Andrea Grebenc will be the Liberal candidate for Burlington in the provincial election that might take place early in January.
Andrea Grebenc is now the Liberal candidate in the next provincial election.
Grebenc defeated Oliver Parker who was new to politics.
Grebenc has been politically active for some time.
She served as Chair of the Halton District School Board trustees and was the go to person for media on education issues for a significant period of time.
Right now the Progressive Conservative party does not have a candidate for the next election. The incumbent, Natalie Pierre announced recently that she would not be running again.
Grebenc now has an opportunity to build up a strong team.
What Eric Stern reports is complex but it isn’t rocket science. It is the story of how the city Council you elected is telling you how much they are going to tax you. If you’re happy with what they are telling you – re-elect them. Until then keep an eye on them
Eric Stern delegated to City Council on November 25th.
On December 10th, Mayor Marian Meed Ward had a Letter to the Editor published in the Hamilton Spectator in which she was very critical of two of the delegations that were made when she was not in the Council Chamber – she was at the Joseph Brant Hospital getting her picture taken with Premier Ford who was announcing new funding. The Mayor was not given the opportunity to speak at the event.
The Gazette invited Eric Stern to write about his experience.
My name is Eric Stern and I delegated to the Burlington City Council on November 25th, 2024. The mayor missed my delegation, choosing instead to attend a provincial funding announcement at Joseph Brant Hospital. Despite not being at the Council meeting, the mayor had something to say about one of the questions I asked in my delegation on her social media in which the Mayor said: “attacking the personal integrity of anyone – whether a council member, staff, or another member of the community – is not welcome.”
What Happened? Let’s start with a timeline.
October 25th, 2024 – Burlington releases the 2025 budget, stating “The projected overall tax increase for 2025 is now 4.97 percent”. Page 13 and page 27 of the 2025 budget show Burlington’s portion of our tax bill is increasing by 7.5%.
The numbers being used are a little fuzzy. I have always maintained that, when discussing the Burlington budget, the increase in the tax rate is what matters to taxpayers, which at this point was 7.50%.
The city prefers the 4.97% number which is an average of the four numbers in the Increase% column. Of course they would, it is a smaller number.
October 30th, 2024 – Halton Police Services releases their 2025 Budget. The 5.65% shown above is now 11.84%, shown below. The projected overall tax increase for 2025 is now 5.76%.
November 4th, 2024 – Staff presents the Burlington budget to Council.
You can see on this screenshot, taken from minute mark 2:54:12, that Mr. Basit, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) presented the “Projected property tax increase is 4.97%”. Note that Basit is using the outdated and lower averaged number.
What did I say to cause the mayor’s comments on social media?
“It was interesting to watch Mr. Basit present a 4.97% on November 4th when the Halton Police budget had been made public on October 30th. Did Mr. Basit knowingly misrepresent the truth?”
There are other explanations for the CAO telling the council and the public “the property tax increase is 4.97%” – that averaged number again, when it was known to be 5.76%. Perhaps staff, including the CAO didn’t realize the Police Services budget change would impact the overall tax increase. It is confusing the way other budgets, not related to Burlington’s, cause the overall Burlington number to change.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns represents the City on the Police Services Board. She is with Halton Police Chief Tanner and has to approve the more than $400,000 he is paid annually.
Perhaps the council member who sits on the Halton Police Services Board didn’t understand the impact.
We elect a mayor and Councillors to be our representatives. If a staff member presents incorrect information council must raise an objection. When council fails in this responsibility is it wrong for a taxpayer to step in and challenge staff? Which is what I did.
In Burlington, staff presenting incorrect information is not an attack on residents but a resident questioning the information is an attack on the personal integrity of staff.
In 2022 the city began using that “averaged” number, because it is lower, instead of the number that represents the actual tax increase over the previous year. When changes from other levels of government impact the overall increase the very least the city can do is tell us.
My rhetoric aside, now that all the various boards and governments have approved their budgets the tax increase will be 7.51% over the previous year. That 5.82 number is the average of the increases made by all three levels of government. The Police Services increases are included in the Regional budget.
The tax increase that the Burlington City Council controls stands at 7.51%
Should the city explain why staff presented a 4.97% increase number to council and the public on November 4th, 2024 instead of the known overall number of 5.76%?
Should Burlington stop talking about an averaged number and stick to their budget increase of 7.51% when talking about the budget?
Was I wrong in asking for honest, accurate information or is the mayor correct that we can’t question what staff tell us at the risk of “attacking their personal integrity”?
Premier Doug Ford announced the creation of Ontario Corps, a group of skilled professionals and volunteers that the province can deploy to help communities respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, while promoting civic engagement and community participation.
“I’ve seen firsthand the incredible community spirit and dedication to volunteerism that we share throughout Ontario,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With the launch of Ontario Corps, we’re harnessing the Ontario spirit to help communities and neighbours in need deal with natural disasters and other emergencies, while providing additional resources to keep our communities safe. I encourage everyone across Ontario who is interested and able to consider volunteering by signing up for Ontario Corps today!”
At the very bottom of the announcement we learn that the Ontario Corps is part of the government’s $110 million investment over three years to strengthen emergency preparedness and response in Ontario.
That’s lower than chump change.
The initiative was inspired by successful models like AmeriCorps, Ontario Corps will work with non-governmental organizations and First Nations partners to help coordinate specialized personnel and volunteers to respond to emergencies. Ontario Corps can mobilize to provide on-the-ground assistance such as emergency shelter, debris management, food services and flood protection. Ontario Corps partner organizations include groups such as Feed Ontario, Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association, Salvation Army, GlobalMedic and Team Rubicon Canada.
