Search Results transit part 4 « Burlington Gazette

Minister of Environment and Climate change calls four storey structures absurd - urges people to buy electric cars

News 100 red By Staff

May 11th, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Our colleagues at CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) published a piece on a meeting where the provincial Minister of the Environment and Climate Change spoke of the impact climate change is having on us – Now. Burlington understands what he is talking about – he drives the point even further than the August 2014 flood did,

Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change had some blunt advice when he spoke at the climate resilient cities conference in Hamilton recently. Glenn Murray offered detailed evidence that climate change already threatens our food and water security and it’s going to get much worse.

While he declared that “there’s nothing that Hamilton lacks to be the kick-ass city in Canada”, the former mayor of Winnipeg made clear that “fundamental transformation” in our urban form is required including intensification and no more suburban sprawl.

“I want to take you to the context of where I think we as a group of leaders have to understand and what the dynamics are,” he began. “And I will just offer the proposition that the two biggest crises that we face on the adaptation and resilience side are food security and water security.”

Glen Murray – Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

He pointed to a Toronto storm three years ago that dumped a month’s rain in one hour and tore out 80 metres of GO train track “that cost us $600 million which could basically pay for half of [Hamilton’s] LRT.” And he cited “false springs” that wiped out the local apple crop in 2012. He also explained the link of many extreme weather events to the melting arctic ice cap and its effect on the polar vortex.

“The jet stream has slowed down by about 20 percent which means that the periods which are wet last longer, the periods which are dry last longer and that causes us to have so many droughts as we saw in the prairies, fires, invasions of species – the beetles that are destroying our forests,” Minister Murray explained. “And then we have moisture levels on the prairies that we haven’t seen since the last ice age – and if we didn’t have the modern irrigation we have now we probably would be courting if not in the dust bowl, and for the first time Calgary and Regina had air quality warnings because of the level of smoke from fires on the prairies.”

The cost of repairing GO train tracks when Toronto experienced flooding would have paid for half of the LRT coming to Hamilton.

He spoke a week before a tinder dry forest and 32C temperatures helped fuel the catastrophic fire in Fort McMurray despite its near sub-arctic location at the same latitude as the northern tip of Ontario and lower Hudson’s Bay.

Murray reminded his audience that last year’s “disruptive spring” experiences included four to five metres of snow “on the streets of Halifax and St John’s” in the last week of April and asked what that would have done in Hamilton. “No one had much of a garden in Atlantic Canada last year. That was also the summer that we had fires on the Prairies the soft fruit crop blossomed in January in BC and died.”

Focusing particularly on food security, the Minister argued that the jet stream destabilization has “had some very bad impacts on our ability to produce food” and warned that “if you want to destabilize a government, all you have to do as a society is just have a food or water shortage for any period of time.”

As an example, he pointed to the extreme drought in the Middle East in 2006-2011 where there was “an 80 percent food crop loss in northern Syria and the fertile crescent about 1.6 million people lost their farms and became the underclass in Damascas, which was according to the Pentagon a swift threat multiplier in the destabilization of the region and the on-going war and then the insertion of terrorism.” Murray noted that “ISIS is hanging onto the three largest irrigation dams … so they’re obviously sophisticated in assessing the power of control of water.”

Fields of California broccoli – 95% of ours comes from here.

Bringing this closer to home, the Minister detailed the development of the California drought where “80 percent of water use is for agriculture” and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found the description of extreme drought no longer adequate and has introduced “exceptional drought” into its terminology.

“You see the blood red stain in the middle of California ,” he said pointing to one of his slides. “That’s a piece of real estate that’s very important to your life and to my life because we import $4 billion worth of food as a northern community.”

California, he explained, provides “95 percent of all US broccoli, 92 percent of strawberries, 91% of grapes, 90 percent of tomatoes, 84 percent of all lettuce” and similar percentages to Ontario. While noting that almost all of this is grown in that blood red stained area, Murray warned he “could keep going with all the other things your mother told you to eat lots of when you were growing up.”

A particular “perversity” in the California situation is that nut and pistachio growers are “have now bought surplus drilling equipment from Alberta” and are “going down 2000 feet into the aquifers of California leading to collapse, whereas the vegetable farmers can only afford equipment that goes down about 200 feet.”

Burlington resident weren’t comfortable with a five storey project in the downtown core – developer cut it back to four. This is an absurdity,” Murray declared.

Murray also explained that the climate change we’re already seeing is certain to get significantly worse because carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for 40 to 250 years.

“So looking back right now we are experiencing the full force of carbon dioxide levels from 1916, in the middle of the First World War, and we’re just now experiencing the initial impacts of carbon dioxide from 1976 when I graduated from high school.”

He underlined that “sobering” thought by noting that “the rapid explosion of the suburbs in the fifties – the great low density carbon intensive neighbourhoods – all the weight of all of that activity and change in urban form has not yet impacted.”

Burlington Hydro loaned electric BMW’s to city council members top record their driving habits – when will the wave of buying electric cars hit us?

Murray connected this to the province’s commitment to rapid transit by inviting the audience to look at the Yonge subway line in Toronto from the vantage point of the top of the CN tower. “You can clearly see where it is because at every subway stop there are spikes of large commercial and residential buildings all the way up to York,” he said.

He compared that to the Bloor line where city councillors and their residents fight intensification. “There’s a fight over a four-storey building in Etobicoke – they’re fighting it because it’s ‘too intense’. This is the absurdity,” Murray declared.

He didn’t suggest this might happen along Hamilton’s LRT line, but the link was obvious, and he underlined it by the results of a mapping study of taxes versus density that confirmed “all the neighbourhoods who use a lot of infrastructure for a very small tax base are well dispersed suburbs, big box formula subdivisions, and Hamilton.”

He ended with advice to individual Hamiltonians: “Drive less, get an electric vehicle, congratulations on getting a rapid transit line in Hamilton and please use it. Or walk, it’s a beautiful city to walk in.”

Real-time bus times now available by phone - app expected at some future date.

By Staff

May 11, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Real-time bus departure times are now available by calling 905-639-0550, transit’s new Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system.

Director of Transit Mike Spicer, on the left, getting a briefing from City Manager James Ridge at a Bfast transit conference.

Customers can either enter in the bus stop I.D. number shown on all stop signs across the city or search by a route number.

In June, real-time information will also be made available online which will feature a new mobile friendly website offering trip-planning, next bus arrival, closest stop as well as news and alerts to help keep you informed.

Is the rumour of a possible fare hike needed to cover these new toys?

Local access only on New Street from Guelph Line to Martha - water mains. being upgraded

By Staff

May 6, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

For those who survived phase 1 of the New Street construction project – feel some compassion for the people who live within the phase 2 boundary.

Local traffic has to bob and weave to get through New Street – phase 2 starts on Monday.

Gary Carr, Regional Chair, owes everyone near the New street Guelph Line part of the city at least one car wash. The dust is terrible – progress they say.

Mayor Goldring was once heard to say that New Street is the one he drives along most frequently – hopefully he shares our pain.

Phase 2 of the construction project begins May 9, 2016 affecting detours on Burlington Transit routes: 4, 10, 50, 52, 300, 301 and 302.
Route 4 and the Community Connection Routes: 300, 301 and 302 will not have access to the bus stop on Teen Tour Way during this time.

The New Street construction project is scheduled until September 2016.

During this time, Burlington Transit has had to re-route and provide new schedules for Routes 10, 11 and 20 to allow for connections at the Appleby GO Station.

Route 10 no longer becomes Route 20 at the Appleby GO Station which means a transfer is needed when going between Routes 10 and 20. The new Route 20 schedule has increased to every 15 minutes.

Cities that straddle the western end of the lake appear to have quite different approaches to what is increasingly being described as a planetary emergency.

By Staff

April 26, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Reproduced from, CATCH (Citizens at City Hall), a Hamilton based group that uses transcripts and/or public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media. Detailed reports of City Hall meetings can be reviewed at hamiltoncatch.org.

In the wake of more record-smashing global temperatures, the mayors of Burlington and Hamilton got an opportunity to speak last week at a McMaster-organized conference on climate change. The two cities that straddle the western end of the lake appear to have quite different approaches to what is increasingly being described as a planetary emergency.

Last month was by far the hottest March in global records. It was the eleventh consecutive month to break records and was the ninth consecutive one to break them by record amounts, almost guaranteeing that 2016 will be the hottest year yet despite the records set in both 2015 and 2014. This year has already seen the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in both the northern and southern hemisphere, the earliest melting of Greenland’s ice sheet, and is a “reminder of how perilously close we are now to a permanent crossing into the global-warming danger zone” says famed climate researcher Michael Mann.

Visible local impacts include produce prices affected by California’s severe drought and severe rain storms that have flooded hundreds of homes in both Hamilton and Burlington. Both were referenced by Mayor Rick Goldring at the April 19 symposium on Low Carbon Climate Resilient Cities, but neither topic was included in the remarks delivered by Councillor Jason Farr on behalf of Mayor Eisenberger (who skipped the conference to receive a bike lane cheque from the provincial transportation minister).
Farr mentioned Hamilton’s use of natural gas buses but not the LRT. Improving transit was referenced by Goldring a half dozen times who highlighted “the need to invest in city building in order to create a more sustainable transit system as well as support cycling and walkability.” HSR ridership per capita far exceeds Burlington’s but neither city has achieved anything like the growth seen in other Ontario municipalities.

On the protection of foodlands, Goldring noted that his city has run out of room for more residential sprawl development because “fifty percent of our land in Burlington is Greenbelt and we want to keep it that way.” He said he had “not met anybody in recent years that suggests we do anything different than preserve” those lands. Farr didn’t mention Hamilton’s current efforts to convince the province to unprotect some Greenbelt lands to accommodate developer pressures even though unlike its cross-bay neighbour Hamilton still has thousands of acres of so-called white-belt rural lands that are neither urbanized nor protected by current Greenbelt legislation.

Most of the roads Burlington wants to develop its intensification on lead to Hamilton.

In the same direction, Goldring’s talk centred on Burlington’s plans for intensification, another topic not addressed by Farr. After starting with the declaration that “Hamilton takes the threat of global warming and climate change very seriously,” the councillor primarily listed actions already taken such as greening the city’s fleet, introducing SoBi bikes, capturing landfill and sewage methane and endorsing a climate change action charter.

“We are a poster child for David Crombie’s recent report on how municipalities in southern Ontario should be evolving and we’re embracing that opportunity,” declared Goldring, pointing to praise for Burlington’s new strategic plan from renowned urban planner Brent Toderian who recently visited the city.

“It’s not a tweak of the way the city’s built; it’s a rethink,” said Toderian about the city’s intensification plans. “It changes not only the direction of the city, the vision of the city, but also the makeup and attitudes and culture of city hall.”

Leblovic arranged to have former Toronto Mayor David Crombie attend a WAPA committee meeting during which he sold them on the idea of holding a design competition. It was a good idea but the committee was never able to get it off the ground. Mayor Crombie took part in the meeting. He was one of three Council members on the WAPA

Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie attend a Waterfront Advisory committee meeting with Mayor Goldring during his first term.

