Finally an issue that pits Mayor against his most troubling Council member. What kind of downtown core development for the city ?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  April 10, 2012  You can see the battle lines beginning to be drawn.  The positions are being staked out.  The issue will probably come down to – what kind of a city do we want?  What do we want the downtown core to look like?  What are we prepared to give up to get the development and the growth we need that will put some life into Brant Street?

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has started to stake out her position with a piece she did in her on line Newsletter which got into the hands of a Hamilton Spectator reporter and showed up as a fairly long piece in the holiday Monday newspaper.

The development is to include the full block with a 17 story high rise, a parking garage and a medical complex.

The issue is a development known as Medica One that has missed a critical deadline required in the application they made to rezone the property they had assembled at Caroline and John Streets.  Because of the deadlines that were missed Meed Ward says the zoning application has to go back to Council – which is sort of back to square one and get fought out all over again.  Only this time Meed Ward sits as a Council member and not just a delegate – and she appears to have the planner on her side as far as the technicalities go.

Meed Ward didn’t like the height of the buildings when she was just a citizen; she felt the buildings should have been set back quite a bit further to create a better street-scape; something people could relate too.  At one committee meeting in 2009 she said: “City Hall and the developer have worked behind closed doors for two years, without the community at the table. The staff report only became available to residents June 14, which leaves little time for us to review and respond.”  She was strident and focused then and she will be just as strident and focused when this comes back to Council.

Mayor Goldring agrees with Meed Ward on the technicalities.  The city planner also agrees.  The Mayor thinks there is a way to resolve the deadline problem.  Mead Ward is going to be saying – “not so fast”.    Bruce Krushelnicki, the city planner, is a stickler for the rules and he will insist that Council debate the original zoning application and make a new decision.

During the debate on this project back in 2010 when Meed Ward wasn’t a council member she had major problems with the height and with the way the proposed 17 story structure was going to relate to the street-scape.  Add to that her concerns about the impact the building was going to have on the neighbouring streets.

And that`s where the differences come into play.

A city block with small one and two storey structures was to be the locale for a high rise project that some think the city needs while others feel the scale is out of proportion to the community. This could go to the OMB.

Mayor Goldring believes the city needs development and that the downtown core needs all the help it can get.  Meed Ward sees the health of neighborhoods as more important and this time she has a platform she didn’t have in the past.  The city has to grow – the province set out the growth requirement in it’s Places to Grow policy.  The city is desperate to create jobs, high paying, high tech jobs and Medica One was seen as the first new building that would attract and house those jobs.  The complex was to consist of  affordable units for younger people, a parking garage and a medical complex that would be close to the significant number of senor citizens in that community.  Nick Carnacelli and his Garden Gate development company got the zoning changed he needed and then basically did nothing.  Most of his time, energy and funding was put into a project he has going on in Hamilton.

Since getting the zoning changes he needed Carnacelli then went on to buy the Pearl Street Café properties and hold them for redevelopment.  You can see a developer banking significant pieces of property – is there a larger plan, or any kind of vision. Doesn’t appear to be one.

However, it is evident that something is going to happen with the Riviera Motel property at the bottom of Elizabeth and that just might spark a burst of development in the downtown core.  The Conservation Authority  has given the Mayrose Tyco group a solid boot in the bum and told them to get on with the development or find themselves having to deal with more stringent water’s edge set back rules that will leave them with less property to build on.

Mayor Goldring complained on more than one occasion about the lack of any progress on the site.

Meanwhile, Carnacelli got OMB approval to add more height to his property assembly at John and Brant as well as more height for the property in the Old Lakeshore precinct where the two Lakeshores merge.  Lots of capacity for future development but no shovels in the ground.

Marianne Meed Ward is on the other side of the podium this time - sits as the Council member for Ward 2 where a developer got a zoning change she opposed.

There are those on the 6th, 7th and 8th floors of city hall who feel strongly that Meed Ward has harmed the city’s relationship with the developers and that several have put projects on hold or just not put shovels into the ground because of her intrusions.

The city needs the additional assessment – there aren’t going to be anymore of those large residential developments like Alton in the north east part of the city coming along.    Meed Ward has always had a “thing” about developers – she wants to see them not just putting up buildings but developing in a responsible manner with more than just an eye to putting a couple of benches and a patch of green outside the building that rises 17 stories above the street.

