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Population shifts suggest there might be some consolidation, especially at the public elementary school level

News 100 red By Walter Byj

May 1, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

While some parts of the Halton region are experiencing high growth spurts, others have remained stable. In one part of the Region, schools need to be built to accommodate the growing population while others areas face shrinking school populations. This is the case for a number of areas in established geographical areas of Burlington.

For elementary schools, Burlington has 10 areas that are identified by an ERA -Elementary Review Area – (remember the acronym – it gets used frequently) number and capacity is measured by OTG – on the ground – (same with this one) seats that do not include portables. Each of these areas has their unique situations.

ERA 100 (Aldershot and Tyandaga) is in western Burlington and is represented by Aldershot Elementary, Glenview King’s Road and Maplehurst, the utilization of the totality of the schools is in the 63% to 68% range and will remain so for the next 10 years. Aldershot Elementary is currently at 46% and will continue at that rate for the next 10 years while King’s Road will decline from 66% in 2014 to 52% by 2024.Maplehurst is currently at 71% while Glenview stands at 93% for the current year.

The enrolment should be somewhat consistent for the next 10 years with a potential uptick for Glenview pending the development of the northern Aldershot community north of the QEW.

Central High School enrollment is expected to increase

ERA 101(Downtown) covers the downtown core of Burlington and includes Burlington Central, Central Lakeshore and Tom Thomson schools The overall utilization rate is currently 91% and should remain in that area for the next 10 years. The number is highly influenced by Tom Thomson which in reality is overcapacity as it has 10 portables (mainly due to French Immersion) and will continue their use for the next 10 years. Burlington Central is at 65% currently and is projected to increase to 73% by 2024. Central is at 84% and projected to fall to 72% by 2024. Lakeshore should grow from its current 63% to 73% in 2024.

Tecumseh is in an area where several schools have gone beyond their built capacity.

ERA 102 (Roseland and Shoreacres) is bound by Guelph Line to the west, Appleby to the east with the QEW to the north and the lake to the south. It includes John Tuck, Pauline Johnson, Ryerson and Tecumseh. This area has a utilization rate of 88% which will drop to 77% in the following 10 years. Both Tuck (134%) and Pauline Johnson (117%) are over overcapacity and currently rely on portables to accommodate students. By 2024, Tuck is projected at 107% and Pauline Johnson at 110%. Ryerson currently is at 49% and is expected to grow to 53% by 2024. Much of this growth will come from phasing in the gifted program from Charles R. Beaudoin. Tecumseh will drop from the current 57% capacity to 51% by 2024.

It should be noted that there are no French immersion classes in this area as the students attend either Tom Thomson or Pineland.

Mohawk-Gardens-Public-School-Spruce-Avenue

Enrollment at Mohawk is expected to decline going forward.

ERA 103 (Appleby) covers the area between Appleby line and Burloak with the QEW to the north and the lake at the south. There are three schools in this area, Frontenac, Mohawk Gardens and Pineland and has an overall utilization rate of 78% which will remain steady to 2024. Mohawk has a rate of 71% but this is expected to drop to 63% by 2024. Frontenac, at 56% is expected to grow to 76% by 2024. This will mainly be due to Pineland becoming a French Immersion school with the English stream moving in some part to Frontenac or Mohawk. Pineland, at 111% is well over capacity and has six portable to cover the overflow. As the transition to a French Immersion school only continues, the utilization rate will slowly decrease to 88% by 2024.

ERA 104 & 105 (Brant Hills, Headon and Tyandaga) is bounded by Dundas to the north and Upper Middle to the south with Walker’s Line being the eastern boundary. The four schools in this area are Brant Hills, Bruce T. Lindley, CH Norton and Paul A. Fisher and have a current utilization rate of 87% which will decline to 76% by 2024. Brant Hills has the lowest utilization rate at 59% and is projected to drop to 57% in 2024. Bruce T. Lindley is healthy at 93% and will remain stable for the next 10 years and is projected to be 89% in 2024. C.H. Norton is healthy at 91% but will slide to 73% in 2024, while Paul A. Fisher is currently at and will remain in the low 60 percentile for the next 10 years.

ERA 106 (Mountainview and Palmer) holds four schools with highway 407 on the west, Walkers on the east with Upper Middle on the north and the QEW to the south. The utilization rate for this area is 87% and should fall to 76% by 2024. Although each school currently has a strong utilization number, they will each experience decreasing numbers in the upcoming years as follows;

Clarksdale – 94% to 77% (2024)
Dr. Charles Best – 92% to 84% (2024)
Rolling Meadows – 78% to 68% (2024)
Sir E. Macmillan – 96% to 77% (2024)

ERA 107 (Millcroft) has two schools, (Charles R. Beaudoin and Florence Meares) and is between Walkers Line and Appleby and Dundas to the north and the QEW to the south. This area is currently at 105%, but is expected to drop to 86% by 2024. Charle R. Deaudoin will drop from its current 114% to 80% in 2024 while Florence Meares will drop from 95% to 91% during the same time period.

ERA 108 (Orchard) contains three schools (Alexander’s, John William Boich and Orchard Park) and lies between Appleby and Bronte and Dundas to the north and the QEW to the south. This area is currently at 115% of OTG and will slowly decline to 93% by 2024. Both J.W. Boich and Orchard Park are over utilized and will continue until 2024. Alexanders, which is currently at 119% is expected to drop to 70% by 2024.

The public school in Alton is already beyond capacity; Hayden High School is now operating with all the high school grades.

ERA 109 (Alton) has one school, Alton Village, and is bound by the 407 to the north, Dundas to the south and Walkers to the west and Tremaine to the east. This school is over utilized at 124% and this could rise to 153% by 2024.

ERA 110 (Rural Burlington) has one school also, Kilbride, and has a current OTG of 77% which will drop to 73% by 2024.

These numbers reflect a bleak future for some of the elementary schools in Burlington. Forecasting is not an exact science, but unless Burlington has a major change in its population makeup Burlington might be looking at some consolidation.

A Grey Power Budget? Rivers suggests that without the seniors vote the Harper government is toast.

Rivers 100x100 By Ray Rivers

April 25, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Last week Canada’s premiers met to brag about each other’s achievements in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Alberta, whose increases negated everyone else’s reductions, was absent, presumably busy with a provincial election. Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall argued for business as usual, since our greenhouse gas contributions amount to a small fraction of the global total, thereby challenging Ontario’s Premier Wynne on her government’s successes.

Climate change is real – except to those who wrote the last federal budget document.

And Mr. Harper’s government with an historic legacy of denying climate change and otherwise doing squat, blamed the provinces for Canada’s crappy performance. With that outburst from the federal environment minister, and given an impending federal budget, even a pessimist might have expected something, even anything, about climate change action in the budget. Sorry pessimists!

When international oil prices tumbled, along with federal income projections, finance minister Joe Oliver panicked, delayed the budget and dumped Canada’s GM shares (bought to save GM in 2008) for a whacking loss of over $3 billion. Next, he robbed the government’s piggy bank, its fiscal reserve for as much as $2 billion, and then pulled some sleight-of-hand around future employee contract negotiations to manufacture a small surplus.

Canada’s economy is heading into recession, led by the faltering Alberta economy. So one would have expected some new measures to stimulate the economy. But there is scant discussion of economic drivers in Joe Oliver’s master plan, unless one considers new corporate tax cuts, or re-announcing the tired old federal training, innovation and infrastructure initiatives.

This budget is arguably the most ideological document to come out of Mr. Harper’s decade of governance, notably excepting Bill C-38, also called the environmental destruction act. It is a common belief among the extreme right-wing that government, itself, is the problem and smaller government is always better government. One wonders why people who believe that government is so insignificant try so hard to get elected into office.

Councillor Sharman has held two public sessions with Senior's as part of his effort to understand their needs and develop policy that Council can put in place to serve this vital community. At most of the sessions Sharman holds his Dad is often in the audience.

Harper needs the votes of the greatest democrats in the nation – the people who always turn out on voting day – the seniors.

This federal budget is about buying votes in the upcoming election. Mr. Harper’s promised tax break for the highest income Canadian families through income sharing is now formalized. But to win his next election, Harper needs the votes of the greatest democrats in the nation – the people who always turn out on voting day – the seniors.

It was only a couple of years ago that Mr. Harper denied seniors their Old Age Security by raising the retirement age to 67. And by blocking provincial demands to upgrade the Canada Pension Plan he angered seniors groups. So, to make amends, he is upping the contribution limit for TFSAs (interest tax-free savings accounts) to a whopping $10,000. And the well-heeled will no doubt be appreciative.

There was another budget announced this week. Though unlike the feds, Ontario hasn’t yet balanced its budget. Ontario’s finance minister, Charles Sousa, is privatizing electricity generation, going back to the future and completing the job even Mike Harris and Ernie Eves couldn’t get done. The money from this dis-investment will be allocated to infrastructure and building transit and roads for the GTA, in particular.

The Province is finally allowing beer to be sold in supermarkets, albeit with some antediluvian rules to discourage customers. And there is good reason for that since expanded provincial beer consumption might, inadvertently, put a dent in Premier Wynne’s climate change initiatives.

Will Burlington’s Beer Fest benefit from the change in beer selling policy the provincial government put forward?

Apparently global beer consumption in 2004 was 150.392 billion litres, resulting in a significant 9,354,382 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. Save the planet, drink whiskey.

These are two completely different budgets from two very different governments. Yet, Ontario could get to balance if they only increased progressive income taxes. Instead, the only provincial tax hike is a recessionary ‘buck-a-box’ for beer – likely a concession to the trans-national oligopolies controlling our Beer Stores. The benefits of the planned investments in infrastructure will be almost immediate and broadly felt. And, eventually the rest of the public will appreciate the economic benefits from faster commute times.

Joe Oliver’s budget, on the other hand, has done little but widen the spread between the haves and have-nots. It is understood that the vast majority of benefits from the family income-splitting scheme will go to the wealthiest families. And this interest tax-free account makes no economic sense. Since the average deposit into Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA) was about $3000 when the limit had been $5500, who do we think will benefit when the limit goes to $10,000?

Rivers suggests our economy is heading for a recession.

Savings are essential in order to fund new investment. But without consumption there is no demand for investment. All of our income is either spent on consumption or saved. So were that new limit on TFSA’s to be actualized, there could be at least $4500 less consumption per saver per year – which is highly recessionary. And the last thing this faltering Canadian economy needs is to be pushed faster and further towards recession.

