 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 13, 2013. They go to the meetings; they take on the extra tasks; they convince other people that their idea is a good one and they use their personal resources to advance their cause. That is why we call them Burlington`s Best and why we take an evening in May once a year to acknowledge and publicly recognize those special people who make the city what it is.
Each year Burlington names a Citizen of the Year and names a recipient for the Community Service Award. For 2012 Ancilla Ho-Young was named as our leading citizen and Ross Kay was named as the recipient of the Community Service award.
Both richly deserved.
 The seven people nominated and chosen as the Best Burlington has when it comes to serving the city and its citizens. Mayor Goldring stands in the center. Amy Schnurr was given the Environmental Award for the truly outstanding year BurlingtonGreen had with the two-day visit by Jane Goodall followed by a remarkable CleanUp – Green Up turnout – more than 13,500 people cleaning the ravines and other public places in the city.
Morgan Muscat, a film maker was named the Arts person of the year and Noah Parker was named the Junior Citizen of the year.
Joe Veitch was named Senior person of the year. That had to be for the sums he convinced the city to give the Seniors’ Centre.
Jane Irwin was recognized as the Heritage person of the year. It was a posthumous award – we lost Jane earlier this year.
It is by publicly recognizing those who we see as leaders; the people who selflessly just do things for others with no expectation of any reward.
Last week we got the chance to applaud these seven people. It was one of those occasions when a standing ovation was deserved.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 15, 2013. John Mello is the kind of guy who stands around a lot. He is usually thinking five or six steps ahead of the people he is involved with. He’s a railroad guy – didn’t actually work on a railroad – he just likes trains. Not the model railway trains guys build in the basements and then wear a funny hat and walk around with an oil can in their hands. Mello talks about BIG trains, preferably steam engines.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. That ability to talk about big trains comes from his 44 years of experience in the railway business where he started as a “train order operator”. Long before cell phones – back in the days when it was a telegraph operator sending messages in Morse code engineers would be given their instructions written out on small pieces of paper called flimsies that were attached to a hoop and passed up to the engineer as the train slowed down. Mello goes back “that far” – lots of history in the man.
 The Freeman Five – with John Mellow in the center listening to city council make a decision. This isn’t a group Council was going to say no to easily. Mello is one of the group that is refurbishing the Freeman Station. It has been a long haul, a very long haul and they are nowhere near where they want to be but there are glimmers of hope and small, even if faltering steps, taken that move the ball up the field.
While there are pounds of paper, documents, permits and who knows what else, Mello leaves all that messy stuff – and it is messy, to others. He has his eye on the bigger picture.
The next step is to get the station off the really shaky set of blocks it is sitting on and onto sturdy steel beams so that it can be at least moved to its new site – which is less than 100 yards away.
The structure sits on what they call “cribbing” – been there since 2005 and Mello says” it’s still pretty solid”. Mello explains with the ease of a truck driver who can move one of those eighteen wheelers through downtown traffic just how it is all going to happen.
 This beam, one of four that will be used, is being shoved under the station. Once it is in place it will be jacked up and take the weight of the station – 100 tons. Then dolly wheels will be attached to the beams and it will be slowly moved from where it has sat since 2005 and to its new home – 100 yards away. There it will be refurbished and restored and then it will be ready for transfer where it truly belongs – on Lakeshore Road next to the old railway line. In the fullness of time all that will happen. The steel beams are being slid underneath the building where they are levelled and shifted to make sure they are right underneath beams in the building that can carry the weight of the building. Then the beams are jacked up high enough for the person overseeing the restoration of the building can get underneath and do some of the work that has to be done before the building is actually moved.
When everything is ready for the actual move a couple of sets of “dolly’s” – wheels that are together are attached to the beams and the building gets rolled forward and through the fire station parking lot on Fairview and then back into its resting place on the Ashland property where the serious restoration work will begin.
“They’re going to drive forward from over there” said Mello pointing to the station and then “pull the truck right up to the curb here and slowly back it in and then lower it to the ground” explains Mello.
And he knows exactly where that here is going to be. “The end of the station will be here” he says as he point to a spot in an open field with hydro towers and a patch of sumac trees that will have to come out. The trees are very young – easily replaced with something more substantial. The other end of the station will be close to that tree over there” he adds.
 John Mello points out where one end of the Freeman Station will rest. The other end will be at about where the tall tree is in the background. Sod turning will take place May 23rd. “A roadway will come in through here and curve around to the front of the building where there will be parking for a couple of cars”, adds Mello.
When will all this happen? In the fullness of time is the best Mello can say – he’s not the type to be rushed.
He does hope that the public turns out to watch the actual move. The structure weighs 100 tons – “they made them good in those days” explains Mello. “They had wood we don’t have today.
Mello is looking over the horizon at the bigger picture. The lot of land the Friends of Freeman have is quite large – there will be quite a bit of landscaping to be done and that too will be done in the fullness of time. Maybe there is some railway track and a couple of engines in the station’s future? Maybe an original steam engine and a diesel as well. Mello worked for GO transit for a number of years and he’s the kind of guy who makes friends he can call on.
Fundraising, an ongoing task for the Friends, is currently focused on selling the equivalent of railway ties that will hold imaginary track. One railway tie moves the station six inches. They’ve sold a couple of hundred of the things so far. For $20 you can move the station six inches.
Sod turning on the site is to take place May 23rd, in the forenoon. All the people who managed to put up or secure funds for the moving and refurbishing the station will be out along with the politicians. It’s not much more than a photo-op – all part of the process when you work with city hall.
