONALD Secondary Department Head $102,099.23 $72.00 FLYNN ADRIAN Principal $115,699.94 $244.64 FOESE OLIVER Chief of Psychological Services $110,769.60 $71.88 FOSTER JUDY HELEN Secondary Department Head $100,265.58 $72.00 FOX DIANNE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 FUCA MARY LOUISE Secondary Department Head $100,043.05 $71.92 GALLAGHER MALISA PATRICIA Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 GALLOWAY DONNA LYNN Elementary Consultant $101,607.93 $71.92 GIARDINA MELISSA Secondary Department Head $103,665.92 $72.00 GIROUX WENDY Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 GOODWIN DUNCAN VICTORIA Consultant Special Education $118,111.08 $71.92 GOULART GABRIEL Secondary Department Head $100,848.02 $72.00 GRACE DAVID Secondary Department Head $106,675.10 $72.00 GUERIN JOSEY Principal $107,044.09 $244.64 GUROWKA ELIZABETH Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 GUZZO JOHN Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 GUZZO SUSAN Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 HALEY CHRISTOPHER Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 HALYCZ JOSIE Vice Principal $101,902.28 $244.64 HARRIS MICHAEL Vice Principal $116,554.50 $244.64 HERMAN JACQUELINE Superintendent, Education $164,423.66 $606.84 HOGAN VICTORIA Vice Principal $103,535.93 $244.64 HOURIGAN TERRENCE Secondary Department Head $101,079.52 $72.00 HOUSE SONYA Vice Principal $104,412.76 $244.64 HRYHORSKY CAROL Principal $118,255.90 $244.64 HUTTON MARGHERITA Secondary Department Head $100,848.02 $72.00 IANNETTA MICHAEL Principal $125,671.74 $244.64 JAMBROSICH FRANK Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 JENNY MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $101,079.92 $72.00 JONKER DWIGHT Vice Principal $111,503.44 $244.64 JURUS JOSEPH Vice Principal $110,626.50 $244.64 KALVAITIS RICHARD Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 KENNDY CONOR Secondary Teacher $107,858.28 $72.00 KINNEY KIMBERLY Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 KOHL SYLVIANNE Consultant Elementary $101,448.09 $71.92 KORITKO ANN Principal $118,255.90 $244.64 KUMAGAI MARICA Secondary Department Head $100,185.72 $72.00 LAFORET MARY CATHERINE Principal $104,867.29 $244.64 LANGILL RITA Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 LANOIS CLAIRE Vice Principal $104,412.76 $244.64 LAURIN GARY Secondary Department Head $101,114.40 $72.00 LAW BRUCE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 LEE VIJAY Secondary Department Head $100,369.58 $36.00 LEONARD PAUL Secondary Department Head $100,987.40 $72.00 LOCKE JAMES Vice Principal $111,503.44 $244.64 LOPRESTI ROSANNA Principal $119,043.82 $244.64 LOWICKI KATHERINE Principal $131,961.07 $244.64 LUTYK CAROLINE Elementary Consultant $102,122.28 $71.92 MACADONALD CAIRINE Principal $112,357.95 $244.64 MACADONALD MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 MACDOUGALL DOUG Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 MACINTYRE ELIZABETH Principal $112,002.98 $244.64 MACPHERSON DANIEL Secondary Teacher $100,369.58 $72.00 MARONESE MARGARET Vice Principal $103,535.93 $244.64 MAYNE PATRICK Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 MCARTHUR MARJORIE Vice Principal $111,503.44 $244.64 MCCARLES GORDON Vice Principal $106,151.08 $244.64 MCCARTHY KAREN Consultant, Special Education $102,122.28 $71.92 MCCARTHY TIMOTHY Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 MCDOUGALL CLARK Secondary Department Head $101,995.23 $72.00 MCGILLICUDDY COLIN Principal $126,188.39 $244.64 MCMAHON PAUL Superintendent, Business Services and Treasurer of the Board : $177,297.58 $1,269.44 MCNEILL ANNIE Elementary Teacher $116,575.39 $71.92 MERLINI JOHN Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 MILLER SANDRA Consultant, Special Education $103,981.95 $71.92 MONACO VINCENZO Vice Principal $105,781.13 $244.64 MONTANARI GINO Vice Principal $111,503.44 $244.64 MORO KATHLEEN Secondary Department Head $101,079.92 $72.00 MORRISSEY MICHELLE Vice Principal $103,535.93 $244.64 MUNRO MARISA Secondary Department Head $104,321.31 $72.00 MUVRIN RACHEL Secondary Department Head $103,831.54 $72.00 NAAR LORRAINE Superintendent, Education $154,055.69 $532.08 NACIUK RICHARD Vice Principal $116,554.50 $244.64 O’CONNOR BARBARA Consultant Elementary $101,448.09 $71.92 O’GRADY JUSTINE Principal $111,705.92 $244.64 O’HARA JOSEPH Executive Officer, HR $164,423.66 $1,536.72 OVERHOLT TIMOTHY Assistant Superintendent, HR $139,423.61 $1,002.28 PARADISO SUSAN Consultant Elementary $102,122.28 $71.92 PARISI MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 PAROYAN EDOUARD Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 PASCERI MARIA Vice Principal $104,412.76 $244.64 PAUTLER MICHAEL Director, Education $206,191.64 $1,078.52 PERUSIN ADRIANO Secondary Department Head $105,371.72 $72.00 PINELLI ANTONIA Superintendent, Education $154,055.69 $532.08 PINK ANTHONY Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 POLETTO ANGELO Secondary Department Head $101,848.04 $72.00 PONIKVAR SANDRA Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 PRKACIN ANNA Principal $119,132.81 $244.64 QUINLN JOHN Principal $131,961.07 $244.64 RALPHS MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 RIDEOUT JODIE Secondary Department Head $100,348.04 $72.00 ROBERTSON ELIZABETH Secondary Department Head $101,617.79 $72.00 ROLLAND SUZANNE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 ROSSINI SUZANNE Superintendent, Education $164,423.66 $606.84 ROWLES CONNIE Consultant, Special Education $101,311.08 $71.92 ROWLES JAMES Superintendent, Education $164,423.66 $1,627.44 SARTORI CLAUDO Secondary Department Head $105,371.72 $72.00 SHAW ROSALIE Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 SIMPSON COLIN Principal $118,255.90 $244.64 SLUSKI MICHAEL Secondary Department Head $100,155.90 $72.00 SMITH ANNA MAY Vice Principal $103,100.30 $244.64 SPOTSWOOD CHISTINE Elementary Teacher $116,173.12 $71.92 STARR MICHAEL Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 STEVENSON KATHERINE Consultant Elementary $101,595.88 $71.92 SUSI JOHN Principal $119,900.68 $244.64 SZPAKOWSKI PETER Secondary Department Head $101,505.22 $72.00 TESSARI MARY Superintendent, Education $164,423.66 $606.84 TRIANTAFILLOU LINDA Vice Principal $111,394.41 $244.64 VAITONIS NIJOLE Principal $125,420.55 $244.64 VANLANDSCHOOT CARL Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 VANROOSMALEN ERICA Chief Officer Research and Development $114,057.50 $71.88 VICIC NED Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 VIGNA PAT Principal $111,379.21 $244.64 WAECHTER LISA Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 WARMELS MARGARET Principal $113,374.06 $244.64 WELCH KATHERINE Secondary Teacher $102,725.36 $72.00 WHALEY MAUREEN Secondary Department Head $100,348.02 $72.00 YUST JENNIFER Principal $119,132.84 $244.64 ZUCKER STACEY Senior Administrator, Business Services $114,057.50 $71.88 [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. April 1, 2013 You will see the T-shirt first. 517 People. 25 Vendors. 344 Comments. 158 Photos. What Next? Indeed – what next. James Burchill has managed to take an idea and use Social Media to build an audience and a network into something that approaches 2000 people. He is a shameless self-promoter. His events are described by him as “epic”. He emails like the service was going to end tomorrow but this guy managed to get more than 500 people out to an event at the Performing Arts Centre to just network. The bar prices were on the high-end and the selection was limited but the people were there and the door prizes were good and the Mayor said nice things about what he was doing. That was enough for James Burchill this time out.  