Crombie chaired the advisory panel on the review of provincial land use plans now underway including the Greenbelt rules and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Its executive summary argued that cities “must curb sprawl and build more compact communities in order to support transit, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect valuable farmland.” It also called for “applying more aggressive intensification and density targets” and “accelerating progress to improve and extend transit and active transportation infrastructure.”

Farr explained he had to rush off for planning committee deliberations on building a parking garage right across the street from the new McMaster health centre at the corner of Bay and Main. “We’re going to solve that issue for not only the doctors, the patients and those who wish to drive, but also make better use of this parkade than surface parking lots,” he promised.

Goldring ended his presentation with the declaration that “we’re very proud to be building a great city and not a sprawling suburb and right now is a game changing moment in our history and we want to do it right.”

Should New Street be a major bicycle thoroughfare? Is it a road that is going to be truly shared? And if it is shared - will be be safe?

By Pepper Parr

April 20, 20016

BURLINGTON, ON

Bikes, bicycles – call them what you want – they are an issue.

Burlington has a very active cycling community. The city talks of a commitment to cycling but struggles a little bit when it comes to allocating the dollar and struggles quite a bit more when it comes to actually sharing the road.

During the lengthy discussion Tuesday evening on what was possible in terms of cycling lanes along New Street Mayor Goldring glanced at the clock and said he could now announce that Burlington was now the holder of a silver award from the Ontario Bicycling Summit that was meeting in Toronto. Burlington previously held a bronze level award.

That didn’t’ do much to help council agree on just what they wanted to do with bike lanes on New Street which is currently undergoing huge water and waste pipes upgrades that has the road torn open for significant stretches.

New Street is being torn up for the installation of new waste and water pipes. The job is going to make the street a less desirable route through to September.

The current phase, from Guelph Line to Martha is going as smoothly as these things can go. The Region must surely owe everyone along this stretch of road a car wash – dust galore.

The debate Tuesday was over what would be done with New Street between Guelph Line and Burloak.

We are going to have to wait until July before there is a clear answer – the issue got bounced back to the city manage and his team to come back with detailed recommendations and attach costs to them.

Council was in a bit of a giddy move most of Tuesday. Councillor Craven who Chairs the Development and Infrastructure Standing Committee has decided more attention needs to be paid to the Rules and Procedures bylaw and has begun to crack down on members of council who habitually flout the rules. The two worst offenders are the members of council who have been there the longest – Taylor of ward 3 and Dennison of ward 4.

Cycling for Dennison is a way of life, Councillor is also an avid cyclist – the Mayor has been known to ride a bike as well. Councillor Taylor hasn’t seen the seat of a bike in ten years. For Taylor it is a safety issue – and New Street is a major thoroughfare.

There are several types of cyclists – some use their bike as their man form of transportation – throughout the year they ride their bikes to and from work.

While the city debates the use of bicycles on New Street the Region really disrupts traffic while new waste and water pipes are installed. Progress.

Others will use their bikes for short trips – but the majority of people in Burlington tend to use their bikes on the weekends or in the evening when they are out with friends.
The enthusiast would like us to use our bikes more often – they want cycling to be a large share of the model split – a phrase many people don’t even understand. Some seem to feel that cycling is going to be a large part of solving our reliance on cars – expecting Burlington to become another Amsterdam where the majority use their bikes is to misread the people of the city.

The focus needs to be on better transit – imagine what could happen if city council spent as much time looking for transit based solutions to the way we move people around? But we aren’t there yet – nor is the laying down of new waste and water pipes on New Street.

The standing Committee recommendations on the cycling issue were almost as muddy as New Street – they will come back to a city council meeting May 9th – we will see then what they decide to do.

On Monday the dust was pretty thick – water trucks were brought in to keep the dust down – we got a nice layer of mud but no dust.

New Street construction schedule

Rivers returns from Kyiv with a better understanding of linguistic differences; recalls the Quebec referendum fondly.

By Ray Rivers

April 20, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Canada has been a strong supporter of Ukraine. After all – there are more diaspora here than anywhere else, except Russia. So we’ve offered economic help, spoken out at the UN and NATO, are helping to train Ukrainian troops, and even supplying some military equipment. In a rare moment of domestic political agreement, both the former Conservatives and Mr. Trudeau’s party have been unanimous in this support

I visited the ‘National Museum of the History of Ukraine’ in World War II, which used to be called the ‘Museum of the Great Patriotic War’ before Mr. Putin’s invasions. These are not the times to be ambiguous about whose patriotism we are talking about – so the name got changed. It’s an impressive museum and there are magnificent sculptures on the grounds – of the proletariat, men and women, doing their bit for the big victory.

Many Ukrainians died in the Second World War and one could ask what they actually were fighting for. The Nazis were nasty people. Yet, looking at Finland fighting Russian aggression, some nationalist Ukrainians had hoped that the Germans would free them from the yoke of the oppressive Soviet regime, and its murderous leader. I didn’t notice much of that discussion among the gunnery and soldiers uniforms spread about the floors of the museum. Not yet anyway.

On the main floor, near the exit, sits a military truck, riddled with bullet holes, as if it were placed there to tease the attendee. Sure enough around the corner is a room dedicated to the over 2000 soldiers who had recently been killed in the Donbas. And that wasn’t counting the civilians or the number who’d been sacrificed on the other side, including those of the Russian regular army. A war without purpose and seemingly without end.

It was a moving exhibit set in the context of what was going on today. As I turned to leave, my eyes locked with those of the presiding female attendant. It was only a few seconds but I was left with a powerful image that will always haunt me. We didn’t speak, and anyway, what would we have said, and in which language – but the emotion was clear?

Mr. Putin would argue that Ukraine isn’t a nation and so Ukrainian isn’t a national language – just a dialect of Russian. Yet this language still persists and is growing in use, despite numerous efforts by the subsequent Russian and Soviet authorities to destroy it. And while more people speak Russian globally, researchers argue that Russian was derived from Ukrainian and not the other way around, making it the dialect in my book.

Being Canadian I know a little of linguistic divides, because we are a bilingual nation, and a relatively contented one at the present. And English and French are a lot more dissimilar than Slavic tongues, so the divide would be greater if we let it be. Canada is a bilingual country but everybody doesn’t speak both languages and we understand that we never will.

Today Russian speakers still make up a large percentage of the Ukrainian population. One elderly lady, I’d met, living in one of Kyiv’s Soviet-styled suburbs, explained to me how she had migrated from Russia in 1954. With one daughter now living in Ukrainian Kyiv and another in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad she slowly drew an imaginary line across her chest showing me how her heart was torn.

Another woman I met on the train, was returning to Kherson to sell her apartment after having lived in New York for the last 7 years. She complained that she hated the Ukrainian language and marveled that I was venturing to travel in this land given my relatively poor grasp of Ukrainian, though she herself only spoke Russian.

Does it really matter that Ukrainians speak Russian as well or even primarily instead of Ukrainian. Aren’t they still Ukrainians. Polls indicate that to be the case. The international linguist Michael Moser thinks making Russian an official second language would make social harmony worse rather that better. He would just leave well enough alone.

He may be right. Canada chose official bilingualism for very different reasons and that decision has served us well, making francophone Canadians feel at home anywhere they need to deal with the federal government. But Ukraine is a different country, has a longer history, and that makes it more complex. And it has to consider the neighbourhood bully – who holds that if you speak Russian you are a Russian.

But then we don’t have to worry that Canada’s even more powerful neighbour will invade and annex Alberta if we sign a free trade agreement with the EU, or speak with a Texan accent. Though that might improve Mr. Cruz’s claim on legitimacy in his race to become president.

Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.

Rivers has been in the Ukraine researching his next book. He returns later this month.

Background links:

War Museum – Finland/Russia – Kaliningrad – Ukraine Crisis –

Ukraine Conflict – Quebec Referendum – Language – More Language – Still More Language –

Insight - the service city uses to do opinion polling of a group of people that are fully representative of the community.

By Pepper Parr

April 15, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

There are now have 694 Insight Community members!

In a city this size there should be at least 2500 people

Insight is the service the city has to do almost instant polling of a group of people that are fully representative of the community.

The service was not cheap – $100,000 a year – but it is a very useful and for the most part a very accurate tool to measure public opinion.

The panel is becoming more evenly spread demographically and is sitting at 53% Male, 45% Female (2% of you preferred not to answer).

It is now quite evenly split of over the six wards in the city. The numbers have grown with each and every survey put out to the public, where there has been the option of joining the community.

The Gazette has heard of people who were not accepted into the polling group and they concluded the city knew who they were and didn’t want them within the polling group.

Nothing could be further from the truth – the city knows a lot about the people within the group – except for one thing – who you actually are.

They know your age, what you earn, where you live, what kind of a home you have, if you use transit, your education – all kinds of data – but they don’t know your name.

What polling needs is a balance in the group questions are being put to – which means you might be a 42 year old male with a college education – they may have enough of those – but need women who are single with a post graduate degree.

If you are interested in being part of the panel – apply – the people who run the service will determine if you fit into the balanced panel they maintain.

Being turned down doesn’t mean they didn’t want YOU – it meant that there were already enough people like you on the panel.

If you want to follow up on this CLICK HERE and you will get to the Insight page on the city web site.

Strategically city council apparently knows what it plans to do for the next 25 years - really? Strategic Plan approved.

By Pepper Parr

April 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

It was more than a year in the making during which it went from the traditional Burlington four year plan that got expanded to a 25 year plan that added $200,000 to the city’s budget, presumably to maintain the plan or do some of the numerous promises in the document.

Council was proud as punch with the achievement.

It was described as the product of public engagement and a plan the city believes captures the priorities of the city’s residents and community leaders. Input was gathered from business groups, community groups, staff and residents. The city held workshops in late 2015 and early 2016 to test the draft with the community, making 176 changes to get to the final version.

A City that Grows, A City that Moves, A Healthy and Greener City and An Engaging City – call it home – with a plan for the next 25 years.

In the media release the city said: The strategic plan includes four strategic directions:
A City that Grows
The City of Burlington attracts talent, good jobs and economic opportunity while having achieved intensification and a balanced, targeted population growth for youth, families, newcomers and seniors.
A City that Moves
People and goods move through the city more efficiently and safely. A variety of convenient, affordable and green forms of transportation that align with regional patterns are the norm. Walkability within new/transitioning neighbourhoods and the downtown are a reality.
A Healthy and Greener City
The City of Burlington is a leader in the stewardship of the environment while encouraging healthy lifestyles.
An Engaging City
Community members are engaged, empowered, welcomed and well-served by their city. Culture and community activities thrive, creating a positive sense of place, inclusivity and community.

City manager James Ridge – once he got his teeth into it – the Strategic Plan became his baby – now he has to deliver on it.

“The new plan is a blueprint for city-building,” said City Manager James Ridge. “This is a bold, ambitious multi-year plan that we will deliver in partnership with the community.”

The media releases are intended to put the city’s spin on an event. What was actually said during the Monday evening council meeting wasn’t quite the same

There was serious concern over the lack of any prioritization and where the money was going to come from to pay for all the plans.

Mayor Rick Goldring said: “With the strategic plan now approved, the city will work with its leadership team to add detail to each strategic direction, including completing the city’s Official Plan and Transportation and Transit Master Plan.