To support Ontario Corps emergency response efforts, the province has procured flood mitigation barriers, drones, water pumps, chain saws, air purifiers and other supplies to support communities impacted by emergencies. All equipment and volunteers can be deployed anywhere across Ontario within 24 to 72 hours to help support community response efforts. Partner organizations could also help prepare the province by training volunteers and educating the public on how they can plan for and respond to emergencies.
“Being safe, practiced and prepared starts with having the resources, trained volunteers and specialized equipment ready when the next emergency impacts Ontario,” said Trevor Jones, Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Neighbours helping neighbours – that is the true essence of Ontario Corps, which will guide our efforts to ensure our province remains a leader in emergency management for decades to come.”
People of all skill levels and professional backgrounds are encouraged to volunteer for Ontario Corps to help their communities during emergencies. Volunteers from all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome to apply. They will be provided with initial training and matched with partner organizations based on their skill levels, interests and availability.
The province is also establishing an Ontario Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters that will support a quicker and more coordinated response. Located on surplus government property on Disco Road in Etobicoke near Toronto Pearson International Airport, this state-of-the-art complex would be a multifaceted centre for coordinated and enhanced responses to emergencies. A secure facility with dedicated training rooms, storage, warehousing and aviation infrastructure, the new headquarters would be built to withstand all types of disasters including earthquakes, tornadoes and floods, capable of serving Ontario 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The government is also partnering with Northern College on a regional emergency hub in Timmins to bolster local on-the-ground response and enhance emergency readiness in northern Ontario. The hub, located at the college, could be set up to serve as an emergency operations centre, a meeting point for emergency partners to coordinate responses or a training centre for partners and volunteers in the north. Four additional emergency hubs will be established at strategic locations in northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast Ontario. These new hubs will store equipment to help support local efforts, providing timelier support to areas affected by emergencies.
Emily Brown had the nomination in the bag when Shaheryar Mian wasn’t cleared as a possible candidate. Connor Fraser, also ran for the nomination. He hadn’t learned that you earn your stripes.
With Emily Brown now nominated as the Conservative candidate for Burling the association can now get on with preparing for the next federal election – which can’t start soon enough for them
With the Nomination Process behind them, the association is “glad to have access once again to our membership information. Now we are able to reach out to new members, as well as our long-time members and supporters.”
The Association now knows just how many members Shaheryar Mian brought to the Association; their challenge will be to see if any of them can be made real members who will help win the election.
It was a jubilant crowd; they believe they have nominated a winner.
“The federal Election 45 could be called at any time in 2025 and for most, it can’t come soon enough! Emily & the BCA are election ready and we hope you will join us in turning Burlington BLUE again!
“Lots of help is needed to win an election! We’d like to continue to grow our membership and find disillusioned members of other parties that would like to be part of a majority Conservative government led by Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre.”
It was standing room only at the Nominating meeting.
The members are really pumped; they can taste the victory they believe is ahead of them.
This information is not professional investment advice. Investors are advised to do their own research into individual stocks before making an investment decision.
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-10-24
1,857,143
$0.14
$260,000.02
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider dispositions in the public market are:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce —–Sell Quantity: -404,850 Average cost: $94.42 Total: -$38,224,134.98 Options Issued: 404,742 Average cost: $55.79 Total: $22,579,993.89
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
51 – Exercise of options
12-10-24
108,800
$55.75
$6,065,600.00
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-10-24
-108,800
$94.20
-$10,248,709.76
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
51 – Exercise of options
12-11-24
87,042
$55.31
$4,814,578.27
Culham, Harry Kenneth
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6)
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-11-24
-87,042
$94.97
-$8,266,782.20
Dodig, Victor George
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-10-24
150,000
$55.85
$8,377,500.00
Dodig, Victor George
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-10-24
-150,000
$94.22
-$14,132,865.00
Dodig, Victor George
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-11-24
22,750
$55.85
$1,270,587.50
Dodig, Victor George
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-11-24
-22,750
$94.87
-$2,158,383.50
Guse, Frank
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-09-24
15,498
$58.57
$907,710.58
Guse, Frank
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
-15,498
$93.30
-$1,446,033.37
Sedran, Robert
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
-108
$93.83
-$10,133.64
Sedran, Robert
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-12-24
20,652
$55.40
$1,144,017.54
Sedran, Robert
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-12-24
-20,652
$94.97
-$1,961,227.51
TC Energy Corporation —–Sell Quantity: -267,435 Average cost: $66.51 Total: -$17,785,898.39 Options Issued: 267,435 Average cost: $53.93 Total: $14,421,662.71
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Chapman III, Stanley G.
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-12-24
267,435
$53.93
$14,421,662.71
Chapman III, Stanley G.