Business in Burlington is all about business cards which identify the more than 2000 people who are part of a unique collection of people who meet once a month. Burchill runs the Business in Burlington (BiB) “Meet Up”. It is what is says it is – a place for people to meet and talk business. It’s not a place to find the man or woman of your life or even for the next weekend. Certainly not a singles set up. The way we relate, the paths we walk along to get where we want to go, the people we meet and then choose to meet are all part of the way the society we live in works. We organize ourselves into groups; it used to be Scouts and Girl Guides but those organizations didn’t keep up with the needs of families and the pedophilia within the Boy Scouts certainly didn’t help that crowd. We join golf and country clubs, or a book study group; maybe the Chamber of Commerce or the YMCA. New organizations come into existence to meet new needs.  They didn’t fill every square foot but there were certainly enough of them to create a buzz. The display tables on the mezzanine were very busy. Burlington has one of those unique situations where there are four Rotary Clubs – each meeting the needs of different groups of people. Many people use Rotary as a touch point and refer frequently to their fellow Rotarians. It is almost as if you have to belong to the Rotary to be real. Sports is a big part of family life in this city. We put athletics ahead of scholarship and are relentless when it comes to funding events in the community with galas and gatherings. In Burlington the Chamber of Commerce , which is fairly described as the mainline business organization, has committees and represents the commercial sector. BiB doesn’t do any representing nor does it seem to involve itself with the larger community. Is this the direction Social Media is taking us in? The ‘mini-trade show at the Performing Arts Centre was such a success for Burchill that he has already booked the date for the next such event – March 20th, 2014. The last one went so well that Burchill is holding an event at which he will tell you how he pulled it off – he says he is prepared to tell you about what worked; what didn’t work and the mistakes along the way. Here’s how Burchill shills for this event: Finally, when you pull off an event this big on your own, people begin to wonder how you did it. A couple of popular questions are: How do you keep growing the networks? How do you get such high engagement and turn-out? Would you be interested in attending a private presentation about this event and how I put it together, how I marketed it, the tools I used, the strategies I deployed and so on? I’ll take you behind the scenes and show you the successful parts … and the screw ups (there were a couple of good ones!) It’ll be a candid experience and one I think will open your eyes to the marketing power of local networking events. You can let me know here:  Networking – right. It was an “epic” event for Burchill. So good that he is going to do it again next year. He promotes: shamelessly, consistently, a little outside the Burlington character but his people love him and they tend to leave satisfied and plan on returning. Burchill has moved his monthly event from the Waterfront Hotel to Ivy on the South Service Road. Next time up is this Wednesday 5 to 7 pm. It is certainly a nice location and the parking is free. It will be “fabulous” when they are out on the patio. Business in Burlington – if you want to know how to exploit Social Media to its fullest – listen to Burchill. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON April 2, 2013 – If you thought the “Sunshine list for the city of Burlington was big – the school boards seem to have everyone on their list. There are 328 Halton District School Board employees on the list for 2012. The last figure on each line represents a taxable benefit paid to the employee.  David Euale, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board is paid roughly what the Burlington city manager earns. The Director of Education, David Euale earns an amount equivalent to that of Burlington’s city manager. It appears that every school principal earns $100,000 plus. In the Globe and Mail of today’s date editorialized with the following: In short there is now a Sunshine economy, and the rest of us. And it’s not just Ontario, most government at all levels across Canada have failed to properly manage their payroll. The need to address this disparity and control their salary spending before it widens further. We apologize for the lack of better formatting of the data that follows.
 It is about the students – or have we forgotten that?
ADAMS DALE Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 ADAMS DOUGLAS Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 AILEY CLAIRE Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 ALBRECHT DAN Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 ALEXIOU CHRIS Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 ANDERSON JOANNA Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 ANSTETT NANCY Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 ARNOLD CHRIS Secondary Teacher $107,563.04 $0.00 BALL THERESA Vice Principal Elementary $100,284.85 $208.00 BALLENTINE RONALD Instructional Coordinator Elementary $113,606.92 $0.00 BARNES DEAN Principal Secondary $111,785.81 $208.00 BARRETT ALBERT Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 BARTNICKI ODETTE Supervisory Official $177,841.78 $5,460.00 BATE CYNTHIA Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 BECKWITH TERRI Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 BEDARD ERIN Principal Elementary $103,574.87 $208.00 BEJJANY CHRISTINE Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 BENEDETTI KRISTA Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 BENNETT PAIGE Instructional Consultant – Elementary $102,246.46 $0.00 BENNETT–AHEARN RAQUEL Vice Principal Elementary $103,574.87 $208.00 BIRD PETER Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 BLACKWELL JEFF Associate Director $198,705.41 $5,460.00 BLACKWELL TERRI Principal Elementary $105,652.88 $208.00 BOAG DAVID Supervisory Official $175,328.00 $5,460.00 BONANNO KAREN Principal Elementary $109,078.32 $208.00 BORBATH MALERIE Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 BOTELHO LUISA Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $107,364.83 $0.00 BOTHWELL DOUGLAS Principal Secondary $122,268.47 $208.00 BOURNE DAVID Secondary Teacher $100,522.04 $0.00 BOVEY PAMELA Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 BRANDON IAN Instructional Coordinator Elementary $116,692.44 $0.00 BROWN ROB Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 BUKOVCAN MIKE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 BUSSE NORMAN Secondary Teacher $109,412.98 $0.00 BUTTON JACQUELINE Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 CALDWELL–MCCANN TERILL Instructional Coordinator Elementary $111,092.44 $0.00 CAMPANARO MARCELLO Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 CANT VALERIE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 CAREY JEFFERY Vice Principal Secondary $106,272.42 $208.00 CAREY MARGARET Department Head – Secondary $102,101.81 $0.00 CARON KRISTA Department Head – Secondary $101,966.61 $0.00 CARRIGAN SUSAN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 CARROLL KATHLEEN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 CASEY SHARON Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 CATANIA JEFFREY Instructional Coordinator Secondary $113,704.56 $0.00 CAUGHLIN KEVIN Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 CERICOLA MARGARET Principal Elementary $116,071.04 $208.00 CHENIER JACQUELINE Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 CLATWORTHY GRANT Principal Elementary $120,071.04 $208.00 CLIFTON KENNETH Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 COFFEY LISA Principal Elementary $117,128.60 $208.00 CONSOLI ALLISON Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 CORRIGAN SANDRA Elementary Teacher $105,966.58 $0.00 COSENTINO CINDY Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $106,489.56 $0.00 CROCKER GARY Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 CULLEN GERALD Supervisory Official $168,737.72 $5,460.00 CUNDARI VINCE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 D’ALESIO GUY Department Head – Secondary $102,516.61 $0.00 DAIGNAULT PAUL Vice Principal Secondary $109,120.30 $208.00 DALY