“I look forward to working with council, staff, our residents and businesses to get started on initiatives across Burlington outlined in our strategic plan.”

The city will continue to report back to the community on the progress of the plan, including through issues of City Talk, and through advertising and social media as well as updates to City Council.

The intention is to continually review, refine and update of the Plan quarterly.

And of course the Gazette is going to be there every step of the way. We were the only media organization that attended every one of the Strategic Plan meetings and have an insight that will inform what we write.

During the creation of the Strategic Plan Mayor Goldring made a trip to China – there was never a report on that trip – what it cost and what was achieved.

In the beginning – when work on the developing of a Strategic Plan started it was going to be a four year plan – it grew.

There has not been a report on how much was spent on the creation of the report – going from a four year plan to a 25 year plan certainly added to the cost.

Also, there doesn’t appear to be a recorded vote or any discussion on the decision to move from a four year time frame to a 25 year time frame.

The Strategic Plan will be on the city’s web site – as soon as we know exactly where it is we will advise you.

City manager's operating style beginning to become evident - will he create a stronger citizens first culture at city hall?

By Pepper Parr

April 5, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

It is sometimes difficult for media to establish a working relationship with senior people in any organization. Some executives understand what media is and the role it plays – others work at spinning media, trying to make it work for them while others find a way to work with media and use it to amplify what they want to communicate. There are, unfortunately, those who don’t fully understand the need to communicate.

The Gazette has worked with three different city managers. Roman Martiuk was the first – he had not worked with the kind of media the Gazette was setting out to be. We report but we put what we are writing about in context and analyze at the same time.

Media has changed from just the 5 W’s – who, what, where, when and why.

Martiuk was replaced by Jeff Fielding who turned out to be far more city manager than city council was ready for – and this Council turned out to be less than what Fielding needed to do things his way.

Fielding left London, Ontario partly because things there were getting toxic and he had a Mayor that just might be going to jail – not for city related misdemeanors – but it was not a healthy environment.

Fielding was wide open with media – he had no problems whatsoever answering questions and was consistently available for background.

Will Burlington see substantial change in the way staff serves taxpayers; will there be real transparency and accountability?

Fielding then got the opportunity of a life time to work with perhaps the most progressive Mayor in the country – he was on a plane to Calgary with less than half of his contract fulfilled.

Pat Moyle was parachuted in as city manager from his retirement from the Regional government to oversee the work that then General manager Scott Stewart was doing running the city.

Many thought Stewart should have gotten the job of replacing Fielding but for reasons that are never going to be fully understood Stewart wasn’t what the majority of Council wanted.

Does one say No – to this man?

They instead hired James Ridge, who had never run a city before, but had a strong pedigree and was seen to be the person who could bring some order and discipline to a city staff that had seen three different city managers over a four year time frame. There was also a morale problem and staff retention was becoming an issue.

Stewart stayed on to get Ridge through the best part of a year and found a place in Guelph where his growth potential might be recognised.

Ridge has a quiet style – it has taken some time to get a sense as to how he operates. He thinks things through – manages an organization that once had three general managers and now has none.

Ridge has chosen to have the nine Directors report directly to him – he meets with all of them as a team once a week.

The weak link in this approach is that there is no fall back senior manager for the city. Each of the Directors has their individual and unique strengths, abilities and weaknesses – but none that is an obvious future general manager.

Ridge does say that he isn’t locked into the current administrative structure – it is what he is going to go with for the immediate future.

He has parted ways with one Director and word has it that while his style is to be friendly and outgoing in his own at times shy way – he can be very strong and tough when he has to be.

His focus has been on getting a sense as to what he has in the way of a city council and how he directs himself to fulfill the tasks they direct him to deliver on and at the same time meet the requirements of the Municipal Act and other provincial legislation he must comply with.

James Ridge – walking around hi part o the city.

Ridge doesn’t do the both guns blazing that Fielding had as an operating style (it was exciting and for many staff members exhausting); his tends to be a single, well-placed single shot kind of guy.

He isn’t one of those pat you on the back chamber of commerce boosters; this man thinks it through.

The downside for James Ridge is that he doesn’t have all that much Ontario experience and basically no Burlington experience. It is a complex city; wealthy by any measure and yet insular in many ways – almost as if it doesn’t’ quite know what I wants to be when it grows up. Its very talented population lives in the city but applies its talents elsewhere and wants a city that is safe, clean that provides the services they need.

He may not act as quickly as Fielding did – but there will be fewer mistakes.

He has managed to run afoul of one or two people when he has failed to deliver.

City manager Ridge, centre, at the last session of the Strategic Plan Committee of the whole meeting.

His focus has been on putting together a significantly different Strategic Plan and then developing work plans for himself and coaching his Directors as they develop their work plans to ensure that the many promises in the Strategic Plan are met – and the plan is loaded with promises.

He has to maintain whatever he has in the way of juggling skills as the city bumps into its debt load capacity policy. In the almost immediate future the city’s borrowing capacity is going to have to be increased and council will look to the city manager for recommendations on the numerous unfunded projects that are being worked up by staff.

Ridge is going to have to find a way to deal with the way this Council chose to fund its portion of the Joseph Brant hospital upgrade/rebuild. The $60 million the taxpayers have to pony up has stressed the city’s borrowing capacity.

On the upside for Ridge is the more than a handful of managers who show great promise – mostly female by the way, – he appears to spend a considerable amount of time nurturing these people and giving them the room they need to experiment and do things differently.

One has to listen carefully to get a true sense as to where Ridge is going – when he speaks it is usually in measured tones but he seldom fails to make his point.
He is fully aware of the weak spots in his administration; he hasn’t yet shown us if he is really prepared to go outside the existing staff compliment for new blood – he has made at least one major appointment without advertising the position.

There are hints as to the kind of city hall Ridge intends to create. Delivering on the service side and being truly accountable appear to be part of his philosophy.
Bfast, Burlington for Accessible Affordable Transit, recently held a citizens Forum on transit issues. The Forum held last year didn’t manage to seem important enough for the Director of Transit to make an appearance. There was apparently a “conversation” between the City Manager and the Director of Transit.

Director of Transit Mike Spicer and City Manager James Ridge.

The Forum was held at the Central Library which is on New Street. Transit service had been re-routed while the Region was putting in new water mains – making it impossible to use a bus to get to the Forum. Ridge apparently brought this situation to the attention of the transit department and a shuttle service was put in place.

Burlington hasn’t seen that kind of quick response to a problem situation in the past.

The Strategic Plan is more than a year late and probably way over budget as well. Is Ridge able to meet the time lines he puts in place?

Ridge gets out into the community and we are not aware of any outrageous promises he has made to any of the stakeholders or community groups. The city is not likely to see the kind of giveaway Fielding did for the seniors when they ran into some accounting problems. He isn’t likely to go along with the significant property enrichment that Fielding allowed with the property swap at Walkers Line and the North Service Road.

City Manager James Ridge at his first city council meeting.

When can some conclusions be made as to the operating style this city manager will use. His next budget will be telling and when he is a full year into executing on his Strategic Plan we will see how big the space is between his talk and his walk.

Now to get him to talk a little bit more; loquacious he ain’t.

Has he got a true sense of what he has in the way of a city council; it couldn’t have taken him all that long to see the dysfunction. City managers have to live with the council the public elects.

Former Mayor Rob MacIsaac had a sterling relationship with Tim Dobbie his city manager – between the two of them they ran city hall – they also gave us that pier didn’t they.

Ridge does not have and isn’t likely to have that kind of a tight working relationship with the current Mayor and you won’t see any wild eyed dreams from this very buttoned down former military officer. He is a man of principle and will stick to his guns

Province to introduce legislation to modernize municipal elections; ranked ballot option for municipal elections.

By Pepper Parr

April 4, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Ontario will introduce changes to the Municipal Elections Act that would, if passed, modernize municipal elections and provide the option of using ranked ballots in future municipal elections.

Ontario consulted on potential changes to the Municipal Elections Act and received more than 3,400 submissions. Most submissions were from members of the public and supported giving municipalities the option of using ranked ballots in future elections, which would allow a voter to rank candidates in order of preference. The option to use ranked ballots would begin for the 2018 municipal elections.

Other proposed changes to the act would, if passed, increase transparency and accountability and make election rules clear and modern, by:

Shortening the campaign calendar by opening nominations for candidates on May
1 instead of January 1

Creating a framework to regulate third party advertising, including contribution and spending limits

Making campaign finance rules clearer and easier to follow for voters, candidates and contributors, including giving all municipalities the option to ban corporate and union donations

Removing barriers that could affect electors and candidates with disabilities

Making it easier to add or change information on the voters’ list

Ted McMeekin, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said: “These proposals clarify the rules for voters and allow for more choice in how to run elections, including the option of using ranked ballots.

No Canadian jurisdiction currently uses ranked ballots. In Ontario there are 444 municipalities that will have to decide what they want to do.

Anyone interested in running for city council will want to see the regulations that will accompany the legislation.

Had there been ranked ballots in the last municipal election – only Blair Lancaster in ward 6 would have been at risk – she would probably have won.

The legislation will make significant changes to the way municipal elections are run – the shorter time frame will favour the incumbents.

People don’t use the system because it’s cheap, they use it because it’s convenient. So, when it’s not convenient to navigate, they won’t use it.

By Staff

March 30, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Bfast – (Burlington for Accessible Affordable Transit) will be holding its second annual Forum on the state of transit in the city – and issuing report cards on the quality of the service. We are told that while overall the service hasn’t improved enough – they will be issuing at least one A in that report card.

Doug Brown, chair of Bfast, wants to see a bus schedule with routes that work for people and not the current bus route set up in place. It doesn’t work claims Brown.

The biggest problem, according the Doug Brown, is the transit service is very under-funded – and until the service is given the resources it needs it will always be sub-standard.

Brown who knows more about the history of service in Burlington than anyone alive seldom gets the hearing he deserves from the transit people.

The 2015 Forum attracted about 90 people with much to say about their experiences using the Burlington’s buses. There in the role of listeners were four of the seven members of Burlington City Council, including Mayor Rick Goldring, as well as Burlington’s MPP, Eleanor McMahon. Not present, unfortunately, was anyone responsible for designing and operating the transit system—Burlington Transit.

Positive messages from the participants can be quickly told: everyone praised the friendliness and thoughtfulness of the bus drivers, who often help passengers in unusual circumstances.

Because of cuts to service and frequent route changes during the last three years, Burlington Transit’s system is no longer convenient, resulting in a considerable drop in ridership. And two fare increases during that time have made it unaffordable for many potential users.

The Presto card service is not as simple as saying “Hey, presto!” One attendee last year said that Presto ought to be as convenient as cash in order for it to replace cash fares.

Bus service was rerouted an cars kept off the street for most of the afternoon. Should it be an annual event?

Short term notices work well – its the signage throughout the transit system that is less than satisfactory.

Signage at bus stops throughout Burlington presents a problem for many, especially occasional transit users. Ideally, every bus stop should display the route numbers of the buses stopping there and the scheduled times of arrival. The reality is rather different: bus route numbers and arrival times are nonexistent.