I have heard some call this federal budget a blow to generational equity – primarily by young people. Perhaps it is, but at a minimum it is a clear case of ideology trumping sound economics. I always believed the time to reward yourself (with tax breaks) is when the economy is booming – not when you are likely heading into a recession.

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.

Background links:

Provincial Climate Change Federal Budget TFSA Changes Contingency Fund

A Tax on Future Generations Retirement Savings Tax Breaks GM Shares Bill C-38

Provincial Budget Provincial Budget Priorities Beer in Stores Beer and Climate Change

Who are these people? They have been nominated as amongst Burlington's Best.

backgrounder 100 By Staff

April 21, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Who are these people?

There are 15 of them, nominated by their peers for one of six Burlington’s BEST awards which will be announced at a city run gala May 14, 2015

The city has provided a short biography of each and the Gazette has added a few words on those we have met in our travels

Angelo Bentivegna making biscotti

Angelo Bentivegna initiated Beauty and the Bistro, a grassroots campaign to raise funds for a digital mammography machine with biopsy attachment for Joseph Brant Hospital – $450,000 was raised. Angelo has been a member for nine years on the steering committee for the “Gift of Giving Back” food drive. His newest project is coordinating the “Cooking for Friends” soup program at the Burlington Seniors Centre.

Ron Foxcroft with the whistle that changed sports around the world.

Ron Foxcroft is very well known to everyone in the community and a tireless supporter of everything Burlington, but nothing tops how he responded to the flood relief challenge on behalf of all of the affected citizens of Burlington. The short time given to this initiative to be successful and the focus required by Ron in leading the team was inspirational.

Maibritt Bergman A leader of the North BurLINKton Community Dinner: shops and picks up food donations, sets menu, leads volunteers for gym set-up, food prep, servers, clean-up. Establishes a very encouraging relationship among all the volunteers. Also, Regional Coordinator for Samaritan’s Purse yearly Shoebox campaign.

Helen Deadder cooks healthy home-cooked meals for seniors in the North end of Burlington. Helen loves to cook for those in her community and takes a detailed approach to the North Burlinkton 55+ Luncheon. She plans the meals, acquires the ingredients and slow cooks them to perfection.

Esperanza Peacock is a dynamic Burlington citizen who volunteers her time to many different community efforts around the city. She is a core team member for North BurLINKton’s Dinner Night Out, where she gives love and a listening ear to anyone who is in need. She runs a support group for newcomers to Canada, and is very passionate for new comers to feel apart of the community.

Bonnie Purkis has been very active on a number of fronts regarding services specific to seniors: she is an active volunteer at the Burlington Seniors Centre, has been a member of the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee and has also started a very successful initiative at her place of residence (an apartment complex) to engage seniors in various social activities.

Kevin Han is a committed volunteer with the Chillzone after-school program which is a free after-school program focused in latchkey children in marginalized families. Kevin shows dedication to investing in the children through homework help and problem solving help and has become a reliable friend and role-model to the children.

Caitlyn Kay is involved at Notre Dame as a Prefect where she is a mentor and role model to the younger students. She volunteers at the school’s Breakfast Corner, providing nutritious snacks to students who arrive to school hungry.

Connor Fraser has volunteered in many different capacities over his four years in high school all related to giving of his time and assisting various organizations in our community – Burlington Green, Compassion Society, Rotary Club, to name a few. He maintains high academic standing and is Co-President of the Student Council, reads the daily announcements and is a member of our Link Crew (mentors for Grade 9 students)

John Kemp participated at the school performance\play called ‘Footloose’ as an actor, singer and narrator. He worked very hard and put all his energy and effort to make the play a success. He also plays the saxophone and speaks French fluently. John has a kind and helpful nature and has touched many lives with simple everyday actions.

Tomy Bewick has been involved in the Burlington Slam Project for nearly seven years where he has brought his love of spoken word and developed the achievements of each poet who has come through the Slam. Tomy has contributed his time, energy and focus on youth initiatives and building the art community in Burlington.

Chris Giroux – the film side of the team planning on bringing a Film Festival to the city.

Chris Giroux is the Co-Founder of the Tottering Biped Film Festival which recently had its second year. Chris works tirelessly to promote the art of filmmaking in Burlington and showcases our local talent base alongside an incredible line-up of international short films.

Leslie Gray runs KooGle Theatre Company and has created, produced, costume designed, performed, directed and choreographed since 2008 when KooGle performed their first production at the Central Park Bandshell. Leslie is dedicated to her craft and continues to provide professional theatre performances to Burlington, teaches musical theatre to ages 5-17 year olds and is always willing to collaborate with local artists.

Mary Jane Pilling has been a volunteer at Museums of Burlington since the program began in 1975. Through her dedication to the Museums of Burlington, she has had the opportunity to meet, educate, inform and preserve Burlington’s history for museum guests. Her care and recording of artifact items in the collection will touch the lives of Burlington’s future citizens.

Alan Harrington is president of the Burlington Historical Society and on the board of the Friends of Freeman Station. Alan created a Twitter account for Freeman Station and has assisted with fundraising, supplying Freeman t-shirts, Station-ery and other items. Alan conducted walking tours at Doors Open Burlington in September 2014 and will conduct the first Jane’s Walk in Burlington on May 2.

The late Dave Morris was a dedicated volunteer who worked tirelessly to help promote and conserve Burlington’s heritage. He was a member of Heritage Burlington from 2002 to 2010 and the president of the Burlington Historical Society from 2009 to 2010. Dave’s work in the community supported the efforts in the creation of Heritage Month and Doors Open. Dave built and maintained the BHS website and kept it up to date. One of his last projects was to digitize the oral histories and post them on the site. He was a member of the SOS – Save Our Station team that helped keep the Freeman Station from being demolished.

Monte Dennis in the stripped shirt

Monte Dennis is the current chair of the BurlingtonGreen Transportation Committee. He created a detailed scale model of an intersection, known as the Integrated Transit Intersection that accommodates all forms of transportation. He is active in promoting the Mount Nemo Heritage Study and the formation of the Ontario Soil Regulation Task Force.

Susan Fraser brought her canoe paddle to the civic reception for the Olympians hoping that MArk Oldershaw would autograph it for her. He willingly signed the paddle which will probably never go into the water again.

Susan Fraser getting her paddle signed by Olympian Mark Oldershaw. He willingly signed the paddle which will probably never go into the water again.

Susan Fraser is BurlingtonGreen’s longest serving volunteer (since 2007). She has assisted with planning the city-wide Community Clean Up Green Up events, dedicated hundreds of hours to help the team deliver the popular and impactful Youth Eco-Summit and has assisted with elevating the voice of the environment on a number of issues in Burlington such as tree protection and wildlife habitat protection at LaSalle Park.

IronDames are a remarkable group of 15 dedicated and amazing women who take on physical challenges while raising crucial funding to support Burlington residents who are coping with a cancer diagnosis. They have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Wellspring’s Cancer Exercise Program which allows free access to physiotherapy and exercise services for those living with cancer.

Christine Karczmarczyk has made a significant commitment to volunteer as Volunteer Services Coordinator for the AGB. She worked tirelessly and single handedly for at least 24 hrs per week to keep the AGB program up and running from June 2014 – December 2014. She contributed over 500 volunteer hours in 2014 overseeing both the Student and Adult Volunteer program at the AGB (Approximately 90 active volunteers). She led and organized the whole ‘Volunteer Force’ for the Gallery’s community fundraiser, Soup Bowl held over four days in November 2014

Mary Nichol This nomination is made for the outstanding successes over more than three decades of recognizing sport accomplishments, of bringing sport groups together and in advancing the opportunities for sport in Burlington. Mary exemplifies this criteria as she “makes sport grow stronger” through her leadership as a Board of Director of the Burlington Gymnastics Club (BGC) and the President/Past President of the Burlington Sport Alliance (BSA), both volunteer positions, having served since 1979 and for BSA board since it started in 2001.

Bob Vandenberg has helped the the BTTB raise thousands of dollars to put towards their five year rings. He has assisted the Magic Moment Concert, the Burlington Beerfest and the Burlington Bandits in providing food items for their attendees. Bob started as a volunteer with the Band about 10 years ago. He is currently still an active volunteer with them, as well as the Bandits and Beerfest.

Unfortunately we do not have pictures of all the nominees.

Mayor to speak about intensification: One hopes there will be vigorous debate and a fulsome exchange of views – both are needed.

By Pepper Parr

April 22, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Later this month we will see, for the first time, a policy initiative that the Mayor has put his mark on.

During Rick Golding’s first term, much of the thinking was done during his election campaign. He produced a number of excellent position papers that we will review once we hear what the Mayor has to say on intensification.

Mayor Goldring has realized that his constituents, to a significant degree, do not fully understand what is meant by intensification and how Burlington is going to face that challenge – and for Burlington this is a challenge.

There are parts of the city where any form of intensification is not going to get past the first sentence. The backlash in some communities will be so strong that the Mayor, and every member of this Council, will quickly move on to a subject that leaves smiles on the faces of the voters.

Ontario is changing and Burlington is going to have to change with it – it will not be an easy transition and the Mayor has decided this is a subject he can show some leadership.

During his first term of office Mayor Goldring sponsored a series of talks on subjects that he felt were important to the city. He brought in some excellent speakers, including Andre Picard one of the foremost thinkers in the country on health related policies. Goldring brought in Ken Greenberg, a noted planner who works out of Toronto for the most part and has been instrumental in changing some of the thinking on how municipalities relate to developers and how the two can work together.

This time the Mayor is going to make the presentation – it will be his show. He will pull together the content and decide how he wants to present the data he will have collected.

He will, we assume, explain the policy guidelines within which the city has to work and what he feels are some of the directions the city can take as it works to meet the population increases the province has imposed on the city.

“Intensification is an issue that has captured the interest of many Burlington residents” said the Mayor on his web site. “People want to know why our community is seeing more buildings, particularly in the form of mid-rise and high-rise structures. Hear about the federal and provincial policies that are driving intensification and how Halton and Burlington are managing these pressures. Learn where we are growing, as well as innovative ideas we are investigating.”

The event is titled: Building Burlington: Where to build in a city that is built out. Problem with the title is that the city is not built out. There are hundreds of acres of land left for residential properties and more than we need in the way of employment lands.

The free event is “sold out” ; with the room full the Mayor will be speaking to an audience that wants to hear what he has to say. One hopes there will be vigorous debate and a fulsome exchange of views – both are needed.