RUTH Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 DAVIDSON GRANT Instructional Coordinator Elementary $113,783.24 $0.00 DAVIN CAROL Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 DAVIS MICHELLE Instructional Consultant – Elementary $104,097.50 $0.00 DAVISON PHIL Instructional Coordinator Secondary $114,904.56 $0.00 DE–GRAAF ADRIAN Department Head – Secondary $101,166.61 $0.00 DEBOER DEBORAH Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 DEMAN KATHLEEN Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 DEMEDEIROS TERRY Regional Supervisor $110,376.75 $0.00 DEMOPOLIS CHRIS Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 DEVEREUX LESLEY Department Head – Secondary $101,982.07 $0.00 DI–MATTEO LAURA Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 DICKSON LOIS Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 DILEO TONY Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 DISYAK VICTOR Secondary Teacher $103,705.82 $0.00 DONALDSON GORD Vice Principal Elementary $102,335.23 $208.00 DRUMMOND ANNA Principal Elementary $101,438.50 $208.00 DUECKMAN SUSAN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 DULEY MARK Vice Principal Secondary $116,867.79 $208.00 DUNCAN CHRISTOPHER Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 DUNN DEBORAH Principal Elementary $125,230.40 $208.00 DYKES DAVID Long Term Occasional Teacher – Secondary $102,666.00 $0.00 DYKSTRA SUSAN Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 DYSON PATRICIA Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00 EATOUGH ROBERT Supervisory Official $157,804.34 $5,460.00 EMMERSON SHEILA Vice Principal Secondary $109,120.30 $208.00 ETHERINGTON ALLISON Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 EUALE DAVID Director $228,019.01 $0.00 FARNAND REGINALD Principal Elementary $116,760.56 $208.00 FARRELL HATTIE Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 FARRISH MARY JANE Vice Principal Secondary $112,512.30 $208.00 FAULKNOR BEVERLY Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 FEATHERSTONE DONALD Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 FINAN BARB Department Head – Secondary $104,266.61 $0.00 FISHER BRADFORD Secondary Teacher $107,223.66 $0.00 FLANAGAN COLLEEN Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 FORD TODD Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 FRANKOVICH NICK Principal Elementary $124,910.56 $208.00 FRASER CAMERON Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 FRAYNE–FRENCH SHARON Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 GABRIELE SUSAN Department Head – Secondary $102,027.25 $0.00 GALLANT MICHAEL Vice Principal Secondary $107,511.93 $208.00 GASSI CARMEN Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 GATAVECKAS HEATHER Instructional Coordinator Elementary $111,092.44 $0.00 GAZAN MONIQUE Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 GEORGE THOMAS Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 GOLDSWORTHY JUDI Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 GOODHOOFD HERB Assistant $101,666.48 $0.00 GOODLET KYLE Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 GRAHAM DEREK Vice Principal Secondary $105,914.69 $208.00 GRUBER JEFFREY Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 GRZESLO JOLANTA Instructional Consultant – Elementary $101,297.50 $0.00 GUEST MARIE Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 GUNION JENNIFER Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $104,465.60 $0.00 HALL FIONA Instructional Program Leader – Elementary $100,697.50 $0.00 HALL GILLIAN Instructional Coordinator Secondary $116,784.36 $0.00 HALL TIMOTHY Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 HAMILTON DAVID Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 HAMILTON ROBERT Principal Elementary $122,683.36 $208.00 HARPER HOWARD Department Head – Secondary $100,866.61 $0.00 HARTMAN KAREN Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 HAYAKAWA ERIN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 HAYLES CHERYL Vice Principal Elementary $104,361.35 $208.00 HEFFERNAN REGAN Principal Secondary $124,090.62 $208.00 HENLEY JOHN Elementary Teacher $105,966.51 $0.00 HERLIHEY GERARD Principal Secondary $114,321.57 $208.00 HEWSON BOB Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 HOTCHKISS TODD Vice Principal Secondary $118,120.30 $208.00 HOULDCROFT KEVIN Department Head – Secondary $102,666.61 $0.00 HUDSON ELIZABETH Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 HUGHES–ALLEN KELLY Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 HUMPHRIES DENISE Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 HUNT–GIBBONS JULIE Principal Secondary $120,705.82 $208.00 IANNUZZI ROBERT Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 IBBOTT RYAN Department Head – Secondary $115,173.55 $0.00 ISBISTER KAREN Manager $115,376.79 $0.00 JENKINS GARY Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 JERMYN JOYCE Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 JOHNSTONE DIANE Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 JONES BOB Principal Elementary $110,936.57 $208.00 JONES DONALD Instructional Coordinator Elementary $112,341.40 $0.00 JUBY JANET Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 JUDGE KELLY Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 KAISER ANDREW Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 KEMPFF HEATHER Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 KERSHAW JO–ANNE Senior Manager $126,344.58 $0.00 KEW MARGARET Vice Principal Secondary $113,059.65 $208.00 KOEKKOEK CAROLINE Senior Manager $126,344.58 $0.00 KOVICH MARK Department Head – Secondary $105,603.81 $0.00 LALL GURDEEP Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 LANG DIANA Department Head – Secondary $106,343.74 $0.00 LECLERC–HARWOOD SUZANNE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 LEMAIRE MICHELLE Vice Principal Secondary $104,583.22 $0.00 LEWIS CAROLYN Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 LEWIS DAVID Instructional Coordinator Secondary $124,442.25 $0.00 LEWIS JANE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 LIMANNI MARIA Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 LIN AMY Secondary Teacher $101,160.99 $0.00 LLOYD SIOBHAN Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 LOFT FONDA Department Head – Secondary $105,603.81 $0.00 LONG CATHERINE Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 LYALL MARK Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 MAANDAG NICK Regional Supervisor $110,376.75 $0.00 MACAULAY MALCOLM Department Head – Secondary $100,421.88 $0.00 MACDOUGALL STEPHEN Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 MACFARLANE MARGARET Elementary Teacher $105,966.58 $0.00 MACK SUSAN Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 MACLEOD JULIE Instructional Coordinator Elementary $111,092.44 $0.00 MARAS JOHN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 MARCHAND LIDIA Principal Elementary $106,797.25 $208.00 MARION LUCY Vice Principal Secondary $112,120.30 $208.00 MARKS GILLIAN Vice Principal Elementary $103,274.87 $208.00 MARKS SEAN Principal Elementary $111,573.89 $208.00 MARLOW TONI Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 MARSHALL PETER Principal Elementary $116,810.56 $208.00 MARTINO MICHAEL Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 MATHEWS JOLLEEN Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 MATHEWS MERRILL Principal Elementary $109,078.32 $208.00 MCARTHUR KATHERINE Principal Elementary $120,071.04 $208.00 MCCARTER JANE Principal Elementary $109,078.32 $208.00 MCDONALD GAIL Principal Elementary $113,113.47 $208.00 MCFADDEN DEBRA Supervisory Official $157,804.34 $5,460.00 MCLELLAN MARIA Principal Secondary $124,090.62 $208.00 MCRAE SHAWN Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 MERNER STEPHEN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 MIHAILOVICH GUS Principal Elementary $106,797.28 $208.00 MILLER STUART Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00
 Parents know what it costs to keep their children in these classrooms – now they know what it costs to keep the principals in the schools. Too much?