 It was Councillors Blair Lancaster, on the right and Marianne Meed Ward that kept the Freeman station idea alive while citizens like Freeman Station president James Smith, second from left and John Mellow in the middle, pulled together a citizens group that will restore and refurbish the structure. That Thursday will be a very full day for the friends of Freeman Station – in the afternoon they gather to celebrate the life of Jane Irwin, one of the biggest advocates for saving the station. The sod turning ceremony, a real high for the people who got the station to this point, which is a long way from the day the city ran an advertisement asking if anyone wanted to take the thing off our hands. There were no takers.
 Train order operators used hoops like this to pass messages to trains as they passed slowly through a station. John Mello was one of the people who wrote out the instructions on what were then called “flimsies”. “We used carbon paper in those days – does anyone even know what that stuff is today” wonders Mello. Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster were the two members of council who were not prepared to let the station fade from the pages of the city’s history. They kept the issue before council while citizens formed a group and got themselves organized.
When the day is done on the 23rd people will return to their homes with fond memories of Jane Irwin and the knowledge that turning the sod for new Freeman station home was a good thing to get done.
John Mello will slip down to the basement of his Burlington home and look through his railway memorabilia collection and let his mind slip back to when he reached up to engineers with that hoop holding the instructions telling them where they were to go and what they would face in terms of oncoming rail traffic. That’s the way they did it in those days.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON. ON. May 14, 2013. What do you make of this?
In a media release put out by the city, Mayor Rick Goldring said “The Brant Street Pier is nearly completed, and will be a waterfront icon at the foot of Brant Street for families to enjoy for generations to come.” He then added: “There is still some outstanding business regarding legal action related to the pier. The city will be as open as possible in sharing that information.”
 View from the pier looking east. That patch of land between the two building is where the Riviera Motel used to stand. It is the site where an 8 storey Delta Hotel will be built, plus a seven story condominium and a 22 storey condominium. Small site for that many buildings. The railing shown in the picture are just place holders. Are those two sentences related? Is the opening of the pier to the public being held up in any way by the “legal” problems?
At a recent council committee meeting Councillor Jack Dennison wanted city hall staff types to let the public out on the pier just as soon as possible and didn’t want the public kept off the pier until the “dignitaries” got to do their thing and have their pictures taken.
 Diver in the water taking out the caissons that were embedded in the lake bottom to keep the construction trestle in place. The trestle will be out by the end of the week. The project team thought the pier could be ready for the public as early as June 3 – that date seems to be slipping. The FINAL Project Update made mention of granting the contractor “Substantial Performance which meant the pier would be transferred from the contractor to the city and the city could then decide when it was ready to let the public out onto the pier.
There are people out on the pier now – late at night “punks” go out onto the pier with their beer and make fools of themselves. The city will want to create some form of security for the site. There will be barriers that prevent cars from going out but they don’t appear to be wide enough to keep bicycles and motorcycles off the site.
It will probably take six months before the city realizes that a security camera is going to be necessary.
Actual construction has been proceeding very well. The rails that will keep people from falling over the edge have yet to get put in place but that is in hand. Most of the balustrades that will hold the rails are in place. The team that is going to install the steel wire rope are in town – they were brought in from Vancouver. The rails are getting galvanized and painted – then they can go up.
 These three “amigos” kept the construction of the pier on time and resolved each of the many problems that cropped up. The stairs on the left lead to the node. Craig Stevens, Project Manager for the city on the left and Brad Cassidy the on-site manager for the construction company on the right. Eric Carriere stands in the middle; we never quite knew what Eric did – he was just always there. The concrete for the stairs that lead to the node will get poured this week.
Weather is hampering things a bit but there hasn’t been anything that was unmanageable on the construction side. The problems are all on the legal side.
A number of weeks ago City Manager Jeff Fielding announced that he was hiring a specialized communications team to help with managing the flow of information to the public on some legal matters. We’ve known this was coming for some time.
While the city has been telling the public that construction of the pier has been on time and on budget – which for the most part has been true, they haven’t been saying very much about the legal problems that have dogged the city since the original contractor walked off the job and lawsuits started being served on anyone who had a finger in that pie.
This story is far from over. There are all kinds of things going on with the several law suits – the city would rather you didn’t know about those – they want to dazzle you with fireworks and tell you all about the wonderful view – and it is a great view. Just not worth the $14 million + number the city uses when they talk about costs. Think in terms of closer to $20 million.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 13, 2013. It was a thrilling way to open the season for the Burlington Bandits who took their first home game by a slim 1 run win in the final inning when Paul Saville drove in the winning run with a double to cap a three-run ninth inning rally.
The host Bandits were up against the London Majors.
The Bandits scored three runs with one out in the ninth to steal the win from the Majors (0-2) in their first game of the season. Burlington trailed 10-4 after four innings but stormed back much to the delight of their hometown crowd.
 The Burlington Bandits were pumped as they went into their Home Opener and beat the London Majors by a single run in the 9th inning. Great baseball! Saville drove in three runs and scored a run for the Bandits, while Jeff McLeod drove in three runs. Darryl Pui added a pair of RBI, while Kyle Morton added a solo homer for Burlington, which made five errors and won despite being out-hit 12-7.
Jason Pilkington started for the Bandits, going three innings. He allowed seven runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Reliever Matthew St. Kitts got the win, allowing one run on three hits over four innings, striking out four.
Adwin Springer homered and had two hits, three RBI and four runs scored for the Majors. Paul LaMantia had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI, while Derrik Strzalkowski drove in three runs for London.
London pitchers were badly hurt by 11 walks. Starter Cory Hammond went 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on three hits with five strikeouts and six walks. Ryan Lapensee was the loser, charged with six runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.
NEXT: The Bandits play against the Brantford RedSocks, in Brantford on the 15th, then the Barrie Baycats on Thursday the 16th at Nelson Park in Burlington and then meet the Kitchener Panthers on Saturday the 18th. After that is on the road playing against Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Pitts May 19th.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 12, 2013. Early in the afternoon of Mother’s day an ambulance traveling south on Appleby Line collided with a vehicle at the intersection of 1 Side Road in Burlington.