She didn’t take a dime in election funding from developers last time and she won’t take as much as a nickel next time either.  Expect developers to get together and talk about putting together a fund to defeat her in 2014.  Can she be beat?   Everyone can be beaten in an election but Marianne Meed Ward is a true civic fighter with a constituency that just loves everything she does.

There is though a significant number of people who can’t stand what she is doing.  I continually get asked what I think about what she is up to.  The people with perceived influence in the city don`t appear to have all that much time for Marianne Meed Ward.  Does that matter?

Meed Ward has made a significant change in the way the city uses Section 37’s of the Planning Act.  A section 37 of the Act allows a developer to pay a sum of money to the city in exchange for additional height and density in a development.

In the past these Section 37 agreements were worked out between the Planning Department and the developer.  Meed Ward wanted the people who live in the community to be at the table when these Section 37 deals were worked out and not just hear about them when a decision is made.

The orchids on Upper Middle Road, west of Appleby Line are examples of Section 37 deals that Meed Ward wants to see come to an end.

The developers dream. The Mayor's nightmare? The ward Councillors second chance.

All this noise from Meed Ward was manageable by senior city staff when she was just a citizen delegating – now she has a platform and a much higher public profile.  That hasn’t made her any friends at city hall – which doesn’t seem to bother Meed Ward.  Her objective is to convince her ward constituents that she can bring about change and then take that message to the larger community.

With the city’s Official Plan about to begin the required five year review, expect to see Meed Ward front and centre promoting her view of what the city should be.

She seems to have a clearer vision than the Mayor – or at least we are hearing more of her vision.  Add to that her courage – some would call it brash and stupid, but Meed Ward will call for a recorded vote and be the only person to vote for her motion – and do it three times in a row.

But the city knew, or should have known, that was the kind of Council member she was going to be.  Former Mayor Cam Jackson was close to terrified at what Meed Ward would do as a Council member.  That problem evaporated for him when he lost the election.

Rick Goldring is a different Mayor but he is facing a council member who wants the job he has – if not the next election then certainly the one after that.  Can Goldring handle the onslaught for the next two and a half years? .  He is going to have to improve his game on several fronts to keep ahead of Meed Ward.  It will be fun to watch.

While both Meed Ward and Goldring are new to their jobs; Meed Ward as a Council member and Goldring as Mayor, who also has four years’ experience as a member of the Jackson administration, she is much faster on her feet than the Mayor.  She is also far more media savvy than the Mayor.

At this point the Mayor is seen as the more solid of the two but Meed Ward wants that 8th floor office and she has lots of time to plan and build the support she needs. She has a clear vision; something Goldring might have but not one the public has seen.

At this point Goldring talks of having delivered on most of the campaign promises he made – not that many people can remember what those promises were.

Does Meed Ward have the lines she needs into the people with the money in this city?    The developers certainly aren’t excited about her being Mayor but she has a dedicated ward fan club and she runs the best Citizen’s Advisory Committee in town  and she has shown she can adjust her position to the prevailing winds.

She was opposed to the development of a parkette on the Elgin Street property where the city has a maintenance facility.  Burlington had been discussing doing something similar to what was being done in our `twin`city in Holland.  The Appledoorn city officials decided to hold off for a year due to financial constraints and Meed Ward thought that’s what Burlington should have done as well.  Council didn’t see it that way and voted to proceed.  So, while opposed, Meed Ward jumped in and made the project her own and is now deeply involved with architects and plans for the improvement of the area.  It wasn’t necessarily a good idea – the site is too small and the facilities building has traffic that isn’t compatible with the children`s playground right beside the property.

She opposed the way the city decided to resolve the Pier construction issue – Meed Ward felt the city should have dealt with the original contractor and worked something out with him.  She made her case – it didn’t hold and so being the trooper she is – she went along with the decision.  She is however waiting to see just how much the city has spent on lawyers fees on this one.  If the city doesn’t win it`s court case and recover all it’s costs – the howl from Meed Ward will be loud and long.

She leaked or is believed to have leaked information to the media about the Pier (it wasn’t to us) and then had to deal with the ire of her fellow Council members on that one.