Public gets first look at the design for Beachway Park: it is almost five character parks strung together

By Pepper Parr

April 8, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It was a meeting with a number of agendas – the people whose homes were going to be replaced by parkland at some point in the future wanted to make their agenda the prime one but the event was to give citizens a chance to see what the first cut of a design for the Beachway park would look like – they got more than their money’s worth.

Another agenda was for the Regional Staff in attendance to assure everyone that there were no plans to expropriate anyone’s property – but during the presentation the phrase “priority properties” was used a number of times.

Citizens get their first look at the design of the Beachway Park – there won’t be much built until the hospital construction is complete but when done the park will consist of five character areas that respect the environment and allow for all kinds of activities. The dark blue area will be the major swimming location.

The Mayor was on hand – he didn’t speak – stood silently at the back of the room but got vocal when the Cogeco news camera was turned on.

Anne McIlroy and her team which included planners from the city created the design. McIlroy has done a lot of work for both the city and the Region in the past.

Council members representing the eastern side of the city didn’t make an appearance – the park land is Regional property and but how the park development is going to be paid for has yet to be worked out. Anne McIlroy, the outside consultant told the audience that the team has only just begun to get into what it will cost to develop the park.

Some staff members were assuring people that nothing was going to happen overnight – that this was a 40 to 50 year project. During the presentation McIlroy left the distinct impression that it was possible to do parts of the park in the near future.

The different agendas clashed at times but setting the politics of all this aside – and they do smell – the design that was shown to the public last night is exceptionally good.

It is sensitive to the environment within which it is going to be developed and it allows for a number of different uses of the space.

It is almost five different parks strung together. The west end of Spencer Smith Park is the beginning of the Beachway. This section is directly opposite the Joseph Brant Hospital and the Joseph Brant Museum. Lakeshore Road, which will lead to the Beachway Park, is to be widened and raised and become a three lane road with a bicycle lane as well.

The Living Shoreline section of the Beachway Park will begin where Spencer Smith Park ends. It will include a gas powered fire pit; a native interpretation centre and a shore line boardwalk.

On the lakeside of the road the park area will be called the Living Shoreline. This portion of the park will have shelters, a gas fed fire pit that will be used for special occasions. There will be a native interpretation centre and a shoreline boardwalk.

The trail that is built upon the old railway bed will remain much the same in this part of the Beachway Park.
This Living Shoreline will tie into parts of the western end of Spencer Smith – almost reach back to the compass in Spencer Smith.

The hospital parking garage and the hospital itself will be on the other side of the road. The Living Shoreline will stretch west to the Ministry of Transportation property.

Each of the Beachway Park sections will transition into each other with Beacons – which weren’t all that clearly explained – to demark the different parts of the larger park.

The Strand section of the Beachway Park will be the major swimming area and will include the pavilion, rest rooms. rental area.

The next section – working west – will be called The Strand. This section will have a very active beach – it is to be the major swimming area. The Pavilion will be in this section – one hopes that Pavilion is given a major upgrade. The Pump House – referred to as the “rental” place will be in this section. The Catamaran Club will be in this section as well.

There will be parking in this area – what was pretty clear from the drawings was that parking is not going to dominate. Mention was made of shuttle buses that would be used. If the assumption is that the hospital parking lot can handle the weekend traffic – that needs to be re-thought.

The Wind Beach section of the Beachway Park will reach to the canal and include significant improvements to the pier area.

On the west of the Strand is what will be called The Wind Beach. It will end at the Canal which the park designers hope to turn into a much more inviting location with a better interface with the lift bridge.
The intention is to tie the Burlington Beachway Park to the Hamilton side and ideally see more bike traffic between the two cities.

At the very end of Lakeshore, where Lakeshore Court is located – a couple of yards from the Burlington start of the Waterfront Trail the Commons will exist. This part of the park will be more sports orientated. There will be volley ball courts, a storm water pond, a bacchii ball location, shade areas, and outdoor pavilions that can be used for market and art sales.

By the time the meeting started there wasn’t an empty seat in the room with dozens of people standing.

The Skyway federal pier area will have Eastport Road cutting through it which creates some design challenges.
What wasn’t at all clear during the presentation was how parking would be handled. Many argued that the 27 private homes in the Beachway should not be torn down to create parking spaces. The drawings that were shown last night did not seem to have acres of parking.

The Beachway Park is a Regional initiative that will be run by the city of Burlington. Anne McIlroy on the left talks with Stirling Todd, Senior Regional Planner on the right.

What the public saw Tuesday evening at the Art Gallery was a decent first look – the questions for the most part were related to how the city was going to create a park on land they didn’t own.
That question is a Regional political issue and Burlington lost its chance to have an impact in 2013.

As parks go – what Anne McIlroy and her team put together is quality work – if they ever get to build it will be a well-used part of the city.

Public to get first look at city plan for Beachway park - will there be any homes on the plans?

By Pepper Parr

April 6, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It will not be a quiet meeting.

City planners will be showing the public what they think a Beachway Park should look like on Tuesday evening at the Art Gallery of Burlington – 6:30 pm

The showing of the plans that will make the Beachway much more of a park than it is now is the result of a decision to create a park and buy up the 25+ homes in the community on a willing seller – willing buyer basis.

A Regional Comprehensive Report identified two cluasters of homes in the Beachway PArk - somwe want everyone of them bull-dozed into the ground and make available for parking spaces.

A Regional Comprehensive Report identified two clusters of homes in the Beachway Park – some want everyone of them bull-dozed into the ground and make available for parking spaces.

The problem with that approach is that there is just the one buyer and many sellers that are not in the least willing. Most of those who own property in the Beachway don’t want to sell – they see the location as a great place to live and would like to see additional housing built on the lots that are currently vacant.

There are several owners that hold property and have been described as speculators by the ward council member.

Burlington has some remarkably talented landscape planners who are sensitive to geography and the needs of a public. They are well trained and good at what they do. The City View Park on Dundas at Kerns Road is the most recent example of very good work.

What landscape planners can’t deal with is the politics of the development of a park – but the planners have been dumped right into one of the hottest political issues in the city.

Sold to the Region for well in excess of $600,000 – with the right to rent for two years. One of the owners was a Regional employee – no pressure though.

While the Region and its agents quietly work away on the existing owners – dangling tempting offers in front of them: the most recent sale was for a handsome price and the opportunity to rent for two years, the city planners have to figure out how to create a park with those 25 homes.

The Region recently sent a “package” to each of the homeowners and followed up with phone calls to make appointments to talk about a homeowners “options”.

One of the couple that owned a house recently sold was a Regional employee – you can imagine how those conversations went.

Will the homes be there forever? Probably not.

This is the location of the 30 homes the Regional government would like to at some point buy and demolish and turn into a park. They have a fight on their hands even though the Region won the first round.

How does a landscape planner create a park without knowing how many of the 30 homes are going to be in place. Many of the homeowners do not want to sell to anyone. Regional government has planned individual meetings with all the property owners.

How then does a landscape planner design around the homes and respect the privacy of the homeowners? And what does the plan that has no homes on it look like – because there has to be such a plan in a file somewhere?

The land that is not privately owned is owned by the Region and managed by the city. When the Region met in 2013 they decided they would not expropriate but would buy up homes when they became available.

That has now changed and the Region has an active campaign of calling on people to have a discussion.

There are those at city hall who want the Region to offer much higher prices if necessary to get possession of the homes or expropriate them.

The people in the Beachway also want to protect and maintain the value of their property. Their justified fear is that they will get out manouvered by the Region who will buy up the homes one at a time and then expropriate the last few.

An attractive.ell maintained home in the Beachway - the owner struggles to ensure that it will be xxx

An attractive.ell maintained home in the Beachway – what will raising the road as much as a metre do to this property?

While hanging in and resisting the offers the residents stand to hang together and lose much of the value of their homes. There are few individuals who will buy a home in that community now – there isn’t a bank or a private mortgage lender who will give a mortgage.

Every other part of Burlington is experiencing property value increases of 5% to 6% annually. Anyone in the Beachway who might have to renew a mortgage is in a very tight spot.

There is a level of unfairness taking place – people are being exploited by their government. The residents aren’t getting much in the way of sympathy from city council and next to nothing from there council member.

This experience is stressing relationships within homes; much anguish and many tears in a number of kitchens in Beachway households.

Much the same happened when the railway line was abandoned and the leased land that homes were built on were ended and all of the houses on the lakeside of the railway tracks were torn down.

There was a time when there were several hundreds homes on the lakeside of a railway line that ran along the edge of the lake. That community was bulldozed – the cottage shown was torn down in 1994.

Change does take place – communities evolve – sometimes peacefully and to the benefit of everyone. That does not appear to be happening this time.

During a recent transit meeting at the Library ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven was approached by a resident who wanted to give him a piece of his mind on the Beachway situation. You are not properly informed said the Council member. Were one to sift through the Councillors Newsletters it is difficult to find a detailed explanation as to just what is happening and how he is supporting his residents who are having their lives turned upside – down.

While the residents of the Beachway wait to see what the city has planned the city engineering department released its plans for a rebuild of Lakeshore Road from the intersection of Maple Avenue and the North Service Road to Lakeshore Road Court.

The road, which is in terrible shape, due in no small measure to the construction of a vastly upgraded water sewage treatment plant, also suffers from serious flooding from time to time.

The first step to re-developing the Beachway community has been released to the public – Lakeshore Road will be rebuilt from the Maple Avenue, North Service Road intersection to its termination at Lakeshore Court in the west next to the canal.

The road will be raised as much as a metre in many places; especially around the part that passes in front of the Joseph Brant Museum and what will be the front of the new hospital that is expected to be ready for the public sometime in 2018.

The reconstruction will be partial – in that it will not go beyond the sewage treatment plant until there is clarification as to just what is going to happen to the houses that are at the western end of Lakeshore Road.

The Tuesday meeting will be the first step in getting that clarification – unless of course the decision has already been made.

Premier meets with Mayors - Mayor Goldring has yet to tell us what happened at the

News 100 red By Pepper Parr

March 25, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Premier of the province, Kathleen Wynne met with the Mayors and Chairs for what her office called the first provincially convened GTHA Mayors’ Summit”

You may recall the difficulty Premier Wynne had in getting a meeting with the Prime Minister, after more than a year she finally got to meet with the Prime Minister who was in Toronto to watch the Canada – Russia world junior hockey tournament – the two held a tête-à-tête before the game.