The Emergency Services (EMS) ambulance collided with an eastbound Buick.
 A Halton EMS ambulance traveling south on Appleby Line collided with a Buick turning into the traffic. The driver of the Buick, a 93-year-old Burlington man, was seriously injured in the collision and remains in hospital in serious condition. The 2 Halton Region EMS paramedics involved in the collision received minor injuries and were also transported to hospital.
The collision occurred as the driver of the Buick attempted to make a left hand turn onto Appleby Line. The ambulance was driving southbound on Appleby Line and was not responding to any priority calls, it did not have its emergency lights or siren activated, and there were no patients aboard the ambulance.
Due to the injuries sustained by the Burlington man, the Halton Regional Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) attended and took carriage of the investigation. The intersection was closed for approximately 5 hours for the scene investigation.
Speed does not appear to be a contributing factor in the collision. Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact Detective Constable Oliver Caves at 905 825-7474 extension 5124.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 13, 2013 What might turn out to be a sunny Sunday afternoon is also a chance to spend a bit of time soaking up the sounds of what “bookmeister” Ian Elliott, over at the Different Drummer calls, “ marvelous, captivating music of many eras in a sublime performance”.
 Frances Cohen, Paul Burnip and Shiori Kobayashi of Grenadilla Winds
Grenadilla Winds–the brilliant, nationally renowned clarinettists Frances Cohen, Shiori Kobayashi and Paul Burnip–render their generous program in exquisite style, Sunday, May 26 3pm, at a Different Drummer Books, 513 Locust Street
GRENADILLA WINDS present THE VIRTUOSIC CLARINET
Refreshments, and a chance to meet the performers, are offered right after the performance. Tickets are $15, $10 for students.
To reserve seats, please contact us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 10, 2013. The Beachway Master Plan – one of those projects that has been going on forever, finally got to Burlington’s city council. It didn’t get a round of applause but it did get a thorough trouncing with more questions from Council than the three people presenting the report were able to answer.
Many of the questions were tabled giving staff time to dig out the answers.
 The area studied in the Beachway report is on the left. A prime focus is the residential properties show in red – there are 30 homes in the area Reality took a bit of a hit during the lengthy meeting at which the public and city council went through a report that was biased at best and lacked any imagination whatsoever. It seemed to focus on getting the residents out of the parkland and, as Councillor Meed Ward put it “create space for parking cars”.
It was a long report, a complex report; one that required more than the five or six days the residents of the Beachway Park community had to read it and digest the contents.
It wasn’t clear if the Region, which produced the report, had made an early draft available to Burlington for comment.
Wednesday evening was a meeting to receive the report from the Region and to give the public an opportunity to comment. In the past the Beachway residents have been very vocal, close to disruptive at times, with good reason- the report talked about their homes and there are people at the Region who want to put them out on the street. There was a previous public meeting, a workshop that was looking for ideas and views on what might be done with the Beachway.
There are some in that community who are prepared to sell their property to the Region but they want a decent price – which is something the Region claims it has not been able to do. More on that below.
The Beachway falls in Councillor Rick Craven’s ward and he hand delivered copies to the 30 homes in the community.
 Residents on the Beachway have spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their properties – this is where they live and where they want to stay. One of the better examples of improved properties is this house on Lakeshore Road Wednesday evening they were ably represented by Glen Gillespie who gave council a passionate view of the community, the parkland and what could be done. He entertained them and to some degree informed them as well, but it isn’t the city that is driving this agenda – and the community does not appear to have been able to get through to the Regional people.
At the end of the meeting Council made it clear to the Regional people that they had a lot of questions and didn’t see this as being anywhere near a done deal. Problem is the city doesn’t have all that much clout on this one and there isn’t a clear vision from the city as to what it wants to do – at least not yet.
There is no clear leadership from this Council on the issue. Craven seems to lack any imagination on the file and is more concerned about encroachment of public property by the residents – he has a point on that one – than he has about the bigger picture which is what does Burlington want to see done with the parkland?
Craven has a habit of asking “incisive questions” in an almost prosecutorial manner that usually results in a ‘no’ from the person being questioned and then sits back looking as if he has made a major point. Wednesday evening he asked each of the Beachway residents if they were aware of the provincial policy related to properties on the Beachway. Did you ask your lawyer or your real estate agents about any provincial policy, Craven asked. Get real Councillor – real estate agents tell you about the granite counter tops, the “ensuite” bathrooms and the hardwood floors.
Acting General Manager Chris Glenn directed the meeting. After two hours of presentations, delegations and some questions Glenn broke the discussion into four areas and did his best to channel the flow of conversation along those paths.
 While the focus of the Beachway report was on flooding, the dynamic beach and the residential housing there are three other very large users of the area. Joseph Brant Hospital will face Lakeshore Road when it completes its re-build, the Ministry of transportation has a large equipment yard on the west side of Lakeshore and the Waste water treatment plant, currently undergoing a massive upgrade is also in the area. Land use – what use was the land that is owned by the Conservation Authority, leased to the city and comes under policy created at the Region, going to be put to?
 Much is made of the flooding hazard – and there have been very significant floods in the past. The focus of the Beachway Review report has been on what flooding will do to the residential homes – much less said about the impact flooding will have on the waste water treatment plant and the hospital – both of which are in the flood plain. Flooding: what is the flooding issue? There are a lot of misconceptions in the minds of many; some outright fear mongering on the part of Regional staff; data that is true one week but not true the next and a bit of a “not telling the whole story” on the part of the bureaucrats. The residents deserve better and Burlington has to press the Region and the Conservation Authority quite a bit harder to get the truth out on the table about the flooding threat.
