 By Staff
November 14th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone borrows. Your mortgage is borrowed money.
 The Region of HAlton does all the debenture borrowing for the municipalities. Next week council will endorse the 2025 Capital Budget for the City of $103,525,163 with a debenture requirement of $8,950,000, and the 2026-2034 capital forecast with a gross amount of $994,403,942 with a debenture requirement of $30,179,850 as outlined in the 2025 Budget Overview and as amended by Council.
Borrowing funds now moves the cost of what is being built now to future taxpayers.
The debenture in the amount of $8,950,000 in 2025 is a tax-supported debt.
The practice for the Halton Region is for all four municipalities to send their debenture needs to the Region who then go to the capital markets to raise the needed funds. The Region has a top level credit and bond rating which results in lower borrowing costs.
The Regional Chair issues a report every year on just how strong the credit and bond rating is.
 By Staff
November 14th. 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
A ward 3 resident reports that he has learned recently “that the cost for Burlington attendees to Japan was $45K from the Mundialization Committee budget, including official “gift” … Mayor, CAO, Hurley, Nisan and 1 other in attendance…
 Burlington delegation to Itabachi Japan in October. Councillor Galbraith’s attendance and associated costs were covered by CoB funds, but were from a separate, distinct budget of “Federal Business Liaison and Development” or something to that effect… This is due to Galbraith’s role of Deputy Mayor for Business and Red Tape “Reduction”
Our source wonders who collected all the air miles ?
By Pepper Parr
November 14th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
City Council is being asked to:Endorse the 2025 Operating Budget including any approved budget amendments to be applied against the proposed net tax levy amount of $264,328,845
There are 22 amendments to the proposed budget that is before Council.
Two in particular suggest the members of Council might be listening.
 Provide a one-time transfer of $80,000 from the current balance in the Mundialization Reserve Fund to the Severe Weather Reserve Fund comes from Councillor Nisan – who was one of the Councillors who travelled to Japan recently.
The other was submitted by Councillor Kearns, who didn’t get to go to Japan; she wanted to see a one-time transfer of $150,000 from the current balance in the Mundialization Reserve Fund to the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund.
Kearns also wants to re-allocate existing resources from other parts of City operations to enable more efficient, technology-enhanced communications and to support the Web & Digital Marketing Advisor role. No savings here, Kearns just wants to move $148,301 from one department to another.
A move that will make Anne and Dave Marsden very happy is to: Adjust the rented facilities within the Spencer Smith Park portion of this investment to 2 basic portable units in a more centralized location within the park and redirect any resulting rental savings to deliver increased operations hours at Discovery Landing (7am and holidays).
 Councillor Bentivegna had a total of nine changes he wanted to see in the budget; he has usually suggested more changes than any other Councillor – most of his past recommendations were not passed.
Kearns wants to remove $200k of the annual provision to the Innovation and Transformation Reserve Fund and increase the annual provision to the Infrastructure Renewal Reserve Fund by $200k to replenish the fund after $2M draw-down to fund storm water work and local road resurfacing.
Councillor Nisan wants to see a one-time transfer of $65,000 from the current balance in the Council Special Initiatives Reserve Fund to the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund
Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund is a sort of piggy bank that Council can dip into to cover unexpected item that crop up during a fiscal year.
 Ward 3 took the hardest hit during the July floods. Water flowed through the community and down onto Hwy 407. The highest item in the list is $2,000,000 item that had no impact. Councillor Nissan wanted to draw $2M from the Infrastructure Renewal Reserve Fund to accommodate the addition of the $2M Local Road Resurfacing Program into the 2025 budget. Doing so allows us to fund local road resurfacing and storm water work explained Nissan.
Council is being asked to endorse the 2025 Operating Budget including any approved budget amendments to be applied against the proposed net tax levy amount of $264,328,845
If all of the budget changes are approved Council will have cut the budget by 2,380,980.00 or 8.77%
 Councillor Sharman wants better park maintenance at the BurlOak park in his ward. The only Council member to look for additional money was Councillor Paul Sharman who wanted $100,000 to increase park maintenance and horticultural service vs. current part-time service and minor contracted weed control. Park usage is increasing with events and heavy patronage from around the Region. We are experiencing continuing complaints.
This looks like a “get me re-elected” budget from a Council that is feeling weary.
 John Portside
November 13th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
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:
|
| Premium Brands Holdings Corporation —–Buy Quantity: 57,820 Average cost: $77.84 Total: $4,500,468.09 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| DEA, THOMAS PHILIP |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
52,820 |
$77.87 |
$4,113,118.09 |
| PALEOLOGOU, GEORGE |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
5,000 |
$77.47 |
$387,350.00 |
|
| South Bow Corporation —–Buy Quantity: 85,865 Average cost: $33.24 Total: $2,854,110.22 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Dafoe, P. Van R. |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
18,000 |
$33.17 |
$597,060.00 |
| Lewis, Melville George |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
30,000 |
$33.25 |
$997,500.00 |
| Palazzo, Marc |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
4,189 |
$33.30 |
$139,486.46 |
| Wirzba, Bevin Mark |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
33,676 |
$33.26 |
$1,120,063.76 |
|
| Sol Strategies Inc. (formerly, Cypherpunk Holdings Inc.) —–Buy Quantity: 975,000 Average cost: $1.18 Total: $1,153,347.25 |
| 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 |
11-12-24 |
281,900 |
$1.25 |
$352,375.00 |
| Guoga, Antanas (Tony) |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-11-24 |
718,100 |
$1.17 |
$841,972.25 |
| Harris, Douglas Andrew |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-07-24 |
-25,000 |
$1.64 |
-$41,000.00 |
|
| Savaria Corporation —–Buy Quantity: 19,545 Average cost: $22.96 Total: $448,753.20 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| De Montigny, Jean-Philippe |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-11-24 |
19,545 |
$22.96 |
$448,753.20 |
|
| Cardinal Energy Ltd —–Buy Quantity: 60,000 Average cost: $6.24 Total: $374,500.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Brussa, John Albert |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-12-24 |
10,000 |
$6.25 |
$62,500.00 |
| Ratushny, M. Scott |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-12-24 |
50,000 |
$6.24 |
$312,000.00 |
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider dispositions in the public market are:
|
| Ivanhoe Mines Ltd —–Sell Quantity: -300,000 Average cost: $18.63 Total: -$5,587,730.00 Options Issued: 300,000 Average cost: $3.95 Total: $1,183,950.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Cloete, Martie |
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-08-24 |
300,000 |
$3.95 |
$1,183,950.00 |
| Cloete, Martie |
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 |
11-08-24 |
-300,000 |
$18.63 |
-$5,587,730.00 |
|
| Capstone Copper Corp —–Sell Quantity: -500,000 Average cost: $10.50 Total: -$5,249,450.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Pylot, Darren Murvin |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
-500,000 |
