By Pepper Parr
July 21st, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Look at the timeline below and tell me that the city has been fair, that good faith has been a part of everything they have done.
Burlington Aquatic Devilrays Request for proposal overview and time line:
March 13, 2025,
City of Burlington posts RFP for Competitive Youth Swimming – Program Provider- March 13–April 14, 2025:
BAD prepares and submits its proposal in response to the RFP. - April 15th, 2025 BAD Submits RFP.
- April 17th, 2025 RFP Closes.
- Per RFP Timeline/Addendum (tentative dates) :
- Review and Evaluation of Bids April 22 to 28, 2025
- Intent to Award April 28, 2025
- Award / Agreement Execution May 12, 2025
- May 28, 2025, BAD sent a follow-up email to the City’s procurement office requesting an update.
- June 5, 2025, A virtual meeting was held with City representatives, during which we were informed that BAD’s submission had been disqualified.
- June 6, 2025, On the advice of legal counsel, BAD formally requested a review of the RFP decision.
- June 16, 2025, The City’s “bid committee” contacted us to request written submissions, stating that a final decision would be provided “on or before June 24.”
- June 19, 2025, BAD submitted all requested documentation, along with a legal letter from our procurement lawyer.
- June 25, 2025, (after 5:00 PM): BAD received formal notice that our submission was rejected on a technicality.
- June 25, 2025 (7:00 PM): A club-wide communication was sent to notify members of the decision.
- June 26, 2025, Our counsel sends a letter to the Clerk advising that we will be seeking a judicial review and requests a stay on all further contract negotiations.
- June 30th, 2025 1pm City Issues Press Release City of Burlington Statement on Ensuring High Quality Aquatics Services and Fair Use of Facilities
- June 30th, 2025 5pm City Issues SECOND Press Release (UPDATED) after we pointed out that GHAC did not have the numbers required. Updating language to include that “the successful bidder, GHAC, demonstrated it could fulfill this requirement (85%) upon service commencement in September 2025.”
- June 30, 2025, City of Burlington awards contract to GHAC.
- July 8, 2025, Special Committee Meeting where BAD parents and community members delegate in support of the club and raise concerns about the RFP process.
- July 10, 2025, Special Council Meeting called to receive confidential updates from staff. Council acknowledges public input and signals potential for further review or revisions.
- July 16, 2026, City Issues Press Release City of Burlington has a path forward to support all Burlington youth swimmers
- July 2025–Present:
- Ongoing advocacy, communication with city officials, legal efforts, and coordination to secure equitable pool time for the 2025–2026 season.
Oh, absolutely—let’s celebrate that 25-year-old photo like it’s breaking news! Maybe next we can revive a VHS tape of BAD’s glory days and call it “current events.” Why stop there? Let’s Photoshop some Olympic medals onto it while we’re at it.
At the time that photo was taken, over 80 BAD swimmers were racing the 100m fly that season. In 2025? Just 38. And that’s after the club supposedly “grew” from 150 to over 400 claimed swimmers. Funny how they can’t even line up a current senior team for a photo op now.
The point isn’t the sepia-toned nostalgia—it’s that when a club keeps recycling old photos and even older talking points, it starts to feel less like a swim team and more like a historical reenactment society. Meanwhile, real Burlington kids today still can’t access fair training slots.
But hey, if vintage vibes win RFPs, maybe GHAC should start posting black-and-white shots too.
Editor’s note: Comments are getting rather petty
Caleb, with all due respect, I am not sure how old the photo is matters to the issue at hand. BAD has stated publicly that the club has been in existence in Burlington for at least 40 years, this picture, if it is that dated, just reinforces that. There have been lots of other photos shared that are current and include swimmers still registered at the club today. I am not sure what purpose your comment is meant to serve, other than to highlight your clear dislike of the club.
The kids from this photo are 25 year old today. Maybe try AI fake photos? They would go well with BAD leadership fake claims.