Does Meed Ward have the support of her fellow Council members on the Medica One development?  Probably not.  But the city has a Planner who is as ethical as they come – he will insist council follow the rules.  This is going to be a three way play.

The Mayor will be for it and want to find a way to accommodate the developer.

Meed Ward will argue against giving the developer the same rezoning and demand that the city get much more for what the developer wants. If you have any doubt where Meed Ward is heading – read one of her recent community newsletters.

The Planner will stick to the rules – no fast ones with Bruce Krushelnicki.

As the motto on the city`s crest puts it: Stand by.

 

 

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April 10th, 2012 | Category: Headlines, News, Opinion & Commentary, Salt with Pepper | 2 comments - (Comments are closed)

Transit user sets out criteria and the challenges faced in making it work. She doesn`t trust Burlington drivers enough to use her bike. .

Jane Irwin has the capacity to make a point incisively and with humour.  Her submission to the Master Transit Plan team are set out below in a slightly edited format. 

By Jane Irwin

BURLINGTON, ON  March 22, 2012  I have used Burlington Transit for the almost 30 years I have lived in Burlington. On average, I travel by transit once or twice a week, which works out to 5 to 10 boardings  per week. My most frequently traveled routes are (in numerical order, not order of frequency) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10.

I could not attend the public meetings because of time conflicts, but I have read the very extensive background materials online and have also read the comprehensive comments by Walter Mulkewich. The former Burlington Mayor is extremely well-informed on the topic of how transit planning is related to the future well-being of this city. His generosity in presenting his thoughts about Burlington Transit has provoked my writing to express my own more concentrated passenger viewpoint.

Travel choices are extremely important factors in three 21st-century urban goals:

to improve the city’s economic health,

to improve the health of its citizens,

and to improve the city’s environmental conditions.

Measured by these criteria, the preferred travel choices, from best to worst, are walking and cycling, transit, taxi and private car. In terms of cost, the choices are the same.

In terms of the travel time of a journey, the order is reversed: private car is fastest, then taxi, transit, cycling and walking.

Transit in Burlington is undergoing a major review that will produce a Master Transit Plan with significant public input.

The greatest opportunity for transit to compete for increased ridership is to reduce travel time to get from A to B. Everyone in today’s society appreciates more time.

The prime methods of reducing transit travel time include:

1) Greater frequency of buses, including shorter intervals for transfers.

2) Removing unnecessary bus stops ( co-coordinating bus stops with stop signs and lights).

3) More direct routes (not meandering hither and thither).

My own travel choices in recent years include walking, transit, taxi and private car. I stopped cycling 10 years ago because, in my experience, too many private car drivers in Burlington are careless of cyclist safety.

Drawing on my own experience, therefore:

1) Having to wait 60 minutes for a bus is a deal-breaker. A 30-minute wait for a bus makes other travel choices more appealing. BT should aim for a maximum of 20 minute intervals.

2) Here Irwin gets into a level of detail that will interest only those who travel the route but her point is still relevant.

Just as one example, the number 5 route west from downtown at John Street, along Ontario Street to Maple Avenue:

stop for left turn at Pine Street;

stop for left turn at Elizabeth Street:

stop for left turn at James Street:

bus stop and stop light for right turn at Brant Street;

stop for left turn at Ontario Street;

bus stop mid block;

stop sign for Locust Street;

bus stop mid block;

bus stop at Burlington Avenue;

stop sign at Hager Avenue;

two more bus stops mid block;

bus stop and stop light for left turn at Maple Avenue.

In my view, the stop sign should be moved from Hager Avenue (a 3-way stop) to Burlington Avenue (a dislocated corner, difficult for pedestrians), which should be a 4-way stop; and at least 2 bus stops should be removed. I will defer to traffic experts of course, but it seems to me an effort should be made to co-ordinate the facilitating of bus transit.  It is also my view that the bus should travel on Elgin Street, thereby eliminating Ontario Street and the number 10 on Lakeshore. The Elgin Street bus stops would coincide with existing 4-way stop signs.

3) I visit Oakville on occasion, and I prefer their grid system.