$10.50 |
-$5,249,450.00 |
|
| Fortis Inc —–Sell Quantity: -21,266 Average cost: $61.45 Total: -$1,306,821.68 Options Issued: 21,716 Average cost: $37.30 Total: $810,006.80 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Glitch, Keri Linda |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
450 |
$61.60 |
$27,722.07 |
| Smith, Gary Joseph |
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6) |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-08-24 |
21,716 |
$37.30 |
$810,006.80 |
| Smith, Gary Joseph |
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 |
11-08-24 |
-21,716 |
$61.45 |
-$1,334,543.75 |
|
| TC Energy Corporation —–Sell Quantity: -16,076 Average cost: $68.37 Total: -$1,099,117.27 Options Issued: 16,076 Average cost: $55.89 Total: $898,513.06 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Ebl, Trevor |
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6) |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-08-24 |
9,554 |
$53.97 |
$515,629.38 |
| Ebl, Trevor |
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 |
11-08-24 |
-9,554 |
$68.48 |
-$654,219.70 |
| Johnson, Nancy Angenita |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-08-24 |
3,328 |
$54.01 |
$179,745.28 |
| Johnson, Nancy Angenita |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-08-24 |
-3,328 |
$67.75 |
-$225,472.00 |
| Lindley, Colin |
7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6) |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-11-24 |
3,194 |
$63.60 |
$203,138.40 |
| Lindley, Colin |
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 |
11-11-24 |
-3,194 |
$68.70 |
-$219,425.56 |
|
| iA Financial Corporation Inc —–Sell Quantity: -5,550 Average cost: $130.45 Total: -$724,025.00 Options Issued: 5,550 Average cost: $69.73 Total: $387,022.50 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Bergeron, Alain |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-11-24 |
2,750 |
$83.87 |
$230,642.50 |
| Bergeron, Alain |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-11-24 |
-2,750 |
$129.90 |
-$357,225.00 |
| Ricard, Denis |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
11-11-24 |
2,800 |
$55.85 |
$156,380.00 |
| Ricard, Denis |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
11-11-24 |
-2,800 |
$131.00 |
-$366,800.00 |
What is Insider Trading?
How Insider Trading works.
 By Staff
November 13th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
6 Years in Office
 Premier Ford: Glad handing has become close to a full time job. -234,000 Homeless
-1400 Encampments
-2 Years after announcing the attainable housing program
Conservatives still working on the definition of “attainable housing ”
Keep all this in mind when it comes time to vote – don’t be swayed by the $200 the Ford government plans to give you early in the new year.
 By Pepper Parr
November 13th, 2024
ALDERSHOT, ON
In Aldershot, the western part of the city people call ward 1 – they get noisy sometimes.
A community made up of older people who live on streets with no sidewalks – and they like it that way. Homes in the northern part of the ward have winding streets and large houses with good-sized back yards.
The ward has one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in the northern part – Eagle Heights – that will, when it gets developed, be a prime high-end housing location. That is decades away – the land is not serviced. Waterdown Road, the eastern boundary of the property, is currently being widened.
Aldershot is still looking for a supermarket in the western end of the city. It was the ward in which our current Mayor first ran for public office – the then Councillor Rick Craven beat her soundly and they became fast “enemies” from that day forward. Both Liberals so they get their pictures taken together from time to time.
 A street level rendering of the proposed deveopment. Muira, a development company had an application before the city to change the Official Plan and the upgrade the zoning. At a very controversial community meeting took place on October 30th at which the developer set out what he wanted to do
 Public art at the intersection of Plains Road and Waterdown Road. Muira, a development company had an application before the city to change the Official Plan and upgrade the zoning. At a very controversial community meeting took place on October 30th, at which the developer set out what he wanted to do at the 84-104 Plains Road East: a proposed 11-storey mixed-use residential & commercial development on the southwest corner of Plain Road East and Glenwood Avenue, east of Birchwood Avenue in Burlington’s Aldershot neighbourhood. The plan is to build 255 housing units.
In Aldershot, when there is an issue, a group of people form an organization and work on behalf of the community and look for community support.
That resulted in Preserve Aldershot.
They set out what the issues were but before the ink could dry on their documents Tom Muir issued a comment:
 Muir said” That So-called Preserve Aldershot taskforce – Read very carefully as it is a con job trying to undo and remake the resident take on the October 30 meeting on the big building – 100 Plains.
Muir sent his comments to everyone who could read without moving their lips.
There is a document the Preserve Aldershot people were asking residents to sign. Muir, who knows a conspiracy when he sees one, told people that signing the document amounted to giving the developer “written ammo rounds of support” to say you voted for them and your support, by your signature is something the developer will use. www.preservealdershot.ca.
 Rendering of the development seen from the east. Muir went on to say: “The group is supported by the 100 Plains developer. I suspect that Galbraith (the ward Councillor) is involved; he has a conflict of interest and a pecuniary interest with his business properties and his residence in the Clearview area right across Plains on Orchard Rd.
“Beware that there are two main narrative overviews. One from the developer slant, and another from the consultant who writes another narrative that is supposed to tell the reader what the residents said and suggested solutions, including not acceptable.
“ I see a lot of deception which is why I tell you to read very closely. Why is this being done? Who are the Preserve Aldershot Taskforce? There is no way to learn this is exactly. It’s a con in my view. To get a fabricated remake of the October 30 meeting where residents were very clear and emphatic that the proposal was totally out of line. The developer did not get what they wanted. So they will try to make up their own version to give them something to say – that they consulted residents (this is crap) with a questionnaire designed to produce answers they want. Namely – intensification and condos are coming.
“This is the most scheming deceptive action I pretty much have ever experienced in this Burlington development chicanery. Most of all, it is designed to confuse and complicate, as if it is not enough so right now. This is frankly trying to skip the assembly of the planning step to get to the “complete application” step, so staff can review and write a recommendation report and we can get to a statutory meeting at Committee, ensure all of this is done in the mandated time limit so that the city does not trigger an OLT appeal, and citizens get an opportunity to tell Council what they think. We want no stupid excuses that loses our democratic rights to determine developments in our neighborhood and City.
 Tom Muir is a resident of Aldershot – lives on Townsend Road south of the development. “We don’t even have a complete application and here we have work ahead scheming with a fake group name trying to con us into giving them some advantage to get what they want. We don’t even know who they are really – what are their names? They want us to sign up, using a social media petition, so they can say they consulted you, and you agree with them, and are a member of their task force.
“I hate it when some folks treat us like we are stupid and cannot see through their motives, and what they are after – this is a great deal money involved. It’s even more when the development forces get so large that they get in each other’s way.