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-12-24
-267,435
$66.51
-$17,785,898.39
Sol Strategies Inc. (formerly, Cypherpunk Holdings Inc.) —–Sell Quantity: -3,000,000 Average cost: $2.39 Total: -$7,172,861.40
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Guoga, Antanas (Tony)
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-10-24
-1,263,000
$2.28
-$2,876,694.61
Guoga, Antanas (Tony)
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-11-24
-787,300
$2.55
-$2,005,876.70
Guoga, Antanas (Tony)
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-12-24
-949,700
$2.41
-$2,290,290.09
SilverCrest Metals Inc —–Sell Quantity: -126,331 Average cost: $15.99 Total: -$2,019,475.24 Options Issued: 43,666 Average cost: $10.09 Total: $440,450.14
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Beaudoin, Pierre
4 – Director of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-09-24
43,666
$10.09
$440,450.14
Beaudoin, Pierre
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
-35,331
$16.10
-$568,875.24
Fier, Nathan Eric
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
-75,000
$15.96
-$1,197,000.00
Fier, Nathan Eric
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-10-24
-16,000
$15.85
-$253,600.00
TransAlta Corporation —–Sell Quantity: -28,338 Average cost: $18.82 Total: -$533,393.20 Options Issued: 28,338 Average cost: $12.59 Total: $356,701.16
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Fedoretz, Jane Nyla
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
51 – Exercise of options
12-11-24
28,338
$12.59
$356,701.16
Fedoretz, Jane Nyla
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
Mayor Meed Ward recently submitted a Letter to the Editor of the Hamilton Spectator which went as follows:
Democracy is not dead. But we can never take it for granted
There goes democracy. It was nice while it lasted Dec. 5
It would be tempting to give in to despair and give up on democracy, after reading Joan Little’s bleak column of Dec. 5.
But I’m appealing to everyone not to give up. Democracy hasn’t left us — but it doesn’t happen on its own. We have to fight for the democracy we want and believe in.
That means learning about the issues from credible sources, though this is harder than ever to come by in an ocean of information and often misinformation.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward presiding over a council meeting.
Despite assertions in the column, mayors do not have “absolute autonomy” on operating and capital budgets. In fact, local councils have the last word.
Under new provincial legislation, mayors are now required to either produce a budget or direct staff to do so. In both Burlington and Hamilton, mayors chose to direct staff to prepare a budget.
Councils, by majority vote, can amend the budget. This is democracy — and a voice and a vote on budgets for councillors and the people they represent is retained.
Mayors can override any council amendments.
Council meeting during the pandemic.
But the last word goes to councils — by a two-thirds majority, councils can override any mayoral veto. In Burlington, that means persuading just one more colleague of the merits of your position.
Certainly, it can be debated whether a higher vote threshold to override a veto is appropriate, although there is a long democratic tradition of some votes requiring a two-thirds majority; for example, to reconsider previous votes of council.
These are important debates to have; but we won’t be able to have them in a thoughtful and informed manner if everyone has already thrown in the towel due to misinformation or misperception of what is — and isn’t — at stake.
This isn’t a defence of the new legislation, simply an acknowledgment that until and unless it is changed, it’s the law, and we are all required to do our best to preserve a public voice and council input into budgets.
So let’s turn our minds to that.
The columnist muses “why even elect councils — councils have been emasculated.”
Except they haven’t. The business of the city still proceeds by way of majority vote — including, as noted above, on budgets. In Burlington, city council voted this week on more than 31 motions that advance city business, on everything from fare-free transit, Sound of Music festival funding, flood mitigation strategies, projects for the Municipal Accommodation Tax, seasonal patios, council size and ward boundary reviews, and several residential and commercial development applications. That’s just one month of business at the city.
The two biggest threats to democracy are misinformation and voter apathy. So take the time to learn about the issues at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, from credible sources, and from a variety of perspectives. Verify assertions. Engage in the debate.
Most importantly, get involved in elections. There are likely two next year — provincial and federal — with the municipal election a year after that. Volunteer for a campaign, donate, attend a debate and most importantly — vote.
Unlike the sky is falling assertions in the column, democracy is not dead. But we can never take our democracy for granted.
While I share some of the concerns raised about provincial, and even federal, overreach into municipal matters, the solution isn’t to conclude democracy is dead, but to fight for the government — and representatives — we want.
We must remain vigilant and involved. We don’t live in a dictatorship and you get to vote for who you want to represent your interests. You’ll have multiple opportunities in the next 24 months. Make them count. Otherwise, the voices of others speak for you.
Voices of others eh!:
Here is an example, written by Stephen White, which goes some distance in explaining why people don’t vote and how poorly the current council is performing.
The Mayor and Councillor Nisan talk about “respect”. In their rarefied and genteel environment, respect is characterized by universal agreement, nuanced communications, tacit agreement and blind acquiescence. What they can’t comprehend is that respect cuts two ways.
Stephen White
“Respect” also means acknowledging and recognizing that not everyone will agree with you 100% of the time. It means actually listening to what is being said during delegations, and not paying “lip service”. It means hearing not just the words but the intent of what is being said by those delegating. It means Councillors who actually look at those delegating rather than texting on their phones. It means city officials who actually check information to ensure it is accurate before releasing it to the public.
It is being transparent enough, and open enough, to acknowledge that there is a clear and distinct difference between a blended property tax rate and the rate of increase that the city is directly responsible for.
It means responding in a timely manner to citizen questions, and not having to be constantly reminded repeatedly of the need to do so (remember Jim Barnett’s delegation? I do. Of course, I and others were actually listening).
Lost in this maelstrom is the fact that Eric Stern presented 14 pages of costs savings and possible reductions that the city could initiate. Who at city hall is investigating that, and who is following up to see if any of these ideas are researched and investigated? Answer: probably no one. Silence. Crickets. Something else is falling through the cracks.
If MMW and this Council want “respect” they might actually try practicing it first and setting an example before preaching about it so sanctimoniously and upbraiding those with the courage to disagree.
The Angus Reid Institute, a public polling organization that is multi-national in its out-reach reported this morning that:
Percentage saying they’re ‘very proud’ to be Canadian has dropped from 78% to 34% since 1985
The years since the onset of COVID-19 have been a well-documented period of division and discord in this country, with Canadians expressing concerns about the weakening compassion and growing space between Canadians.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute find two broad trends underscoring these changes and signalling a challenge for national unity.