MILLS KATHERINE Secondary Teacher $113,580.66 $0.00 MILOVANOVIC PETER Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 MITCHELL MARYANNE Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 MORASSUT RANDY Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 MUIR SUZANNE Instructional Coordinator Elementary $110,847.15 $0.00 MURRAY KEITH Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 NAPIER MARGARET Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 NEWCOMBE REBECCA Vice Principal Secondary $101,888.93 $0.00 NEWTON JACQUELINE Principal Secondary $124,566.74 $208.00 NIMIGAN MARGARET Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 NODWELL RICHARD Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 O’BRIEN KAREN Department Head – Secondary $107,047.21 $0.00 O’HARA STACIE Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 O’HEARN ALBERT Occasional Principal – Secondary $127,030.90 $0.00 O’MALLEY LARRY Principal Secondary $130,665.02 $208.00 OBENG YAW Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00 OLENICK MARTYN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 OLIVER STEVEN Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $100,305.90 $0.00 OTHMAN RITA Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 OXLEY JACQUELYN Vice Principal Secondary $115,955.80 $208.00 PAYNE STEPHEN Department Head – Secondary $105,603.79 $0.00 PAZIUK JENNIFER Principal Elementary $104,169.35 $208.00 PEARCE BRENDA Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 PEARCE KEITH Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 PECE JACQUIE Vice Principal Secondary $109,120.30 $208.00 PENNYFATHER JOHN Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 PETERSON CHRISTINA Instructional Coordinator Secondary $119,778.53 $0.00 PETTINATO MARISA Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 PFEIFFER KELLI Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 PHILLIPS BRENT Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 PHILLIPS JOHN Vice Principal Secondary $112,098.41 $208.00 PILIBBOSSIAN STEVE Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 PILSZAK JEFF Department Head – Secondary $101,166.61 $0.00 PITT MICHAEL Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 POCIURKO HELEN Vice Principal Secondary $110,846.22 $208.00 POPE STEVEN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 POWELL DEBORAH Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 PREINER MONICA Department Head – Secondary $101,649.43 $0.00 PRIESTNER SUZANNE Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 PRITCHARD SCOTT Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 PRITCHARD SUSAN Instructional Coordinator Elementary $111,092.44 $0.00 PRUDEN RASA Vice Principal Secondary $109,541.45 $208.00 PULLEN JOHN Principal Elementary $109,078.32 $208.00 PURCELL DAVID Principal Elementary $121,378.14 $208.00 QUIST EVELYN Principal Elementary $106,103.11 $208.00 REDMOND KIMBERLEY Vice Principal Secondary $109,120.30 $208.00 REHM ANDREAS Secondary Teacher $104,392.30 $0.00 REHM KATE Vice Principal Secondary $105,519.62 $208.00 REID LAURIE Principal Elementary $103,326.72 $208.00 REIST CAROLYN Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 RENTON DEBORAH Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 RENZELLA DOMENICO Manager $111,650.73 $0.00 RICE NANCY Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 ROBBESON HEATHER Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 ROBERTSON GAVIN Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 ROBINSON DEB Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 RUDDOCK COLETTE Principal Elementary $113,524.60 $138.00 RUDGE CHERIE Department Head – Secondary $101,166.61 $0.00 SADAI TIMOTHY Instructional Consultant – Secondary $102,665.60 $0.00 SAGAR KERRY Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $105,765.60 $0.00 SAHAI ALKA Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 SAHI MANWINDER Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 SALMINI CRISTINA Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 SAMPSON STEPHEN Vice Principal Secondary $100,898.59 $0.00 SAMSA ALVIN Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 SAUNDERS STEVE Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 SCHNURR JODIE Department Head – Secondary $104,754.71 $0.00 SCOTT NIGEL Vice Principal Secondary $109,420.30 $208.00 SEREBRIN LISA Principal Elementary $104,169.35 $208.00 SHIELDS SANDRA Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 SHOSS JONATHAN Principal Secondary $124,090.62 $208.00 SHYMINSKY KENNETH Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 SILVESTRI LUIGI Vice Principal Elementary $102,635.23 $208.00 SKANES LEONA Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 SKROVONEK STEPHEN Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 SLEMKO BRIAN Principal Elementary $108,529.71 $208.00 SMITH BRUCE Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00 SMOLENAARS ROBERT Elementary Teacher $105,966.51 $0.00 SODEN HELEN Vice Principal Secondary $112,120.30 $208.00 SONODA SHARI Instructional Consultant – Elementary $100,697.50 $0.00 SORGENTE ALEX Department Head – Secondary $101,766.61 $0.00 SPENCE WENDY Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 SPRUIN CONAN Vice Principal Elementary $100,284.85 $208.00 ST–JAMES MARY Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 STEPHENSON LIBBY Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 STEVENS PETER Vice Principal Secondary $109,120.30 $208.00 STEWART HEATHER Vice Principal Secondary $110,359.65 $208.00 STEWART JANET Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 STEWART KYLE Secondary Teacher $100,097.47 $0.00 STEWART LINDA Senior Manager $109,598.81 $0.00 STIEVA JOHN Principal Secondary $122,851.25 $208.00 STOOKES SHARON Principal Elementary $115,034.97 $208.00 SUMNER RANDAL Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 SWANSON DAVID Principal Elementary $115,271.04 $208.00 SWANSON KIMBERLEY Department Head – Secondary $102,935.21 $0.00 SWEETMAN JACQUELINE Senior Manager $126,344.58 $0.00 SYDOR SHELLEY Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 TAPP PATRICIA Vice Principal Elementary $102,335.23 $208.00 TAYLOR ANDREA Principal Secondary $113,546.46 $208.00 TAYLOR DONNA Principal Secondary $129,756.47 $208.00 TEMPLETON JAMES Secondary Teacher $100,639.40 $0.00 TERRY KELLEY Senior Manager $126,344.58 $0.00 THOMPSON CAROL Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 THOMSON DOUGLAS Secondary Teacher $101,249.84 $0.00 THORPE MARIAN Instructional Coordinator Secondary $114,678.53 $0.00 TOTH JOE Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 TRAINOR NANCY Vice Principal Elementary $100,284.85 $208.00 TRUFFEN GORD Principal Elementary $116,997.07 $208.00 TULK–LAPRADE DALLAS Principal Elementary $104,863.67 $208.00 TUTTON DANE Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00 VAN–ROOYEN JASON Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 VAN–WYNGAARDEN BRIAN Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 VANDENBROEK TERRY Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 VANDERHELM PAUL Principal Elementary $116,510.56 $208.00 VARGA SHARON Principal Elementary $103,079.71 $208.00 VARRICCHIO NICHOLAS Principal Secondary $119,482.96 $208.00 VEERMAN LUCY Supervisory Official $175,328.53 $5,460.00 VISENTIN DANIEL Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 WALKER SHELITA Principal Elementary $102,929.71 $208.00 WALLACE ELEANOR Department Head – Secondary $104,123.54 $0.00 WALLACE KIMBERLEY Instructional Coordinator Secondary $113,104.56 $0.00 WALSH JO–ANNE Instructional Program Leader – Secondary $103,865.60 $0.00 WARREN MARGARET Principal Secondary $118,243.23 $138.00 WATSON JOHN Secondary Teacher $107,223.66 $0.00 WAUGH LORI Vice Principal Elementary $102,035.23 $208.00 WEINBERGER MAUREEN Elementary Teacher $139,316.32 $0.00 WERNER LYNNETTE Instructional Program Leader – Elementary $103,038.30 $0.00 WHITE DARLENE Principal Secondary $119,482.96 $208.00 WHITE PAUL Department Head – Secondary $103,790.58 $0.00 WILLIAMSON SCOTT Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 WILSON DOUGLAS Department Head – Secondary $101,540.58 $0.00 WORLIDGE KAREN Instructional Program Leader – Elementary $101,547.50 $0.00 WOTHERSPOON WILLIAM Manager $114,619.06 $0.00 WREN PAUL Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 WRIGHT PAT Executive Director – Halton Learning Foundation $107,795.69 $0.00 WYATT KATHERINE Manager $110,376.75 $0.00 YHARD BRADLEY Department Head – Secondary $100,919.80 $0.00 YOUNG JAMES Department Head – Secondary $114,125.85 $0.00 ZEHR MURRAY Department Head – Secondary $102,935.21 $0.00 ZINN JOEL Department Head – Secondary $101,644.11 $0.00 ZONNEVELD MARK Supervisory Official $175,328.47 $0.00 ZUCHKAN DINA Department Head – Secondary $100,266.61 $0.00 [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 28, 2013 The following city of Burlington employees were paid a salary in excess of $100,000 during 2012. The taxable benefits(TB) paid are also shown.  $100,000 does bring out a smile. The number of people on the sunshine list in the province increased by 11% over 2012. Some critics say that with the ever-expanding list, it might be time to consider raising the $100,000 threshold. However, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said Thursday the governing Liberals have no plans to do so and Premier Kathleen Wynne said that $100,000 remains a lot of money for most people. Frank Ramagnano of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Union says he wants the government to bring the list in line with inflation — which would mean that those who made $100,000 in 1996 would have to make $140,000 today to make the list. Armine Yalnizyan of Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says only a small fraction of workers in Ontario have salaries that exceed the $100,000 threshold. “In Ontario, she said, “ about six per cent of the population of tax filers have an income over $100,000,”. The list was created by the Mike Harris government in the mid 1990’s.