Mayor Goldring meeting with then Minister of Transportation Kathleen Wynne. Karmel Sakran was the Burlington Liberal candidate at the time.

The municipal sector is much more interested in talking to the Premier about transit and infrastructure than the Prime Minister was.
“Today” said the Premier in a statement released by her office, “I met with Mayors and Chairs from municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for the first-ever GTHA Mayors’ Summit hosted by Ontario.

“Our province is built on the strength of its communities, so strengthening the GTHA is integral to building a stronger Ontario. But we need to work together. Leaders across the region have shown a commitment to greater collaboration with the province and with one another, to address shared challenges and capitalize on shared opportunities.”

“Ontario’s partnership with municipalities has been crucial to initiatives like expanding regional transit through Metrolinx, planning for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and developing the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.”

Did the Mayor manage to mention our first responder salary problems to the Premier while she was in town last Saturday?

Mayor Golding meeting with Premier Wynne during a Rib Fest event.

“Together, we have agreed to focus on three key issues: solving gridlock and improving transit; planning for growth and infrastructure; and promoting economic growth across the region. These issues are all interconnected. Improving transit helps drive productivity and economic growth, while improving everyday life for people across all parts of the GTHA.

“Addressing these issues requires a collaborative, cross-government, holistic approach. That’s why Ontario and Mayors and Chairs across the GTHA have committed to meet regularly to continue our progress in these areas. Ministers will continue to join us at the table and participate in any discussions that pertain to their portfolios.

“I believe that a new era of deeper co-operation is unfolding across the GTHA and that subsequent meetings will provide opportunities to build our partnership and reinforce its importance. I look forward to working together with municipalities to deliver concrete results for the people of this region.

“Our government is committed to building opportunity and security across every community in Ontario. Our success as a province depends on one another.”

All good stuff.

Premier Wynne is respectful, direct and listens carefully to people - but she doesn`t have the almost intimate one on one touch that McMahon works from.

Premier Wynne campaigning with candidate Eleanor McMahon at Martha’s Landing.

Premier Wynne has a bit if a soft spot for Burlington. She personally recruited Eleanor McMahon to be the Liberal candidate in the last election and was in town on several occasions campaigning with her.

She and the Mayor appear to have a reasonable relationship – but we have no idea what the Mayor has to say about the meeting – we assume he attended – because his office has not made any statement, there is nothing in the Mayor’s blog.

Calls from the Gazette to the Mayor’s office have not been returned for the past few months. Apparently we said something the Mayor didn’t like and rather than meet and talk through his concerns the Mayor has decided to behave like a petulant little boy.

It wasn’t always this way of course – but things do change.

James Ridge brings sunshine to the city - will warm weather and good cheer follow and will it seep into city hall?

News 100 red By Pepper Parr

March 23, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

James Ridge may have arrived at city hall at least an hour before most staff people show up for work. A large part of his background was in the armed forces – military police – and those guys show up early.

Ridge will work on the sixth floor where the one General Manger we have on staff works. In the past City managers have worked on the eighth floor just across the hall from the Mayor’s office. Jeff Fielding, the most recent full time city manager we had, started out on the eight floor but moved to the sixth floor to be, as he put, “in the trenches with the troops”.

Ridge is starting on the six floor – he will want to be close to the team he is going to have to build.

Newly minted city manager James Ridge takes the helm on a nice sunny day. Maybe he brought the weather with him from Vancouver.

James Ridge comes to Burlington from Vancouver where the hockey team was not an ongoing embarrassment that has announced it will need the next five years to build a team that at least has prospects.

Ridge doesn’t have five years to build his team – and right now he really doesn’t have the bench strength he is going to need to get a team together that can take Burlington to where it can go – all we need is a vision, leadership and above average administration – people who can execute on the plan they are given.

The corporate structure might undergo a change in the hands of James Ridge – but at this point in time we have a single General manager and eight Directors and two Executive Directors
Of the directors:

Mike Spicer – Director of Transit
Cathy Robertson – Director Roads and Parks Maintenance
Nancy Shea Nicol – Director of Legal Services and city solicitor.

Joan Ford – Director of Finance
Bruce Zvaniga – Director of Transportation
Chris Glenn – Director Parks and Recreation
Sheila Jones – City Auditor
Christine Swenor – Director of Information |Technology Services
Bruce Krushelnicki – Director Planning and Building – his retirement has been announced.
Alan Magi – Capital Works and Roy Male Human Resources, serve as Executive Directors.

The consensus seems to be that none of the Director level staff are ready for promotion to general manager – which means Ridge will have to look outside the corporation for the talent he needs.

His first task is going to be to interview all the senior staff as well as the members of council and get a sense of what he has to work with and what they key issues are.

Fortunately – there is enough money in the bank to pay the bills and Ridge will have a Director or Finance who will keep him up to date on how the spending and tax collection is doing.

Expect Ridge to be slightly stunned when he realizes just how many Master Plans there are floating around out there and how far behind the city is with the upkeep of its infrastructure.

Will he become part of the conspiracy to hoodwink the tax payers when the special tax levy put in place to raise the $60 million the province said we had to come up with to pay for the hospital re-build continues to be collected after the $60 million has been raised?

An architects rendering of the new entrance to the Joseph Brant Hospital whch will now face the lake. The entrance will be off LAkeshore Road with the new parking lot just to the west of the hospital.

The special tax levy to pay for the re-development of the hospital will end once we have raised the $60 million. Will the new city manager insist that the public have some say as to whether or not the levy stays in place and gets used for infrastructure repairs?

The financed people have already earmarked those dollars for infrastructure work that we are millions of dollars behind on.

Or will James Ridge prove to be the kind of civic administrator who demands that the public be informed and involved in critical decisions. Only time will tell.

One of the more pressing issues is going to be the Air Park and the problem with getting them to submit a site plan for work that has already been done – or face some serious consequences.

Ian Blue, the lawyer the city hired to fight the two court cases over whether the city had the right to require the Air ark to submit a site plan – Blue won in both instances – is back on the payroll which means something is in the works.

The Air Park and its failure to deliver a site plan to the city is a major issue – it will be interesting to see if city manager James Ridge gets along with Ian Blue, the lawyer who won two court cases for the city, as well as former city manager Jeff Fielding did.

The Air Park is reported to have hired a new lawyer. Having a good lawyer is always useful – having a good case would be better.

A city manager sets the tone for the administration of a city. His corporate values are the driving force.

Jeff Fielding goosed the enthusiasm at city hall to levels it had not seen in some time. Staff were excited; great things were going to get done – and some good things were done.

Some staff were not all that keen on the Fielding approach and his sudden departure hurt a number of staff. It also brought to the surface a number of problems that could come back to take a bite out of the city.

City manager Jeff Fielding doesn't win every time. Joe Lamb, negotiating for the Seniors' Centre basically took Fielding to the cleaners with the deal he talked the city into.

Joe Lamb, on the left, did the negotiating for the Seniors’ Centre and basically took then city manager Jeff Fielding to the cleaners with the deal he talked the city into. Will James Ridge get pulled into the same trap?

The Seniors at the Seniors’ Centre are hoping that Ridge will be as generous as Fielding was – he gave them more than the proverbial kitchen sink.

James Ridge has walked into a city where people at city hall are not that keen on getting excited again. He has some sales work to do. Let’s see what he gets done in the next month.

Fielding wanted his senior people out on the street once a month for part of a day meeting people, telling the city’s story and listening. That idea apparently didn’t go down all that well with senior staff.

What will Ridge do to show the direction he will take and what kind of an administrator he is?

Certainly not the best photo op he’s done – Mayor Goldring’s selfie – the one he sent the day he took the bus to work.

Perhaps he will take the bus to work – if he happens to live in the same part of town as the Mayor they can sit beside each other and take selfies of themselves.

Greenbelt land use planning review: critical moment in how the province protects the environment and limits development - giving the public a stronger voice at the same time.

By Pepper Parr

March 18, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part 1 of a 2 part feature.

It was a gathering of the true believers – they met at McMaster University’s DeGroote campus in Burlington to listen to environmental advocate lawyer David Donnelly, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Suzuki guy and female planner who focused on what they see as a threat to Ontario’s Greenbelt.

It was defined as an occasion to celebrate and a time to hunker down and make sure that the gains made are not taken away as the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) holds a series of Town Hall meetings across the province.

It is a delight to listen to Oakville Mayor Rob Burton talk about how that town managed to “green” its Council and to listen to David Donnelly proselytize about the environment.

Vanessa Warren, founder of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition, ran as a candidate in the last Burlington municipal election.

Vanessa Warren, founder of the Burlington based Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition (RBGC) bounced about the room introducing people and keeping things going.

Warren first crossed Burton’s path when she was delegating to Halton Regional Council on the Burlington Air Park problems. At that time Burton explained to Warren that she had more clout with the Air Park issue than Regional Council.

Several months later, Warren was sued for libelling the Air Park ownership and hired David Donnelly to defend her. Full disclosure: The Gazette is a party to the libel law suit – but we are not being defended by Donnelly. The evening was almost a family get together.

The purpose of the meeting was to get the community ready for the provincial Town Hall meetings that are looking at the way the province and its municipalities do land use planning.

The Smart Growth for Communities Act – Bill 73 is the focus point – does the bill give the environmentalists what they are looking for and can the developers live with it.

Rob Burton, in a style that is all his own explained how to make a city council green.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton

“Back in 2006” said Burton, “we thought if we could elect one green councillor we were on our way to saving the planet. They elected Allan Elgar.
About 18 months into his term of office Allan said to his green cohorts – one man isn’t enough. Come the 2010 election they got three greens on the Oakville city council.

Eighteen months into that mandate the group came to the realization that three wouldn’t do it – so in the 2014 term they elected seven greens.
Rob Burton feels he is on his way and is ready to plunge into the MMAH Town Hall meetings.

Burton explained what Oakville and to some degree the Region has done to protect its environment. What he didn’t tell the audience was how Oakville pressured the provincial government to keep a gas plant out of the municipality – the fallout from the way that was done cost former Premier Dalton McGuinty the government he had then and continues to plague current Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Burton, talking to an attentive crowd – 125 people with more than half from outside the Region, said that while there is a provincial policy and a Regional policy” we in Oakville have carved out Natural Heritage sites (NHS) that fit in with and compliment the Regional and provincial policies.
Councillors Taylor and Meed Ward were on hand from Burlington.