For example, why not consider one Appleby line connecting with cross-town buses instead of current 5 itty-bitty lines. Walkers Line has no bus connecting Lakeshore and Fairview. Routes Brant Street 2 and Guelph Line 3 do not meet Dundas Street. BT on Dundas Street has three routes 6, 15, and 11, mostly between Walkers and Appleby Lines. Between Brant Street and Guelph Line, Route 2 meanders just south of Dundas, as do Routes 6 and 62 between Guelph and Walkers Lines.

It is really poor practice for neighbouring communities not to have joint transit on city border areas.   Why not a Dundas Street bus from Brant Street to Oakville? The Oakville Dundas Street bus does not meet a Burlington bus.

Why not a bus from La Salle Park Road to Waterdown, taking a turn into Aldershot GO and VIA station?

Transfers on grid systems should be manageable with current technology, and therefore minimize delays.

Finally, in my experience, BT drivers are exceptionally courteous and helpful. The drivers are a great asset to Burlington Transit, and it should be recognized that their attitude is a factor in encouraging increased transit ridership. Congrats to BT for that!

The city’s Transit Advisory Committee doesn’t weigh in transit quite the way Jane Irwin does.

Ed note:  This is not a lady to trifle with.

 

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March 22nd, 2012 | Category: Headlines, News, Opinion & Commentary | One comment - (Comments are closed)

Presto cards to get into the washrooms or use an elevator ? James Smith might be on to something here.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  March 20, 2012  Jonathan Swift published all of his satire under pseudonyms – James Smith chose to be right out front and direct with his comments before a Council meeting that was getting ready to pass the Current Budget for 2012.  Council was not pleased.

One of the bigger issues at Council was what to do with transit.  Many feel that if a bus route runs empty half the time then the sensible business thing to do is shut it down and social responsibility be damned.

Smith, an architectural design director who specializes in landscapes and small environments who is also part of the team that is struggling to save the Freeman station from demolition went before Council to commend them for the Imagination, Courage and Leadership.  That doesn’t happen very often so the media listened very carefully.

Smith said it took imagination to shave half a million dollars from the gas tax money that gets transferred to the city each year and plowing it into paving cul de sacs, which as he pointed out is a French word for a road that doesn’t go anywhere.

Is there space on these library shelves that is empty? If so - the funds to pay for that space gets transferred to the shave and pave program.

Smith was just getting wound up when he added,  rather deliberately, that the gas tax, “despite what some may think, is not a Latte sipping, bike riding, transit loving, pink leftie tax” and it should be used for things that use gas.  Council had previously taken a chunk of gas tax money and moved it out of transit over to their newest money saving tool, the shaving and paving of our roads.

Smith pointed out that he felt it took a great deal of imagination to present (with a straight face) a rationale for the use of funds designed to mitigate climate change to paving cul de sacs. He felt Council should be applauded for their courage in moving $500,000 out of transit to road improvements while the transit review is underway.

Leadership was given special treatment. Smith explained that it takes true leadership to make a commitment to public transit while insisting transit is run more like a business and requiring greater cost recovery and at the same time reducing investment.  In the retail world, Smith added, “this is known as bait and switch”.  Ouch!

James Smith just might have come up with a way to use the technologically "swift"but financially expensive Presto Card to much wider use.

Given these examples of Imagination, Courage and Leadership Smith took a page from Jonathan Swift to make what he called a couple of modest proposals.  Shave and Pave the libraries he suggested.  They are empty of people from time to time – shave and pave a few dollars from that service, it isn’t always used.

He went on to suggest there were other opportunities for a real display of courage.  The washrooms and the elevators are not always used – but rather than close a few of them down, after all like buses they aren’t always used, require people to use their Presto card to get on an elevator or use a washroom.

James Smith just might be on to something here.

 

 

 

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March 20th, 2012 | Category: Headlines, News, Opinion & Commentary | Comments are closed

A transit vision for Burlington. It’s in the Strategic Plan and may not get beyond that document.

By Doug Brown

BURLINGTON, ON March 7, 2012  There are five parts to the vision that Doug Brown, probably the best informed citizen on transit matters the city has, which he sets out below.

Every citizen would have access to good transit service. This means that everyone would be within a short walk of a bus stop, and that Burlington’s bus routes and schedules would enable everyone to get to their destination in a reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost.