In 2016, 62 per cent of Canadians said they had a deep emotional attachment to Canada. In 1991 that mark was three points higher (65%). Now in 2024 it is 13 points lower at 49 per cent.
Even more dramatic is a drop in a sense of pride among Canadians. In 1985, 78 per cent said they were “very proud” to be Canadian. This dropped to 52 per cent in 2016 and now by another 18 points to 34 per cent.
The proportion who say they are either proud or very proud of their nationality has dropped precipitously from 79 per cent to 58 per cent over the past eight years.
This data puts the Trump comment about Canada becoming a 51st state in a different light.
Someone is going to take home a lot of money and Food4Kids will feed more kids.
Food4Kids Ontario launched the Food for Kids, Cash for You 50/50 Raffle almost a month ago. They are one week away from the jackpot draw (December 19) with a current take home prize of $700,000. The jackpot is growing by $40,000 every day.
1 in 4 kids live in a household without enough access to food.
27% increase in Food4Kids programs in 2023.
Food4Kids receives no government funding as part of student nutrition funding.
$500,000 in ticket sales in first four days for a chance at Taylor Swift tickets.
What does this money mean for Food4Kids:
Every $39,000 feeds another 50 kids every weekend all year long.
$500,000 adds 12 more schools and 600 more kids to our program.
Grow Food4Kids by an additional two Chapters in Ontario.
School nutrition programs feed kids during the school day, but there is a clear gap: Kids living in deep poverty go hungry on the weekends. Since 2012, Food4Kids has been filling this gap with the Weekends Without Hunger and Summer programs to keep kids fed all year round.
There are now chapters in Halton, Hamilton, Mississauga, Muskoka, Niagara, and Toronto providing healthy food packages to more than 4,100 children.
We tripped over Peter J. Van Dyk and his son Peter W. Van Dyk Both are part of PV&V Insurance Centre Ltd., a family owned and operated insurance brokerage based in Burlington, Ontario.
Peter J. Van Dykwas was at one time actively involved in Sound of Music. Peter W. Van Dyk has never been involved with the Sound of Music organization. He is however a musician.
Our apologies to Peter W – we missed the differences.
Peter W. Van Dyk
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre Board of Directors named Peter W. Van Dyk their new Board Chair by acclamation at their meeting on November 28, 2024. Van Dyk replaces Ken Smithard, who has served on the Board since 2016 and whose term concluded at the end of November. Van Dyk was born and raised in Burlington and is an insurance professional with PV&V Insurance Centre Ltd. Prior to starting his career in insurance, he was active as a musician locally and toured Ontario and Canada.
Ken Smithard,
“On behalf of the Board, staff, and volunteers, I want to thank Ken for his dedicated service on the Board over the past eight years, and especially for his steady guidance through the transitions of the past year. He leaves the Board well positioned for 2025 and will be missed. BPAC has an amazing team of staff and volunteers, and I look forward to announcing our new Executive Director early in the New Year, to lead BPAC into its next chapter,” says Van Dyk.
In addition, Jim Thompson has been acclaimed to the position of Vice Chair and Chair of the Governance, Ethics and Human Resources Committee; James Sweetlove has been appointed to the position of Corporate Secretary; Deirdre Flynn has been appointed Recording Secretary; Carrie Gervais has been appointed Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, and Stephen Bell has been appointed Chair of the Development and Relationship Committee.
The Board, staff and volunteers at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre look forward to welcoming patrons from the Burlington community and beyond to our holiday concerts and the second half of our season in 2025.
Lucy White, is in place serving as Interim Executive Director.
Peter W. Van Dyk has in the past served on the Board of the Sound of Music. We have not been able to reach Mr. Van Dyk for comment.
The Gazette has heard from people who are volunteers. The comments they made in the Gazette are set out below.
Hundreds of volunteers make the Sound of Music Festival work – two of them mark the location for a vendor.
This was never more true than in 2018 when a mass exodus of volunteers, staff (and all of their collective knowledge) occurred because a corrupt board fired the long serving ED who was running a very successful and fiscally responsible festival. That entire group could not bring ourselves to bust our collective @$$es all year long for the clowns who took over the BoD. We tried to bring this forward by writing a very detailed letter to council and the mayor back then, but they either said that it was too big to fail, we were blowing it all out of proportion, or flat out ignored us. 6 years later, none of us are surprised by this. We are all sad for what has become of a festival that we all loved.
Interesting…none of this was an issue when Dave Miller was Executive Director, before he was canned by the board.
The Toronto Star reported today that “Municipal politicians could be fired for serious misconduct — and barred from running for four years — under new legislation introduced by the province.
The move comes in light of efforts by non-partisan advocacy group The Women of Ontario Say No, which brought more than 200 municipalities on board in asking for help to deal with code of conduct violations.
“We had to make sure we got this right, which is why we worked with Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner to find the best path forward to create a standardized code of conduct process across the province,” Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said in a written statement on introducing the new bill.
“This process will support consistent accountability across our municipalities.”
Can this lot be considered the “usual suspects”? The legislation will give them reason to at least pause.
Those found in “serious violation” of the code of conduct could be fired if the municipal integrity commissioner has investigated, and both the local and the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario recommend the move, along with a unanimous vote of all other Councilors.