Halton Region Natural Heritage System (NHS) covers 48,000 hectares in the greenbelt, farmlands and urban areas
The Halton NHS goes beyond provincial designations by adding new key features for permanent protection of significant woodlands; they have created buffers and linkage corridors to connect the key natural heritage features.

There are development corporations that would love to put residential housing on the Escarpment – not on say the environmentalists.

Burlington is currently working on a vision for Mt Nemo plateau and undertaking a Heritage Conservation District Study. Nemo 7G/PERL formed a seven-generation, (150 years) vision for the plateau. Mt. Nemo has been identified as one of the best examples of high diversity and functioning ecosystems in the GTA-Hamilton area.

From October 2013 to January 2014, the government undertook province-wide consultations on the land use planning and appeal system, and development charges system to ensure both systems are predictable, transparent, cost effective and responsive to the changing needs of our communities. The government is responding to comments received through the consultations and has announced proposed legislative amendments to the Development Charges Act, 1997 and the Planning Act.

If passed, Bill 73 – the proposed Smart Growth for Our Communities Act would give residents more say in how their communities grow, set out clearer rules for land use planning, give municipalities more independence to make local decisions and make it easier to resolve disputes.

For example, residents would be better involved at the beginning of the planning process and have a say in the future of their communities. Municipalities would need to set out in their official plans how and when the public would be consulted, and would also need to explain how public input affected their planning decisions.

The bill would also: give municipalities more opportunities to fund growth-related infrastructure, like transit; make the development charges, section 37 density bonusing and parkland dedication systems more predictable, transparent and accountable; and support higher density development to create jobs and grow the economy.

The province will be setting up working groups of stakeholders to review further more complex development charges issues, and to take a considered look at some land use planning elements, and propose solutions.

Both Burton and Donnelly point to significant successes and believe the tide is turning and the tipping point is at hand.

This little guy was a significant part of the end of quarrying in rural Burlington.

They point to the October 11, 2012: Joint Board decision that dismissed Nelson Aggregate Co.’s applications for a proposed 26 M tonne quarry on 82 ha site. That decision focused on impacts to Jefferson Salamander and its habitat in the context of the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP)

In September 17, 2014 the Niagara Escarpment Commission (“NEC”) voted in favour of an outright ban on new quarries in the NEP; that vote went 7 Commissioners in favour, 5 Commissioners against

The 2015 Greenbelt Plan Review is something environmentalists have been waiting for – the Town Hall meetings are just one part of the process. Many people take considerable comfort from the appointment of former Toronto Mayor David Crombie being appointed chair.

This process is something to be watched.

Part 2 of a 2 part feature.

Gillies thinks civic recognition of John Waldie embarrassing and pathetic, suggests naming something significant after the 'Father of Burlington'

Who Knew 100x100 2015 By Mark Gillies

March 13, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

John Waldie was an incredible man; a son of Burlington, who from humble origins rose to fame and fortune. He was a great philanthropist, and a man who was proud to call Burlington his home.

In 1906 in St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Victoria Harbour, this portrait of John Waldie was taken to honour the man that built the church. St Paul’s opened that same year. In 1907 John Waldie died of heart failure and was buried at historic Greenwood Cemetery in Burlington.

John Waldie made a huge impact on the small community of Victoria Harbour with the establishment of the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company. Today, the Waldie sawmills are gone, the lumber business is no more, but many of the local buildings that John Waldie built, are still in use today.

These landmarks, including St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, the General Store and the Library have been officially recognized as historical, and are an integral part of Victoria Harbour’s exciting past life as one of Canada’s largest lumber producing communities.

The Village of Victoria Harbour has recognized 22 buildings as having historical significance. Half of this total are buildings built by John Waldie and the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company including St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, the General Store and the Library, all three donated to the community by the philanthropist John Waldie and the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company.

“The Legacy of John Waldie and Sons”, is the history of the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company, and the Waldie family. Written by Kenneth A. Armson and Marjorie McLeod it does both the man and his work justice. Might not be available in local bookstores but it can be purchased on line at |Amazon.

You won’t find this book on the best seller’s list, but “The Legacy of John Waldie and Sons” is a very interesting read. You will learn so much more about this incredible man and his family.

Out west in Castlegar, British Columbia, the Waldie sawmills are also gone, having closed in 1961. But, the residents of Castlegar still remember the Waldie legacy. Today, Waldie Island on the Columbia River has been turned into a nature park with hiking trails. A bird sanctuary, has been set up for the revival of the blue heron on the Waldie Island Heron Reserve. The idea is to reclaim the historical heritage of this part of the Columbia River.
The Waldie family has left a huge economic legacy in Canada, and the little communities of Victoria Harbour and Castlegar have done their part and remembered the Waldie family and their enormous contributions to these two communities.

Pic: Waldie Island The citizens of Castlegar, British Columbia, to honour the Waldie family were pro-active and developed Waldie Island located in the middle of the Columbia River into a beautiful wilderness location complete with hiking trails and a bird sanctuary.

Burlington, as we all know, has been reported to be one of the best places to live in Canada, and this community has also remembered and recognized the Waldie legacy, but not quite in the same manner as Victoria Harbour and Castlegar.

Dan Chalykoff is a professional heritage consultant, with outstanding credentials, retained by the City of Burlington to assess the city’s historical properties. His recommendations were pretty much ignored by the volunteer committee Heritage Burlington.

The Waldie home at 3265 Mayfair Place, known as “Erin” was added to the Heritage Registry several years ago. The historic home was built around 1845 by Henry Sovereign, an original United Empire Loyalist descendent. His father John bought the land from Christiana Hill, a daughter of Joseph Brant in 1812.

Recently, a heritage report was commissioned by the City of Burlington with Mr. Dan R. Chalykoff, a professional heritage consultant with outstanding credentials, to create an Interim Evaluation which was made available in January 2013.

Mr. Chalykoff stated in his report that the home (3265 Mayfair Place) remain on the register for possessing cultural value and interest under all three of the main criteria listed in Ontario Regulation 9/06 from the Heritage Act. His detailed report also stated, “without this property all built vestiges of Burlington’s settlement era in this neighbourhood will be extinct”.

On the right is 3265 Mayfair Place, or “Erin” as it looks today. This beautiful residence has undergone several changes over the years since it was originally built around 1845, but it is still historical and is a very important part of Burlington’s heritage. The home on the left is “Sovereign House” in Bronte. Now owned by the Bronte Historical Society, this historic home was built over several years from about 1825 until around 1846 and today operates as a heritage museum. The two homes are strikingly similar in design. David Sovereign built the “Sovereign House” residence, while Henry Sovereign from the same family built “Erin”.

In May 2013, James M. Clemens, Chairman of Heritage Burlington, which is a committee of volunteer citizens that report to the City of Burlington, overturned Mr. Chalykoff’s professional opinion and recommended that “Erin” be removed from the Heritage Registry. With vague non-proven references to the house, Clemens goes on record and states, “the present dwelling has perhaps been incorrectly dated to 1845”, and that parts of the house do not line up to the stone rubble basement, and “it may be that the original dwelling over the rubble basement was razed”, and parts of the house appear to be late Victorian and part Edwardian.

These were the main non-professional reasons given for the reversal of keeping this historic 170 year old residence on the Heritage Registry. Mr. Clemens and his committee have apparently ignored the fact that it was not uncommon for residents of that time to alter their dwelling over several years, something that does not usually affect the heritage and historical value of a residence.

I share the views of Chalykoff that there is an incredible amount of historical significance to this famous 170 year old residence called “Erin”, despite it being cosmetically updated. In my opinion, Heritage Burlington under the guidance of Chairman James Clemens have made a very serious error. This is unacceptable.

James Clemens was Chairman with the same Heritage Burlington committee that recommended 504 Burlington Avenue be removed from the Heritage Registry for lack of historical significance. May I remind Mr. Clemens that 504 Burlington Avenue was the Lorimer residence for 50 years. It was built by renowned custom home builder George Blair, whose other homes in the core area have been recognized as historically significant, and I might add with much less historical relevance than that of the Lorimer residence.

One of Burlington’s greatest historical magnetic personalities of the early 20th century was the owner Harry Lorimer, who was the station master at the historic Freeman Station when it opened in 1906, and he was also the station master for the previous Freeman Station, before it burned to the ground in 1904.

Harry Lorimer changed careers and went into the retail business and purchased Allen’s Hardware Store, at the corner of Brant & Pine Streets, from James S Allen, a former Mayor of Burlington, and turned it into a retail legacy providing local market gardeners and homeowners with everything they needed.

The Colton & Lorimer Hardware store was the leading retail catalyst for Burlington moving quickly into the 20th century as it began to transition itself from an agricultural town to a suburban community. Yes, Mr. Clemens, there is great historical significance to the residence at 504 Burlington Avenue. It was the home of an outstanding citizen of Burlington. You sir, and Heritage Burlington have made another serious error. This is unacceptable.

Harry Lorimer & 504 Burlington Avenue p4

Harry Lorimer is another outstanding citizen of Burlington from the early 20th century whose great contributions to Burlington’s development have gone unnoticed and unrecognized. Heritage Burlington has removed the Lorimer residence at 504 Burlington Avenue from the Heritage Registry. From their ignorant point of view there was a lack of historical significance.

These are just two glaring examples of incredibly bad judgment by this committee. Heritage Burlington under the questionable leadership of James Clemens have recommended to City Council the removal of many more historical properties from the Heritage Registry designation. In my opinion, Heritage Burlington appears to be more counter- productive than anything else. They are failing miserably to recognize and preserve our most valuable historical properties. This is unacceptable. Is this how Heritage Burlington is going to recognize John Waldie and the Waldie family’s contribution to Burlington?

James Clemens is the Chairman of Heritage Burlington. With Mr. Clemens is Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who also sits on the Heritage Burlington committee and represents the City of Burlington. Heritage Burlington has been systematically recommending removal of some of Burlington’s most historical properties from the Heritage Registry.

On the second floor of the Burlington Central Library you will see for yourself what the City of Burlington has done to recognize one of its greatest philanthropic citizens. There is a small sign hanging overhead, “John Waldie Study Hall”. On the wall to the left of the door is a framed portrait of John Waldie. This is the same 1906 photograph from St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Victoria Harbour. Do the words pathetic or embarrassing come to mind?