It didn’t take Scot Busch very long to refute what Muir was saying:
“I am a member of the PreserveAldershot Group and was forwarded a copy of the Muir message. I wanted to reach out personally on behalf of the Group to assure you that this is NOT a fraud. This is a grassroots campaign by residents of LaSalle Rd., Fairwood Place and Birchwood St, who are severely impacted by the Muira development on the south side of Plains (and the previously approved Infinity Development).
“We are the same group that brought Kelvin (Galbraith – ward Councillor) in a few weeks back and walked him through our neighbourhood outlining our concerns. Many of us were at the pre-application session, I by phone, to hear their pitch and to present our immediate concerns. As a resident of Fairwood Place, I am facing a future where I look out my front door at an 11 storey wall that runs for 2 city blocks and I will live on the main bypass to access these units. This is not what I envisioned when I moved here a decade ago and it’s a feeling shared by many other long-term residents.
 A graphic on the development taking place east of Waterdown Road. “To be clear, we are not supported, funded or in any way connected to any developers. In no way will our content be used to endorse the developers – quite the contrary. That said, we are fully aware that, due to planning regulation imposed on the localities by the province combined with the ever-present bias at the OLT, the city cannot stop this development but we can lobby to influence the way that the development will impact our community. Through the petition, we hope to collect the voices of other citizen like yourself who are frustrated by the developers and want to pushback, while also taking advantage of the fact that that pushing back collectively is more powerful than doing so individually.
“We encourage you to come to the community drop-in session at the Aldershot Arena on Thursday, November 14th starting at 5:30pm through to 8:30 PM to meet the individuals spearheading this campaign, learn about the ideas were pushing and why, share your thoughts, and hopefully to join with us as we work together to find the best way to persevere our community.
The group will be meeting at the Aldershot Arena on Thursday evening to answer questions and ensure people that they are both real and legitimate.
Will Tom Muir be there to make amends?
The Gazette has reached out to both Scot Busch and Tom Muir – nothing from them yet.
By Staff
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
For the twenty-eighth successive month, the Ontario PCs’ approach will fail to spur the housing starts needed to improve affordability and create jobs, according to September building permit data from Statistics Canada released today.
Just prior to the June 2022 election, Dour Ford’s own Housing Affordability Task Force reported the residential construction industry needs to start building 12,500 housing units every month to bring price balance to the housing market.
In September, building permits for just 8,445 new Ontario housing units were approved, more than 4,000 units below the monthly need.
Month after month, Data Shows has reported on how various nudges on and supplements to the housing market by BC’s NDP government has spurred monthly housing starts often double those in Ontario, adjusted for size.
 But the Ford PCs won’t follow the proven path the BC government has created. They won’t even follow their own advice.
Planning for sprawl puts land speculators in charge
More than two years after endorsing the Task Force report, many of its 55 recommendations remain untouched. Earlier this year the Ford government reversed course on requiring high density around transit hubs and rejected calls to allow fourplex construction.
Explaining his inaction, the Conservative premier has blamed his fear of “shouting and screaming” from density opponents. By blocking density and using provincial planning powers to develop housing through land sprawl, the Ford PCs have turned large-scale land speculators into housing construction gatekeepers.
 Fraser Institute Report on Housing Slowing housing supply adds upward pressure on prices, a helpful outcome for land owners. But constricting supply destroys housing affordability and holds back job creation in the residential housing construction sector.
In contrast, a strategy using provincial planning powers to create land parcels within urban centres, by-passing land speculators and giving priority to housing constructors, has gone entirely untried.
 By Julieta Belen Correa
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
For Burlington residents who enjoy online gaming, the perks online bonuses give go above and beyond what your local grocery store offers. Online casinos offer a wider variety of promotional offers designed to attract players and provide them with additional value they wouldn’t get elsewhere. Instead of a simple 2-for-1 deal or a dollar off a box of cereal, these bonuses can range from welcome offers increasing your initial deposit to free spins giving you a chance to hit the jackpot. This quick write-up will break down the types of bonuses available at online casinos and how you, as a Burlington resident, can take advantage of them.
Types of Online Casino Bonuses
These days, online casinos offer a diverse range of bonuses, each with their own unique benefits. Understanding the different types of casino bonus code can help players in Burlington make the most out of each promotion they come across. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common online casino bonuses you will encounter.
Welcome Bonuses
 Some welcome bonuses might even include free spins, sports bets, or entrance tickets to tournaments and other games. Any casino worth their salt offers a welcome bonus. It’s a way to entice new players to sign up and say, “Thanks for picking us!” Welcome bonuses are redeemable for players signing up and making their first deposit. They can come in the form of a match bonus, where the casino will match your deposit up to a certain percentage or amount. Some welcome bonuses might even include free spins, sports bets, or entrance tickets to tournaments and other games.
No-Deposit Bonuses
No-deposit bonuses are exactly what they sound like — a bonus the online casino gives you for signing up, regardless of whether or not you make a deposit. This bonus is a great way to explore the casino’s games risk-free, as you can try out different slots, table games, or other offerings without risking your own cold, hard cash.
Free Spins
Free spins — another bonus that is exactly what it sounds like. We already mentioned that these can be included in welcome bonuses, but many casinos also offer them as separate bonuses. Free spins allow you to play a virtual slot for free. Typically, free slots are only redeemable on certain virtual slot machines, so be sure to read the fine print before redeeming this bonus.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses give you more bang for your buck the next time you make a deposit or “reload” your wallet. They’re often not as lucrative as welcome bonuses, but they are a nice way to boost your bankroll without committing more cash to your online wallet. They’re great for people who are on a budget and looking to stretch their cash while still enjoying their favorite form of entertainment.
Cashback Bonuses
 Cashback can either be instantaneous or a weekly redeemable Cashback bonuses are designed to soften the impact of losses by giving a percentage of your losses back to you in the form of bonus funds you can use towards your next bet. Losses at an online casino are inevitable, so this is a great way to give yourself a second shot at making a winning bet. Cashback can either be instantaneous or a weekly redeemable bonus that adds up over time.
VIP and Loyalty Programs
Some online casinos offer loyalty programs for the players that keep coming back to play. The bonuses in these programs can be anything from increased reload bonus percentages to birthday gifts and free spins. These programs vary widely from casino to casino, so it’s easier to just read up on them beforehand rather than have us explain the nuances to you.
How to Find and Claim Online Casino Bonuses
Finding a good bonus can be as easy as searching through the promotions page of a reputable online casino. Many online casinos catering to Canadian players provide detailed information about their bonuses, including the terms and conditions. You should always research the casino beforehand, as you want to avoid casinos with a bad name. Make sure the casino has a license from a recognized authority like the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) or the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
 A bonus usually must be used within a certain time-frame before it expires. Claiming a bonus is as easy as creating an account, completing the verification process, and then opting into the bonus you want. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to redeem it, you should check the fine print or reach out to customer support. Most sites have a 24/7 Live Chat service you can use to instantly get in contact with a representative who can explain how to redeem the bonus.