Servicing the community and the park in general. The Region states that it is parkland and therefore cannot be serviced but there is a Pavilion that has water and waste service; a Pump House the city would love to lease out to someone, that has water and waste service and then there is a waste water treatment plant right smack in the middle of the community. The residents feel, quite legitimately, that they are being had.
 A layout showing the location of the private homes in the Beachway Park. The Region appears to want to want to buy the properties – the residents say that if the Region is going to purchase they want a fair price. Some think the Region wants the property for future parking when use of the park expands.  Examples of some of the homes in the Beachway that residents want to keep. The last subject areas was “acquisition” – how is the Region going to acquire the homes if that is what this all comes down to, then the practice they have followed the past five years has been a total failure. Of the eight properties that came up for sale – the Region managed to get just the one. All the others sold privately – one for double what the Region offered.
The report, it actually has the word “comprehensive” in its title – chose to be selective in what it put its spotlight on. There were a number of critical decisions made in previous reports that go back to the 70’s, that got brushed over. The writers of the report chose to pick parts of previous document that supported their viewpoint.
There is much more delving into to be done on the file. However, there is a clock ticking – the Region has put a schedule in place that has the report going to the Planning and Public works committee in October.
There were four delegations before Council; three from people who had homes in the Beachway and a third from the Burlington Waterfront Committee, the eye on the waterfront created by Councillor Marianne Meed Ward when the Waterfront Access Protection and Advisory Committee was sunset by city Council.
The three residents were crystal clear on what they wanted – either give us a fair price for our homes or clear up the zoning mess and let us remain where we want to be.
The Waterfront group came out very strongly for keeping the community on the Beachway.
Based on the “pie in the sky” view the Region has put forward and the fear mongering they did Burlington is going to have to get its act together and form a plan that it wants to advance.
Spencer Smith Park, which is the eastern part of our Waterfront, is nicely developed and works for everyone. Time now to decide what the city would like to see done with the western end. Time may be the one thing the city and the residents don’t have.
There was a time when the Beachway part of Burlington was a small but robust community with its own stores and police service. That time is part of the city’s history – which got precious little mention in the report received by city council last Wednesday.
The roll out schedule for this is:
Presentation to the Regional Waterfront Parks Advisory Committee: June 26 and August 21, 2013
Presentation to Conservation Halton Board on June 27, 2013
Back to the Burlington Community Services Committee Sept 11, 2013
Region of Halton Planning and Public works committee October 3, 2013,
The October meeting is where the direction to be taken will be determined and the actual creation of the Master Plan will begin.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013. A former employee of Royal Botanical Gardens was arrested today for a series of fraudulent transactions committed during her tenure.
 What do you do with a 70 year old who used a corporate credit card for their own use over a period of five years? Jail? Between May 2007 and May 2012, over $350,000.00 in unauthorized cash advance transactions were drawn on Royal Botanical Gardens – Corporate Credit Card.
Ethel GALLANT, 70 yrs, of Hamilton faces three counts of Fraud over $5000 and will appear in Milton Court on June 5th.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013, All those pennies they told you were now close to worthless turn out to be worth a decent dollar – just as long as the copper in those coins is smelted out and rolled out into sheets or pressed into ingots.
Someone figured this out and between May 4th and May 6th broke into Tallman Bronze on Industrial Road and made off with copper valued at $250,000.
 We were all savings our pennies – thieves didn’t want to save – they just stole a truck load of copper – worth a cool quarter of a million dollars. Burlington detectives are seeking public assistance with their investigation into the break-in. Investigators believe a large truck would have been needed to transport the copper from the site.
Police are appealing to area businesses and local residents who may have noticed any suspicious activity occurring in the area of 2220 Industrial Street over the weekend of May 4th to May 6th.
Anyone with information pertaining to this matter is asked to call Detective Andy Forde of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825 4747 x2385, Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web or by texting ‘Tip201’ with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9th, 2013. You know the feeling. You have just ordered fish and chips and the waiter sets down a juicy hamburger for the guy at the next table. You recall the price was the same and wish you’d ordered differently – then your fish arrives and you want to ask the waiter to change it for the burger. That’s Andrea Horwath. She demanded poorly from Kathleen Wynne, in the provincial budget, and now she’d like to order again.
Take the 15% cut in insurance rates. I didn’t think that could happen. Aren’t the rates set on the basis of claims, as they’ve always told us? Are we going to have 15% fewer accidents this year? Possible, but I doubt it. So that means we’ve been paying at least 15% more a year than we should have. And look at your insurance bill. Why are we paying for accident health coverage in a province with universal OHIP? Talk about being over-insured.
New Zealanders have true no-fault auto insurance. They understand nothing is risk-free. So if you are on the highway and have an accident, the biggest insurance pool in the country, the government, takes care of you – but you can’t sue a third-party for personal injuries. I bought a used car there and my yearly insurance bill was $99.00. Why can’t we do that here?
The NDP platform on car insurance, when Bob Rae became the first Dipper Premier, was to nationalize it. But he chickened out – wouldn’t do it then. Has the NDP dropped the idea entirely, or did Andrea think it was too much to ask, and wishes she had now? I mean BC, Quebec and Manitoba – all have variations of public auto insurance for their people – and they pay lower premiums. Why are we fattening the big insurance companies? Keeping that money in our pockets would be like a tax cut. A good way to stimulate the economy.
But the best we can do is fifteen percent, this time. Horwath made her play and now she’s not so sure. She’s hiding in her office, waiting to hear from… who? You’d think she would have done that before she made her ask on the budget. Now it is just about stalling, checking if the chips, which came with her fish, are salty enough before she slips one into her mouth. But they are getting cold as she hesitates, pretending she’s not really all that hungry.