Not to be outdone by Heritage Burlington, here’s how the City of Burlington has recognized John Waldie, Canadian philanthropist, the “Father of Burlington”, and the “Father of the Burlington Library”. Need I say more.

Here are a few of my suggestions in my order of importance to better recognize John Waldie as one of Burlington’s greatest citizens.

1.) The Burlington Central Library is a very boring and uninspiring name. We can do better. My suggestion is to rename it “The John Waldie Memorial Library”.
2.) Erect a bronze statue at City Hall and locate it on the City Hall grounds in an appropriate open space complete with a small engraved biography of the man.
3.) Name the City Hall property “John Waldie Square” with the sub-heading,
“Father of Burlington”. Add a plaque to a prominent position on the grounds of City Hall.
4.) Add John Waldie’s portrait complete with a description to the lobby of City Hall, local fire and police stations, schools, and any other local public buildings.
5.) John Waldie was involved in shipping, owning several lake freighters, that operated from the three wharves at the foot of Brant Street. Consider naming the new pier after John Waldie.
6.) Rename Mayfair Place where the Waldie home now stands. Call it John Waldie Place or something similar.
7.) Name a park after John Waldie. How about Central Park? That’s not a great name.

Five flicks to be screened by BurlingtonGreen this year - first on March 25th - worth your time.

By Staff

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

While a larger community is gearing up for the review of the provinces ecologically parts of our environment BurlingtonGreen has announced its 2015 line up of award winning films for their 2015 Eco-film Festival which will start later this month – on March 25th.

The screenings will be at the Burlington Central Library (2331 New Street), followed by take action initiatives, guest speakers, and audience discussion on how individual and collective action can help the planet locally.

Doors open at 6:30pm with the film beginning at 7:00pm – $5.00 donations are welcome upon arrival to support event costs.

The eco-film festival line up includes:

Watermark (March 25th) An extraordinary awarding winning documentary by Canadian filmmakers that examines our relationship with water and how it shapes humanity.

Surviving Progress (April 29th) Martin Scorsese’s provocative documentary that delves into concepts of progress focusing on technological advancement, economic development, and population increase in the modern world.

Chasing Ice (June 3rd) An Academy Award winning film that details the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet.

Dirt! (September 23rd) An astonishing look at the glorious and unappreciated ground beneath our feet.

Journey of the Universe (November 4th) An epic story of cosmic, earth and human transformation from the Big Bang to today.

Complimentary refreshments will be available along with free eco-prize raffle draws at each event. BurlingtonGreen aims to host green events and asks that all guests walk, cycle, carpool or use public transit whenever possible, and bring their own mug for refreshments.

BurlingtonGreen is very grateful to local Burlington company O. C. Tanner for their continued support of the Eco-Film Festival. Event refreshments provided courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Together they make a difference when we think global and act local

For those who may be new to Burlington and haven’t heard about BurlingtonGreen it was established in 2007. It is a citizen-led, not-for-profit environmental agency. Their mission is to protect the diversity of nature and to create a healthier environment, now and for the future. Through awareness, advocacy, and action they collaborate with all sectors of the community to protect the natural environment and to make Burlington a cleaner, greener, more environmentally responsible city.

The way Ontario is built and developed is about to change: Better consultation with residents early in the development process are welcomed.

opinionandcomment By James Smith

March 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Sometimes, little noticed somewhat boring announcements by government are the ones that pack the biggest punch. Yesterday’s announcement by Minister Ted McMeekin that Ontario intends change to how we’ll plan, build, and pay for developing cities in Ontario is one such announcement.

The way Ontario is built and developed is about to change; I think this will be a very welcome. First let me declare my bias, I’m a Founding Member of BFast (Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit), and as a design consultant I often work on projects for both public and private developers. I feel the changes announced by Minister McMeekin yesterday may mean modestly more work for me and my clients.

If these changes live up to the billing, changes to Smart Growth, land use planning and development charges have the potential to be a seismic shift on how cities are built for years to come and this affects us all. The coming changes will radically impact how we go about urban growth in Ontario on a scale as large as the introduction, ten years ago, of The Green Belt. If the legislation lives up to the press release, the Province will put teeth into its Smart Growth policy and Municipalities will need to pull their weight.

So far Smart Growth is a policy many municipalities, including Burlington, give just lip service. Professional planners and drafters of Official Plans write elegant documents, but City and Town Councils frequently ignore their more lofty goals. With this legislation Minister McMeekin is saying Municipalities will be held to account, and will need to live up to the Goals of Smart Growth. Long overdue.

So far Smart Growth is a policy many municipalities, including Burlington, give just lip service. This change is about the kind of building projects we’ll see built in Ontario and how we will pay for the stuff we build. I suspect that members of Burlington and other City councils who subscribe to the failed dogma of Libertarianism won’t like this legislation one bit. To them I say: “suck it up princess, the free ride is over”. Specifically these Planning Act Changes propose to:

• Ensure residents are better consulted at the beginning of the planning process for new developments.
• Encourage residents to provide feedback on the future of their communities.
• Help municipalities resolve potential planning disputes earlier, reducing involvement of the Ontario Municipal Board in local disputes.
• Extend the review of new municipal official plans to 10 years, instead of the current five-year cycle
• Providing municipalities with more control and stability over their planning documents. Once a municipality establishes a new official plan, it would be frozen and therefore not subject to new appeals for two years unless changes are initiated by the municipality. A community planning permit system once established by a municipality would not be subject to any appeals of private applications for five years.
• Clearly defining what constitutes a minor variance (a small change from a zoning bylaw).

Better consultation with residents early in the development process and getting their feedback are welcome, long overdue changes. The challenge will be to break down the walls of NIBYism; no small task. For at least seventy years North America has embraced suburban sprawl funded by, more sprawl.

Leigh Gallagher, in her book The End Of The Suburbs outlines how North Americans have the car-centric suburban landscape in their DNA and is our expectation of where we live. Both Gallagher and Smart Growth talk about breaking this unsustainable cycle. The proposed changes to the Act will have to help with this understanding of what Smart Growth means, so residents will need to understand this shift when proposals are brought forward. As, or more importantly, the development industry will have to change their business model too.

Six houses identical to this one were torn down on land that was part of the Veterans Land program – the lots were assembled and the infill shown below built.

Boilerplate infill projects will no longer be acceptable. Projects will more and more have to reflect an individual neighbourhood’s character and residents taste and long-term expectations for their community. Budgets for new projects will therefor need to change as removing the hated OMB from most planning disputes will mean more money being spent on public meetings and Architects’ fees and less time on Lawyers’ fees. In my experience, anytime more thought goes into a design and less time is spent on legal wrangling makes for a better project.

Fifty eight units were built on land that previously had six homes on it. Tough to find a back yard in this infill project.

The ten year cycle for Official Plans has potential positive benefits as it will reduce the time Cities and Towns spend on Official Plans and free up those staff resources. No only is limiting the involvement of the OMB of great news, these changes will mean fewer Municipalities, will do their city planning by Official Plan Amendments. Burlington specifically has for at least 25 years engaged in planning by Official Plan Amendments rather than relying on either the Regional or City’s Official Plan. Councils often are blinded by developments that have actually cost the Municipality money in the long run as the Official Plan Amendments often is at odds with the official plan, these changes will force the Development industry to do better planning, spend more on Designers and less on Lawyers.

Development Charges are set to be changed in the following fashion:

• Help municipalities recover costs for transit services and waste diversion.
• Create clear reporting requirements for capital projects municipalities financed though development charges, as well as section 37 of the Planning Act related to density bonusing and parkland dedication.
• Municipalities would be required to follow reporting requirements that reflect best practices and detail to the community how money from development charges is spent.
• The government would create better reporting requirements for municipalities collecting money under section 37 of the Planning Act related to density bonusing, and related to parkland dedications, which details how the funds are spent.
• Development charges would be payable at the time the first building permit was issued for a building so that developers could be certain of the cost.
• Municipalities would be required to better integrate how development charges fit with long-term planning, including local asset management plans.
• The government will help municipalities identify and share their best practices on using development charges to address local planning and financial objectives.
• There would be more stringent reporting and greater oversight of any funds or municipal charges on new developments that fall outside what is allowed in current legislation

Development Charges can be a useful tool to reflect the real capital costs of any building project on a municipality. Planner Pamela Blais in Perverse Cities clearly outlines that the real cost to the municipal taxpayer of urban sprawl is not presently accounted for in many North American jurisdictions. Development Charges attempt to make a project pay for the real cost of the capital costs a new project represents.

While Transit and Waste diversion were not specifically accounted for in the previous Act they can be funded under more general categories. Specifically calling these items out is a good step. The challenge will be to use Development Charges to limit Greenfield, or make it pay for the burden it puts on a Municipality while simultaneously not acting as a brake on positive and creative infill development.

So there needs to be the ability for Municipalities to bracket Development Charges accordingly.

Province opens up it student summer job program - it's all on-line.

By Staff

February 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The province has announced that youth in Ontario can now apply for summer jobs.

Ontario’s Summer Jobs programs, in place since 2004, has helped almost 1,100,000 students find summer jobs, start businesses and access employment services. Each year, the programs help more than 100,000 students and youth:

• Find a summer job through Employment Ontario or community agencies.
• Get help with résumé writing and preparing for interviews.
• Apply for funding to start their own summer businesses.
• Gain experience working with the Ontario government.

For more information click HERE. for details on year-round programs to help youth under 30 build skills, start a business, or find a job.

Helping young people get work experience is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.

Ontario is offering employers a $2-per-hour hiring incentive to hire summer students.

In the media release the province provides two additional websites with additional information. They seem to be saying the same thing – but do you research and learn as much as you can. There are some very interesting jobs – got get em!

Employment for people under 30

General government employment information

Council committee "miraculously" approves a budget in 3.5 hrs - now it goes to council for the rubber stamp

By Pepper Parr

February 23, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON
The creation of a municipal budget is complex – the work begins almost as soon as the previous budget is approved.

Each department sets out what it expects to need to deliver services.

There is an Executive Budget Committee that massages the numbers that come from the departments.

Joan Ford, Director of Finance – Finally!

A draft is sent to Council members; the finance department takes council through an overview. Staff make sure all the Staff Directions from Council are included in the budget calculations.

Then the budget is taken to the public – this year poor publicity and bad weather did them in – there were a reported seven people in the room for a public review of the budget. There are usually close to 100.

The Capital budget usually gets approved first.

