By Pepper Parr
September 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
City council returned from its summer hiatus. They did gather in a hurried meeting on August 14 to ask the province to declare the city a disaster area – that hasn’t happened yet, but other than that these guys have been on holiday since July 14th.
Council used the day portion of their Monday meeting to explain what happened on August 4th. It’s an interesting story – they explained how we really had three storms, one almost right on top of the other. Then city staff explained all the steps that are being taken – by others – to help the victims.
There may be people in this city who will not have furnaces that work by December.
And there are victims – this city is going to have people who may not have furnaces in their homes by December. These are real crises – but the public isn’t hearing too much about them. Partly because some of the people don’t want to talk; they don’t want the public to know how bad their personal situation is. What that does, unfortunately, is stop the flow of donations.
People react when their emotions are touched. If the story is not told – people are not moved to help. We are in that very painful place where “pride goeth before the fall”.
Much of this council meeting was devoted to Vince Rossi and the Air Park problem. Rossi’s name didn’t get mentioned that often but everyone knew that the revised site plan bylaw is focused on what the city is going to have to do with that site.
All the court cases; there were two of them – the city won both, made it clear that the city has both the right and the responsibility to enforce its bylaws on Air Park property. However the city has been holding back – waiting for the date after which the Air Park loses the right to Appeal the decision of the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster at the Air Park. Until very recently she has been a bit of an apologist for the Air Park – now has nine people running for her seat.
While Mr. Rossi has said that he will not be appealing to the Supreme Court the relationship between the city and the Air Park is so bad – the city just doesn’t trust the guy nor do any of the residents – that not much gets done. Ward 6 council member Blair Lancaster has, until recently been a major apologist for the Air Park – she has moved away from that position quite a bit – that would happen when you have nine people running against you for your council seat.
There was a report from planner Mike Crough on the Freedom of Information issues. He has been beavering away for more than a year trying to get information from the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) on tests that were done on the Air Park property. The MOE does not have permission from one of the participants – their privacy rights will be eroded if the information is released.
No one is saying that the person refusing to give permission to release the reports is the Air Park but everyone believes that it is the Air Park doing the refusing.
Then there is the noise and nuisance bylaw that the Air Park is having its way with. Trucks are on the site as early as 5:30 am when they are not supposed to be operating before 7:00 am.
King Paving is currently doing some work widening the main north south runway. The city would love to know why this is being done; but the runway is part of the aeronautics and that is something the city has no input on.
Then there is the testing of the soil that was dumped on the property
What Vince Rossi has failed to understand is this – you can’t beat city hall. You can diddle them, you can jerk them around; but when it comes down to the short strokes – city hall holds all the cards that matter.
It is clear to even those people with white canes that the Air Park is going to have to get a site plan alteration permit – and that is not going to be easy.
Vince Rossi, president of Burlington Executive Airpark Inc., at a meeting with members of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition that took place in a barn a couple of hundred yards from the end of his largest runway.
Vince Rossi has shown that cooperation, collaboration and working with the community are not part of his skill set. He is going to do it his way. The problem with that approach is that with a $4.5 million mortgage on the property, Mr. Rossi is going to need to sell a lot of airplane fuel to service that mortgage – or he has to develop the property. In order to develop anything on that 200 + acres he is going to need help. And that will call for collaboration, cooperation and working with community.
Several of the smarter business minds in this city have come to the conclusion that new leadership of the Air Park corporation is going to be needed. “Vince can’t pull this off – he has pissed off too many people; someone is going to have to take him out.” said a very reliable source
Vince Rossi wasn’t the only person who was vying to buy the Air Park from the Kovachuck family. There may be a situation where one of those past bidders will re-enter the arena. This issue is far from over.
The last thing city council did Monday night was go into closed session to discuss a confidential legal report on – wait for it – the Air Park.
With regard to the storms, flooding and resulting crises, and “some people don’t want to talk,or want the public to know how bad their personal situation is”, stops the flow of donations. This is because we do not know what is needed or where to give it. In my experience most people in Burlington are happy to give what they can to help..especially in crises situations. What they need is to know what is needed, when and where and how often. A front person is needed to communicate regularly in this way. Someone or persons could man a phone so interested persons can call up and say I have this etc.
For those reluctant to mention their difficulties to the public it can be done anonymously eg a family had this much damage insurance is insufficient for all the reasons we’ve been hearing of, can anyone or persons help with, a, b, c whether it is food, clothing, furniture, help with clean up etc. Someone like the gentleman from “Up the Creek” (great name by the way) should organize taking calls and directing them, get togethers each week to tackle issues, and accept or help deliver goods. Ask yourselves, “did you ever donate to a cause of any kind?” What did you expect from those donated to? Did you expect to see their financials, their soiled underwear drawer from proof of the flood? etc etc etc. No? Then neither do we. It is my experience that most people desperately want to help and don’t know how to begin. Additionally society is in crises from too many crises and are in need of solidarity of purpose. When one is always being “done to” so to speak and cannot do anything about it, apathy takes over. Come on people everyone do their part tell your story anonymously except to the person responsible for delivery of, choose that person or persons yourself and they should maintain privacy of the receivers. I don’t care how long it takes and in my opinion due to past experience assistance will be needed for some longer than others and it could be years. I think, we could have regular ongoing parties, get togethers dances etc. where monies are put to x crises and used because individual persons cannot manage alone.
And why should people have to manage alone? This is what is wrong with society. Those who would agree and want to be involved in an ongoing fundraising effort for assistance and I would say immediate assistance write in and let us decide where when etc. I do not think it need be formal. For eg. if someone has to leave their home and livein a motel and eat out it will take ongoing funding for a long time. How long till all the homes have been gutted, refinished, sterilized etc. Then new furnishings, household items, clothing etc. In the meantime call around to motels and ask the price of rooms and food per week and see how much will be needed and that is just the obvious.
Remember people to “Judge not lest ye be Judged.”
The majority of us are ready and willing to help for as long as it takes. NOt all of us all the time but as we can over as long as it takes.