By Pepper Parr
May 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Alinea, the organization that holds significant parts of the Paletta International holdings has been spreading their cash around lately.
They have “invested” major dollars at the Art Gallery of Burlington. They have chosen to get behind specific events rather than pass along a lump sum.
In their media release the AGB said: “The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) is thrilled to announce a significant donation by Alinea Land Corporation. The Burlington-based group will be the presenting sponsors for the next two exhibitions in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery: We Who Have Known Many Shores by artist Alize Zorlutuna (May 10 – September 1, 2024) and David Harper (September 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025).
Art Gallery benefits from developers financial support.
“We are excited to announce this important partnership with the AGB,” said Paul Paletta, President & CEO of Alinea Land Corporation. “Our goal at Alinea is to enhance prosperity within the communities and by investing in the next two exhibitions at the AGB we continue the work our parents started. Arts and culture can make a positive, meaningful, and lasting influence for people within our community and we hope we inspire every person to come down and visit these exhibitions.”
The Art Gallery people were “delighted”. Every little bit counts.
Alinea also supported the Bay Area Climate Change Council annual Forum held recently at the RBG’s Rock Garden building. Give them credit for choosing a great location.
Jennifer Keesmaat – sharing her experience as the one time Chief Planner for the City of Toronto
Jennifer Keesmaat was the keynote speaker.
Keesmaat will be the speaker at Mayor Meed Ward’s Speaker Series taking place late in May – assuming the manages to find the sponsorship money she is going to need. Her colleagues at City Council were not prepared to go beyond the endorsement the Mayor was asking for.
Our tipster, who asked to be anonymous, said Alinea was the big sponsor.
Part of the Alinea executive team discussing a matter with the former city Manager (his back is to the camera).
Alinea currently has one of the largest developments, the 1200 King Road development, before the City. The 57 hectare site, nestled between Hwy 403 and the railway line between King Road and the Aldershot GO station is the biggest thing the city has seen in decades.
The development is expected to be a combination of housing, sports facilities and office space. The intention is to create a community the likes of which the city has never seen before. Bigger than the Alton community.
The 1200 King Road site.
An early rendering that represent some of the thinking going into the 1200 King Road development.
Will they be spreading their money around in donations to councillor election campaigns too?
They did last election. Kelvin Galbraith of Ward 1 got the most at $23,350, pretty much all of it from developer interests. He spent only a couple of hundred of his own money on signs and stuff.
Noteworthy, Dr. Michael Shih: President, Emshih Developments (Burlington resident), gave him $1200, the maximum.
According to the Integrity Commissioner, he and Emshih Developments have a legal business relationship in the MTSA.
The IC wrote on February 24, 2022, regarding his possible conflicts of interest in the MTSA: “You have advised that you own two properties along Waterdown, 1016 and 1018 Waterdown Road and one property located at 15 Plains Road West from which you operate your business, The Fitness Firm.”
These three properties effectively book-end, abutting at the rear, the property which sits directly at the corner of Waterdown and Plains Roads.
You have advised that the two Waterdown Road properties were formerly residential dwellings, which were removed a number of years ago, and that your future plans include integrating them into a larger development through land assembly with Emshih Development, with whom you have a letter of intent to work together to jointly assemble properties.”
To readers here, is there any suggestion of Councilor interest and conflict?
This letter of intent and business relationship go back to the Councilor first term of election of 2018, so it has been in effect for the Councilor’s entire term of office, to date today.
Does this look like a possible answer, by association, to the Gazette stories and questions in May 8-11 2033, of why did they donate this much money to a Burlington councilor in an election most voters ignored?
Perhaps it would be wise to begin by constructing a multisport stadium that can accommodate Soccer, Rugby, Field Hockey and Football games. This would allowour own city’s sports clubs to host high-level games and kickstart the Sport Tourism dollars. It might be wise to focus on this first before building an OHL arena, given that we are unsure if we will even have a team.
It would be a real benefit to the community if a Wellness Health Centre could be incorporated into this development.
A centre that would provide a one-stop shop so to speak for patient wellness. This could include physician offices, blood lab, x-ray centre, massage therapy as well as a pharmacy to start.
Perhaps even transportation for patients to get to this centre – not merely Burlington Transit . The Red Cross provides transportation at a very low cost to people who are unable to use public transit.
One of the last things Burlington Seniors Community Initiatives did was donate money to the Red Cross to provide free transportation to medical appointments to seniors who were unable to afford this.
Food for thought?