Burlington Transit has been touting a new electronic system that will do everything but place your coffee order hasn’t seen the light of day yet. Maybe there will be an announcement at the Forum this Saturday at the Central Library – where there is a complimentary breakfast for those who arrive early.

Burlington Transit’s Handi-Vans provide an essential service for people with disabilities unable to use the regular bus service. Unfortunately, as BT’s nine Handi-Vans cannot handle the current demand, users must book at least a week in advance. To deal with requests at short notice, such as necessary medical appointments, taxis should be used to supplement the Handi-Van fleet when required.

All the shortcomings of Burlington transit system that came out of the 2015 Forum are the result of a common cause: serious underfunding of transit by the City Council. It seems that the guiding principle when making decisions about transit is to save money, not to provide a good service.

The key message from the Forum last year was:

“People don’t use the system because it’s cheap, they use it because it’s convenient. So, when it’s not convenient to navigate, they won’t use it.”

Links to previous transit news stories:

Details on the April 2nd Forum

Seniors advocate for Free Monday bus service

Parking Standards to get a review - first time in 30 years - we need to do the homework, think hard about the problems and the solutions.

By Pepper Parr

March 28, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The city is bedeviled with what to do about parking – there are those who feel a parking spot is supposed to open up for them in exactly the place they want to put their vehicle. Many seem blind to the impact their vehicles have on the environment and even though they have more disposable income than they could possibly spend they howl over the cost of parking.

Mapleview Mall - parking north east side

There are times when you can’t get a parking spot at the Mapleview Mall where there are acres of parking space. Is there a solution? We need one.

The city has two malls –one with fields of parking that are covered in asphalt that creates significant storm water management problems. The city owns more than half a dozen parking lots plus a multi-storey tower downtown that is rarely full. Developers are putting up structures for people who may well not require the amount of space the city rules require them to build – but the rules are the rules.

Could we begin freeing up some space and creating spots for just these little guys?

Many of the cars on the road these days are not as big – two could fit in the parking spots now underground but the rules don’t permit much flexibility.

The city has thousands of homes with garages – but residents complain about parking space because their garage is used as storage or a workshop.

The city does have some issues with parking – the biggest of which is public attitude.

The department of transportation is holding an Open House to gather public opinion as they work towards a major review of what the parking standards should be for the city.

Vito Tolone, the recently appointed Director of Transportation, has been around parking most of his municipal career – he knows what he is talking about. He does get a little excited at times during presentations but if you listen to him and pay attention to what he has to say – you will find he is usually right.

This project he is overseeing with the aid of the IBI Group who are serving as consultants to the city is to develop parking standards that:

• Are clear, defendable, and based on sound technical analysis;
• Recognize differences in existing land use and support the envisioned urban structure;
• Encourage transportation alternatives to the personal automobile, where available;
• Support efficient forms of development in terms of costs and land requirements; and
• Balance the needs and concerns of a diverse set of stakeholders including City staff, (who happen to get free parking for their cars), developers, businesses, ratepayer groups, TDM organizations, and the general public.

This is the crew that is going to have to look at the staff report and then stand up and do the best thing for the people that put them in office – that will call for them to work ad a team – not something that is seen very often.

Lessons learned in previous studies point to the following key success factors: There has to be support at a very high level – city Councillors have to be behind any changes.

There has to be a willingness to accept at least a degree of change, which amount to some political courage and real leadership. Burlington has always been a little short on political courage.

There has to be a balance of technical analysis, best practices and policy guidance. That policy guidance comes from staff based on the data they collect and the advice they get from the consultants the hire.

Potential Challenges include: Collecting data for wide range of uses; obtaining data from private residential properties; developer input (the developers have to be responsible and pay at least some attention to the greater good and not just their bottom line.

There may be a disconnect between the ideal future standards and current behavior (truer words have not been written. Finally, phasing in parking standards is difficult.

Key Issues for Study

• Parking issues differ across user groups and land uses
• Balancing the needs and concerns of a diverse group of stakeholders is a concern
• The city anticipates parking pressure from downtown redevelopment.
• The unclear future of emerging trends in transportation technology and their impacts on parking requirements is not something easily known.
The consultation process is:
• To gain an understanding of the issues that residents, business owners, developers, etc. face in regard to parking and parking standards;
• To gain an understanding of the potential effectiveness of changes to parking standards in making more efficient use of parking, supporting transit-oriented development, and other policy objectives; and
• To gain buy-in from the business and development community, ratepayers, and other interest groups on proposed parking standards.

With the Strategic Plan about to get a blessing from city council staff will begin to fit the role transportation is going to play in the way Burlington will get grown during the next 25 years.

Work on the Official Plan can go forward with more precision now that the Strategic Plan is in place. The Transportation Master Plan will get re-shaped and not exist as a plan that does not fit in tightly with everything else. This is going to be a new experience for the bureaucrats – city manager James Ridge has made it clear that his approach to managing the growth of the city is to always be looking at the complete picture.

It’s an empty field right now – in a very short period of time it will be a very busy construction site with stacked townhouses and apartment/condo towers – with not that much in the way of public space. All being done legally.

The city has come to the conclusion that it will have a number of mobility hubs and appear to be being forced by a developer in the west end to go with the Aldershot GO station as the first hub – even though for the sake of the city – Aldershot may not make the most sense.

The Station West development yards from the Aldershot GO station is being actively marketed by the Adi Development group.

The problem is a developer is racing ahead with plans that the city has to climb on board with or get left behind. Quite how Burlington got itself in this bind is going to take some analysis – and if there are planning tools that can give the city more leverage – someone better find then and learn how to use them quickly.

Wednesday night the public gets a chance to make its views known. We need to do this right the first time – once decisions are made – there is no going back. We haven’t done all that well with transportation issues in the past.

City asking public for input on parking standards review - can't seem to get better parking meters on the streets.

News 100 blue By Staff

March 24, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

For every new development project undertaken in Burlington, the city is responsible for determining how many parking spaces should be provided. The amount of car parking is calculated using a number of factors such as the type of development (retail, medical office, restaurant, shopping centre) and the number of vehicles attracted to the development. The size and design of parking spaces are also determined by the parking standards.

The city has a number of parking lots that it would dearly like to develop – the developers would dearly like to not have to provide as much parking. we have a problem.

The city has decided it is time to review the parking standards it has.

The current parking standards are more than thirty years old. The recommendations that come out of the review will be used as the basis for updating parking regulations and design standards for development in Burlington as part of the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review.

The review will help ensure the right number of parking spaces is required for the suggested land use. The review will also consider the design of the parking spaces taking into consideration new technologies like electric vehicles and car lifts.

Over the course of the review, the city will be collecting feedback about parking standards from key stakeholders, including citizen advisory committees, the development community and the public.

Where are we going to park the cars while we wait for a transit system that lessens the need for cars?

The public is invited to drop in at a public open house on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, between 6:30-8 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Burlington to provide feedback on the city-wide Parking Standards Review.

The city has been dickering with a parking meter company for more than a year for the installation of meters that were said to have all the whistles and bells that would bring the parking meters Burlington currently uses on the streets into the modern age.

Something is caught in the cogs that go round at round at city hall – no sign of anything new yet.

The city web site has posted an on line Parking Standards Review survey. CLICK HERE to complete the survey,

Around the Bay Road Race Road/Lane Closures and Traffic Restrictions - Sunday, April 3, 2016

By Staff

March 23, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON
The Hamilton Herald Newspaper and cigar store owner “Billy” Carroll, originated and sponsored the first “Around the Bay Road Race”, run on Christmas Day, 1894. It is now the oldest road race in North America, older than the Boston Marathon which was born three years after the Around the Bay Road Race. The race tested the abilities of the finest long distance runners, but was also an avenue to lay down some bets.

The Around the Bay Road Race established Hamilton as a running mecca for long distance runners, and it was not uncommon for thousands of spectators to line the route to watch their local favourites start the race from the front of the Herald Newspaper Offices at 17 King Street West Hamilton.

Older than the Boston marathon.

The 122nd Around the Bay Road Race on Sunday, April 3, 2016, will result in road and lane closures in Burlington from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Streets will reopen as the last participant passes. Vehicles parked illegally in the event area will be tagged or towed to allow emergency access.

Road Closures – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• QEW Toronto-bound exit ramp to North Shore Boulevard East. Detour via Fairview Street.
• North Shore Boulevard East Niagara-bound entry ramp to the QEW. Detour via Fairview Street.
• Plains Road West at York Boulevard. Detour via Hwy. 6 and 403.

Traffic Lane Closures – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Southbound lane of King Road from Plains Road East to North Shore Boulevard East – local access only. Northbound traffic not affected.
• Eastbound lane of North Shore Boulevard East and North Shore Boulevard West from Plains Road West to the QEW exit ramp west of Joseph Brant Hospital. Westbound lane open to westbound traffic only.
• Eastbound curb lane of Plains Road West from York Boulevard to North Shore Boulevard West. Two-way traffic maintained.

Bus route detours in effect

Routes 1 and 5. The HSR, Route 11 Parkdale bus will detour via the QEW and Maple Avenue to the John Street Terminal. For more information call 905-639-0550 or visit www.burlingtontransit.ca

Road construction in New Street from Cumberland Ave. to Hampton Heath Rd.

By Staff

March 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

New street is what is known as a Regional Road – the region gets to take care of it.

The current task is to replace water mains and wastewater main relining on New Street from Cumberland Ave. to Hampton Heath Rd.

Project is expected to last until September.

The construction work throws a real wrench into the transit schedule. Here’s the detail:

Burlington Transit users will experience detours and schedule changes from March 21 until September 2016 during construction on New Street.
Detours will affect parts of Routes 4, 10, 50, 52, 300, 301 and 302. Route 4 will not stop on Teen Tour Way from May 9 to Sept. 3, 2016, but the Community Connection Routes will still reach the stop during the construction.

The schedules for Routes 10, 11 and 20 have been changed to allow for connections at the Appleby GO Station. Route 10 will no longer become Route 20 at the Appleby GO Station which means a transfer will be needed when going between Routes 10 and Route 20. The new Route 20 schedule will increase to every 15 minutes.

Detour maps and supplementary schedules to the Ride Guide will be distributed on buses, in the terminal and all updates will be available online at BurlingtonTransit.ca.

Burlington and two of its OMB hearings; one is taking forever - the other begins next week.

By Pepper Parr

March 10, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings are relevant and for the most part – as dry as unbuttered toast – they are also where some big money gambles get resolved.
Burlington has two hearings on the docket – Ward 4 Council member Jack Dennison’s appeal of a Committee of Adjustment decision that did not permit his request for a severance of his 308 Lakeshore Road property.

A designated home, bought under a power of sale on a HOW WIDE LOT which the owner. Councillor Jack Dennison wants to have severed into two lots.

A designated home, bought under a power of sale which current owner Councillor Jack Dennison wants to have severed into two lots.

His OMB appeal was first heard on April 29, 2013 – yes three years ago. That hearing was adjourned as was the May 29th, 2014 and the September 23, 2014 hearing.

The appeal was heard on April 21st, 2015 and continued on June 22nd 2015.