That transit along with walking, cycling, and other active modes of transportation become the favoured modes of travel thus reducing car traffic resulting in reduced expenditures on parking and roads, and less traffic accidents, cleaner air, and a healthier community.

While reaching this state will involve some public investment in improving our transit system, it will lead to significant savings in public expenditures on roads (Halton Region has approved over $2 Billion on road expenditures over the next 20 years); and additional parking spaces (at an average cost of $30,000 per space).

 

Doug Brown wants an affordable, frequent, reliable transit service. Is the city prepared to pay for it?

My vision is that we become a caring and inclusive city that provides good transit for those that are very dependent on the system. This includes the young and the old, the disabled, and those that cannot afford the high cost of car ownership.  Currently, the City of Burlington spends considerably less on transit per capita than other communities of its size. This is true not just for conventional transit – but for handi-van service as well.  Underfunding has led to lower service levels and consequently lower ridership. Burlington citizens, who are dependent on transit, or want to use transit, deserve at least the same service levels as other communities.

My vision is already largely set out in Burlington’s principle planning  documents. Our Official Plan requires that Burlington quadruple its transit use by 2030 in order that we can accommodate further growth through intensification.

 Our Strategic Plan calls for an “increase the number of people who cycle, walk and use public transit for recreation and transportation. What will it look like?
 – There are fewer cars on the road because more people are using public transit, walking or cycling” The Strategic Plan’s expected results include “a common vision and co-ordinated plan to decrease reliance on vehicles; public awareness of, and support for, the vision; and “more people are using public transit, walking or cycling”

 The Strategic Plan sets out the following expectations for the current Transit Master Plan update:
– improved transit service
– more use of Burlington Transit
– better mobility in and out of the city

 We have adopted the vision in words – let’s now take the action needed to transform our city.

Editors Note:  And that of course is where the rub is.  The city has not and will not “walk its talk”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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March 7th, 2012 | Category: Opinion & Commentary | Comments are closed

The party or the person ? Burlington gets to look at how they have voted in the past. Will old habits change ?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  October 4, 2011 –  This is the part of the week you get to think about who you are going to vote for.  On Thursday when you go to the polls, you get to act on the decision you make.

Let’s talk about the thinking you are going to do.  Will you vote for the party or the person ?  If you decide at this point that you will vote for the party no matter what – well then you’re some kind of an idiot or at best an irresponsible citizen.

Political parties, like any other organization, have to be held accountable by both the voters and the members of that political party.  It is irresponsible to vote for a party because you have always voted for them.  Paddy Torsney, the former Liberal member of parliament for Burlington learned the hard way what voters do with a political party they no longer trust.

Most people, once they`ve thought about it, find a political party that reflects their views on the way society should be ordered.  And if you`re at all active in your community you support that party with a financial contribution and perhaps take a lawn sign.

And should the party you support deviate from its core principles, a sensible, rationale person would withdraw their support.  If the local political party association forgets what its job is and puts forward an unqualified candidate the rationale human being would withdraw their support. There are occasions when the party is critically important.  Is that the case today in Burlington.  This city has elected conservatives since 1943 – and what does the city have to show for that support.  Certainly not a hospital and the conservatives are talking about significant changes to the geography of the northern part of the city.

The hospital we have is in desperate need of an upgrade and it needs much better funding.  One floor of the hospital isn`t even open – because the President of the hospital can`t get the funding he needs to open up the beds on the floor of the hospital that is closed.  The current member and the member before her didn`t do all that much for the hospital.  The hospital got so run down and so difficult to keep clean that it had a serious C.difficile outbreak that resulted in the loss of more than 90 lives.  That kind of funding failure in any community is criminal.

If the member of the Legislature or the House of Commons cannot deliver for the community then you might want to look for a person who can deliver.  A member who sits in the opposition seats isn`t exactly a cripple – they have a telephone and they can make phone calls and badger the bureaucrats until they do something for you.

While being part of the government certainly has its advantages – it doesn`t solve all the problems.  What a community needs is a member of the Legislature or the House of Commons who understands the community, cares about the community and has the smarts to get the job done.

Running for city council and winning a seat at that level is usually part of the job training that a person goes through as they progress through the ranks.  Nothing wrong with that.  Having someone who is immersed in politics is a plus for a community.  The person believes and loves the job – and it is people like that who deliver for the community.