Council members are asked to review the budget and submit “Action Request’ forms which are requests by a Council member for consideration of a request for funding or for a request to have funding that was in the budget to be removed. There were a total of 25 budget action requests.

Councillor Rick Craven, centre, with a copy of the 2013 budget on a memory stick.

Councillor Craven had two; one for $600 to conduct another Jane’s Walk – which is basically a guided tour of the ward. Craven asked for the funds to cover this event as a one-time expenditure. He was given funds previously to conduct such a walk.

Craven also wanted $25,000 added to the base budget, which means the funding would be in place every year until such time as it was removed from the budget. The money was to cover the cost of a single park bench in each ward each year. The expense would be in the Parks and Recreation budget.

Where the debate on this one got interesting was the steps Councillor Meed Ward took to ensure that the decision as to where the park bench got placed was not left in the hands of the ward Councillor. The ongoing bad blood between Meed Ward and Craven was clearly evident – again.

What no one asked was – why does it cost $3000 to install a park bench?

Two years ago several council members got the idea to hold “car free” Sundays in the city during the summer. The first was held in the downtown core and a second out in ward 5 where the event went quite well. The downtown core event was a total bust and wasn’t repeated the second year.

Councillor Lancaster got council to go along with a car free Sunday in her ward that went well enough. Held basically in the Alton community, a part of the city that is still finding itself, the event has the potential to create a sense of occasion in that part of the city.

Just hanging out on the street with the girls - a lazy summer afternoon in Alton Village.

Participants in the 2014 Car Free Sunday in Alton. These events look like they are here to stay.

So – for 2015 there will be a car free Sunday in wards 4, 5 and 6. A total of $10,000 was added to the base budget each year for these events.

Councillor Dennison, the only member of council with personal business operations of any size, always looks for ways to increase the business opportunities for the city. He has had his eyes on the Tyandaga golf course property for a long time. He wants the city to get out of the golf club business, arguing that there are more than enough private golf courses in the region (there are 9 in Burlington) and that the city doesn’t get real value for the money it pumps into the operation of Tyandaga.

Dennison will tell you that there is between $12 to $18 million to be had if some of the land was sold to a developer. When this was discussed last year Mayor Goldring referred to the selling of some of the golf club property as a “cash grab” – what was wrong with that? It would have paid for the pier embarassment.

Dennison withdrew his request and had the matter as something to be considered during the Strategic Plan discussions.

Dennison got Council to go along with one more cutting of the grass along the hydro corridors at a cost of $6000 The cutting would be done on a trial basis to see if the taxpayers thought it was a good improvement.

Dennison also tabled the idea of creating a services organization that would handle things like vehicle maintenance for both Hydro and the city. Burlington owns hydro – makes sense. It could make even more sense if transit was included. The idea got punted to the Strategic Plan review.
Jack Dennison does two things other Councillors don’t do – he at times “gets into the weeds” on issues. On one occasion we recall his telling a staff member some detail on the thickness of the wood in a building; he drives staff and his fellow council members bananas when he does this.

On the other hand Dennison is the Council member that comes up with the bigger bolder ideas; Tyandaga was one example.

This year he wanted to add $200,000 in revenue to the budget from what he was certain would happen – an increase in the investment returns the city earns. That one didn’t pass.

Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison always has an eye open for an economic opportunity – sees a great one for the city: sell the golf course.

This year he also wanted to see $200,000 added to the revenue stream based on his belief that the number of building permits issued would be as strong in 2015 as they were in 2014. That one lost as well.

Trust Dennison to bring things like this up in 2016 when the budget is under consideration. And – you have not heard the last of Dennison’s attempt to sell some of that Tyandaga golf course property.

Councillor Lancaster seemed to be dumping on the cultural sector with her very pointed questioning of Dave Miller, Sound of Music chief, who wanted an increase in the base budget allocated to SoM each year.

Lancaster got Council to go along with a cost of living increase. Her concern with SoM is that it keeps growing – she wants it to remain basically the same but that if it does have to grow there be events outside the downtown core.

Lancaster, who used to have a business in the core, claims that restaurants do very well during the Sound of Music but that other retailers take quite a hit.

The Performing Arts Centre was down for $95,000 to cover the cost of student education. Lancaster thought this work could perhaps be done by the Student Theatre people. Brian McCurdy, a man who knows how to protect his turf explained that by educating students the city is creating the arts audience of the future. He got his funding.

While Lancaster appeared to look like a bit of a cultural Grinch – it was her support, along with Meed Ward, that kept the Freeman Station in one piece while the community found a place to locate the structure where it is now being fully renovated.

It will be interesting to see if Lancaster can work with the Sound of Music to get some of the events up into the Alton community.

The “dean of city council” got clobbered during the creation of the 2015 budget. In both 2013 Councillor Taylor got well in excess of $75,000 for the BurLINKton community development program. The funds were to cover the staff that make the programs happen. In 2014 Taylor asked for the funding but only after promising to not ask for the funds a third time.

Taylor came close to having to beg to get the funding he wanted for the BurLINKton Community Development program.

This year he knew better than to ask for the funding he had been given previously – but he did ask for $10,000 as a “life line” to cover the organization until an expected grant comes in. Taylor came close to having to beg for the amount – he was literally jerked around by his fellow Councillors. Taylor saw the votes against him as “payback” for getting Meed Ward onto the Conservation Halton board.

Transit is always an issue when it comes to customer service and the price to ride the buses. An 8% drop in transit use from 2013 to 2014 reinforces the view of this council that no one wants transit – yet they continually talk about “improving the modal split” and getting people out of their cars.

The transit advocates claim the constant change in bus routes and schedules confuses the public and they give up on the service. More than $2 million is going to be spent on technology that will help transit understand who gets on the bus and who gets off the bus – the hope is that the data that comes out of the technology will result in service that meets the needs.

A glimpse as to how data can trip up the best of plans was seem when transit staff were explaining when taxi scrips had to be used to cover declines in HandiVan use. Turns out that if a person asks for a HandiVan pick up at a specific time – say 1:00 pm, to get to an appointment and the request cannot be met that is counted as a decline – the customer servioce request had to be declined – however if that same customer is told the HandiVan could pick them up at 1:15 the 1:00 pm request is still counted as a decline.

Meed Ward had asked that the $35,000 budgeted for taxi scrip funding last year and cancelled be put back into the budget to cover those “declines”. Bad data – bad decisions.

Meed Ward wanted to know what it would cost to re-instate the school specials – that was punted to the 2016 budget.

Meed Ward brought an interesting idea forward when she asked: what would it cost to create a free fare day one day a week for seniors? The idea got moved to the 2016 budget wen a business case will be presented.

You can see Meed Ward building her base for an expected run in 2018 for the Mayor’s job.

The city has hundreds of bylaws and bylaw enforcement officers to tell you when you might be afoul of one of those bylaws. There are merchants in this city who know full well what the bylaws are but the will flout them on weekends nevertheless because they know there are no bylaw enforcement officers on duty weekends.

That might change – Meed Ward asked that a business case be prepared setting out what it would cost to have 24/7 and/or weekend evening bylaw coverage.

The creation of a budget by the city is a combination of things money has to be spent on and things the city would like to spend money on.

The construction of the Performing Arts Centre and the Pier were things the city wanted to spend money on. While Mayor Goldring ended up having the pier put around his neck like a rubber tire and then set ablaze – the decision to build the Pier belongs to former Mayor Rob MacIsaac and his Council of which Councillors Dennison and Taylor were members; Councillor Craven was a late comer to the pier issue

The collapse of a crane on the construction site brought to light significant problems with the design and the quality of the steel used. Those decisions were made long before Goldring was Mayor.

The Performing Arts Centre was very controversial when it was proposed and it went through two very awkward years once it was opened. Brian McCurdy was brought in to run the operation and he has done a superb job of improving attendance and bringing in shows that the community wants – he has also done a fine job in making the space accessible to local performance groups.

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.

There is within the municipal sector a movement to involve the public long before the first draft of the budget is worked out. Burlington isn’t there yet.

In the months ahead city council will begin looking at its Strategic Plan. There will be an opportunity then to look at governance matters and perhaps there will be some energy and effort from different community groups who want to see some real and relevant involvement in the fiscal affairs of the city.

The public didn’t show up for the 2015 budget discussions. Seven people managed to make it to the event.

Until then your city council will play games with the numbers, let petty politics get in the way of doing what is best for the city. Thankfully there is a group of intelligent, committed people in the finance department to ensure that the city is financially sound.

Mayor delivers his fifth State of the City address - promises to never mention the Pier again.

News 100 green By Mayor Rick Goldring

February 18, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

What words can we use to describe the place where we live, the place where we work, and the place where we raise our children?

As Canadians, we often define ourselves by what we are not.

In our case, we are not Toronto. We are not Hamilton. We are not Oakville.

What and who is Burlington?

There are the obvious facts and figures.

We are a city of almost 180,000 people, plus the babies born at Joseph Brant Hospital this morning.

We have a picturesque waterfront, a thriving downtown and a rural area featuring rich farmland and the Niagara Escarpment.

Burlington is all of this.

And so much more.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

The Mayor with his Chain of Office. He does not wear the chain at public events.

I would like to offer a warm welcome to my fifth State of the City address.

Thank you to the Burlington Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing support of this event.

The historic relationship between the City of Burlington and the Chamber is a rich one.

It was the Burlington Chamber of Commerce that presented Mayor John Lockhart with the chain of office in 1958. Every mayor has worn the chain since then.

The Chamber is a tireless supporter of business in our community. Burlington is a better place because of your dedicated efforts.

I also want to acknowledge today’s sponsors. Thank you Scotiabank, Bell Canada, the Centre for Skills Development & Training, the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington and BDO Canada.

TVCogeco also deserves recognition for filming today’s event, and for covering the important moments in our community every day.

Burlington is my hometown. I grew up here.

I remember watching the trains at Freeman Station with my mom, dad and sister. I remember learning to skate on a homemade rink my dad built in the backyard of our Roseland home. I remember opening my own business on South Service Road.

It is a profound privilege to be your mayor, your advocate, your leader.

A good leader knows teamwork is the key to success.

NBA legend Michael Jordan said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

I’d like to recognize the team that has lead Burlington with insight, wisdom and a lot of heart, and will do so again this term.

Often, whenever ward 1 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward appears at events with the Mayor she sounds more "mayoral" than the man who wears the chain of office.