ADCOCK, Alan, Firefighter: $103,120.56 Taxable benefit: $465.42 ALDHAM, Judy, Field Services Supervisor: $109,996.12 Taxable benefits: $1,849.56 ALLDRIDGE, Brian Platoon Chief : $123,328.88 Taxable benefits: $615.58 ANSELL, Daniel, Captain $113,321.01 Taxable benefits: $563.97 ANTONIOW, Phil, Manager Prg Dev, Budgets and Contracts: $109,032.48 Taxable benefits: $589.89 AXIAK , Rob, Manager Facility Operations and Special Projects: $100,706.66 Taxable benefits: $517.11 BAKOS, Michael Captain $110,541.90, Taxable benefits: $550.29 BARRY, Philip: Captain $108,934.31 TB $543.42 BAVOTA, Anthony: Deputy Fire Chief : $135,355.02 TB $1,803.63 BAYLOR, Mark: Captain: $112,179.98 TB $553.48 BAYNTON, Steve T: Captain: $113,327.35 TB $574.42 BEATTY, David N., Acting Fire Chief : $135,600.07 TB $7,988.79 BEDINI, Chris : District Supervisor: $100,408.00 TB $624.58 BENNETT, Randy: Mgr IT Infrastructure and Operations: $113,555.91 TB $614.11 BENNITT, James District Supervisor : $101,373.56 TB $787.70 BIELSKI, Bianca Manager Development Planning: $132,453.19 TB $714.42 BIRCH Charles T., Captain : $115,543.23 TB $563.97 BLACK, Jeffrey Manager Field Services: $101,181.82 TB $4,813.50 BOURQUE, Andrew Firefighter $101,930.99 TB $471.18 BOYD, Laura Manager Human Resources $101,769.05 TB $554.11 BRILLON, Sylvain Firefighter: $104,285.17 TB $465.42 CAMPBELL, Shawn Firefighter : $100,208.76 TB $465.42 CAUGHLIN, Deborah: Manager Council Services $103,761.11 tb $552.95 CHOLEWKA, Chris: Captain – $112,498.29 TB $529.88 COFFEY Peter Firefighter – $100,973.19 TB $469.49 COULSON, Ann Marie: Manager Financial Planning and Taxation: $126,435.63 TB $634.54 CRASS, John, Manager Traffic Services: $108,155.43 TB $578.50 CUNNINGHAM, Paul Firefighter $100,043.98 TB $465.42 DI PIETRO, Italo Manager Infrastructure and Data Management: $121,557.53 TB $636.90 DONATI , Derrick Firefighter: $100,317.10 TB $466.35 DOWD, Timothy, Captain: $115,724.49 TB $563.97 DUNCAN, John Manager Field Services: $116,822.29 TB $2,684.06 EALES, Mark: Captain $112,343.25 TB $536.60 EICHENBAUM, Toomas : Director of Engineering: $157,528.25 TB $853.97 EVANS Francis, Manager Halton Court Administration: $104,951.46 TB $558.37 FEDYSZYN, Blair Firefighter: $102,795.11 TB $465.42 FIELDING, Jeff: City Manager: $224,513.98 TB $8,180.96 FIORAVANTILeanne: Solicitor $101,899.65 TB $488.14 FLORESCO, Dennis W Firefighter : $101,283.09 TB $491.42 FORD, Joan Director of Finance: $149,510.39 TB $774.78 FRYER, E. Todd Firefighter: $102,610.17 TB $505.72 GLENN, Christopher: Director of Parks and Recreation: $128,983.69 TB $697.80 GLOBE, Darren Captain: $108,214.71 TB $547.92 GOLDRING, Patrick – Mayor: $165,487.94 TB $3,581.77 GRISON, Gregory J. Captain: $114,429.03 TB $563.97 GUMMO, Alan: Manager Planning Policy: $105,320.29 TB $425.82 HAMILTON, Scott – Manager Design and Construction: $107,399.35 TB $574.40 HAMMER, Chad Firefighter: $104,538.46 TB $488.81 HAMMOND, Bill – Fire Training Supervisor : $108,409.82 TB $542.10 HART, Timothy – Firefighter: $106,512.61 TB $465.42 HAYES, Dennis M. – Captain : $111,578.33 TB $550.29 HEBNER, Peter B. Captain: $115,106.42 TB $563.97 HUBBARD, Terry L. Communications Coordinator: $103,898.01 TB: $522.91 HURLEY, Blake: Assistant City Solicitor : $132,560.37 TB $614.11 JAMES Michael, Fire Training Officer: $105,012.61 TB : $551.52 JONES, Sheila. City Auditor :$116,471.99 TB $631.46 JONES , Stephen: Firefighter: $100,593.70 TB: $465.42 JURK, Robert, Senior Project Leader : $105,686.24 TB $561.13 KEANEY, Thomas: Firefighter: $101,774.29 TB: $480.90 KEARNEY, Jeff : Firefighter: $101,949.88 TB: $465.42 KELL, Donna, Manager Public Affairs: $112,368.90 TB: $606.78 KELLY JOHN Captain $110,613.43 TB: $550.29 KEYES PAUL Firefighter:$101,740.07 TB: $465.42 KOEVOETS, Matt – District Supervisor:$106,046.15 TB:$1,016.21 KRUSHELNICKI< Bruce – Director Planning and Building: $159,467.73 TB $867.66 KUBOTA, Erika – Assistant City Solicitor: $135,238.29 TB $626.80 LAING Bruce K., Captain: $105,084.49 TB $563.97 LANGFREY, Matthew, – Fire Prevention Inspector: $108,658.55 TB $487.30 LAPORTE, N. Jason Captain – $108,218.61 TB $536.60 LASELVA, John – Supervisor Building Permits: $102,639.24 TB $552.95 LONG, Mark – Captain: $112,539.49 TB $552.65 LUNN, Janet, Special Project Manager : $131,183.58 TB $851.29 MACDONALD, Gary- Captain: $113,960.30 TB $563.97 MACKAY, Michael J. Captain: $113,321.02 TB $581.78 MAGI, Alan Executive Director Corporate Strategic Initiatives: $172,528.52 TB $941.59 MALE, Roy E. Executive Director of Human Resources: $182,434.79 TB $969.01 MARTIN, Christopher Firefighter: $100,364.56 TB $465.42 MATHESON, Jamie – Firefighter: $104,841.92 TB $465.42 MCGUIRE, Chris, District Supervisor: $100,038.99 TB $598.04 MCNAMARA, Michael J. Captain: $117,004.75 TB $565.20 MERCANTI, Cindy – Manager Recreation Services: $110,893.12 TB $548.46 MONTEITH, Ross A. Platoon Chief : $126,490.82 TB $626.96 MORGAN, Angela – City Clerk: $131,055.36 TB $717.88 MYERS, Peter R. Captain: $113,321.02 TB $563.97 NICELIU, Kenneth Firefighter: $102,964.51 TB $480.04 NICHOLSON, J. Alan Captain: $113,338.47 TB $563.97 O’REILLY, Sandra – Coordinator of Accounting: $102,108.24 TB $545.45 PEACHEY, Robert. Manager Parks and Open Space: $111,618.36 TB $598.94 PHILLIPS, Kimberly GM Community & Corporate Services : $191,807.65 TB $8,905.30 POLIZIANI, Matthew Captain:$109,707.78 TB $536.60 REILLY, Peter Captain: $104,056.73 TB $549.57 ROBERTSON, Catherine. Director Roads and Park Maintenance: $142,399.25 TB $1,262.51 SABZALI, Karen – Manager Community Development Services: $104,156.92 B $472.17 SAVRNOCH, Gerald – Fire Prevention Officer: $102,158.47 TB $536.60 SCHMIDT-SHOUKRI, Jason – Manager Building Permit Services: $132,549.02 TB $714.42 SHEA NICOL, Nancy – City Solicitor & Corporate Counsel: $169,293.11 TB $773.56 SHEPHERD, Donna – Director of Transit: $169,473.73 TB $486.78 SLACK, Craig D. Platoon Chief: $127,255.77 TB $626.96 SMITH, Clint, Platoon Chief : $128,298.72 TB $626.96 SOMMERVILLE, Alastair – Firefighter: $100,458.05 TB $465.42 SPICER, Mike Director of Transit : $121,336.67 TB $636.87 STEIGINGA, Ron Manager Realty Services: $112,974.32 TB $602.18 STEVENS, Craig Senior Project Manager: $106,933.80 TB $533.13 STEWART, Scott GM Development and Infrastructure: $200,911.20 TB $11,437.68 SWANCE, Jeffery W. Captain: $113,321.02 TB $563.97 SWENOR, Christine – Director Information Technology Services: $151,878.74 TB $815.66 TAGGART, David Manager Facility Assets: $111,202.07 TB $578.58 TWISS, Greg Firefighter: $101,822.73 TB $491.42 WEBER , Jeff Deputy Fire Chief: $136,082.85 TB $5,589.59 WHEATLEY, Ryan – Captain: $107,971.44 TB $545.83 WIGNALL, T. Mark Firefighter : $104,971.00 TB $495.23 WINTAR, Joseph Chief Fire Prevention Officer: $112,343.90 TB $601.60 WONG Betty Controller and Manager Financial Services: $129,463.11 TB $700.73 WOODS. Douglas S., Captain: $117,582.74 TB $563.97 ZORBAS, Steve City Treasurer and Executive Director Finance: $221,352.61 TB $4,990.49 ZVANIGA, Bruce – Director of Transportation Services: $144,446.23 TB $749.37 Burlington reports that it has 1000+ FTE – full time employees. With 117 on the “sunshine” list that would have more than 10% of staff at that $100,000 plus level. That would seem to be somewhat higher than many private sector operations.  