The final thing to remember is that most online casino bonuses have wagering requirements and expiry dates. This means that you must wager the bonus a certain amount of times before you can withdraw any winnings, and the bonus must be used within a certain timeframe before it expires and is no longer eligible for use. As a quick example, if the bonus is $100 with a 10x wagering requirement, you must wager $1,000 before the bonus, and any winnings are eligible for withdrawal. Wagering requirements vary widely from bonus to bonus and casino to casino, so be sure to read the terms and conditions beforehand.
By Staff
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Communications people are rolling out material on what will come out of the budget that is before Council
They want you to know that a combined investment of nearly $17 million with the federal and provincial governments is going to support improved and greener public transit. They also better prepare the city’s infrastructure and transit services to support the future needs of Burlington’s growing and diverse community.
What this investment means for Burlington residents:
New transit buses and greener public transit – 15 new conventional, hybrid, and electric buses that will replace aging vehicles and expand the capacity of the local public transit system. This initiative helps create a more healthy and sustainable community and supports the City’s efforts to improve our natural environment and take action on climate change. These investments move the City of Burlington towards decarbonization of our transit fleet. Four of the 15 buses will be electric and part of a pilot project.
Transit route expansion and service improvements – Adding new buses to Burlington’s fleet allows for transit route expansion and service improvements. This makes transit a more viable and efficient option for residents. It also enables Burlington Transit to offer more frequent service (15 and 20 minute frequency).
 Data from the 2025 proposed budget New specialized transit vehicles to support riders – By adding six specialized transit vehicles to the fleet, the City of Burlington can provide more service to our riders who are not able to use conventional buses. With door-to-door service, these specialized transit vehicles can help meet the needs of our changing and aging community.
Improvements to digital signage at Burlington bus stops – This includes new digital signage with real-time schedules and next bus information. This enhancement will support an improved passenger experience.
In 2019, the City of Burlington was the recipient of funds under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, an initiative involving all three levels of government. These funds helped the City complete a number of initiatives, including the following:
- Burlington Transit 5-Year Business Plan
- Specialized transit vehicles expansion to better service the changing demographic in Burlington and the increasing need for door-to-door, specialized service
- Conventional transit vehicle expansion
- Conventional transit vehicle replacement
The federal government is investing $6,782,156 through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of Ontario is investing $5,651,231 and the City of Burlington is contributing $4,522,003. This funding is a result of the City of Burlington submitting applications to receive these monies in 2022.
From 2019 to 2023, there was a 21 percent increase in transit ridership in Burlington, exceeding pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and trending higher in 2024.
Burlington’s population is expected to grow by over 40 percent in the next 25 years. This investment will support current and future generations.
 Mayor Meed Ward announcing new transit funding. She had people dancing in the transit garage after showing off the new bus. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward explains that the city is poised for significant population growth. It is increasingly important for municipalities to invest in transit system expansion to support growing communities in getting to and from their homes, places of employment, and other commercial and recreational facilities. Through these strategic investments, we are taking proactive steps towards increasing mobility services that are reliable, efficient and innovative for Burlington residents. At the same time, we are reducing our carbon footprint and promoting the long-term sustainability of our transit network.”
What wasn’t mentioned in the announcement is where the plans for a new transit campus are. A bigger location is going to be needed to service electric and diesel buses.
By Staff
November 12, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Dr.MikeP. Moffatt has a good question.
Why doesn’t the province actually let people build homes? That might help address homelessness.
Moffatt is one of the leading thinkers who runs the Smart Prosperity Institute think tank.
Michael Patrick Moffatt is a Canadian economist and professor of Business, Economics, and Public Policy. He served as director of policy and research at Canada 2020, a progressive Canadian think-tank. He is also an assistant professor at Ivey Business School.
Here is what he passed along earlier today.
Ouch!
By Pepper Parr
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Hassaan Basit: It’s a short-term pain for a long-term gain to have a modernized system. “It’s a 700 page budget” said CAO Hassaan Bait. “I want to start off first by thanking all of you. We’ve had a lot of discussions that were not all budget related, but they all informed what the priorities are. This wasn’t a normal year. We have a new software system that will let us access all that data the city has – that hasn’t always been the case. That might not sound like a big deal, but you know, if at home and you open a drawer where you’ve always kept something and it’s not there anymore. Think back to those emotions, you’ll find it eventually. That’s where we are right now. It’s a short term pain for a long term gain to have a modernized system.
Staff has also been working with a restructuring within the city. Things have been moved around, now called different things. So a lot of work has gone into this.
“Now, how do I feel about the budget? A number of people have asked me that – I think the budget really does prioritize operational excellence. I think it looks to balance a lot of things. You’ve heard a lot of delegations today; I think a lot of them wished you luck in trying to balance those priorities.
 The July floods came out of nowhere – the city now knows that there are going to be others and has budgeted for the future. I think the budget addresses some key challenges, including recovery efforts from July’s flooding – It looks at the resiliency of city services against the backdrop of that, I think we are looking at a lot of council priorities – that will become clear as we go through the presentation
I don’t see any shiny objects in this budget, but I do see it being inspired by where I where I feel the community wants us to go, where Council has wanted us to go. Examples are key investments in the target, storm water management, infrastructure repairs, core services, public safety, transit, road maintenance, all of those things are here. By focusing on sustainability, climate resilience, we are preparing Burlington, not just for today, but for future challenges as well.
I’m sure you’ve seen these four principles, they were in the mayor’s direction to staff as well. If you take them as just words, they all sound good. You can put them, you know, in front of every document, but here’s what we’ve done with some of them, and it was about balancing between all of these without sacrificing any of them. That’s the key here.
 Hassaan Basit: There are a lot of core, fundamental things that the city needs to focus on. Look at affordability; we’ve looked at and retained things like our low income tax relief, our transit subsidies, other fee subsidies. We focused on essential services identified by the community. We are looking to continue to attract and grow businesses, to expand that tax base and ease resident tax burdens. These are long term strategies you need. There are a lot of core, fundamental things that the city needs to focus on. They don’t all show up on a balance sheet every single year. But strategically they are important. We are continuously looking to drive efficiencies, use non tax revenues, where we can manage inflation impacts, which has eaten away at our ability to maintain and enhance services, to support quality of life as the city grows by perhaps up to 40% over the next 25 years.
 Bateman has been a controversial decision from the very beginning. The city was looking to community organizations for ideas – they got more than they expected. We are going to be relaunching our 25 year horizon, including the multi year simulations, and, yeah, it is a dynamic environment. There are a lot of assumptions that go into predicting, what would happen – what will happen with population growth. We are trying to do is come up with a dynamic model that really allows us to manage as those assumptions come true or not. The key here is that we do need to do long range planning, and we do need to show that we’re taking small steps every year toward those long range targets. Long range doesn’t just mean we’ll worry about it in 25 years. We’re funding key projects like Skyway and Robert Bateman Center.