Nine months later – and still no decision. This was thought to be a pretty simple severance request; something isn’t right here. But don’t expect an explanation from the OMB – one day the decision will be posted on the OMB web site. The lawyers involved will be notified that a decision has been made and they will get a copy. OMD decisions cannot be appealed – so in the fullness of time Jack Dennison will know if he can sever a portion of his property.

City council knows what this appeal has cost – will they make the amount spent public?

Will Dennison run for his council seat in 2018? If the public gets wind of what it has spent on this case and if there is a credible candidate – he could be in trouble.

Jack Dennison announcing the sale of his Cedar Springs health club.

Retirement might be in the works for Dennison – he recently announced the sale of his Cedar Springs sports club.

Early rendering of a proposed 28 storey structure that cantilevered over the street at the upper level. Tarif Adi explained at the launch of the development that the idea was to have the building look like a “billowing sail” that would be seen as a statement for people entering the city from the east on Lakeshore Road.

The second significant matter on the OMB docket is the appeal the Adi Development Group has made to the OMB claiming that the city “refused or neglected to make a decision on the Official Plan change and zoning application” made by Adi for the development of a 28 storey structure on an .070 piece of land at the intersection of Martha and Lakeshore Road.

The public got its first look at the proposed development on Oct. 9, 2014, Burlington Art Gallery at 7 p.m. It was not a happy meeting. Many of the people in the room realized then that this project was headed or the OMB.

While Council didn’t hold a vote on the application until very recently – the development was contentious from the day it was first shown at a public meeting.

The Gazette has written extensively on this development and was the recipient of a libel claim by the Adi Development group. The Gazette was asked to apologize for three articles it published and to take them off their web site.

An apology was published and the three articles are no longer no longer available to the public on the Gazette web site.

The proposal is complex. No one on council liked the project – or at least that was what they said publicly – Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven re-tweetd a notice of the public event. For a council member on record as being opposed to the development – the re-tweet seemed inappropriate – bu then Adi has a massive development planned for Aldershot – maybe that explains his enthusiasm.

In a staff report on the proposed development the planners said:

Refuse the applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments, submitted by Andrew Ferancik, Walker Nott Dragicevic Ltd., 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, ON, on behalf of ADI Development Group Inc., to permit a mixed use development consisting of 226 residential apartment units and 348 m2 of ground floor commercial development, on the property located at 374 Martha Street.

Unfortunately, this recommendation didn’t get to a city council meeting for a vote. By the time the city council meeting took place Adi had filed their appeal to the OMB.

Council did hold a vote a number of weeks ago.

It is a complex situation and the city didn’t exactly wrap itself in the corporate flag – they looked like the Keystone cops for a short period of time – but sloppy administration isn’t reason to approve a proposal that doesn’t meet most of the public policies the planners think they should meet.

Adi submitted the following reports to support their application:

1. Planning Justification Report (prepared by WND Associates, September 2014)
2. Functional Servicing Report (prepared by Urbantech West, August 2014)
3. Geotechnical Investigation (prepared by Landtek Limited, February 2014)
4. Phase One Environmental Site Assessment (prepared by Landtek Limited, February 2014)
5. Traffic Impact Study (prepared by Paradigm Transportation Solutions Ltd., August 2014)
6. Noise Feasibility Study (prepared by Howe Gastmeier Chapnik Ltd., September 2014)
7. Pedestrian Wind Study (prepared by Novus Environmental, August 2014)
8. Shadow Studies (prepared by RAW Architects, August 2014)
9. Site Plan (prepared by RAW Architects, August 2014)
10. Tree Inventory & Preservation Study (prepared by Adesso Design Inc., June 2014)
11. Floor Plans (P1-P5, Levels 1-28, Rooftop Terrace Plan and Roof Plan)
12. Elevations (prepared by RAW Architects, August 2014)
13. Sections (prepared by RAW Architects, August 2014)

Planning staff explained that OPA and rezoning applications are subject to the following policy framework: Provincial Policy Statement, 2014; Places to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe; The Big Move; Halton Region Official Plan; Burlington Official Plan and Zoning By-law 2020.

Saud and Tarif Adi

They provided summaries of their position on all of the policy statements.

Planning Opinion on the PPS:
While the proposed development is consistent with the PPS in principle, the proposal represents over-intensification on a site that is too small and does not provide adequate setbacks, buffering, amenity space or parking standards. The significant reduction of numerous development regulations that are required to facilitate this intensification proposal on the subject property and the failure to satisfy the City’s Official Plan policies described in Section 8 of this report results in an application that is not consistent with the PPS.

Planning Opinion on Places to Grow:
The subject applications generally conform to the principles of the Growth Plan by accommodating intensification in an area that is designated for intensification, and more specifically, within the Urban Growth Centre. However, the subject applications are not proposing an appropriate scale of development and the proposed development does not achieve an appropriate transition of built form to adjacent areas. The City’s existing intensification strategy is well positioned to meet the minimum density target established in the Growth Plan without significant changes to the existing Official Plan policies and permissions. The City does not require the overdevelopment of one small property in the Urban Growth Centre in order to achieve the minimum density target.

Planning Opinion on the Big Move:
The proposed development generally conforms to the vision of the Big Move. However, the City can meet its targets without the proposed over-intensification of this site.

Planning Opinion on the Regional Official Plan:
While Region staff generally has no objection to the proposed development on the basis that it conforms to the Region’s growth policies, City staff is evaluating the applications on the basis of land use compatibility. The proposed development represents the over- intensification of a very small site, does not provide an urban form that is complementary to existing developed areas and does not achieve an appropriate transition of built form to adjacent areas.

Planning Opinion on the City of Burlington’s Intensification Strategy:
The City has conducted several conformity exercises and has developed a comprehensive approach that balances the protection of neighbourhoods and the accommodation of compatible intensification in appropriate locations. As outlined in Section 7 of this report, staff is confident that the density targets established in the Growth Plan, Regional Official Plan and City Official Plan will be achieved by 2031 without amendments that significantly depart from the City’s Official Plan.

Mobility hubs at the GO stations is close to a no brainer – it is the possible hub in the downtown core that has yet to be thoroughly thought through. Council decided that closing the terminal on John Street to save $8000 a year was not a bright idea.

Planning Opinion on the Mobility Hub Opportunities and Constraints Study:
The MHOC Study has no policy implications at this time, but staff is of the opinion that the proposed development would not be in keeping with the principles and preliminary directions stemming from the MHOC Study. Staff also notes that future master planning exercises for Mobility Hubs will determine detailed site-specific requirements should changes to the Official Plan be deemed appropriate. In the interim, prior to the completion of a Downtown Burlington Mobility Hub master plan, development proposals will be required to meet the Official Plan policies that are in effect. If Council approves Mobility Hub objectives that are incorporated into the Official Plan as a result of this Official Plan Review, then de elopment proposals will be required to me t those objectives until such time as the master planning exercise is completed.

Planning Opinion on the Urban Growth Centre Targets:
Based on the development patterns that have taken place in the Urban Growth Centre in the past ten years, staff is of the opinion that the City of Burlington is well positioned to achieve a total of 200 residents and jobs per hectare by 2031 taking into consideration the existing Official Plan permissions and zoning regulations within the Downtown.

Planning Opinion on the City of Burlington’s Official Plan:
The proposed development represents residential intensification and is therefore subject to the housing intensification objectives and policies in the Official Plan. The proposed development provides additional housing in the form of residential intensification, but the proposed development is not compatible with the scale, urban design and community features of the neighbourhood and does not meet the objective of the housing intensification policies.

The nearest residential buildings are the one storey detached residential dwelling to the north and the three storey townhouses to the northwest of the subject property. A five storey retirement residence is located on the east side of Martha Street and a 12 storey apartment building is located further northeast from the subject property. The proposed four storey podium which contains a three level parking garage with a 24 storey tower above at this location does not integrate well with the existing neighbourhood and does not provide an appropriate or a compatible transition between the existing and proposed residential buildings.

In fact, many of the taller residential buildings in the area are located northeast and southeast of the subject property and the existing buildings have greater setbacks from the street and from adjacent properties. The block containing the subject property generally has a lower density built form with building heights ranging from 1-3 storeys and the proposed development does not provide setbacks from the street nor from adjacent properties.

A more recent rendering of what has been named the Nautique

The proposed development fails to satisfy a number of intensification criterion including

• the provision of off-street parking;
• the achievement of compatibility with the existing neighbourhood character in terms of scale, massing, height, siting, setbacks, coverage, parking and amenity areas to provide a transition between existing and proposed buildings;
• the provision of adequate buffering; the compromised redevelopment potential for the abutting property located at 380 Martha Street;
• the requirement for intensification proposals to be well integrated with the existing neighbourhood in terms of built form, scale and development profile in order to provide a transition between existing and proposed residential buildings;
• the building height, massing and density lead to the overdevelopment of a very small lot; and
• the proposal represents overintensification.

The proposed development fails to satisfy the residential intensification policies of the Official Plan and does not represent good planning.

Planning Opinion on the Downtown Urban Design Guidelines:
The proposed development is not in keeping with the City’s Downtown Urban Design Guidelines for high rise development for the following reasons:

• the building setbacks are not sensitive to the existing built form;
• the building does not propose stepbacks to reduce the perception of building bulk from the street;
• the building does not utilize the results of the visual angular plane study to determine the appropriate building height and/or massing;
• the tower is not located away from the corner of the two intersecting streets;
• the building height, mass and architectural design present a tall, boxy structure that does not reinforce human scale;
• the impact of the high rise development on adjacent properties has not been appropriately minimized through a transition of height, mass, separation and landscaping;
• three levels of above-grade parking that address the street are proposed;
• the proposed development does not clearly express a podium at the street level with a proportion and massing that is consistent with the surrounding built form;
• the proposed development has not been designed to provide a height transition to the surrounding lower scale developments to minimize the shadowing and wind impacts; and
• the negative impacts on adjacent properties related to overshadowing and overlooking have not been addressed through building setbacks, stepbacks, height and massing.

The Nautique sales office on Brant street in a building owned by the Region

Planning Opinion on Zoning By-law 2020:
The zoning changes requested are excessive. The site as proposed would be overbuilt and should not be approved.
The siting of the proposed development is partially responsible for the perceived scale and massing of the building. The building will address the corner of Lakeshore Road and Martha Street and proposes no setbacks along the adjacent property lines to the west and to the north. The building footprint will cover almost all of the lot and leaves no room for vegetation or separation distance from adjacent buildings.

The siting does not provide any “breathing room” between the proposed building on the corner property and the adjacent buildings to the north and west; the proposed building will appear “crammed” into the block. The siting of the proposed development is not compatible with the existing neighbourhood character.

Is the development selling? Do people want to buy units in the proposed 26 storey structure? Adi has not released any sales figures. In a news report they said they have received more than 3000 expressions of interest – those are not sales; just people kicking tires.

Adi has promoted the project heavily within the real estate community and are offering generous commissions. They held an event at their sales office on Brant Street for the real estate agents offering Valet parking.

Director of education Miller would like to see more in the way of public input on critical education issues.