The act will apply when local politicians’ conduct “that is the subject of the inquiry has resulted in harm to the health, safety or well-being of persons … and the existing penalties are insufficient to address the contravention or ensure that the contravention is not repeated,” the ministry said in a news release.
The Municipal Accountability Act will help set out code of conduct rules, how to handle Integrity Commissioner inquiries and require Councillors and other local elected officials to undergo training.
Last January, the province promised “airtight” legislation to address an issue that municipalities have struggled to deal with, after Progressive Conservative MPPs previously voted down a private member’s bill from Liberal MPP Stephen Blais (Orléans) last year.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra
At the time, Calandra had said he needed to “ensure that it’s constitutional, that it does what it’s supposed to do.”
“I don’t want to do something or bring something forward that can, in any way, make it harder for somebody to get the justice that they are seeking, ” he said.
As it now stands, local politicians can be removed from office for campaign finance violations but not for harassing staff, leaving municipalities with no options to address egregious behaviour.
Blais introduced his bill after serving on Ottawa council with Rick Chiarelli, who former staffers said made inappropriate comments, urged them to go braless and shared sexually explicit stories. In the end, Chiarelli was docked pay, but could not be ousted.
Emily McIntosh of The Women of Ontario Say No had said “this is really about workplace safety,” noting that staff in any other sector who harass others can be fired. “We’re talking about people that have the most power in communities held to a lower standard than any other workers in Ontario,” she said.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Big City Mayors and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association had all asked for help on code of conduct compliance.
Leaders of all opposition parties had also said such legislation is needed
Trevor Copp writes: “A Stag Hunter and his prey, a young man and his lover, an old man and his dog, a woman, a bench, a lamppost, and an umbrella.”
“These are the puzzle pieces that await in ‘Sometimes It Snows in April’ – the result of a rare, deeply satisfying process shot through with chain reactions of creativity.
“Director Ric Knowles (if you saw ‘Bulfinch’s Mythology’ – that’s Ric, one of the best things that’s ever happened to TBT) was handed three stories that started as Mime pieces, the remarkable talent of Actor and Opera singer Bó Bárdos, and the universe of a bench and a lamppost. This piece has come together to create its own tiny, luminous world that opens tomorrow.
“I wish I could take each person who knows us from our larger works like the summer Shakespeare series and let them see what is possible in original work. If you’ve never been to a workshop presentation of ours – you won’t regret it. Come watch us stumble towards something beautiful.”
Shows are tomorrow/Friday Dec. 13 and Saturday Dec. 14 at 7pm at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. For tickets:
Parking! So the Conservatory is in a tricky spot for parking – they have lots of space, but it helps to know how to find it. Click on THIS PAGE and scroll down for directions on the best parking.
This article first appeared in the Comments section of the Gazette.
The Mayor and Councillor Nisan talk about “respect”. In their rarefied and genteel environment, respect is characterized by universal agreement, nuanced communications, tacit agreement and blind acquiescence. What they can’t comprehend is that respect cuts two ways.
Stephen White at a public event.
“Respect” also means acknowledging and recognizing that not everyone will agree with you 100% of the time. It means actually listening to what is being said during delegations, and not paying “lip service”. It means hearing not just the words but the intent of what is being said by those delegating. It means Councillors who actually look at those delegating rather than texting on their phones. It means city officials who actually check information to ensure it is accurate before releasing it to the public.
It is being transparent enough, and open enough, to acknowledge that there is a clear and distinct difference between a blended property tax rate and the rate of increase that the city is directly responsible for.
It means responding in a timely manner to citizen questions, and not having to be constantly reminded repeatedly of the need to do so (remember Jim Barnett’s delegation? I do. Of course, I and others were actually listening).
Stephen White speaking to an audience on a local issue
Lost in this maelstrom is the fact that Eric Stern presented 14 pages of costs savings and possible reductions that the city could initiate. Who at city hall is investigating that, and who is following up to see if any of these ideas are researched and investigated? Answer: probably no one. Silence. Crickets. Something else is falling through the cracks.
If MMW and this Council want “respect” they might actually try practicing it first and setting an example before preaching about it so sanctimoniously and upbraiding those with the courage to disagree.
Stephen White teaches at a community college and has been active in the community for decades.
BRAG has watched the City of Burlington present a 7.51% Burlington tax increase as 4.97%, 5.76% and now, after the regional and police increases have been approved, 5.82%
The marketing technique used to present a 7.51% Burlington only increase as an ever-changing series of lower numbers, does residents a disservice. Terms like impact and overall are not well understood by the community.
When Burlington talks about the Burlington budget and Burlington taxes the conversation should be about Burington’s 8.3% total property tax increase and 7.51% increase to existing taxpayers.
Communications about the impact on the overall bill should wait until all the other levels of government involved in the overall bill have passed their own budget increases.
Halton Regional Council completed its tax rate deliberations on Wednesday. The vote was 15-9 for the increase.
The point of contention was an increase in the Police budget from 13.8 % to 14.3%.
This results in a regional increase of 6.18%, up from the originally forecast 6%
The regional government added half a million to their budget and then adjourned for a little celebration to recognize the Regional CAO who is retiring.
As a result of the budget approval by Halton Regional Council today, the overall tax increase for Burlington in 2025 will now be 5.82 %, up from the projected 5.76% presented at the November 25th Special Council meeting, and the 4.97% presented on November 4th.
Burlington property tax bills are made up of three parts:
51 per cent goes to the City of Burlington to fund local services like transit, roads, parks, and public safety.
33 per cent goes to Halton Region for regional services like Halton Regional Police Service, waste management, water, and public health.