We are investing in By Law enforcement, urban forestry, transit, fire safety, speed enforcement, all priorities all related to very tangible services, looking at sustainability, so ensuring the long term upkeep of our roads, parks, community centers and a dedicated 2% infrastructure Levy. These are all balanced in this budget, strengthening financial health by looking at our debt levels, our reserve levels, advocacy for government support, all of those things are in here, adjusting fees where we can for inflation and perhaps market standards, transparency.
 Eric Stern, spokesperson for a community group that has major concerns with the 2025 budget points to the word PROPOSED on the budget book. We heard a lot through the community. They wanted simplified budgets. So we’ve tried to do that. We’ve also tried to present more information earlier than we ever have in the past. From what I can understand, more visuals, less jargon, more infographics, which you’ll see in this budget, and earlier and more accessible engagement opportunities, multi channel, with lots of time dedicated by people around this table attending those.
So what’s the bottom line here? The 2025 budget is at $471 million. One of the key investments is $103 million budget for our capital projects. These are upgrades to parks, storm water management, safer roads, all of those things. We’re looking at expanded community services through transit, enhanced fire, again, parks and recreation – a lot of investment in front line, community facing services. We are looking at technology investments in software systems to make city services more efficient, more user friendly. We’re also looking at a lot of cost avoidance by upping our technological capabilities. We are adding new positions to the city as well – 30 full time positions. A big chunk of them, a third of them, are in transit. We also are adding positions in Bylaw, in forestry, in fire emergency response. I think, trending in the right direction in terms of the investments that this council has made in in the city’s staffing and capabilities. The Bateman and Skyway, operationalizing will mean a property tax increase. My approach to presenting preliminary budgets is that they be as accurate as they as they can be.
I don’t like the used car salesman approach, where we come in June with a 12% projected increase and then look like absolute heroes later saying: Look, we cut it in half. It was a pretty lean budget in June and I feel comfortable with what is before Council.
I want to mention that because we heard a little bit through some of the delegations, we’re constantly relocating resources, even positions, to address what are in some cases burning platform issues. In some cases they are new priorities that emerge, or an emphasis in more area is required in certain years. We are constantly shuffling those things. Those are administrative decisions. You can’t always include then in a budget book, but that is occurring, and that’s one of the reasons we’re starting to see hold steady on our head count this year.
 The numbers on the Burlington line are based on the Current Value Assessment (CVA) of your property. For every $100,000 of CVA your taxes were the figure ($464.27) in 2024 and are projected to be $499.10 in 2025. The data comes from page 31 of the budget book. That translates to holding our budget increases lower than they were last year, lower than they were the year before. They’re trending in the right direction.
You know, we’d all like them to be lower, but we’re making investments that I think will bear fruit in coming years.
This is a transformational year. It’s setting up a shift to a new, improved organizational state, and I think by the end of 2025 our organization, the city, will be more aligned, more efficient, more innovative, with clear goals and stronger internal processes.
Now that’s not just jargon. What are the exact projects that we’re working on right now? Streamlining, enhancing workflows to improve efficiency and support better outcomes. We are investing heavily, big focus on KPIs with dashboards being introduced to ensure real-time progress tracking against projects, transparent project funding. We are looking at establishing a starting point for data-driven improvements across the city which will mean new baselining. We are looking at revamping our risk framework to combine strategic planning with operations and budgeting into one cohesive approach.
 We’re looking at our long term vision, the 2050 horizon and get a fix on our North Star and how do we get to it? We are reviewing our board and agency relationships. We are looking at brand renewal, moving towards a unified brand identity to reflect our mission, strength, internal unity. A number of comments were made about staff performance reviews – that’s coming in January. Everybody who works at the city will have performance goals. They will be tied to organizational priorities, departmental priorities – compensation will be tied to the to that.
A lot of things are occurring behind the scenes; these initiatives are starting to drive change now and will have a real impact over the course of the year.
I want to leave you with a few other things. This budget focuses on measurable improvements in city services. 74.5 almost 75% are satisfied or very satisfied with city services. We’d like that number to go up.
We have found efficiencies. Some of them are in this budget book, but I’ll draw your attention to a few. We redirected $112,000 from forestry. We are reducing the innovation fund to cover software costs by $580,000 bringing in automated speed enforcement. $827,000 covered by revenues that we expect to generate. We are looking at not ignoring our reserves. There are guidelines and standards, and it comes down to our risk appetite and what our priorities are as council and as staff. Our stabilization reserves are recommended to be 10 to 15% of revenue. They’re at 6.7%
Our target for capital reserve funds should be 2% of the value of our assets; that’s $126 million I believe the replacement cost to our assets is $6.3 billion. Scott’s nodding at me, so that’s, you know, that’s, that’s a big asset value, and we are at 21.1 million. That’s not terrible, but having a dedicated capital levy that contributes to that is a responsible thing to do. We’ve included that in the budget as well.
 Hassaan Basit: There is a lot of transformations under the way underway and I’m confident that this budget will do that. This is a budget that I think is funding a lot of things. It’s funding saving for the future. It’s funding frontline improvements in services today, it’s responding to, you know, the events, the flooding events, and making those are a priority.Our property taxes make up 72% of our operating budget. We are going to be looking at how we can look at our own source revenues, our government grants to see if we can up that contribution as well. We’ve tried to work hard to ensure this year’s tax increase is as low as it can be. We’re working to demonstrate real value.There is a lot of transformations under the way underway and I’m confident that this budget will do that.
By James Porthouse
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
I have been publishing the “Top Five” lists in the Burlington Gazette for several months.
I described in part 1 of this series https://burlingtongazette.ca/insider-trading-explained/ that the insider data comes from www.sedi.ca
When an insider makes a trade the regulators require a person, from the insider’s company, to file or enter information about the trade at www.sedi.ca
Some companies are very punctual about their entries and some are not. SEDI records the date a transaction is filed and a person keys in the date the trade occurred. When looking for the top 5 the software starts by looking at the date the trade was filed and then it looks at the date the trade occurred, trades that occurred more than 7 days before the filing date are ignored.
Companies enter many different types of transactions into the SEDI database. The full list is here https://www.sedi.ca/sedi/new_help/english/public/Glossary/Nature_of_transaction_codes.htm
When reporting on the top 5, we only look at these two types, this post is open for comments, if you have other ideas please comment.
| 10 |
Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
| 51 |
Exercise of options |
Insiders sell for many reasons, are they cashing in their options to buy a new Ferrari, or are they expect the share price to decline? We can’t tell from the data when the Ferrari is being delivered or when the insider expects the share price to decline but this specific pattern is common.
know if the options were about to expire and become worthless. We don’t know if Mr. Sweeny suspects the share price will go down and it’s better to sell now than wait. We don’t know if Mr. Sweeny is buying a $15,000 car.