Horwath is in a pickle. The Liberals need her far more badly than she ever thought, and Andrea now wishes she’d asked for more – because she probably would have got it. But she didn’t – so it’s time to lift her knife and fork and dig into that plate she ordered. Act like the adult you want people to think you are, if you expect them to make you Premier some day. Take the deal you demanded and make it work – then maybe, next time, be a little more careful about what you order up.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a political animator. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 9, 2013 The weekly Mountain Bike series at Kelso Conservation Area is back this summer with races starting on May 21 and running every Tuesday until the Finale Event on August 27 (last series race August 20).
With 14 races in total and multiple distances/categories this is a great addition to your training program with some of the best climbs in southern Ontario, or a fun way to challenge yourself to achieve a personal best.
 Great trails for many different ability levels on some of the best climbs in southern Ontario. The series is now in its fifth season and often sees over 200 riders of all ability levels from all over southern Ontario and beyond. The staff at Kelso keeps the focus on fun, and has nurtured a strong and supportive community of riders over the years.
Registration is now available online, and in the Visitor Services Centre at Kelso, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Riders can also come out on May 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. to preview the trails and register on-site for the series.
Riders can pick up a discount coupon to save an extra $10 on your series registration from one of our many great sponsors, who are listed on the race webpage. Sign up for the series (14 races and the finale event) and choose to race as many as you want; or sign up for individual races whenever you want.
We encourage everyone to sign up for the series as it’s such a great value. Once again a safe, fun, challenging and free kids course will be offered at the base of the hill, so be sure to bring the little ones out for a taste of the action.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 8, 2013. It took four months but the members of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau were able to arrest a suspect who would target vehicles left for repairs at auto body shops, smashing out the windows of the vehicle and removing property from within.
The accused, Mark TRAVIS, 44 yrs, of Burlington was arrested and held for a bail hearing.
Next the police can focus on the series of thefts from the contents of vehicles in the Alton Village and Orchard Park communities. That people have left their cars unlocked has made it easier for the bandits but police will eventually catch these guys as well.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 8, 2013 If the city grants Graham Infrastructure “Substantial Performance” people will be able to walk out onto the pier – just like that.
Graham is the company that built the pier – actually they tore down the first version of the pier and then started all over again – but that’s another story. Everyone now wants to move on and hold the opening ceremonies with balloons and fireworks and speeches and pretend that all the problems were not our problems. We will all become Jamaicans for a few hours and tell ourselves there are “No problems”
This “substantial performance is one of two conditions that have to be met before the pier can be opened to the public.
During debate at a council committee when city staff was giving council their FINAL pier update Councillor Dennison wanted to know just when the public was going to walk out on that concrete deck. Staff had said that the Burlington Teen Tour Band would be the first “public” to use the pier which they thought was fitting and would certainly gladden the hearts of many in this city.
 There was almost a cheer when city staff advised council they were making their FINAL project update on the Brant Street Pier. Dennison poked away a bit and referred to the FINAL Pier Update and noted that once the city has granted Substantial Performance the pier can be used.
Substantial Performance means that in the eyes of the city the work on the pier is complete and the contractor turns it over to the city. During construction the pier is in the hands of the contractor.
With “substantial performance” the contractor gets a significant payment – so you know they want to see this done. Liability for the pier becomes the city’s problem and a deficiency list gets drawn up.
Every project has a deficiency list – some take years t get done. They are usually always very small and it is the city that keeps after the contractor to ensure they are fixed.
All this leads up to – when will the pier be open to the public? We know it will be open on the 14th – every dignitary in the Region will be out there. It will be fun to watch former Mayor’s Cam Jackson and Rob McIsaac share the platform – not much love lost between those two.
McIsaac struggled to get the pier built and when the crane topped during construction Jackson wanted to blow the whole thing up. The current administration moved heaven and earth to find a contractor to complete the job and sent millions more than anyone expected to see the job done.
The “mistake on the lake” will finally shed its lousy public image.
There are two big public events: June 14th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm which will be the plaque unveiling, recognition of the dignitaries and thanking them for giving us back our own money to build the pier. This is when the Burlington Teen Tour Band will march smartly out to the end of the pier and then in a grand fashion march from the end forward to the front where the public will have gathered.
After all the speeches and the photo opportunities everyone retires to the Sound of Music VIP tent for a reception.
 The beacon atop the node – cross braces have yet to go in and all the LED lights have yet to be put in place. Looks kind of nice as it is. The day after – Saturday June 15th is the Community Opening. This event will run from noon to 3:00 pm during which there will be “animation activities” for the public. Details are still be worked out by two different city departments. The “big shot” event is being handled by the city’s communications department and the Community Opening is being run by the city’s Special Events people.
They put on the Children’s Festival – a two-day event that is hugely popular and know how to make something work. It will be interesting to see how well they do – and interesting as well to see how the two different departments do their jobs.
 Looks cold and lonely out there? In a couple of weeks the railings will be in place and the public will strut out to the end of the pier and marvel at it all – and the cost as well. But the really interesting thing is: WHEN WILL THE PUBLIC BE ABLE O WALK OUT ON THAT PIER? Dennison isn’t on for waiting until the dignitaries are on hand. If it safe and complete – then let the public out onto the thing is the view Dennison took at the last council committee meeting.
Will he be as insistent at Council later this month and will he have the support of his fellow council members? Dennison could use a win on this one. He got close to black- balled by his community over his plans to apply for a severance of his Lakeshore Road property and he took a shellacking over his view that Lakeshore Road should have separate bicycle lanes.
If he manages to get the public out on the pier during the first week of June – will all be forgiven?
 By Staff
HAMILTON, ON May 7, 2013. Tim Bosma was selling his truck.