By Walter Byj

February 3rd, 2016

BURLINGTON. ON

“Most of the information they need is in the palm of their hand” said Director of Education Stuart Miller “as he held up his blackberry. This was the beginning of his respon as we when asked for a bird’s eye view of the evolution of education.

The teacher is no longer the holder of knowledge he said as the technology explosion has provided information just a few finger inputs away. The teachers role is changing as they transition from imparting information to becoming coaches helping students be critical thinkers of information that is available 24/7.

Director of Education Stuart Miller chats with Dave Hammel at the Fist Robotics conference recently.

He said the nature of the workplace is changing daily with many of the current jobs not existing three years ago. Teachers have to teach today’s students to think through the information they are presented.

Where education was once insular, it is very much in the public domain he said. All facets of society from business, politicians and families need to pool and be involved in educating our kids. Referencing his past as a science teacher, he said biodiversity is key as we approach education.

So how will Director Miller lead the Halton District School Board?

He views the Halton board as a leader of education in Ontario. Although a resident of Toronto, Miller has strong roots in Halton; he has spent the majority of his career in Halton starting as a teacher in 1984 and climbing the ladder through a number of promotions to this current position. This is home away from home.

Joey Edwardh, executive director of Community development Halton networks with Miller outside city hall.

He feels that we have great teachers in Halton and his role is to encourage and stay out of their way. He is not a micro manager.

As a strong communicator, Miller is not only in giving out information, but getting input from the public. He understands that people have busy lives and only when things go negative does the public get involved. That is not good enough he said.

The public needs to know more and be able to easily access what is happening in Halton. We need to reach out not only to parents, but those citizens that no longer have children in the school system. They too have a lot to offer in the educational process. And don’t forget the kids he said, they too can have valuable input.

Though initiated by his predecessor, work continues on the board’s website. He said the site needs to flow more easily so that anyone can easily reference information.
Though not having taught for a number of years, visiting all schools within Halton is an ongoing goal to keep in touch with the classroom. Miller remembers many of his students on a first name basis – those the Gazette talked with love the man.

Many students remember him, a sign of a good teacher.

When asked how much he should keep in touch with the municipalities within Halton, he was a bit cautious as councils tend to be somewhat politicized and that is not his role. However, municipalities and the board should be in close communication on a number of matters and at this time that is missing.

Stuart Miller makes a point at getting out to the schools as often as he can – he frequently lunches at Robert Bateman.

A strong advocate of students speaking more than one language, he reflects fondly on the European model where students speak two to three languages.

And language is one issue on which he and the board will be spending much time.

The French Immersion program within Halton is experiencing extreme growing pains. The large uptake in French Immersion is resulting in small classroom sizes in the English program. In addition, French language teachers are hard to find. This will be the first major test of the director and the board seeking public input into solving this dilemma.

The public hasn’t been nearly as forthcoming as he had hoped. “We need to hear what they think before we make major decisions. Miller wants a community where parents, the commercial community and the students to share insights and the ideas that will keep the Halton board in the number one position he thinks it holds.

They will continue to reach out to the public for their input as they seek an equitable solution. As Miller stated, the solution will require input of all stakeholders, not just the board.

Having a more robust “active transportation “is also key to having a well rounded student he said. We want students to be safe when going to and from school, but studies have shown that some sort of physical activity in the morning leads to a better rounded student.

When asked why the board chose him over other candidates, he replied: “I told them who he was and what I represented. I did not try to guess what they wanted to hear.”

Combined with his most recent experience as Associate Director of Education the trustees obviously liked his message and now it will be his role to prove them right.

Watching the evolution of city manager James Ridge; will the tendency to make promises become his Achilles heal?

By Pepper Parr

February 3rd, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

During a recent city council meeting City Manager James Ridge advised council that he was going to be preparing “mandate” letters for all his Director level staff.

Cathy Robertson, will not be getting one of those letters – the city parted ways with her last week. Our informant advised that she was escorted out of the Roads and Parks maintenance office.

For the record we found Ms Robertson to be accessible, fair and competent. The department now tells people who call that she is no longer with the city.

City manager James Ridge.

Mandate letters are documents that set out what is expected of a Director; Ridge also mentioned that performance evaluations would be based on how well a Director meets the criteria set out in the mandate letters.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne released the contents of the mandate letters she sent her Ministers – will the public have an opportunity to read the mandate letters Ridge writes ? – he should make them public.

The operations at city hall are divided into two units: Development and Infrastruture (D&I) and Community and Corporate Services (C&CS).

Each of those used to have a General Manager that reported to the City Manager. At one point there were three General Managers – today there are none.

The departments within D&I and CCS are run by Directors.

Development and Infrastructure has two Directors:

Director Planning and Building – Mary Lou Tanner
Director of Roads and Park Maintenance – now vacant
Squeezed into D&I is an Executive Director of Capital Works – Allan Magi.

Community and Corporate Services has 7 Directors:

Director of Finance – Joan Ford
Director of Information Technology – Christine Swenor
Director of Legal Services and City Solicitor – Nancy Shea Nicol
Director of Human Resources – Laura Boyd
Director of Parks and Recreation – Chris Glenn
Director of Transit – Mike Spicer
Director of Transportation Services – Vito Tolone.

The corporate structure is such that there isn’t a number two in place to cover for the city manager and there isn’t a strong fall back should we lose the city manager – and with our recent five year record – losing city managers isn’t an unheard of experience in this city.

The current city council has gone through three of them – prior to that the city manager was in place for a decade.

City Council is working its way through the Strategic Plan – the document is full or promises – and we might see a different organizational form once that document is approved.

City \Manager James Ridge, centre, with one of the KPMG consultants who are writing the Strategic Plan with input and comment from staff. Michelle Dwyer on the right has kept the flow of paper moving smoothly and managed a large part of the public engagement.

Ridge has said on numerous occasions that the city is at a point where it needs to be paying serious attention to succession. There is some strong talent within the current manager ranks – female for the most part. There doesn’t appear to be anyone within the Director ranks that is an obvious candidate for either a General Manager level position or ready to move into the job of city manager. Ridge has a five year contract.

Things move at a different pace in the municipal world – but it is reasonable to expect the city manager to bring forward a revised corporate structure – if he is going to do anything – by the fall.

He now has a budget with a number of strong recommendations that he refine the reporting on financial matters.
When Burlington cut over to a Service Based budget model different services were grouped together with a dollar number for each service and a person who is responsible for the delivery of each service.

The problem with that model – which apparently wasn’t evident when it was put in place is that different operations are lumped in together. Paletta Mansion, Tyendaga Golf Club and the LaSalle Pavilion are all lumped into the same dollar allocation.

Councillor Jack Dennison who has the sharpest pencil on this council has complained that with the Service based approach he isn’t able to drill down and get a closer look at the line by line numbers.

For the most part the other members of council either don’t have the accounting smarts to fully understand the various levels of detail or are happy to trust staff to do the right thing and manage effectively.

Oversight of day to day operations can’t be as tight as it needs to be when the city manager has 9 Directors reporting to him. When there were General Managers in place it was their job to ensure that silos aren’t created and that there was real accountability.

Ridge brings a military bearing to his work – he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for a decade. Burlington is the first municipality where he has been the commanding officer.

Comments from people in the city who talk about things like this are neither hugely positive nor is there any negative comment about the man. He professes to be a private person but then has a picture of him and his dog in the personal blog of a local lawyer. Mixed messages there.

He is forthright, a little on the shy side and a hard worker. What we have seen in his personal work plan and what he seems to be advocating for with the Strategic Plan is very ambitious with a tendency to lay down hard promises – which in the world of municipal politics will get you nothing but grief. If the promises are delivered the public will say that is what we pay you for – and if he doesn’t deliver they will want strips of his hide.

Not sure that Ridge can handle hard on the head criticism.

Watching how James Ridge evolves as a city manager is going to be an interesting exercise.

Public involvement in getting ideas from the general public got left out - all the stakeholders got a chance to promote their interests. Wasn't this new Liberal government going to be more open?

By Pepper Parr

February 2, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

“In keeping with the Liberals’ commitment to ensuring an inclusive and open government” said the media release, “Burlington MP Karina Gould and Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff continued the Finance Minister’s collaborative approach to budget planning by participating in a large number of extensive pre-budget consultations across the ridings in January to gather input from a variety of individuals, groups and organizations on the key issues that should be addressed in the federal governments’ upcoming budget.”

In early January, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau officially launched the Government’s pre-budget consultations and called upon Canadians to share their thoughts on how to better support the middle class, create jobs, and set the right conditions for long-term prosperity and stronger economic growth.

Burlington MP Karina Gould works very well with people – she listens well. Not widening the pre-budget consultations to include more than the stake holders might have been a lost opportunity.

Throughout the month of January, Damoff and Gould participated in consultations with a large number of groups including both Oakville and Burlington Chambers of Commerce, the Town of Oakville and City of Burlington, the Region of Halton, representatives of local unions, businesses, social service providers as well as other local MPs and MPPs. They also invited all residents in their ridings to have their say on the budget through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

And that’s the rub – social media is not consulting with people; it’s sort of like a placebo – something you put in place hoping that the person swallowing the medicine will never know that it isn’t the real thing.

The input the local MPs received during pre-budget consultations covered a number of broad themes, including economic growth, climate change, social infrastructure – particularly housing , public transit, youth employment, a national transportation strategy, local infrastructure including active transportation like cycling and walking, and green infrastructure. Of particular importance to those who offered input was improved local infrastructure to assist and improve economic growth.

Examples of local infrastructure put forward in Burlington included grade separations, LED lighting conversion and active transportation links over the QEW. The Burlington Chamber stressed the importance of small and medium –size business to not only our local economy, but national economic growth. The need to focus on local transit, and integration between municipalities was brought up a number of times. Both Oakville and Burlington were clear that they need stable and sustainable funding for infrastructure, and that the process needs to allow for transformational change in the riding.

Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff takes part in the annual polar bear dip – she’s capable of doing things differently.

“I was very impressed with the high level of input I received throughout the pre-budget consultation process and was particularly pleased to see such a collaborative approach taken to addressing our local and national economic issues,” said Ms. Damoff. “I look forward to continuing to consult with constituents across my riding as the budget process continues.”

“Our government was elected on a platform that promised extensive consultation throughout the legislative process,” said Ms. Gould. “It’s positive that many of the issues stakeholders raised during our pre-budget consultations are in direct correlation with our government’s priorities which I’m confident will translate into results for Burlington and Canada.”

All input received has been shared with the Finance Minister to inform the decision-making around the budget.

Both Damoff and Gould are superb political campaigners – they have a very real capacity to listen to people and they are part of that new wave of politicians who don’t take themselves too seriously and have fun at the same time.

Both members of Parliament could have and should have held an open mike evening where people would have been invited to speak – but out there ideas and see how the meeting reacted to them.

A grade separation is important and when this one on King |Road was completed it made a difference – but it has yet to result in any new business development along King Road

They went to the stakeholders – this with vested interests – did you expect the Chamber of Commerce to advocate for a $20 minimum wage and does anyone think that Community Development Halton is going to get excited about a grade separation at a rail crossing?

There was an opportunity to have them all in the same room where they could mix it up and perhaps, just perhaps hear each other and begin to understand each other.