Let’s use John Doe as another example. John is employee number 5 at FicCo, a fictional corporation. To encourage John to work insane hours to help FicCo grow the company gives John stock options. In ten years the options will mature and John can purchase 10,000 shares from FicCo at the price of $1.00 a share. Today, shares in FicCo aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. Fast forward ten years, John worked too many hours, he’s now divorced and friendless, but FicCo’s stock is worth $1,000 a share, and John has stock options worth just under $10,000,000.
The stock options encouraged John to work to increase the stock price, something shareholders wanted, but when John sold his shares, 10,000 new shares of FicCo’s stock came into the market diluting the value of the existing shares.
Usually, the dilutive effect is tiny but if a company is always issuing options and insiders are always selling the shares they get from those options, the share price may come down.
Summary
The algorithm looks at information filed on a specific day, ignores trades that took place more than 7 days ago, totals up the type 10 transactions (Acquisition or disposition in the public market) for each company that filed data, and selects the 5 companies with the highest dollar value of buying and the 5 with the highest dollar value of selling. The type 51 transactions (exercise of options) are shown in the report but are not used in the calculation.
The companies in the top 5 acquisitions section of the report may be new to you, do your research to determine if you are comfortable buying the company’s stock. AutoCanada is a great example of a company with insider buying in early August that promptly suffered a cyberattack in mid-August. When you see an insider buying at a small-cap cryptocurrency company that used to be a gold exploration company think twice before investing.
If you own a stock that shows up in the top 5 dispositions section, look for potential headwinds, consider a defensive action like placing a stop loss order, consider selling the stock, and consider doing nothing. This is not investment advice, consider does not mean do. The report is information only. Insider buying may mean a new board member is buying stock to have some skin in the game, and insider selling may mean the Ferrari is about to be delivered.
By Staff
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 There is a Chamber of Commerce meeting taking place at the Pearle Hotel and Spa on Friday – it is one of their breakfast meetings – starts at 7:30
On this occasion Burlington CAO Hassaan Basit will be talking to the Chamber members about – well we really don’t know. He will undoubtedly say something about the budget but other than that – there is little we can tell you.
We are not allowed to attend the event,
 Terry Caddo, President of the Chamber of Commerce Terry Caddo, President of the Chamber explained that “the event is designed to allow senior community business leaders, city staff and elected officials to have open transparent conversations under Chatham House Rule.”
What are the Chatham House rules?
When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
And we will never know what the business sector knows that might be too important for your ears.
By Pepper Parr
November 12, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a huge project for the Aldershot community.
The design is what architects refer to as brutal.
It is made up of 84 & 104 Plains Road East and 990 Glenwood Avenue which are designated Residential-Medium Density where the Permitted Uses are:
- Detached and semi-detached homes, townhouses, street townhouses and stacked townhouses, back-toback, townhouses, attached housing and walk-up apartments, with densities ranging between 26 and 50 units per net hectare
92 Plains Road East is designated Mixed Use Corridor where the Permitted Uses are:
- Site-specific permissions for a mixed-use building consisting of residential and at-grade office uses, with a maximum density of 234 units per hectare and a maximum building height of 7 storeys being permitted.
There is a lot about the development that has the community up in arms.
The pictures tell the reasons why.
 Looking from the east  Looking from the west.  Rendering of the 11-storey development from the front  Development in Aldershot has been intense over the past five years. The designation of the Aldershot GO station as an MTSA area makes sense but goes against the way the Aldershot residents see their community growing.
There is now a desperate need for park space – with little land left to be used as a place for children to play.
LaSalle Park is nearing its capacity. The Adi West Station development has a small, almost tiny piece of land that is being looked at as a park.
There is a patch of land behind the development that is going to be built behind what is now the Solid Gold adult entertainment operation.
By Gabriela Pelayes
November 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
A remarkable transformation is occurring in Burlington’s mental health and wellness landscape. Like a garden in spring, new natural wellness businesses focused on mental health solutions are blooming everywhere. Burlington is experiencing substantial growth in mental health and alternative wellness establishments, as more residents seek natural approaches to managing conditions like anxiety, PTSD and depression.
 This evolution reflects broader changes across North America, where alternative mental health solutions are becoming increasingly mainstream. The mental wellness market continues to expand rapidly across the continent. Local entrepreneurs are responding by offering innovative solutions, including opportunities to buy blue meanies and other natural wellness products.
Market dynamics and consumer trends
 There has been a clear shift in mental health consumer behaviour in Burlington. Visits to mental wellness establishments have increased substantially compared to previous years. Modern consumers are particularly thorough in their research before choosing health solutions and deciding where to
buy blue meanies for their wellness needs. Local businesses have evolved into educational resources, helping guide those seeking natural solutions for anxiety, ADHD and cognitive enhancement.
The demographic seeking alternative solutions has expanded significantly, now encompassing professionals, seniors, and younger adults alike. This diversification has led to specialised product offerings and personalised wellness programs. Local centres report that first-time visitors often become regular clients, with customer retention rates exceeding 70%. Educational workshops and community outreach programs have played a crucial role in building trust and awareness among different consumer segments.
Product diversity and quality standards
Burlington’s mental wellness marketplace has developed into a sophisticated network of natural healing options. Quality assurance has become paramount, with third-party testing now standard practice. Most Burlington’s retailers, including those where you can buy blue meanies, maintain strict quality control through independent laboratory verification.
Economic impact and community benefits
The mental wellness sector’s growth has created significant economic benefits for Burlington. Health and wellness businesses have made substantial contributions to the local economy, creating numerous new jobs in mental health support services. The sector generates considerable economic activity throughout the community, supporting overall growth and development.
Future market projections
 The outlook for Burlington’s mental health and wellness sector remains promising. The industry continues to show strong growth potential, with particular expansion expected in natural remedies and mental health support services. Local business groups are fostering this growth through targeted initiatives and community programs, ensuring sustainable development that benefits both providers and those seeking mental health support.
November 19th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Festival of Lights sponsored by Burlington Hydro will be in place on This holiday season, Burlington is set to dazzle with a lineup of festive events, headlined by the annual Festival of Lights. Starting on November 29, the Festival of Lights will illuminate Spencer Smith Park along Burlington’s scenic waterfront. This cherished event features a variety of themed light displays, transforming the park into a winter wonderland for families and visitors alike through January 8, 2025.
 Trees sponsored by local business people and organizations will decorate the lobby and mezzanines spaces at the Performing Arts Centre. Additional holiday festivities include the Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s 8th Annual Festival of Trees, running from November 20 to December 12. The Centre’s lobby will showcase creatively decorated trees, adding a touch of festive spirit to the downtown area. Burlington’s holiday events also include markets, visits with Santa, and cultural performances, offering a variety of ways to celebrate the season in the heart of the city.