16 per cent goes to the Boards of Education to support local schools.
City Hall will always use the 5.82 number because it is lower. What matters is the top line 7.51%
What taxpayers care about is: How much are my taxes increasing?
The increase from 2025 to 2025 is 7.51%
City Hall added the following to their media release:
Work on the City of Burlington’s 2025 budget began in May. Residents, businesses, partners, staff, and all members of council were invited to provide feedback at getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget, the Food for Feedback event, at six in-person consultation meetings in each ward, at a telephone town hall, and during committee and council meetings. This feedback was presented to City Council to allow them to provide feedback on the proposed priority projects and services.
Public feedback centered on concerns with tax affordability, reducing taxes and prioritizing services such as roads, infrastructure, climate change/environment and affordable housing.
In June 2024, the 2025 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast Report was presented at Committee of the Whole. Preliminary discussions began in July 2024, and throughout summer, among staff, Council, and the community to help with information sharing and collaboration early on in the process.
Under new provincial legislation, the city budget process has changed. Mayors are now required to either prepare a budget or direct staff to do so. Councils can amend the proposed budget; Mayors have the option to veto amendments; and councils can override a Mayoral veto by a two-thirds vote. After this process is complete, the budget is deemed approved.
In Burlington, the Mayor issued a Mayoral Decision in July to direct staff to prepare the budget. This was unanimously endorsed by council.
Following in-person consultation meetings in September and October, the City published its Proposed Budget on Oct. 25 and presented it to Committee of the Whole Nov. 4 for feedback and public delegationCouncil presented amendments to the budget at a special Budget meeting on Nov. 18, at which time public delegations were again received. The amendments were approved at a Special Council meeting Nov. 25.
The Mayor did not exercise the veto option and issued a Mayoral Decision, ending the veto period, and as a result the staff-presented, council-amended budget was deemed approved after the Special Council meeting of Nov. 25.
For Halton Region budgets, staff presented a budget to Regional Council at meetings on Dec. 4 and 11. Regional councillors can bring amendments, as happened today regarding the police budget. Council votes as a whole to approve the budget and any amendments. That work is now complete.
The Mayor and all six Burlington Councillors sit on the 24-member Halton Regional Council, which includes representatives from Burlington, Halton Hills, Oakville, and Milton.
Halton Region provides services such as: police, paramedics, health and social services (including housing), services for seniors, water and wastewater, regional roads, waste management, and contributions to Conservation Authorities.
Steve Robinson, Manager of Burlington’s Urban Forest, reports that he had the unique opportunity to present alongside Tyler Searls and Ben Kuttner today at the 2024 Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC)conference. We presented on the merits of Managing Urban Woodlands as Assets, using the City of BNurlington’s Woodland Management Strategy as a case study.
Starting in 2025, the City will be implementing the City’s Woodland Management Strategy and 37 Forest Management Plans. These plans are integral for the purpose of mitigating tree related risk, addressing invasive species, providing a means for reforestation, and supporting the maintenance of other critical infrastructure like storm water conveyance within our creek block
This information is not professional investment advice. Investors are advised to do their own research into individual stocks before making an investment decision.
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
500,000
$12.88
$6,438,901.50
Tang, Kevin
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-06-24
400,000
$12.76
$5,105,786.80
Tang, Kevin
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-05-24
300,000
$12.62
$3,786,839.10
ATCO LTD —–Buy Quantity: 162,000 Average cost: $49.20 Total: $7,969,966.00
Insider
Relationship
Transaction
Date
Quantity
Price
Total
Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
18,100
$49.07
$888,146.50
Southern-Heathcott, Linda A.
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
18,100
$49.07
$888,146.50
Southern, Margaret E
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
18,100
$49.07
$888,146.50
Southern, Nancy C.
4 – Director of Issuer, 6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-09-24
18,100
$49.07
$888,146.50
Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd.
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-06-24
22,400
$49.30
$1,104,345.00
Southern-Heathcott, Linda A.
4 – Director of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-06-24
22,400
$49.30
$1,104,345.00
Southern, Margaret E
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
12-06-24
22,400
$49.30
$1,104,345.00
Southern, Nancy C.
4 – Director of Issuer, 6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market
During the City Council meeting yesterday, the Mayor said, as part of her Personal Privilege remark that:
“I would like to address comments made at the Special Council meeting on the budget. This is the soonest opportunity, as I was not at that meeting due to attending a funding announcement at the hospital, one of the delegates mused that perhaps our CAO knowingly misrepresented the budget increase percentage. Now normally I don’t repeat personal attacks or defamatory statements, but it’s critically important to clarify what is in bounds and out of bounds when we are aiming for respectful dialog and respect in the workplace.
On that “soonest opportunity” the Mayor attended an event where she didn’t get to say a word. Some believe the Mayor didn’t attend the Council meeting because she was pretty sure Council was going to vote against her on two matters – which they did.
The Burlington Residents’ Action Group (BRAG) replied pointing out that the exact statement made by the delegate was:
“It was interesting to watch Mr. Basit present a 4.97% on November 4th when the Halton Police budget had been made public on October 30th. Did Mr. Basit knowingly misrepresent the truth?”
“The statement poses a question. The facts are the facts and the police budget increase was widely reported as being 13.8% well before the November 4th meeting.
“As I understand it, after factoring in new revenue from new homes the police increase works out to 11.8% (that number has since increased to 14.3) to existing taxpayers. The increase to the “overall” tax increase number the City of Burlington loves to use looks like this:
The 7.51% has since been increased. The 5.76%, which will also be increased, is a true number – but not all that relevant. The number that matters to the people of Burlington is the one that explains how much their city taxes are going to increase, in terms of a %. Burlington city Council is responsible for what they spend and what they have to collect.