Is it the person or the party ?  You always have that choice.  And right now Burlington has two very good choices if you take the view that the person matters.  If you take the view that the party is what really matters – then you have a choice for a candidate that will have a very long learning curve and there is no assurance at all that the candidate has the capacity to make it through that curve.

The party or the person?

 

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October 4th, 2011 | Tags: , | Category: Headlines, News, Opinion & Commentary, Salt with Pepper | Comments are closed

Getting down to the short strokes. Candidates to square off at two events giving us a chance to see what they can do.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  September 24, 2011  Well the candidates know there is going to be an election of October 6th and the people working with them are out there beavering away but that is just about the extent of it.

Peggy Russell, the NDP candidate is doing what many politicians do – let themselves believe what really isn’t possible.   The commitment needed to get into politics and run for office has to be so strong that at times it overcomes you and reality gets away.

There is not going to be an orange wave in Ontario and certainly not in Burlington.  What Peggy Russell will do, hopefully, is sharpen things up at the two major debates that are to take place this week.  She is a tough debater and while the people who put on the events don’t really allow true debate – they see themselves as a little too polite for the tough questions, the thrust and the parry of debate that brings out who a candidate really is and what they really think and believe.

Go back to the 1984 “I had no option” debate between John Turner and Brian Mulroney to understand how vital real debate can be.

The Chamber of Commerce cheats the community when they spurn real debate and limit the event to moderated questions and answers.  It’s part of the ‘coziness’ that is a part of Burlington.

It will however not be easy to limit Russell and her direct style.

Jane McKenna is being shepherded and supported by Keith Strong and I suspect a lot of time is being spent on coaching her and preparing her for the all candidate events.  She has to show up at these two events – there is just no getting out of that.  So far she has skipped the all candidate events.  We will see if she has a handle on the issues and has developed enough as a politician to take a seat at Queen’s Park.  If the Progressive Conservative Association had not dithered for so long in finding a replacement for Joyce Savoline and chosen McKenna a year ago – it just might have been possible to get her to the point where she could handle herself and not clutch the PC Change Book to her chest and hope that the words in the book will get her though it all.  It will be interesting to see how she does.

The PC Association has a lot of explaining to do.  Bert Radfordd sould do what he forced Rene Papin to do – which was fall on his sword and back out of the nomination race.  Time for Radfordd to find another occupation

If they lose the riding – and that is within the realm of possibility – they will have four years to rebuild.  Perhaps in that period of time Brian Heagle can convince them that his blood is truly blue.

Speaking of Heagle – he makes a very good point on his Facebook page with the following data: while “ it’s completely unscientific and not equivalent to polls or even lawn signs – the  “Likes” for each Burlington candidate’s Facebook page are close right now: Liberal=129; PC=118; NDP=114.

Once this interesting bit of analysis by Heagle is out expect the political parties to rush to those Facebook pages and flood them with “Likes” which will make the data Heagle gleaned the best we are going to get from that source.  Interesting though.

Karmel Sakran kept himself busy with two press conferences at which he huffed about the terrible things Hudak would do to the province if  he were to form a government.  Hudak shut down the one issue – hospital funding – by releasing a statement that said he would ensure the hospital was funded if he formed a government.  In the meantime the city of Burlington and the hospitals Foundation are going to have to carry the load.

Sakran is the more accomplished speaker – comes from being a lawyer.  However, Russell has put him off his stride at previous candidate events.  He will need to stay focused and on point – something he should be able to do.

It is interesting to note that the Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidates are sticking pretty close to what their leaders have to say rather than saying very much about how they would advocate for Burlington.  What kind of an MPP does Sakran want to be and what kind of MPP does McKenna want to be?  It is pretty clear where Russell is coming from – she will listen to the party line but if she doesn’t like what it is – she won’t support it.  That is not to suggest Russell isn’t a team player – more to the point – she is an independent thinker.

McKenna doesn’t appear to have a clue as to what Queen’s Park is all about but she learns quickly and one can assume that if she wins, that Joyce Savoline, the retiring MPP, will be available to coach her.