If you’re happy and you know it – clap your hands. Are they worth it? Some of them are worth more than we pay them. Some are not worth what we pay them. Is there a difference between those overpaid on the private sector? Somewhat; but that is a function of management. Strong internal management with the willingness to weed out those that are not performing is what makes the difference. Burlington currently has a city manager that will not keep people that don’t deliver. The one drawback is that he has some people who have been there so long that he can’t afford to let them go – the “package” cost is just too high. The city has frozen its staff compliment. If the city manager wants to fill a new position he has to close an existing job – no new staff. There are however contracts which overcomes that problem. At a recent Chamber of Commerce breakfast Mayor Goldring told his audience that the city had a major concern with the salary disputes that were going to “interest arbitration. The Mayor complained that the hearing were taking far too long to be heard and reported and that most of the arbitrations were coming out on the side of the employee. “The capacity to pay does not appear to be considered” said the Mayor. Compare the 2011 sunshine list with the one for 2012 [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 29, 2013 It’s just one darn thing after another with that pier. We get to see pretty pictures of what it’s going to look like and learn that there just might be a fireworks extravaganza opening night – right smack in the middle of the Sound of Music Festival and then there is “the letter”; the one city manager Jeff Fielding sent to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport about the “amendment to the Funding Agreement”. At a meeting September 6, 2012, according to the letter “the original funding agreement project was signed on February 12, 2004, amended first on March 17, 2006 and again on March 26, 2008, and that these funding agreements have expired.” Ooops. The letter goes on to point out that, according to the city “there are no funds, Provincial or Federal – for this project in the current budget. Oh, really?  The addition to the city sign expressed the frustration of many Burlington citizens. The letter continues: “The approved funding for this project was $6.75 million and $6.075 has been paid out (90%). A 10% hold back ($337,500 each from the federal and provincial governments) has yet to be paid. The letter was sent January 30th of this year – no cheque yet. Might Ottawa and Queen’s Park decide to refer us to the sign that was at one point set up at the construction site? City manager Jeff Fielding and General manger Scott Stewart were in Ottawa recently – possibly making a collection call? [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 29, 2013 The nominations for Burlington’s Best awards are in, and in just six weeks the winners will be revealed at a gala event – Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Burlington Convention Centre, The 2013 gala event is proud to welcome local blogger and unabashed promoter of Burlington, Trent Schwartz, as the keynote speaker. Keith Strong, chairman of the nominating committee is pleased with the buzz building around Burlington’s Best awards,. “With an impressive group of nominees, the new look of the awards and an exciting ceremony coming, we think this year’s awards will help raise awareness of the importance of volunteering in the community. These nominees all help make Burlington a better place for all of us.” Awards will be given for the following seven categories: Citizen of the Year Junior Citizen of the Year Arts Person of the Year Seniors Person of the Year Community Service Award Environmental Award Heritage Award, this is a new category for Burlington.
This year’s nominees are: Susan Busby, Mary Dilly, Joey Edwardh, Ancilla Ho-Young, Jane Irwin, Bev Jacobs, Ross Kay, Morgan Muscat, Robert Narejko, Noah Parker, Amy Schnurr, Joe Veitch All award winners will be announced at the event.  Civic Award winners last year; from the left: Michelle Bennett, Sam Kawazoye, Trevor Copp, Mayor Goldring (he won the election) Wendy Hager, Dan Taylor and Jim Frizzle The Planning Committee is composed of 10 voting members, including: 6 citizens from the community, and 4 representatives from media and information agencies. Tickets to this event are $35 per person; a table of the 10 sells for $280. The event includes a light buffet and cocktail reception. Tickets are available from the clerks department at City Hall, 426 Brant St. or by contacting Roxanne Gosse at 905-335-7600, ext. 7855 or Roxanne.gosse@burlington.ca [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 29th, 2013 The Burlington Strategic Support Team executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at a residence located at 1026 Glendor Ave , Unit 92 in the City of Burlington.  Community in which drug bust took place Good Friday morning. Police arrested a male and female occupant when they found and seized approximately 614 grams of Marihuana, 27 grams of Cocaine, 13 grams of Psilocybin, a quantity of Oxycodone, $3430 in cash, scales, packaging material and a cell phone. Arrested in relation to this investigation are: Bailey FISCHER (21 years old) of Burlington Taylor GONZALES (23 years old) of Burlington They were charged with: trafficking a controlled substance (Marihuana), Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Marihuana); Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Cocaine); Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Psilocybin) and Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Percocet/Oxycodone) Police let them go home when the promised to appear in court when required. The accused are going to have to rely on drug store over the counter pills to steady their nerves in the weeks and months ahead. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. March 28, 2013 There is no deal – yet, but there are some very interesting conversations taking place about what might be done with Village Square. There are also a lot of myths that need to get – de-mythed if anything is to happen with the property. An industry observer who knows more about Village Square than most, scoffs at the suggestion everyone loves Village Square. “if they loved the place – then why weren’t they patronizing shops when there were shops there? “ Yes, there were problems with the management of the property and the rental agreements were terrible, which drove many of the restaurants out of the location. But a change of management isn’t going to make a difference. A personal grooming service spent more than a year in the Village and finally pulled up stakes and has moved to a John Street location. “One of my clients” commented that “the place just felt dead and it certainly wasn’t inviting. Quaint to look at but it just wasn’t working and I couldn’t afford to stay there.”  Rahoon’s has managed to stay afloat because it is a family owned operation that doesn’t have the labour costs others have. Food is fine by the way. Give it a try. Another Burlingtonian who tends to eat out frequently walked into Rahoon’s, the Persian restaurant that has a fine menu and excellent service and price that are not the norm in Burlington. “The man’s face just lit up when I walked in” said this realtor – “I think I may have been his only customer that evening.” The Friedman family has own the property since the early 1980’s and while Jack Friedman was active there were tenants even if they came and went frequently. But when his health declined and the day-to-day operation of the property fell into the hands of his daughters, Susan and Debra – well things didn’t get better. Debra spends at least a day week in Burlington while Susan, a lawyer who specializes in litigation, does the talking for the family – there isn’t an active plan to market and manage the space.  Village Square: It was one of Jack Friedman’s dreams. Potential new owners have new dreams that could include office space, a downtown supermarket as well as re-location of the historic properties. The condo on the left hand side was where the bus terminal was located
 The yellow portion of this graphic outlines the area that is screened off to the public. Entry into Spencer Smith Park will be from the stairway just to the west of the Waterfront hotel. The fencing will stay in place until the end of May.