To add insult to injust the Mayor has now blocked BRAG from commenting on her LinkedIn site.
Construction on the Burloak Grade Separation project is moving forward and with input from the community, we have adjusted our plans. A four-lane detour road will be built to maintain access along Burloak Drive to mitigate impacts to local residents, instead of the previously scheduled 14-month road closure.
This decision, made in partnership with the City of Burlington and the Town of Oakville, helps to minimize local construction impacts while ensuring critical work for more frequent two-way, all-day GO service on the Lakeshore West Line can continue.
Once completed, the new bridge – known as a grade separation – will allow vehicles to pass safely under the train tracks, enhancing pedestrian and motorist safety while allowing trains to pass over the area without interruption.
Minor preparation work will take place in the weeks ahead, with further updates to follow in the new year. During construction, traffic control measures will be implemented to manage traffic flow. Dates for implementation of the four-lane detour road will be shared as soon as they’re available.
During the December 10th Council meeting Mayor Meed Ward raised two Points of Privilege.
In Robert’s Rules of Order questions of privilege affecting the assembly may include matters of comfort, amplification, or safety. For example, it may be difficult to hear the speaker. In this case, a question of privilege could be raised to close the doors and windows.
Without naming the people she was referring to the Mayor appears to have decided that her personal preferences come first, so she did the following:
Mayor Meed Ward: “We want everyone to feel heard and safe to speak their views, however unpopular, this is critical to a healthy democracy.”
“I will take this opportunity in relation to the special meeting of council to speak to a point of privilege. And I’ll do that now before calling the vote as part of our respect commitment to a respectful workplace.
“I would like to address comments made at the Special Council meeting on the budget. This is the soonest opportunity, as I was not at that meeting due to attending a funding announcement at the hospital, one of the delegates mused that perhaps our CAO knowingly misrepresented the budget increase percentage. Now normally I don’t repeat personal attacks or defamatory statements, but it’s critically important to clarify what is in bounds and out of bounds when we are aiming for respectful dialog and respect in the workplace.
“Comments opposing the tax increase, suggesting cuts, offering suggestions around communications or an improved process, these and more are not only appropriate but welcome, however, attacking the personal integrity, honesty and character of anyone, whether a council member, staff or another member of the community, is not welcome our procedure by law, Section 44 two states that no person will speak disrespectfully to or about anyone in council chambers, and that’s what happened here.
“I do want to acknowledge Councillor Nissan for also speaking to this on a recent online post. This has exposed him to unwarranted criticism and misinterpretation of what he was calling out, which is specifically the personal attack on our CAO. Being exposed to such criticism discourages anyone from speaking out and calling us to a higher standard of engagement.
“We have guidelines for conduct in our meetings that are aimed at promoting respectful debate and dialog on the issues we face. This is especially important when there are different viewpoints and opinions among staff council and our community. We want everyone to feel heard and safe to speak their views, however unpopular, this is critical to a healthy democracy.
Mayor Meed Ward
“People won’t run if they’re exposed to personal attacks and a toxic workplace. People won’t apply to work in municipal government and residents won’t come forward to speak. We all lose when these voices are silenced. We need to be vigilant in upholding a respectful workplace and modeling it. We all have a role to play to foster a respectful workplace in service of a healthy democracy. We need to model respect in our own comments and encourage others to do so. My comments are to that end, and my commitment is to do my part alongside all of you. Thank you.”
When introducing a delegation that took place on Tuesday Mayor Meed Ward said:
“Delegates must be respectful of staff, council members and other members of the public who may have a different perspective on the item, personal attacks, innuendo, slander will not be tolerated, and I’ll stop you if that occurs, we do have a respectful workplace, which includes council chambers. So please focus on the issue you’ve registered to delegate to, and if you did speak at committee, try to bring new information forward and not repeat what you said at committee.”
Then twenty-six minutes later the Mayor called for a second Point of Privilege.
“There were some things said that the audit committee is failing in their duties and that staff are failing. There is simply zero truth or evidence to that, and it’s not going to be tolerated if staff, if members of the community, have any concerns about the behavior of staff, there are appropriate independent avenues to follow. We don’t just simply allow allegations that are unfounded to be set in council chambers.”
What I believe we are seeing is a Mayor who has wandered again from serving the public that elected her and pressing her own interests and preferences.
Back in July 2022, people watching a Council meeting webcast heard the MAyor attempt to bully a member of Council into apologizing publicly for something she did not do. It was the most outrageous bit of grandstanding I have ever seen take place in the Council Chamber.
The Gazette recorded that event – remind yourself as to just how bad that performance was – Click HERE
For those who want to decide for themselves if either Eric Stern or Anne Marsden were out of line, their delegations are set out below.
The Eric Stern delegation:
Delegation Monday, November 25, 2025
Good morning and thank you for your time today.
The “Stop the 7.5% Burlington Property Tax Increase” petition has been presented to council. Twelve hundred and forty-seven people signed the petition asking for a zero percent tax increase. The multi-year forecast called for 8.9%, by asking for zero we were hoping to meet somewhere in the middle, at 4.4%, oh well.
Eric Stern: “What residents need is information, not marketing spin.”
I have to say I was surprised to see Burlington get out early again this year with the fictional “4.97%” overall tax increase.