A missed opportunity. Maybe next time.

Mayor gives the business community his take on the State of the City - sunshine and roses.

By Mayor Rick Goldring

January 29, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The Gazette has published the Mayor’s State of the City report for most of the last five years. Links to previous addresses at at the bottom of the 2016 address.

Theologian Leonard Sweet said, “The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.” Today, I would like to talk to you about Burlington’s future.

Mayor Rick Goldring.

I am pleased to share that after more than a year of cooperation and collaboration between the community, City Council and city staff, Burlington’s 2015 to 2040 Strategic Plan is almost finalized. Staff is currently making final revisions based on your feedback before sending the completed document to council for approval this spring.

The city is undergoing an important transition, one that some municipalities don’t step up to. In addition to our core mandate of providing a range of critical city services, council has decided to add a new mandate, to actively “city-build.”

City-building entails using all of the tools available to council and working with partners to actively shape the physical, social, economic and cultural fabric of the city.

The new Strategic Plan is fundamentally different than past plans. It is the twenty-five-year blueprint for city-building, and will be supported in more detail with the Official Plan, Transportation Master Plan, and the Corporate Work Plan. Collectively these plans will be setting ambitious, clear and measurable targets for physical growth, sustainability, carbon neutrality, economic growth, changing how people move around the city and how we engage with the public.

Burlington is one of the first Southern Ontario municipalities to stop sprawling and instead grow in place, something many other municipalities will be faced with in the next decade or two. We are leading the way, and are the ‘poster child’ for David Crombie’s recent report on how municipalities in Southern Ontario should be evolving.
As we stop sprawling, we are now going to focus more deliberately on our rural area through our Strategic Plan and Official Plan.

In preparation, we are actively changing our internal management structures, planning processes, and where necessary, skills and resources to support this new agenda.

There are four key directions outlined in our new Strategic Plan, including: A City that Grows, A City that Moves, A Healthy and Greener City and An Engaging City.
Today, I will talk about these directions, highlight the objectives in each section and discuss achievements of the past year related to the four strategic themes.

A City That Grows

A City That Grows is one where Burlington is a magnet for talent, good jobs and economic opportunity while having achieved intensification and balanced, targeted population growth for youth, families, newcomers and seniors.

Promoting Economic Growth
I believe that economic development is the key to a vibrant, prosperous Burlington – whether five or twenty-five years into the future.
Our results in 2015 were steady. Our key metrics are in line. However, vacant employment land supply is low and we are working to activate key employment lands to provide some much-needed inventory for business to locate.

We are also working through our Official Plan and recognizing that with over 88 per cent of employment land already in use, and a large portion of this development more than 50 years old, we need policies to support redevelopment of these employment areas.

Several expansions took place, most noticeably Cogent and Evertz with significant physical expansions. There are many others in our community with aggressive growth plans.

We are working on a number of office and industrial developments for 2016 and we expect to continue to meet out targets in the short term.

As the global economy becomes more and more connected, innovation and globalization are critical to our future. With global competition and the race to low labour costs, our businesses must innovate and utilize new and emerging technologies, supply chains and intellectual property to prosper.

Cities and governments around the world recognize this. Investments in innovation and industry coordination are increasing in certain jurisdictions. Germany and Austria, for example, have introduced Industry 4.0 and are investing more than 70 billion Euros to ensure that manufacturers are operating at the leading edge. The U.K., U.S. and many others are moving in this direction.

The province of Ontario is recognized as one of the best places to start a business. We are not, however, having the success we need growing these businesses. Data shows that 75 per cent of new jobs come from new businesses, primarily between year two and year seven of operations.

Recognizing these trends, our focus for economic development is shifting. Traditionally, we have focused on retaining the businesses we have. Going forward we will be:

Focusing on supporting start-up and growth businesses.
Developing a Regional Employment and Innovation District, which better reflects the work environment companies are looking for and is connected to our highway and public transit network.
Supporting population growth and initiatives to attract and retain the talent that we need to have. This includes youth, young families and professionals, and a more welcoming environment for newcomers.
Improving our transit connectivity to employment areas including looking beyond our borders is critical. After all, almost 35,000 people go back and forth for work between Burlington and Hamilton every day.
Working with our post-secondary education partners to ensure that employers have the talent that they need and that we as a community are taking advantage of the more than 10,000 annual graduates from our local institutions. We are currently working with Mohawk, Sheridan, Brock and McMaster to provide better access to research and development for local business.

McMAster Univesity is developing a three year program that will significantly improve the management skills of senior and middle management staff at city hall. As many as 150 staff members will be taking courses over a thtree year period.

McMaster Univesity De Groote School of Business is adding a fourth floor.

Within the coming months, DeGroote will be finishing the fourth floor of the Ron Joyce Centre. This will be the home of the new Michael G. DeGroote Health Leadership Academy, as well as a Centre for Evidence Based Management. McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business is also launching their new Executive MBA program in Digital Transformation this year.

In 2016, we will continue to work with industry, education and senior levels of government to support the development of an Advanced Manufacturing Hub in Burlington, which will assist manufacturers in Burlington, Halton and Southern Ontario in becoming more competitive globally.

Burlington has a strong, diversified local economy. We will continue to support this, and invest in the future to ensure prosperity in the long term.

Intensification

Intensification is another key aspect to the future of our city outlined in the proposed Strategic Plan.

INSERT

To understand intensification – the greater concentration of people living and/or working in a defined area – we need to understand what factors are influencing the future of Burlington.

Burlington is built out. There is very little room left for traditional greenfield suburban-type development. Fifty per cent of Burlington is rural, agricultural, natural greenbelt and the vast majority of people I talk to want to keep it that way. North Aldershot, Mount Nemo, Lowville and Kilbride areas house the Bruce Trail, Lowville Park, the Cootes to Escarpment Eco Park System and many other natural features. As the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area becomes more urbanized, the importance of maintaining these assets will only magnify.

Primarily because of immigration, 150,000 people move to the Greater Golden Horseshoe area every year resulting in 3.7 million new residents and 1.8 million new jobs in the next twenty-five years.

The Ontario government released the Places to Grow Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe in 2006 defining how we should accommodate this growth.

Halton Region agreed to accept growth of 315,000 people and 175,000 jobs by 2031, with best planning estimates stating that Milton will grow to 228,000, Oakville 246,000 and Burlington 186,000 by 2031. Burlington is close to 186,000 people now.

In a city that is out of traditional greenfield land, where 50 per cent of our city is protected greenbelt land, the next question is: Where do we grow?

Downtown is an Urban Growth Centre in the Ontario Places to Grow Plan and is targeted to have approximately 200 jobs and people per hectare by 2031. It is two-thirds of the way there now.

Our Official Plan also identifies other sites suited for intensification, such as Uptown located at Appleby Line between Mainway and Upper Middle Road.

The Fairview/Plains Road corridor. When we talk about the transformation of Plains Road through intensification, it is important to recognize the leadership and vision of Councillor Rick Craven.

Site with GO in background before sunrise

Five tower Paradigm project on Fairview at the GO station is selling very well.

The areas around our three GO Stations – Aldershot, Burlington and Appleby.

Aging retail plazas like Roseland, Eastway and Lakeside.

We anticipate that 80 per cent of our urban area will not experience significant change.

If we take federal and provincial policies out of the picture, what makes sense when it comes to residential growth for Burlington? Would we intensify regardless of growth policies?

According to city planner and former Vancouver chief planner, Brent Toderian, the advantages of creating more density, if done well, are:

Facilitating more affordable housing choices
Curbing the negative impacts of sprawl
Mitigating climate change
Dramatically decreasing energy costs
Increasing energy independence
Making walking, biking and transit more inviting
Improving public health, diversity, creativity, safety and vibrancy

These advantages are possible if density is created in an appropriate manner.

I would like to note Brent Toderian is our keynote speaker at Inspire Burlington on February 11th. I invite you to join us for an engaging evening around great city-building.

Brent Toderian writes: “What really matters is how you grow big, not how big you grow…. Most cities perceive growth to be a positive thing when done well, supporting such civic goals as improving affordability, enhancing ecological sustainability, supporting social equity and choice, and stimulating creativity and economic development.”

We are improving conversations about density and we will continue to connect and engage with the community soliciting input on how we grow.

Extreme Weather Resiliency

In order to grow within our urban boundary, we need to be assured that our infrastructure can handle the growth. Since the flood of 2014, the City of Burlington and Halton Region have stepped up our focus on storm water and wastewater management.

The initial damage from the flood and the cost of making sure we don’t get hit as hard next time – Mayor said we need to plan for the next one

As a result of the thorough analysis and extensive reports completed by the City and Region, we have committed a total of more than $120 million over the next 10 years to improve our resiliency in the event of extreme weather.

A City That Moves

A City That Moves is where people and goods move through the city more efficiently and safely.

A City That Moves offers a variety of convenient, affordable and green forms of transportation that align with regional travel patterns. This is a city that features walkability within new and transitioning neighbourhoods, as well as in our downtown.

We are investing $300 million over the next 10 years on our roads, which includes such projects as road reconstruction, resurfacing and intersection widening.

However, moving forward, we are shifting our focus on moving people through more sustainable modes of travel that do not rely exclusively on the automobile.

Ninety per cent of all trips made on a weekday within our city – which number more than 260,000 – are made by automobile. Furthermore, 50 per cent of these trips are five kilometres or less.

Walkable trips are considered to be two kilometres or less. Bikeable trips are considered to be within the two to five kilometre range.

These are the ideal distances to cycle, walk or hop on a Burlington Transit bus – including to and from one of our three GO Stations.

Just ask Councillor Jack Dennison, who is on the cycling committee and can be found cycling to events on weekends.

Long-term, we are looking to implement a complete streets vision. This vision will be part of an integrated plan that will see on- and off-road bike lanes, sidewalks, multi-use paths and trails and public transit well-connected and coordinated.

Complete Streets will make Burlington more walkable and bikeable, support investments in transit, foster social engagement and community pride, support the local economy and property values, and improve the livability and long‐term sustainability of our region. Burlington will be a better place to live and work, realizing long‐term savings from improved public health and safety, environmental stewardship, social mobility and transportation equity.

Speaking of transit, we are expecting full implementation of our transit intelligent transportation system within the next few months. This includes a website, trip planning function, real-time information and stop announcements.

Creating walkable neighbourhoods directly relates to a City that Moves and a City That Grows.

Noted American urban planner Jeff Speck notes that a walk has to satisfy four main conditions: it must be useful, safe, comfortable and interesting.

When I ask people what they like most about living downtown, they respond it is they can walk everywhere. That is one of the reasons Councillor Marianne Meed Ward says she enjoys living downtown.

Just as Councillor Meed Ward walks to work every day, we want to develop more neighbourhoods across the city where people have that same opportunity.

Mobility hubs offer significant potential for intensification and walkability.

These are places of connectivity where different modes of transportation – from walking to commuter rail – come together seamlessly.

There are currently 3,500 customers using the Burlington GO station on a weekday. The addition of more than 900 residential units further transforms the site into a walk-friendly, cycle-friendly, transit-friendly neighbourhood that also includes office and retail. GO customers can look forward to 15-minute service on an electrified Lakeshore West GO line within the next decade.