By Staff BURLINGTON, ON. March 29, 2013 There are still a few holdouts – bits of snow that are in places where the sunshine has yet to get to – but Spring is in the air and that will draw thousands of people down to the waterfront, wearing sweaters perhaps but out in the sunshine and fresh air nevertheless.  Expect to see our pier looking like this during those summer evenings when darkness has settle upon the city. There won’t be fireworks every evening. But the promenade leading from the foot of Brant Street into Spencer Smith Park will not be what you have been used to – that area has been closed off while construction people continue with their work getting the node in place, continuing with the installation of the light fixtures that are already powered and preparing to install the Burlington Blue rails that will be a really striking feature of the pier when it opens in June. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 28, 2013 Bob Jurk, currently a Senior Project leader in the Engineering department, remembers the day when he put the actual clock fixture into the Burlington Blue cast iron structure that has been standing outside city hall since 1999.  John Bouwman is said to be the person who decided that Burlington needed a clock outside city hall and he knew just the kind of clock the city needed. That was the starting point for the clock that has been on location since 1999. One of the reasons we made this picture as large as we did is because of the reflection in the shop window. You can see the Google car driving by and photographing every street of every city in North America. Look closely and you can see the camera mounted atop the car.  They are going to lift the clock off its base and get it into the shop for a check up. The clock has been in place since 1999 – and has apparently never missed a beat. Keith Strong remembers too how people in the community came together to get the clock in place. John Bouwman, operator of the Clockmaker on John Street, is said to be the person who came up with the idea and Mrs. Carol Wardle of Wardle Insurance offered a generous contribution and before you knew it – the clock was a done deal. All it took was the typical Keith Strong, roll up your sleeves and get it done approach, and close to fifteen years later that clock is out for a fix up. It’s going to take a couple of weeks to complete the job of refurbishing the device – so if you are depending on the sound of the chimes to get to work on time – leave home a little earlier. The clock was installed in 1999 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Burlington’s incorporation as a village. The city gave twin city Itabashi, Japan, a replica of the clock as a friendship gift in 1999 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the cities’ twinning agreement. In 2014, Burlington and Itabashi will celebrate 25 years since the cities originally signed a twinning agreement. Civic Square also includes a millennium fountain, built and installed to mark the year 2000; a bronze statue built to honour soldiers who gave their lives in the First World War, installed in 1986; and a drinking fountain built to commemorate a visit by the Prince of Wales and installed at the site in 1977. A lot of history in a small space. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. Marc h 28, 2013 It was almost sweet. The Community Services Committee was meeting to discuss a report on the upgrades being made to Lowville Park and talk about the revenue problems at Tyandaga Golf Club where a surplus of $75,000 just wasn’t good enough for Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison. On the agenda as well was a discussion about the Cultural Action Plan that is being worked up and on which we should see something more concrete later in the year. What wasn’t on the agenda was a Memo from Councillors Dennison, Sharman and Lancaster who wanted funding for a pet project they thought had been included in the budget but was not. Last year the city held two “car free Sunday event; one on Appleby Line and the other on Brant Street. Appleby Line was a limited success worth doing a again. Brant Street was not worth the effort, the time or the cost. Councillors Sharman and Dennison led the charge last year with the Mayor along for the ride. There were a number of photo ops as well. Councillor Lancaster wanted to get in on the game this year but they discovered that the car free Sunday was not in the budget much to their surprise.  Traffic barriers in place on Lakeshore for the Car Free Sunday last year were expensive and not really used. The event was poorly attended. So they began to see if they could make it happen on their own and soon realized that they would need funding from the city – to the tune of $10,000 for two events – one that would take place on Appleby Line Sunday June 9th and the other on Palladium Way in the Alton Community June 23rd.  No problem spending a bundle on Car Free Sundays last year – but 2013 was going to be different. Councillor Meed Ward wanted Council members to pony up some of the cost from their expense accounts. Didn’t happen – but she did try. These three Musketeers, Councillors Sharman, Lancaster and Dennison, then asked their fellow Council members to join them in voting to “Authorize the Director of Finance to transfer up to $10,000 from the Tax Stabilization Fund to an account in support of Car Free Sunday. Not so fast piped in Councillor Taylor. You can use the Tax Stabilization Fund for a one time expenditure. This is your second kick at the can – can’t use that fund.  The Appleby Line Car Free Sunday was better attended than the one on Brant Street several weeks later – but neither event was a huge success. That wasn’t going to stop Councillors Sharman, Dennison and now Lancaster from giving it another go. Ooops said the three Musketeers. Councillor Meed Ward wasn’t part of this initiative but did say she would support the effort if each of the Council members used some of the $9000 expense account to support the effort. Lancaster didn’t like that idea but did say she would use $500 of her expense money and might go up to $1000 if she had to. Meed Ward then turned to Councillor Dennison to see what he was prepared to put up. Dennison wanted none of that and he bobbed and weaved and did everything he could not to answer the question. Councillor Craven, who was also not involved sat there smirking for a while and then pointed out that there was an event in Aldershot that was getting his community into this type of thing incrementally. There was going to be a “Jane’s Walk in Aldershot May 5th and he would support the motion if they would add in $500 for the Aldershot event. That would bring Craven on board and give the group the four votes they needed. Because this was a sort of Parks and Recreation project members of Council asked Parks and Recreation director Chris Glenn if he could fund this. Nope – I’m broke was the gist of Glenn’s answer. And besides he added – this is more of a Transportation matter. The “buck” was being moved from department to department. Councillor Taylor thought he had a solution. “You must have more than 10,000 reserve funds – just take $1 from each and pay for this that way. Still no takers.  General manager Kim Phillips saved the day for the three Council members who wanted to promote a pet project and have the city pay for it. She found $10,000 that wasn’t being used. General Manager Kim Phillips did observe that the Executive Budget Committee noticed Councillor initiated events were ending up as projects that “you expect us to take on.” Phillips, always ready to be helpful, suggested there was some money in the Strategic Plan Implementation Fund that wasn’t spoken for – would that help. Now getting a Car Free Sunday event defined as part of implementing the Strategic Plan is a stretch – but they did find a way to stretch this one by saying that it would contribute to Vibrant Communities which is one of the Strategic Plan pillars. But before they got to that point in the discussion, Meed Ward pointed out that when there was a role for the city in Councillor driven events, some of the funding could come from the individual council member’s expense account and she went back after Councillor Dennison and asked again how much of his expense money was he prepared to put into the project. She almost had him. But then he Mayor said: “We have much bigger fish to fry this evening” and Dennison added “let staff find the money”. Blair Lancaster moved the motion – they had the four votes they needed – and so there will be two car free Sundays in the city – one June 9th and the other June 23rd. Now you know how Burlington works. Meed Ward did hold their feet to the flames. [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON March 27, 2013 If you are a photographer and want to improve your craft note Saturday April 13th at the Burlington Art Centre where the Latow Photographers Guild will hold their annual seminar. The event will run from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Tickets are going quickly and there is a limit to the attendance. Photographer Mike Grandmaison will speak and show images on the theme of Natural Reflections in a session designed to inspire and instruct photographers of all levels.  Mike Grandmaison at a photography exhibit. Based in Winnipeg, Mike Grandmaison is a leading Canadian nature photographer with ten books to his credit, including Prairie and Beyond, Muskoka, Georgian Bay, The Canadian Rockies and Canada. He has been photographing professionally on a full-time basis since 1996 and has taught photography for years, conducting nature-focused workshops as well as presenting lectures to various organizations.  One of the more than ten photography books Grandmaison has published. The April 13 Seminar will be followed by the Latow Audio-Visual Festival from 7 to 9 pm. Admission to this evening of extraordinary audiovisual presentations by different photographers, each with a unique perspective, is $10 in advance or at the door. This event will appeal to anyone with an interest in visual art, not just photography enthusiasts. On Sunday April 14, Mike Grandmaison will lead two mini-seminars, one on creating Fine Art Photography, and one on sharing your photography through websites, books, galleries, photo contests and juried exhibitions. These sessions will be of interest to photographers wishing to take their work to a higher level. Enrollment is limited but space may still be available. For more information and registration, click here: [facebook]
BURLINGTON, ON. March 27, 2013 What we all knew and loved as the Burlington Twins appear to have gone rogue and changed their name to the Burlington Bandits. And just to show they don’t play by the rules they cancelled their Easter Sunday Workout. This was an “official” team workout.  New name, new look and a new location. The Bandits will play at the Burloak Sports Centre this season The Bandits next scheduled spring training workout is scheduled for Sunday, April 7th at the Burloak Sports Centre from 12:30pm to 2:00pm. Open to the public of course and if you think you can swing the big stick or scoop a bouncing ball and get it back to second base before the runner does you are encouraged to attend. First chance to get a look at the updated roster. The Burlington Bandits home opener is May 11th, 2013 against the London Majors; tickets only $7. The Burlington Bandits are an independent minor-league baseball team of the semi-professional Inter county Baseball League (IBL). The team was founded in 2011 as the Burlington Twins and changed ownership and name in 2013. Burlington businessman Scott Robinson now calls all the shots and signs the cheques as well. The Bandits play a 42-game season with 21 games at home and 21 on the road. [facebook]
OAKVILLE, ON – Halton MP Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour and the MP for Halton, has spread the largesse she hands out into the city of Burlington. Parts of northern Burlington are within the Raitt riding where she announced that the Region will benefit from improvements to roads, water and wastewater infrastructure. Tremaine Road will be widened and realigned which is a plus for Burlington given the development for the intersection of Dundas and Tremaine that is working its way through our Planning Department  Halton MO Lisa Raitt told Regional officials that funding from Ottawa would show up in the Region. Parts of northern Burlington are in the Halton constituency. A new Regional water quality laboratory in Burlington, will get paid for out of the Gas Tax Fund. Given the way gas prices rise – we should see quite a few dollars from that source. The federal government now has a new Building Canada Plan described as the largest investment in job-creating infrastructure in Canadian history. The improvements to local roads and waste water infrastructure that the government announced today are expected to have a significant economic impact here in Halton Region. The Gas Tax Fund is supporting numerous projects throughout Halton Region. Between 2006 and 2014, Halton Region will receive more than $84 million from the Gas Tax Fund to improve local infrastructure. For example, Tremaine Road, a project that previously received $5.3 million from the Government of Canada through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, is now receiving an additional boost from the Gas Tax Fund.  Water quality testing will be done at the Skyway Plant currently undergoing upgrades. In addition, at least $1.4 million of Halton Region’s Gas Tax Fund allocation is being put toward a new Regional water quality laboratory. This lab, part of the expansion and upgrade of the Skyway Waste water Treatment Plant in Burlington, will be built to test samples of drinking water, waste water, bio-solids and industrial waste from across the Region. Located in the new operations centre, it will help ensure Halton Region continues to meet and/or exceed water quality and environmental protection standards.