It was interesting to watch Mr. Basit present a 4.97% on November 4th when the Halton Police budget had been made public on October 30th. Did Mr. Basit knowingly misrepresent the truth?
On November 18th I listened to Leah Bortolotti talk about 6.7 million people visiting the website annually. I did another double-take. For a dose of reality, only 200,000 people live in Burlington. Are we expected to believe that every person in Burlington visits the website an average of 33 times a year? How many of these visits are to book the kids into a swim class? More confusing is that the budget document states on page 48 “our website—with its 1.5 million annual users”.
You have approved $148,000 for an SEO Marketing position. What is the payback?
Will there be a staff reduction in Service Burlington because people can find information themselves? Will there be KPIs to monitor this or is this just another overhead cost?
What residents need is information, not marketing spin, Google can make that information searchable. Adding a web marketing SEO position will slow down the posting of information making that information less accessible to taxpayers. Do you remember the taxpayers? The people who pay for this.
The mayor talks about training bus drivers and then those drivers take jobs in other cities as a justification for higher pay. This statement is not supported by the 5.3% turnover number presented on November 4th. A rate of 5.3% is lower than any private sector group except for heads of organizations and executives at 3.8%. This indicates the city has the right mix of salary, benefits and working conditions. An average, across-the-board, salary increase of 4.58% when inflation is 2.5% sounds high.
Residents deserve factual information, clearly presented on the city’s website, by staff and the council, without the deft hand of a communications department spinning that information for the benefit of our elected representatives and city staff. I resent being taxed to pay for information to be marketed to me.
My theme today is clarity. Residents deserve factual information, clearly presented on the city’s website, by staff and the council, without the deft hand of a communications department spinning that information for the benefit of our elected representatives and city staff. I resent being taxed to pay for information to be marketed to me.
Looking ahead to 2026, what considerations are being made for a conservative Federal government and severe cuts to the housing accelerator fund? Much of the expected $21,000,000 may evaporate.
In terms of provincial funding, what happens if the city does not meet its housing targets and no provincial funds are available?
Burlington is building out community centres, transit, etc. for people who may or may not move into the community. What happens if the builders don’t build and the people don’t materialize? Is it time for more prudent cost controls?
The Burlington Residents’ Action Group submitted to this council, in writing, 14 pages of possible cost savings and economies of scale that the city could consider.
I’ve watched many council meetings, people who ask for money often receive money, and people who ask for cuts often receive nothing.
Why are lower tax increases important?
Lower increases leave people with more money for heat pumps and EVs.
Lower increases reduce renovictions by landlords who, through rent control, can only increase rents by 2.5%. This will reduce homelessness and help to “solve the crisis”.
Lower increases leave more money in people’s pockets, reducing food bank visits and crime, and lower the overall cost of policing.
I’ll conclude with, Your Worship, you win, for now, you hold all the cards, residents are not given enough time to review the budget, the budget does not include explanations for the programs, or what the return on the “investment” will be, and requests for details go unanswered.
Congratulations on passing another huge budget increase without the community understanding what the percentage is or what the dollars are for!
The Marsden delegation:
That document will be included when Ms Marsden has made it available.
Housing prices surged 72% under Doug Ford from 2018 until a price peak in February 2022. Ottawa’s immigration increase came after that.
Toronto’s housing affordability crisis had already peaked and housing purchase and rental prices were already falling when the number of new Ontario residents began to increase each quarter, according to an analysis of government and industry data.
The federal government announced a plan to increase immigration targets on February 14, 2022. The number of new Ontario residents each quarter began a sustained rise in the second half of 2022.
Immigration increases happened as housing prices fell.
By the second half of 2022, the Toronto housing sales market had already finished its massive price run-up. Prices began to decline in March 2022 and hit a new post-peak low last month.
The average asking price for a one-bedroom apartment began a surge in April 2022, well before the pace of new Ontario residents began to rise (see chart, below). By the time the pace started rising, the rental market had levelled off. And when the pace of population increase rose fastest, the asking price of rent was falling.
Basic logic: causes precede effects, not the other way
Because causes precede effects, claims that Ontario’s housing crisis was caused by immigration — and not government or central banking policies — cannot be correct. The timeline doesn’t fit.
The factors that drove the housing price mania include the ultra-low interest rates from March 2020 until March 2022, which surged demand, and the failure of the Ford PC government to spur housing starts, which limited supply.
The average house price in the Greater Toronto Area increased by 72% from the month of Doug Ford’s election until the housing market peak in February 2022. The asking price of rent increased 22% over just six months from April to October 2022.
In the 2022 Ontario election, the Ford PCs promised to put Ontario on a path to build 1.5 million housing units by 2031, a pace of 12,500 a month. The PCs have failed to hit this target every month often reaching less than 5,000 a month.
A 2023 announcement that provincial policies would lead to houses with yards and driveways coming to the market at a price under $500,000 has similarly come to nought.
The housing arc: from mania to crash to recession
When interest rates began to increase in March 2022, housing market demand cratered. The overpriced market crashed, leaving the wreckage of maxed-out borrowers owning homes not worth what they paid.
The price of the CREA’s average composite benchmark GTA house has fallen from $1.31 million in February 2022 to $1.06 in November 2024.
Those who bought with ultra-low financing from 2020 to 2022 soon face the “renewal cliff” of higher interest rates, taking a big bite out of consumer spending.
Unlike the rest of Canada, Ontario retail sales remain below a peak set in February 2022. Unemployment has risen dramatically, hitting 7.6 % in November, and the province is down 195,000 full time jobs since July
By Pepper Parr