Two people showed up at his door to look at the truck. They wanted to take it for a test drive. Bosma decided to go with the two men. That was on May 6th. Bosma hasn’t been seen since.
 Friends created a Facebook page and are using social media to get the word out and find Tim Bosma The truck, a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 with license plates 726-7ZW has not been seen. Hamilton police Detective Steve Pacey is leading the investigation
A source told Our Burlington that Bosma was a little suspicious about the men who showed up to buy the truck and decided to go with them.
Family and friends are using social media to get the word out and to spread the license number far and wide.
If you see the plates on a black pick up call 905-546-4930
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 7, 2013 The natives in St. Luke’s Precinct are getting restless – they don’t like the look of a development that is going to chew up a whole block of Caroline from Hager to Burlington Streets.
Barry Imber, a Hager resident explains: “Myself and a bunch of downtown neighbours are amassing to say no to a new housing development that’s proposed for Caroline
 The St. Luke’s Precinct is bordered on four sides roughly between Brant Street and Maple Avenue at the sides and Central High School to Lakeshore Road top to bottom. Street between Burlington Ave. and Hager Ave. The developer wants to tear down a number of homes and replace with higher density town homes which local Councillor Marianne Meed-Ward insists are semi-detached structures.
The neighbourhood has been dealing with this for some time – early meetings took place sometime in 2012.
Meed Ward has arranged for a meeting at city hall – on a Saturday – in the late Spring no less – that tells how restless the natives are. Takes place at City Hall — 10am – Room 305 with developer Maurice Desrochers in attendance. Locals understand that the developer wishes to show new drawings. The neighbours wish to speak to him about the impact of his proposal on the way they live downtown.
 Caroline looking East from Hager: community wants to retain the single family home zoning fr the precinct. The developer is seeking different zoning for the site: Imber says the problem is, as we all know, change one zone and the dominos fall and you stand to lose the zoning for our unique little core area.
The developer is believed to have changed architects – leaving John Williams of Burlington and taking his business down the road to a Toronto Architectural firm. The developer is also reported to have
Changed the drawings to get a more period historical look — between late 1800’s to early 1900’s
The city is reported to have impressed the developer that the goal of the St. Luke’s Precinct is to preserve the Single Family Home zoning as established character — not simply an aesthetic.
The St. Luke’s Precinct is bordered on four sides roughly between Brant Street and Maple Avenue at the sides and Central High School to Lakeshore Road top to bottom.
Social media lets anyone with a keyboard and internet access the opportunity to put together a blog and get their story out. There are loads of smart people in the precinct who have their site up and created a space for the developer to get his side of the story out – which is what Desrochers did with this comment:
“I appreciate your concern. You are totally misinformed and misinforming your neighbours. This is a site specific zoning change and does not affect the zoning in the rest of the neighbourhood, nor does it affect the neighbourhood in a negative way.
 Residents believe the developer has focused solely on the positive nature of the aesthetic – they are concerned about density and the intrusion of anything other than single family homes. You have not even seen what the new proposal is. Its leading edge and a great example of good positive change .I trust that you will be impressed when you see the new proposal. Even some of the new single homes in the core are not a good example of tying in with the neighbourhood. I look forward to seeing you on the 11th.
The community has come right back and responded:
Your effort to connect is much appreciated as is making yourself available to discuss the project with residents on Saturday May 11th at the city.
In response to your note we understand that the city grants zone changes site specific. However, we all know that they consider the zoning of an area or neighbourhood by the type of zoning around it. This raises a number of concerns:
1. “The city worked with the province’s mandate of intensification to conclude that the St. Luke’s Precinct was a unique and cohesively zoned area that should be protected from changes that could effect character — concluding that the Precinct should keep it’s contiguous zoning. This means they recognize the significance of site specific zoning as it effects the broader area. Therefore, a change of zone in one lot will effect all lots and tear apart the precinct’s status.
2. “Area residents have seen how site specific zone changes in their neighbourhoods have come back to haunt them when developments have applied and were granted site specific zoning and character changes. Recent examples can be cited. The reality is that a single zone change is significant as it heavily influences the future decision-making of council when they consider impact of change on each site by site occasion.
“For these reasons we believe there is no misrepresentation. We are being clear that the zoning change will effect the entire Precinct. Anyone who suggests otherwise is being naive or hiding the reality of the precedent that is set by site specific changes.
“In the end your new proposal, if still requiring a zone change to a higher density away from single family dwellings, is the first disastrous destabilizing step for the neighbourhood that will be irreversible. It will invite future developers to speculate by buying groups of homes for dense developments and leave us with no defence as we will have lost our precinct’s unique cohesive zoning as currently recognized by the city.
“Lastly you address aesthetic. In your initial meeting with residents you focused solely on the positive nature of your aesthetic and believe it is a fit. I’m certain this next proposal will be aesthetically well-considered too.
“The challenge is that though you believe your aesthetic to be superior to others and that there should be an ideal — citing that there is infill that doesn’t meet your standards — the reality is that this neighbourhood consists of many looks and home sizes; a diverse aesthetic that has evolved over time. This is a natural process that is central to the beauty of the area and a direct result of the single family home zoning.
“The single family home zoning influences the process by maintaining a graceful influx of home buyers that purchase because they love the Precinct and appreciate the nature of the place. Then some renovate, some replace — but all one home at a time to an outcome that though eclectic, is importantly slow and to scale with the neighbourhood. A scale both in the size of the homes but more importantly the scale of disruption. One home on one street being renovated or rebuilt is limited in its disruption — in all senses. One home at a time upsets a minimal in terms of traffic, emotions, neighbourhood people’s relationships and families. One home at a time is not divisive to the people.