BURLINGTON, on. March 27, 2013 The Budget and Corporate Services committee unanimously approved a Community Engagement Charter for the citizens of the city. The document went through an at times tortuous process with thousands of hours of citizens time spent on collecting data and discussing how their document should be worded. It was not a simple process but on Tuesday morning, with surprisingly little debate, the document was approved unanimously by a council committee and will go to Council on April 8th, where it will be approved. That charter is set out in full below: Burlington Community Engagement Charter Introduction The Burlington Community Engagement Charter is an agreement between and among Burlington City Council and the citizens of Burlington concerning citizen engagement with city government that establishes the commitments, responsibilities, and fundamental concepts of this relationship. At the core of democratic government are two pillars that also form the basis of effective citizen engagement: That government belongs to the citizens within its political boundaries, and that the inhabitants of a city are “citizens” with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship based on justice, human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of .law. Engaging people on issues that affect their lives and their city is a key component of democratic society. Public involvement encourages participation, actions and personal responsibility. The goal of community engagement is to lead to more informed and, therefore, better decision-making. This Charter’s overarching objective is to enhance communications and access to information for citizens, and to facilitate and enable meaningful engagement. This Charter is composed of five sections: 1: Common Terms and Definitions 2: Vision and Mission Statements 3: City Commitments 4: Citizen Rights and Responsibilities 5: Public Participation Spectrum. 1: Common Terms and Definitions As used in this document, the following terms are defined to mean: Citizen: For the purposes of this Charter, the word citizen refers to a resident of the City, entitled to its rights and services and with a responsibility to take an active part in community decision-making. The words citizen and resident can be used interchangeably. Citizen engagement: The right and responsibility of citizens to have an informed say in the decisions that affect their lives though a dialogue of mutual respect between government and citizen. Community engagement: The process by which citizens, organizations, and government work collaboratively. It includes information sharing, consultation, and active involvement in decision-making. Decision-making: The process followed by the City of Burlington’s City Council to reach decisions on those items that are resented in staff reports. Meaningful engagement: Citizens and stakeholders have the opportunity to access information on the engagement topic that is timely, relevant, constructive and substantive. Their resulting input to decision-makers is expected to meet similar standards and is intended to ensure that a balance and range of public perspectives is available for consideration in the decision-making process. Stakeholder: An individual, organization or group that has an interest in an issue, will be or is likely to be affected, or has the ability to affect a decision or outcome. Organizations include non-governmental organizations, government, institutions and businesses. Standing Committee: Committees comprised of members of City Council, established through the Procedural By-Law, with an ongoing mandate or purpose.
2: Charter Vision and Mission Statement Vision: Burlington aspires to become increasingly more engaged and connected with its community. Mission: To provide Burlington citizens, members of City Council and City staff a plain language, living policy document that guides and promotes active and meaningful citizen engagement in the City of Burlington’s planning, policy-setting and decision-making processes. 3 . City Commitments To fulfill the vision and mission of the Burlington Community Engagement Charter, City Council makes the following commitments: Accountability The City of Burlington will be responsible to its citizens and stakeholders for decisions made and policies implemented, as well as its actions or inactions. Capacity Building The City of Burlington will encourage the ability of its citizens and stakeholders to effectively participate in the development and implementation of engagement processes with respect to issues and decisions that affect their lives and their community. Clear Language The City of Burlington will use plain and clear language in documents and public communications that is more engaging and understandable for citizens than technical language and jargon. City Feedback The City of Burlington will inform citizens and stakeholders about how their input was considered and adopted or why it was not adopted in City projects, initiatives and policy development. Feedback will usually be provided in a summarized format rather than on an individual basis. Delegation Process The delegation process, which allows citizens to address Council and Standing Committees on issues, will be respectful and welcoming . Delegations can learn how their input affected decision making by reading the minutes of Standing Committees and Council on the city’s website or by requesting a written copy, or by viewing webcasts of discussions on the topic of their delegation. However, it is suggested that citizens first explore alternatives such as approaching City staff or their ward councillor to see if their issue can be resolved without escalation to a decision by Council. Early and Widespread Notification The City of Burlington will provide early and widespread notification to citizens and stakeholders about proposed developments, policies, initiatives and municipal projects. Widespread notification will not be given for purely localized issues such as neighbourhood traffic calming. Inclusion and Accessibility Every citizen has the right to participate in community engagement regarding issues of concern to them. Engaging and enabling the participation of all Burlington citizens is a goal of this Charter. Openness and Access to Information The City of Burlington will provide a variety of ways for citizens, city staff and members of City Council to access and share information and discuss ideas and options. The City of Burlington will provide open data and information to the public in recognized and useable formats, including routinely available information in on-line formats, print material, and face-to-face opportunities to facilitate healthy discussion of city issues. Resourcing The City of Burlington will support the Engagement Charter by ensuring that its engagement processes are adequately resourced. Charter requirements will be met by City Council, city employees, volunteers, agents and contractors in their efforts on behalf of the City of Burlington. Transparency The city’s decision-making process es will be open and clear to the public and the city will actively encourage and facilitate citizen and stakeholder participation in them. 4: . Citizen Rights and Responsibilities/Participation Citizen Rights: Citizen Engagement is grounded on the premises that citizens have the right to have an informed say in decisions that affect their lives, the right to access information from their local government, and the right to transparent and open government that provides them opportunities for engagement. Citizen Responsibilities/Participation: Along with rights come responsibilities. Citizens who choose to do so can meet their responsibilities by being aware of community issues , exploring options with respect to those issues, meeting with City staff and Members of Council when necessary, and discussing issues with fellow citizens. Burlington citizens elect a Mayor and ward representatives whose Council role is defined in the Municipal Act. Council must represent the public and consider the well-being and interests of the municipality. Mutual Respect: Successful community engagement requires mutual respect of all participants including citizens, staff, and members of council. Respect is exemplified by: Listening with an open mind; Showing consideration and value for another person’s point of View ; Valuing the role each person plays in engagement processes; and Following meeting “guidelines for engagement”. Successful citizen engagement requires meaningful interaction and dialogue between citizens and their local government resulting in a constructive relationship among the parties. 5. Public Participation Spectrum The International Association for Public Participation’s (IAP2) spectrum of participation is a recognized global standard for identifying the different levels of participation. Five levels of engagement, referenced from the IAP2’s Public Participation Spectrum, will be used in City of Burlington community engagement activities. IAP2’s Public Participation Spectrum shows the possible types of engagement with stakeholders and communities. The spectrum also shows the increasing level of public impact progressing through the spectrum beginning with ‘inform” through to ‘empower’. A complete description of the IAP2 Spectrum of Participation appears in the appendix to this charter.
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