And then the Santa Clause parade on Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 2:00 pm.
 Burlington Teen Tour Band colour party kept the flags flying as they escorted Santa and his sleight through the streets of the city in 2019.
 By Staff
November 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The future use of Bronte Creek Meadows (BCM) will be changing. This area has one property owner.
 Burlington City Council has directed staff to create a vision and policy framework for Bronte Creek Meadows. This area will be a new community with a mix of uses, such as homes, transit, businesses, parks and open spaces to support population and employment growth. We want to hear from you to help us prepare the policies that will guide the review of the land owner’s development proposal when it’s submitted to the City.
To learn more about the project visit getinvolvedburlington.ca/officialplan or email staff at newop@burlington.ca.
This survey is open until Nov. 13, 2024
This survey doesn’t intend to collect personal information and disclosure of responses will be governed by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56. The purpose of this survey is to collect feedback on the plans for Bronte Creek Meadows. For questions regarding the collection, use and disclosure of this information, please contact newop@burlington.ca. The survey is available in print, alternative formats or with communication support by contacting getinvolved@burlington.ca
 By Pepper Parr
November 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
As the day edges towards a close, the Remembrance ceremonies behind us, we might be pausing and asking ourselves – is there war on the horizon?
 Legion member reciting In Flanders Field – ” We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie …” What will we be able to say about Uktaine this time next year? Will our democratic values have been met? Or will a despotic government have changed the borders of a country that wants to be part of the Western world and the NATO alliance that has served us so well?
What will the Americans do with the Constitution that was treated so brutally damaged on January 6, 2021, by a mob of supporters of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup d’état, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election?
And how will we cope with Donald Trump’s election to a second term as President of the United States?
 Veterans sanding at Veteran Square singing the national anthem on November 11, 2024 We are blessed in this country, and today, we remember those who gave so much to ensure that we are free people.
Today we did not forget.
By Pepper Parr
November 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
We knew that the July flooding was going to impact the 2025 budget – that was the reason given for the delay in getting the document out to the public.
So what is the Engineering department going to do to prevent the kind of experience we experienced in July.
Inspection seems to be where the focus will be. The plan seems to be a detailed inspection every five years – which doesn’t seem like enough. And what does an inspection actually consist of?
 The creeks that carry the water that floods neighbourhoods when the banks overflow. In a conversation with people who do this kind of work someone wondered why small drones weren’t used to zip up and down the problem creeks and see what, if any damage was done after a rain storm.
 The city produces massive reports with more detail than Council members can absorb – there is little follow up on the detail – the public is left to just figure it out. In the budget report they state: “This multi-year monitoring program will be used to confirm the effectiveness of prior erosion control projects, collect flow data, rain data and ground water data at various locations. The collected data will aid in determining the cause of flooding in certain areas and developing solutions to resolve these problems.”
Ok – so far.
Now what about the work to be done on specific creeks?
All area creeks study:
Previous Creek Inventory and Erosion Assessment Reports will be updated, to review and prioritize erosion sites. This study will provide updated priorities and budget allocations. Update occurs approximately every five years.
 Spending of four to five million each year for the next four years is what the Engineering department are expecting. A total of $67 million in the next decade. There is probably not a lot of certainty to those numbers either 2025: Location=All urban area creeks
2030: Location=All urban area creeks
Future work on urban creeks
Erosion control repairs and creek restoration at various locations due to erosion or bank failure. The 2020 Creek Inventory and Erosion Assessment Study identified tertiary erosion sites, prioritizing them from 51 to 100. The upcoming Creek assessment study in 2025 will reassess these sites and update the priority list accordingly. In the 2026 Capital Budget and Forecast, high-priority erosion sites will be identified for construction.
2030: Detailed Design and construction of priority erosion sites
2031: Detailed Design and construction of priority erosion sites
Rural area culverts:
The program was initiated in 2009 to provide dedicated capital funding to culvert replacement in Conservation Halton regulated lands on an ongoing basis and as required.
This project also finances culvert replacements, as was recommended in the Culvert Inventory and Condition Assessment Report completed in 2020.
Each year 2-3 detailed designs are initiated for culverts within Conservation Halton regulated lands and 2-3 agency approved culverts are reconstructed.
 2025: Culvert Replacement at 3258 Walkers Line, Detailed Design of 2026 Culvert Replacements
2026: Culvert Replacement at 4335 No. 1 Side Road (AM ID 30864), Replacement of high priority culvert as identified via 2025 summer inspections
2027-2034: Replacement of high-priority culvert (potential replacements: 4225 No. 1 Side Road AM ID 30866, 4335 No. 1 Side Road AM ID 30865, 4356 No.1
Side Road AM ID 30863, or 3770 No.1 Side Road AM ID 30872) as identified via summer inspections. Inspections to inform priority replacement in future years.
Falcon Creek work:
A Class EA Study and detailed design will be required to address the erosion concerns.
Initial cost estimates have been provided before Class EA Study. Updated preliminary construction cost estimates will be provided during the Class EA Study, and again refined at the detailed design stage.
This project will help reduce sediment loading into Burlington Bay / Hamilton Harbour.
 2028: Class EA and Detailed Design
2031: Construction of creek works as per Class EA recommendations
 Falcon Creek needs a lot of work. BRAG will be doing a separate article on this. Our friends at BRAG are working on a deeper dive on this one. Environmental Assessments are expensive and seem to always require outside consultants. It’s going to take BRAG a couple of days to do their digging.
Falcon Creek Erosion Control (North Shore Boulevard to Hamilton Harbour)
Rambo Creek
There are several different sections of Rambo Creek that have been set out in the Storm Water spending
Rambo studies
Certain areas in the Rambo Creek Watershed are susceptible to flooding. These studies will be carried out to understand the cause of flooding and recommend mitigation.
Funding Breakdown
 Rambo behind the Brant Plaza (No Frills)
The plans to redevelop the No Frills Plaza on Brant Street will require major upgrades to the Rambo Creek. The plans call for a walking path beside the creek and a number of medium-height towers. A separate article will be done on this project.
A Class EA Study and detailed design will be required to address the erosion concerns.
Initial cost estimates have been provided prior to Class EA Study. Updated preliminary construction cost estimates will be provided during the Class EA Study, and again refined at the detailed design stage.
 2032: Class EA and Detailed Design
2033: Partial Construction Funding
2034: Construction of creek works as per Class EA recommendations
Rambo Victoria to Emerald – behind Brant Plaza
 Class Environmental Assessment (EA), Detailed Design and Construction of erosion control projects to be identified.
Sheldon Creek erosion
Project Description
A Class EA Study and detailed design will be required to address the erosion concerns.
Initial cost estimates have been provided prior to Class EA Study. Updated preliminary construction cost estimates will be provided during the Class EA Study, and again refined at the detailed design stage.