“A development of a number of homes — a whole street block — that hopes to change the zoning tears a hole in a neighbourhood. It is destabilizing. It changes character. It divides people. It disrupts daily lives and flow and demands all people accommodate and change for the needs of the development.
“Your proposed development, and any similar future development that needs zone changes, will do more than change the look of the street. It will divide the neighbourhood and force everyone to change the way they live, and the way they relate to each other. It will erase what generations have loved about the downtown core’s neighbourhoods.
“This is why a growing number of neighbours have concluded that this type of development is destructive and misguided.”
 Desrochers has been in the business of buying up historical properties and rental them out as executive accommodation for short periods of time and in doing so has kept some very important buildings in use. Has his decision to move into development going to damage the reputation he had. Above is a fine example of a structure Desrochers has on his properties list. Desrochers operates Burlington Furnished Rentals, which owns a number of very distinctive looking structures which it rents out as short-term executive suites. Among these rental residences are approximately 6 homes on adjacent detached single family lots along the north side of Caroline which are the focus of their redevelopment. The group has presented a plan to tear down the homes and build multi-level townhouses and increase the dwelling density to 8 or more units on this land.
Is this application going to be seen as just a necessary part of downtown intensification or will the concept of a distinct look to a Precinct be something that prevails?
The community will get some sense as to where the city’s planning department is coming from when there report is completed and sent along to council.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 3, 2013 INCITE, A Single Moms Support Group, a non-profit organization, based out of Burlington, that raises up single moms and their children in our community by offering support, encouragement, guidance, direction and opportunities for empowerment.
Mother’s Day is quite a bit different when there is just the one parent in the house which leaves the Mother’s Day thinking in the hands of the kids.
INCITE is holding an event on Sunday May 12 at the Burlington Baptist Church, 2225 New St, Downtown Burlington from 12:30-4 pm. Tickets are $10 and includes lunch, bevies, dessert, pampering for the Moms, children make a Mother’s Day gift, a family photo, live music, silent auction, vendors, 50/50 draw, door prizes and more!
Pass this one around to those you think might be interested.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 6, 2013 A Mississauga man faces multiple charges for his involvement in a series of recent break and enters in both Burlington and Oakville.
During the night of May 3, 2013 the accused and other suspects stood in front of Appleby Opticals, 2180 Itabashi Way, Burlington, smashed through the front door and stole a quantity of glasses frames.
Later, at 2:19 a.m., the accused and associates broke into the Walkers Medical Centre, 1821 Walkers Line, Burlington, and stole a quantity of medicinal items.
At 2:35 a.m., a break and enter occurred at the Bell Store, 2475 Appleby Line, Burlington. The accused and other suspects smashed through the front door and stole cash.
At 2:45 a.m., a break and enter occurred at the Telus Mobility Store, 2501 Third Line, Oakville. Again, the accused and associates smashed through the front door and removed tools and cash from within.
It was a uniformed police officer, in a marked police cruiser, conducting commercial premise checks who came across the incident. An interaction took place between the lone officer and multiple suspects who drove their vehicle towards the officer, and colliding with it. During the life-threatening encounter, the officer discharged his firearm.
One individual was arrested at the scene while the accused and the other suspect fled on foot. The vehicle utilized by the suspects had been previously stolen from Oakville in April.
The accused, Jonathan MARUCIO was arrested in Peel Region and additional investigation to date has implicated him in at least two prior Oakville entries on April 25th:
Bell Store – 2525 Hampshire Gate and Telus Mobility Store – 2501 Third Line in Oakville
ACCUSED: Jonathan MARUCIO, 31 yrs, of Mississauga has been charged with:
Break, Enter & Theft (six counts)
Theft of Motor Vehicle (two counts)
Breach of Recognizance (two counts)
Wear Disguise While Committing Offence (two counts)
Possession of Stolen Property Under $5000
Possession of Break and Enter Tools
The individual arrested at the scene of this incident, a 25-year-old female, has been released unconditionally.
After investigating further the police had a suspect they very much wanted to talk to whom they identified as Jesse RIGO, 21 yrs, of Mississauga
Mid afternoon on Saturday Rigo surrendered himself to police at #20 Division, Oakville Police Station with his lawyer at his side.
He has been charged with:
Aggravated Assault, Endangering the Life of a Peace Officer
Dangerous Driving
Break, Enter & Theft (six counts)
Theft of Motor Vehicle (two counts)
Wear Disguise While Committing Offence (two counts)
Possession of Stolen Property Under $5000
Possession of Break and Enter Tools
Breach of Probation (two counts)
Breach of Recognizance (two counts)
The accused was accompanied by his lawyer at that time. The police report that the accused did not suffer any injuries as a result of the original incident when the car the thieves were using rammed into the police cruiser. Rigo was held for a bail hearing and will be appear at the Ontario Provincial Court in Milton.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 3, 2013 We are not hearing very much from the folks over at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. They advertised for people interested in serving on the Board – the closing date for that was March 15th. The Board has not said how many seats they need to fill.
We have heard of at least one very qualified individual who has served the city with distinction in the past. Our understanding is that the initial interview has yet to take place but when it does the applicant intends to interview the Board as much as be interviewed for a Board seat.
 In the world of show business they are called “dark night” – those occasions when there is nothing going on in the building. The Performing Arts Centre has too many of these. Sometime later this month the Brenda Heatherington, the Executive Director who has given notice to her Board that she will leave her position in July, will announce the fall line-up – which we understand is pretty strong.
No word from the Board on how they intend to search for her replacement. There is some buzz in the community that it should be someone from within the community, which could be a mistake.
The position to be filled needs considerable clarification before it is advertised.  Does BPAC want an artistic director? Does it want an administrator who has a sense of what the community wants in the way of entertainment? Doe it want someone who puts on the type of programming that is profitable or does it want someone who is going to grow the appetite and interest level of the community for performing arts?