Sakran understands what Queen’s Park is all about and he could, at some point, make it into the Cabinet – but a lot of that huffiness will have to go first.  As a lawyer he has more than enough friends to steer him around the place.  The procedures will come naturally to him.

What we don’t know about either McKenna or Sakran is what they are going to do for the community?  Will they toe the party line or will they be advocates for Burlington?

The most recent polls indicate that there is a very, very tight race with the Liberals and Conservatives in a dead heat.  That leads to talk of a minority government and we hear party leaders saying what they would and would not do if they had to team up with someone else to form a government.  When Andrea Horwath said she would talk to any party about forming a government she must have shaken her supporters to their very roots – the idea of the NDP supporting a PC party so that the Progressive Conservatives could form a government must have Walter Mulkewich, former Mayor of Burlington and head of the NDP fund raising committee,  tossing and turning in his sleep.

Turnout for the Chamber of Commerce Event and that being put on by the Canadian Federation of University Woman are the best chance this city has to see and hear the candidates.  Seats will be at a premium – and no walks ins for the Chamber event.

We are indebted to (yes it happens) Ward 2 councilor Marianne Meed Ward for the following:

Beat the rush on voting day and vote in the advance polls. Open daily, 10am-8pm now till Sept. 30. Locations in Burlington: 3230 Fairview St, Unit 115; Brant Hills Community Centre, 2255 Brant St; Fortinos, IKEA Plaza, 1059 Plains Rd. E; Good Neighbour Ministries, 5270 New St; St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 1382 Ontario St.

 

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September 25th, 2011 | Category: Headlines, News, Opinion & Commentary, Salt with Pepper | One comment - (Comments are closed)

We’ve “finally become what was promised”. Really?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  February 24, 2011  –  When the lights are turned out and you’re completely in the dark you’re never quite sure where you are going and what you are going to bump into.

We “think” we are doing the right thing – but how do you know.  We got a note from a Ken C who said:  Your ‘newspaper’ is finally becoming what was promised. When will we hear about the long term status of Shaping Burlington?

I want to tell Ken, who is now my very best friend for life and with whom I will become a blood brother when we nick our wrists and swear fealty to each other for the rest of our lives – what is happening with Shape.

Burlington City Hall Staff` will be giving their response to the Shape report at a Council meeting March 8th.  The ”illustrious” Kim Phillips, she being THE General Manager of Corporate Services for the City of Burlington will lay upon us the way staff feel they should respond to the eight recommendations contained in the Shape report. 

If you are not quite sure what illustrious means let me share with you the definition in the dictionary.com – to wit, highly distinguished; renowned; famous: an illustrious leader or, glorious, as deeds or works: many illustrious achievements. Kim’s Mum will like that.

The development of an Engagement Charter, which was one of the Shape recommendations, caught the eye of the United Nations Public Administration Network where the comment was made that –

“The charter would affirm the city’s commitment to reaching out to a diverse population and would explain how to navigate city hall and its services,” said Ken Edwards, a member of Shaping Burlington who also worked on the Shape Burlington report. “The charter would incorporate an early notification system and allow a reasonable amount of time for all participants to understand the steps and develop decisions before decisions are made. Ultimately, the charter would promote active public engagement and meaningful dialogue, which likely will require a culture shift at city hall.”

I’m pretty sure Ken’s family doesn’t know that his remarks are being discussed in the halls of the United Nations.  There must be some kind of a plaque the Mayor can give Ken for putting Burlington on the world map.  We’re not just home of the Burlington Teen Tour Band you know.

While it has taken the city longer to respond to the report than it did for Messrs Boich and Mulkewich did to create the Shape team, research and write the report – that is incidental.  Ms Phillips has consulted widely and after an internal review and some discussion with the Shaping Burlington (that being the group of citizens who wanted to ensure that the Shape report didn’t just gather dust) she will release her findings at the Committee meeting.

It needs to be said that there will not be a reception after the committee meeting, but, depending on the content of the staff report, there will be huzzahs or much wailing and flailing once the contents have been digested.  This is going to be a report that will be worth the paper it is written on.

 So – there you have it Ken.  Stay tuned because you know that Our Burlington will be at the media table in Council chambers covering this event.

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February 23rd, 2011 | Category: Opinion & Commentary | Comments are closed