 2030: Class EA and Detailed Design
2031: Partial Construction Funding
2032: Construction of Approved Detailed Design
Minor work money every year
Project Description
Minor erosion control repairs at various locations due to erosion or bank failure. These projects are either identified in the Creek Inventory and Erosion
Assessment Reports have been identified as a result of storm events.
2025: Sheldon Creek behind Mullin Way (Priority 47)
2026: Rambo Creek adjacent to Brant Street Detailed Design (Priority 34), Tuck Creek South of Spruce Avenue Detailed Design (Priority 39)
2027: Tuck Creek adjacent to Lakeshore Road Detailed Design (Priority 35)
2028: Rambo Creek adjacent to Tyrell Road Detailed Design (Priority 37), Rambo Creek behind Cavendish Drive (Priority 45)
Minor inlet outlet drainage
Project Description
Minor infrastructure improvements are needed to improve drainage and reduce flooding. Typical projects include the redesign of inlet grates to reduce the chance of clogging and minor grading or storm sewer work to improve drainage and reduce flooding. Priorities are reviewed annually.
 2025-2034: Design or remediate local drainage improvements, including minor inlet-outlet repairs.
Stormwater ponds
City-owned storm water management (SWM) ponds require sediment removal. Funding is required for sediment surveys, preparation of contract documents, sediment removal, and disposal. Stormwater management infrastructure rehabilitation and water quality monitoring is also included.
Oil Grit Separators (OGS) are underground water quality control devices that are designed to trap sediment and oil/grease from the storm sewer system, resulting in cleaner water. This funding will also include inspection of all the Oil Grit Separators and clean-out works to restore the OGS designed sediment capacity.
2025: East Rambo Creek Cleanout Funding, SWM Pond 4 Sediment Clean Out, Sediment Surveys (SWM Pond 6, 9, 13, 24, 26)
2026: SWM Pond 11 Sediment Clean Out / higher priority Pond as identified in 2025 sediment surveys
2027: SWM Pond 24 Sediment Clean Out / higher priority Pond as identified in 2025 sediment surveys
2028-2034: Sediment clean out for high priority pond as identified in 2025 sediment surveys.
Tuck Creek mitigation
During the August 4, 2014 storm, there was considerable ravine flooding along Tuck Creek.
Approved Council report CW-09-15 recommended enhanced flood protection in the lower reaches of this watershed. This project will address Tuck Creek from north of New Street to south of Spruce Avenue. The required Flood Mitigation Class EA for this reach was completed in 2016.
Phase 3 – Spruce Avenue Culvert Upgrade and Channelization to be completed.
 2025: Spruce Avenue Culvert and Channelization Partial Construction Funding
2026: Spruce Avenue Culvert and Channelization Partial Construction Funding
2027: Spruce Avenue Culvert and Channelization Construction
The review of the spending set out in the Budget book has been known to Council members for some time and yet during that period of time when the Mayor was speaking with small groups of residents at ward-level meetings little, if any, mention was made of the costs the city faces due to flooding. Climate change is very real – but no one knows when the next storm is going to dump water on the city the way it did in July.
There is every reason to expect more of what took place last summer – as shown below.
 Rainwater was more than the catch basins could manage which led to water racing through properties.  A blocked culvert prevented water that would have run through pipes under the 407 backup and damaged homes overlooking the toll highway
By Alan Harrington
November 11th,2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Remembrance Day, an event that has meaning for me. I remember my grandfather – a gunner at Vimy Ridge.
 The French Government grants, freely and for all time, to the Government of Canada the free us of a parcel of 100 hectares located on Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge memorial had long been on my list of places to experience. I recently joined a tour of places where where Canadians fought battles.
Our tour commenced – “right where it all began”, when a giant 10 tonne mine exploded on July 1 1916 @ 7:20 am announcing “Day One of the Battle of the Somme”.
All that remains now is a gigantic crater under what used to be a German bunker until the Allies blew it up. I walked down into the pit which is now quiet and still. Trees, grass and vegetation have grown over it – this is the spot where Brits and Canadians began to fight back in a war – that had raged for a couple of years.
That explosion was the signal for what ensued next – at the other side of the field at the Beaumont Hamel Memorial.
Here a large caribou statue stands exactly where the brave Newfoundland Regiment scrambled into battle. The then colony of Newfoundland supplied about 1,000 soldiers men who were lumberjacks and sailors before the put on uniforms.
That giant explosion was the cue for those Newfoundlanders to scramble into battle directly into machine gun fire.
 he Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial stands as an important symbol of remembrance and a lasting tribute to all Newfoundlanders who served during the First World War. At the heart of the memorial stands a great bronze caribou (the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment). Its defiant gaze forever fixed towards its former foe, the caribou stands watch over rolling fields that still lay claim to many men with no known final resting place. The Memorial still has the original trenches in place – now grown over by grass; hallowed ground – the sadness still lingers in the air.
These 760 men didn’t make it past their own series of trenches. 68 answered the roll call the next day.
A terrible sadness, and a tremendous shock for a small colony – all lost – wiped out – in the first half hour of the war.
When I walked among their graves – I didn’t know that two weeks later, one of those unknown buried soldiers would be repatriated to the memorial near the harbour in St Johns, Newfoundland. I was the only Canadian on the tour.
The next day we continued to the Vimy Ridge memorial.
It is so striking – this tall bright marble monument above a high plain. White against the grey sky.
Somehow the sculptor captured the huge landscape space with a stone that rises high above all the terror that had been below.
It felt good to make that connection with my grandfather – and 170,000 of his comrades who fought there a century ago.
To see this most magnificent war monument in person fills a Canadian with pride.
We continued to Flanders Fields at the site where McRae wrote his famous poem.
I had known about this since grade school – never thinking I would visit the site as an adult. But there I was. As the lone Canadian I was asked to read his poem aloud to the group.
As I read it – I tried (as they always do at our Burlington ceremony) – to express the emotion of the words.
After many other sites and monuments – the tour concluded at the Menin Gate in Ypres Belgium.
 Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Our organized tour was offered an opportunity to place a wreath at the official ceremony at the Arch that evening.
A ceremony has been held almost every night since the end of the Great War; the host nation that night happened to be Canada. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have the honour of placing the wreath on the gate with the sound of bagpipes in the background.
I later visited Juno Beach and many cemeteries of fallen Canadian soldiers from both wars and felt amazed at the scale of the operation. and massive scale of hard work, loss and horror.
All along the tour (between good local food and drink), we learned of the reasons for the war – and how it progressed and how it ended.
None of it was “glorious” it was the sacrifice, the suffering and the loss that we remember.
Attending the Burlington Remembrance Day ceremony again this year will carry even deeper meaning for me.
We will remember them.
Harrington will be at the Central Library Monday evening – 7:00 pm – doing a Burlington Historical Society presentation on his tour.
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By Staff