Burlington has next to no experience in growing the appetite for performing arts. Heatherington brought a strong reputation for being able to build an audience but “appears” to have lacked the business acumen the Board felt was needed. Finding someone who can develop audiences and find the kind of entertaining talent to do that and get them to this city at a reasonable cost and then also have the business smarts to keep the revenue line where everyone would like it to be is no small task. There are very few of those available in this country. Should we find one – that person will probably be able to walk on water as well.
There are some tough days ahead for the Performing Arts Centre as it builds a board of directors that can make the decisions that have to be made and learn more about public responsibility and transparency.
Getting a beefed up Board in place is the first critical step and then creating a search team to find the new Executive Director follows. In the meantime someone has to run the place on a day-to-day basis. We are going to see another whopper of a deficit next year.
Burlingtonians can be understanding and tolerant but they insist on being informed. Hopefully there will be at least one champion on the revitalized board that will insist on telling the people paying for the place what is going on.
Your city council has two of its members on the Board. Mayor Goldring and Councillor Craven have been close to mute when it comes to informing the other council members in public as to what is going on. They are failing to do their jobs .
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 2, 2013. The Premier of the province Kathleen Wynne got her Minister of Finance to produce a budget that might keep the leader of the NDP happy enough to not vote against it later this week but that really isn’t the problem we are going to have with this government.
When Kathleen Wynne told a Legislative committee that she didn’t know the cost of closing the gas plant in Oakville was $310 million she lost me. For her to have sat at the Cabinet table where the decision to close the plant was made and tell us now that she believed the cost was just $40 million tells me the same games are still being played.
 We had trouble believing Kathleen Wynne when she was Minister of Transportation and in town to convince us the government would never pout a road through the Escarpment. Even harder to believe that she didn’t know the cost of closing the Oakville gas plant project was going to cost just $40 million when the true cost was $310 million. Wynne is going to wear that rubber tire around her neck until it eventually brings her down and that is going to be close to tragic for the province.
I don’t believe Andrea Horwath and her New Democrats can govern. And to have Tim Hudak as Premier of the province takes us back to the Mike Harris era – we are still struggling to get out from under the damage he did.
Hudak carries the same Harris blood line; one that is limited, simplistic and basically mean-spirited. Hudak does not seem to be able to see anything majestic in the human condition. . Horwath hasn’t grown to the point where she can serve as Premier – and if she were elected – where would her Cabinet come from? Wynne just doesn’t know how or want to tell the truth.
The budget will probably pass and then get reduced to a mess in committee that will slow us down for years to come.
The mistake the Ontario Liberals made was choosing Wynne and not Sandra Pupatello.
We would be in the middle of an election now had Pupatello been chosen as leader. Pupatello would have cleaned Tim Hudak’s clock and we would have a majority government.
Premier Wynne is correct when she says the people of Ontario don’t want an election. Having an election with Wynne as leader certainly doesn’t guarantee her a win. It won’t put the New Democrats in office and it is doubtful that the Progressive Conservatives would win a majority.
It is not our view that Ontario wants what Tim Hudak wants for us. What a mess
 By Ray Rivers
BURLINGTON, ON May 2, 2013. Give the people what they want. Dalton McGuinty transformed Ontario’s health care system from mediocre to one of the best in the country. He was the education Premier who brought peace and productivity to the class room. He banned cosmetic pesticides, driving with a hand-held cell phone and smoking while children are in your car. He brought in the HOV lanes, the Greenbelt, and helped keep the auto industry alive during the 2008 recession. But one of his biggest achievements was the Green Energy Act.
Generating energy with coal is dirty, speeds up climate change and impairs our health. So the Premier set up the Ontario Power Authority to make a plan – to phase-out coal but make sure the lights didn’t go out. Solar and wind are the path to the future but they only work when the sun shines and the wind blows – so you need a backup and that is natural gas. And gas, the utilities have been saying for years, is clean.
 One of two gas plant the provincial government chose not to complete – cost to quit – close to half a billion dollars But don’t tell that to the voters in Oakville and Mississauga. When they heard about the plans for new gas plants, they weren’t going to let Dalton put one in their back yard. So on the eve of the last election the Liberal government, hoping to get its third majority, killed the partially constructed gas plants in those communities.
It turns out the cost of that decision is now known to be over a half billion dollars – compensation for the private entities building the plants – and new power plants will still have to be built somewhere.
The provincial budget came down this week, but it will have to compete for newspaper space with the gas plant fiasco. The pundits expect the NDP will support this budget and continue to support the Liberals for at least a while – till they are ready to pull the plug.
It is said that voters have short memories, but will the teachers support the government which declared war on them? Will the ORNGE, E-health and the Caledonia crises fade in the voters‘ minds? And on the budget, will the public register its concern that Ontario has been in deficit for the last decade and its debt doubled over that time? And, yes, don’t forget the gas plants.
Despite all the good that Premier McGuinty did for Ontario, his legacy will likely be tarnished by this one avoidable blunder. Who would have advised him to pander to a handful of vocal constituents and to reverse himself on a sound energy plan? That was an expensive lesson for all of us, and Dalton paid a huge price, falling on his sword and giving up his leadership. This is also Political Science 101: Be careful with the advice you get from the kids surrounding you in the heat of an election campaign The honey they are pouring into your ears may well turn out to be hemlock.
Next week I will be exploring the new Ontario budget. If the NDP does indeed support the budget on first reading, the question is whether they will see it through committee and onto final reading. Andrea must be asking herself why she would want to climb into bed with a Liberal government so shaken by something as destructive as the gas plant fiasco? There are interesting times ahead.
 Ray Rivers will write weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a political animator. Rivers was a candidate in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson.
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