This type of development also gives first-time homebuyers, especially young professionals, a chance to enter the real estate market, as well as those looking to downsize, units at a good price.

A Healthy and Greener City

A Healthy and Greener City is one in which the City of Burlington is a leader in the stewardship of the environment while encouraging healthy lifestyles.

In this area, I believe we are ahead of other municipalities with our Community Energy Plan, as well as our vast array of parks, recreation facilities and programming.

According to the respondents of our online survey about the draft Strategic Plan, a Healthy and Greener City was ranked as the most important of the four key directions.

Our health is one of our greatest assets.

Last week, NASA confirmed 2015 was Earth’s warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880. While last saw a major El Niño weather system, this dubious milestone was largely driven by climate change. Fifteen of the top 16 warmest years have occurred since the year 2000.

Healthy Lifestyles

Going back to Brent Toderian’s comments, the potential advantage of creating more density is making walking, biking and transit more appealing, which fosters improved public health.

Healthy living in Burlington is supported by a well-planned city with walkable neighbourhoods featuring good access to parks and recreation facilities.

Hundreds walk this park right out to the canal boundary every day.

We will ensure every resident lives within a short distance of parks or recreational spaces, creating multi-use parks and green space, and supporting the Bruce Trail. The city’s approximate 50-50 split between rural and urban settings has positioned us as a city rich in outdoor recreational space.

Good programming at top-level recreational facilities also promotes healthy living. Last January, for example, we opened a revitalized Mountainside Recreation Centre, which features an arena, outdoor pool and community space. This centre has become a draw for young people at the weekly No Socks for Ivan drop-in, with an upwards of 200 youth and teens coming weekly.

Councillor John Taylor was a staunch advocate in the revitalization of this recreation centre, and I know the community is grateful for his role in its transformation.

Late last year, City Council also approved a rebuild of Nelson Pool at a cost of approximately $5 million. The updated facility is scheduled to open in 2018, possibly earlier if construction goes well.

Related to a Healthy City and An Engaging City, a new initiative created by the City of Burlington that I am particularly excited about this winter is the neighbourhood rink program. Sixteen parks will feature 18 neighbourhood rinks for the 2015-16 winter season. This supports our parks and recreation mantra: Live and Play Every Day.

The rink program was inspired by Seattle community builder Jim Diers, who worked with our staff on neighbourhood power.

Inspired by Jim’s work, City Council approved $80,000 for community investment. This funding will support residents and groups of neighbours in enhancing city space by adding a park feature, creating an event or starting a new program.

Burlington is also one of 45 communities across Ontario taking part in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge. The City will receive up to $1.1 million in one-time funding from the Province between April 2015 to March 2018 to promote children’s health through physical activity and healthy eating.

Healthy living is also connected to good community health care. The City of Burlington has committed $60 million to the redevelopment and expansion of Joseph Brant Hospital. This is the city’s largest investment in a non-city facility in the history of our community.

Groundbreaking took place in March 2015 for the redevelopment and expansion project’s second phase: a new seven-storey patient care tower.

When construction of the tower is complete in 2017 Joseph Brant Hospital will feature 172 acute inpatient beds, a new emergency department, a larger cancer clinic, nine new operating rooms, expanded medical, surgical and outpatient services, and much more.

Joseph Brant Hospital getting close to topping off. Will open in 2018

Joseph Brant Hospital treats more than 250,000 patients each year. The hospital opened in 1961, but has not had a major renovation since 1971.

I want to thank the provincial government for their significant investment that will cover approximately two-thirds of the total cost of the project.

The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation is close to reaching its $60 million contribution. To date, the foundation has raised $48 million thanks, in part, to significant donations in 2015 from the Joyce Foundation, Voortman Cookies (Mr. Harry Voortman) and Longo’s Family Charitable Foundation.

A healthy and greener city encourages sustainable projects. Our community gardens program has been well received by the community and we are looking to continue to grow it.

Burlington City Council appreciates Halton Regional Council’s support of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan. The development of this park will enhance the Region of Halton. The park features a natural sand beach that is part of a unique landform called a Baymouth Bar. It is also home to provincially and regionally rare plant and animal species.

The estimated project cost is more than $51 million. The majority of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park plan will be developed over the next five to ten years. It could take up to twenty to twenty-five years to completely finish the park.

Environmental Leadership

The ongoing implementation and updates of the Community Energy Plan are integral to moving forward as a city on environmental leadership.

This past year, we had a number of accomplishments connected to our Community Energy Plan: Burlington Hydro’s co-gen pilot project, our first electric vehicle charging station on city property and my Inspire Burlington Series/Take Action Burlington event with David Miller from the World Wildlife Fund.

Citizens walking the trail in the Beachway along what was once a railway line.

We are also in the process of completing phase one of our community energy system feasibility study. The study is looking at opportunities for more efficient and sustainable local generation of thermal energy with electrical generation.

Long-term, we are looking to continue moving forward on environmental leadership through a variety of initiatives, such as city operations that are carbon neutral, increasing our urban forest and tree canopy, and continuing to preserve our rural area.

We continue to be proud partners in the Cootes to Escarpment Eco-Park System. This is a collaboration between ten local government and non-profit organizations to protect, restore and connect more than 9,600 acres of natural lands at the western end of Lake Ontario.

David Suzuki said: “I can’t imagine anything more important than air, water, soil, energy and biodiversity. These are the things that keep us alive.”

An Engaging City

In a city that engages, community members are engaged, empowered, welcomed and well-served by their city. Culture and community activities thrive, creating a positive sense of place, inclusivity and community.

Our vision of an engaged city builds on the foundation we have laid since our Engagement Charter was approved by City Council in 2013.

We created and launched the Get Involved page (www.burlington.ca/getinvolved) for all things citizen engagement on the city’s new website. This includes our online platforms – Let’s Talk Burlington and Insight Burlington, Get Involved calendar and volunteer opportunities.

A rapt audience listened to an overview of the 2014 budget. What they have yet to have explained to them is the desperate situation the city will be in ten years from now if something isn't done in the next few years to figure out how we are going to pay for the maintenance of the roads we have.

A rapt audience listened to an overview of a city budget.

In the past year, we engaged thousands of residents online on a variety of topics, like the Transportation Master Plan, community gardens, Strategic Plan, budget, intensification and parking.

Councillor Paul Sharman’s engagement with the community around the potential redevelopment of Lakeside Plaza is commendable. Last November, more than 300 residents came out to the Lakeside Plaza visioning exercise.

Budget

It goes without saying that a major priority for council and staff is balancing increased services and investments with the need for responsible tax rate increases.

The capital budget was approved in December and the operating budget for 2016 was approved this week.

When combined with the Halton Region and the school boards, the overall property tax increase is 2 per cent and that number is inclusive of a 3.14 per cent increase in the city’s portion.

The city increase of 3.14 per cent is broken down as follows:

The base budget increase of 1.28 per cent that is less than the Consumer Price Index.
A 1.44 per cent increase dedicated to the renewal of the city’s infrastructure.
42 per cent to increase service levels in areas such as winter maintenance, bylaw enforcement and storm water management.

The 2016 budget marks the second year the city presented the operating budget in a service based format. Under this approach, business plans are developed for all 37 of the services provided by the city.

We will continue to strive towards annual property tax increases that are responsible to current and future residents, as well as reflect inflationary increases, infrastructure renewal and increased service investments.

Government Partnerships

Building strong relationships with other governments also moves us towards our goals as a city.

Federal infrastructure investment, which we support 100 per cent, is a key priority of the new Trudeau government.

Property taxes in Ontario are the highest in the country, so we also welcome the federal investment in identified priorities around affordable housing, public transit and climate change.

I look forward to working with our Members of Parliament Karina Gould, Pam Damoff and Lisa Raitt on these issues.

Recognizing that municipalities are a provincial responsibility, it is only natural I have regular contact with our Members of Provincial Parliament Eleanor McMahon and Indira Naidoo-Harris on a wide range of issues, including transit and transportation, environment and municipal legislation.

Meanwhile, the cities of Burlington and Hamilton are involved in discussions through our city managers. The two mayors and members of council also meet as the Greater Bay Area Subcommittee to discuss areas of common interest.

It is noteworthy that Burlington and Hamilton’s chambers of commerce are hosting the second annual Bay Area Economic Summit in June.

This term, I have also played a leading role at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. I currently serve as the Chair of the Large Urban Caucus and the Chair of the Climate Change Task Force. I am also on the Memorandum of Understanding team, which meets regularly with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and other members of provincial cabinet discussing proposed changes to policy and legislation affecting municipalities.

Public Engagement Through Cultural and Community Activities

As the City of Burlington grows and will continue to do so over the coming decades, we are diversifying. It is essential to foster a Burlington where everyone feels welcome, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

Councillor Blair Lancaster represents one of our most culturally diverse wards. She is focused on creating a strong sense of belonging in neighbourhoods in her ward, as well as city-wide through her role on the inclusivity advisory committee.

The ongoing initiative of Burlington groups sponsoring Syrian refugees and the outpouring of support is an example of the embodiment of engagement and inclusivity.

Arts and Culture

Thanks to city investment and the dedication of leaders, boards, staff, and members of the arts and culture community, I believe we are starting to fully realize the tremendous assets we have right here in our city.

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre was booked for more than 600 uses last year, with in excess of 100,000 visitors. Based on the recent economic impact study in 2014, the arts centre generates $7.8 million in annual economic activity, with room to grow. It also serves as a world-class venue for many local groups, from our Burlington Teen Tour Band and Symphony on the Bay to Tottering Biped Theatre and Burlington Student Theatre. Suzanne Haines became the centre’s new executive director last year.

The Art Gallery of Burlington saw another good year, with new leadership from Robert Steven as the president and CEO. There were 45,000 visitors to exhibitions, not including visitors from facility rentals. There were also 24 exhibitions in their five gallery spaces in 2015.

Ireland House – heritage that was saved.

Last year, Burlington Museums connected with a large number of young people, in particular, through its education programming. Almost 5,000 children visited the museums through camps, and school and youth group education programs.

More than 1.1 million people visited Burlington Public Library’s seven branches in 2015. The library loaned out nearly 2 million items last year – the equivalent of each resident in Burlington borrowing 10 to 11 items.

Last year marked a historic moment for the City of Burlington’s Public Art Program when six murals were unveiled by seven local artists at one time in December 2015.

There are also the numerous festivals and events that showcase our city and boost our local economy. Hundreds of thousands of people come from near and far to take in events like the Sound of Music Festival, Canada’s Largest Ribfest, the Children’s Festival and Canada Day.

Arts and culture has been a cornerstone of societies throughout history and they will continue to be so in Burlington as we look to the future. Canadian scientist Steven Pinker said: “There is no society ever discovered in the remotest corner of the world that has not had something that we would consider the arts.”

What do we want Burlington to be in twenty-five years?

We want to be a city that grows, a city that moves, a healthy and greener city and a city that engages.

Let’s work together to make our great city even greater.

State of the city addresses by Mayor Rick Goldring:

State of the City 2011
State of the City 2012
State of the City 2013
State of the city 2015

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