Mayor Goldring always mentions his council members and appears with them at events in their wards.

Please welcome councillors Rick Craven, Marianne Meed Ward, John Taylor, Jack Dennison, Paul Sharman and Blair Lancaster.

I’d also like to recognize our city staff in attendance. Thank you for being there for every play and for every victory.

I would be remiss if I did not credit the work of interim city manager Pat Moyle. I want to thank him for stepping in and managing the bench.

I also want to thank Nancy Shea-Nicol, who is our acting city manager until our new city manager, James Ridge, joins us on March 23.

2014 was a year of community strength

The unthinkable happened on Monday, August 4th.

Burlington received almost 200 millimetres of rain over a mere five hours.

This was the equivalent of two months’ worth of rain in a single day.

The downpour caused flooding on our streets, highways and in thousands of our homes and businesses throughout Burlington.

Damage to public and private property was significant.

Our community banded together in the following hours, days and weeks.

The ward four debate gave Rick Goldring a lot to think about – he was never challenged like this when he ran for the office of Mayor in 2010

Neighbours provided shelter, food and comfort during this time of need.

They bailed out water and offered a shoulder to cry on.

Firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other staff from the city and region played a key role in preserving the safety of our residents.

My home was one of the thousands affected. More than four feet of water filled my basement.

Fred Rogers, the beloved host of the public television show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

We were reminded that day, as we are every day, that Burlington is filled with helpers.

Burlington city council helped.

We approved a grant program to help homeowners cover the cost of building permit fees related to the flooding. The program will be available until December 24th of this year.

Council also requested financial help through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program.

The Canadian Red Cross visited almost 11,000 homes to collect information from residents about the impacts of the storm.

Samaritan’s Purse worked with World Renew to organize volunteers to clean up basements and yards after the flooding.

The Burlington Professional Firefighters Association also helped organize volunteers and participated in the cleanup.

The United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton stepped up to serve as the temporary keeper of donations.

The Burlington Community Foundation subsequently led the creation of the Flood Disaster Relief Committee and took over fundraising.

Foxcroft and Mayor Goldring - the Foxcroft look

When funds had to be raised for flood relief – the Mayor placed a critical cal;l to Ron Foxcroft.

This committee, under the leadership of Ron Foxcroft, proved instrumental in raising more than 900,000 dollars. The claims committee received 310 claim applications.

The Government of Ontario proved they too were helpers by coming through to match community donations at a 2 to 1 ratio.

As a result, approximately 2.7 million dollars is currently being distributed to those who need it most.

As of last Thursday, 77 claims have been processed for a payout of 696,000 dollars. There is still much work to do.

A recent email sent by an approved claimant to the Burlington Community Foundation read:

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you, your team and the email we received an hour ago. Please find attached the signed declaration with our many thanks. I don’t need to explain our nightmare, as I am sure you have heard far too many. Just know how much this means to my family. We appreciate all of your efforts. Thank you very much!”

Looking forward, we are working to reduce the impact of a future storm.

Our weather will continue to evolve to be warmer, wetter and wilder. We need to be prepared.

An additional 4.5 million dollars of funding is now allocated over the next four years for surface water drainage projects and renewal.

We have added an additional 100,000 dollars to our operating budget for activities within our watershed areas.

A consultant’s report will be presented in June. If we need additional financial resources to address the issues, we will find the money.

The Region of Halton has also committed 5 million dollars to address requirements from the Basement Flooding Mitigation Study.

Approximately 3,500 homes and businesses flooded on August 4th. We are working to reduce future flood risks to not only these properties but all properties in the city.

We are also focused on finding preventative measures for a group of approximately 80 homes that have flooded on multiple occasions.

2014 was a year of economic renewal

Last year was a period of great progress and reorganization for the Burlington Economic Development Corporation.

Frank McKeown was named the executive director at the BEDC.

A new, fully-engaged board was also established, as was an updated Strategic Plan for the organization.

The Strategic Plan has been developed to address three key economic community needs.

These needs include: investment and assessment growth, growing local employment opportunity, and accessible Industrial/Commercial/Institutional land.

Mayor Goldring is becoming a master of the photo-op.

The updated strategy also includes clear and specific key performance indicators for all areas, as well as defined tactics to achieve these results.

Increasing investment in new and existing businesses will help bolster our assessment base. This will moderate increases in residential property taxes.

It will also foster opportunities for more residents to not only live in Burlington, but to work here as well.

Amidst the restructuring, more than 270,000 square feet of new Industrial, Commercial and Institutional space was constructed in 2014, with a total value exceeding 216 million dollars.

The BEDC worked with 27 businesses that either expanded or relocated to Burlington.

Our unemployment rate is at 5.8 per cent, which continues to remain lower than the provincial average.

An estimated 1,200 new jobs were added in 2014 and we look to continue that trend in 2015.

2014 was a year of fostering a vibrant downtown

The implementation of initiatives in the Downtown Core Commitment was a focus last year and continues to be through 2015.

A review of downtown real estate was completed, which will be part of a comprehensive strategy report to city council this year.

Our downtown core is the heart of Burlington. It is a business centre, a cultural centre and a residential centre.

A thriving downtown is the foundation of a strong community.

The number of businesses stayed quite stable, with 30 businesses opening and 24 businesses closing or moving.

While this is a modest increase, it is the first time since 2010 the number is on the positive side.

Cogeco Cable treated the event as a major community special and had their two lead Burlington reporters on hand for the event. Deb Tymstra and Mark Carr did basically end to end coverage.

Cogeco Cable treated the opening of the Performing Arts Centre as a major community event – the Mayor sees it as one of the jewels the city should be promoting heavily.

We saw the addition of a fresh food purveyor with the Brant Street Butcher and Market.

A campus of 80 students came to Village Square with the opening of Blyth Academy.

A variety of amenities is the key to a walkable, vibrant neighbourhood.

Tourism Burlington reports the nearly 300 events held downtown by various organizations were attended by approximately 660,000 people.

Great cities have prosperous downtown cores with a good mix of opportunities to live, shop, work and play.

I’m proud to say we have all that, topped off by a breathtaking waterfront, in downtown Burlington.

2014 was a year of continued fiscal responsibility

The approval of the 2014 budget brought a city tax increase of 3.5 per cent.

When combined with Halton Region and the education component, the overall property tax rate increase was 1.42 per cent.

The 2014 budget also saw the final increase to the levy for the city’s contribution to the Joseph Brant Hospital redevelopment project.

2014 was a year of milestones

Last June, city council approved a settlement related to the Brant Street Pier that totalled 2 million dollars for the City of Burlington.

The amount more than paid for the city’s legal costs.

While the Brant Street Pier struggled as a project, it is now one of the most popular locations in the city.

The pier is complete. It’s time to enjoy it. I look forward to next year’s State of the City address, when I will not even mention the pier.

We also celebrated another milestone in the redevelopment and expansion of Joseph Brant Hospital.

The Halton McMaster Family Health Centre opened its doors this past September.

I had the opportunity to visit this state-of-the-art facility as a patient, since my family physician of 54 years, Dr. Procter, has moved his practice there.

The centre is currently serving almost 9,000 patients - with capacity for more.

Groundbreaking will take place this spring for the second phase of construction.

Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie has always had a soft spot for Burlington – but he has yet to succeed in converting Mayor Goldring to being a top advocate for waterfront issues.

When construction is complete in 2018, Joseph Brant Hospital will feature 172 acute inpatient beds in the patient tower, a new emergency department, a larger cancer clinic, nine new operating rooms, expanded medical, surgical and outpatient services, and more.

This is a pivotal moment in the history of health care in our city.

Joseph Brant Hospital currently treats more than 250,000 patients each year. It opened its doors in 1961, but hasn’t had a major renovation since 1971.

This project is a much-needed shot in the arm for the city of Burlington. City council is proud to have committed 60 million dollars to this project.

The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation has made significant strides in fundraising for the redeveloped and expanded hospital, with more than 65 per cent raised of its 60 million dollar goal.

The foundation’s efforts were bolstered last year by a generous 11 million dollar donation from community builder, philanthropist and entrepreneur Michael Lee-Chin.

2014 was a record year for building

The construction value for building permit applications the city received in 2014 was the highest on record for Burlington.

The steady activity represents an estimated construction value of more than half a billion dollars.

Last year, the city received more than 2,100 building permit applications, which was the second highest in the last decade.

Industrial, commercial and institutional sectors accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the total volume, with the residential sector representing 40 per cent.

Looking forward, we anticipate there will be strong growth in construction activity in 2015 and associated construction value for building permits.

There were close to 650 new residential completions in 2014. Apartments made up more than 75 per cent of this new residential development.

This is a significant change to even five years ago when singles, semis and townhomes were 70 per cent of new home completions.

The type of residential properties is clearly shifting as we reach build out and look to grow within our urban boundaries.

The average price of a residential property in Burlington last year was almost 513,000 dollars. This is a 5.5 per cent increase over 2013.

While our real estate market remains strong, affordable housing continues to be a challenge.

The 2014 Vital Signs update released by the Burlington Community Foundation reports that 7.6 per cent of Burlington residents live in low income households.

These residents, many of whom live month to month, need affordable places to live.

Rick Goldring puts the city before himself – he wants what he thinks it is to remain the same and at the same time would like to see good growth.

Halton Region’s Official Plan sets a target that at least 30 per cent of new housing units produced annually in the region are affordable or assisted housing. This is easier said than done.

A housing success story from last year was city council’s approval of a 13-unit townhouse development by Habitat for Humanity Halton on Glendor Avenue.

I look forward to working further with Habitat for Humanity to create affordable home ownership opportunities for hardworking men and women who otherwise would not be able to afford to live in Burlington.

2014 was a year of strengthening government relations

The fall municipal election saw all seven members of council re-elected.

I commend everyone who put their name forward as a candidate in 2014.

It is a labour of love to run for and serve in political office. It requires perseverance, commitment and strength of character.

I was very pleased to see all six of my colleagues return to city hall.

This city council is a hardworking team of experienced, caring and committed people.

At the end of the day, despite elbows getting up once in awhile, we all want what is best for our city.

We also made progress in 2014 with our provincial counterparts.

Our first-ever Burlington Day was hosted at Queen’s Park in April 2014.

This was an opportunity for meaningful conversation between council and staff with the leadership in the provincial legislature.

We continue to work with Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon, Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris and our friends at the province on key issues.

Last year, I was also elected to the board of directors for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. This allows me to be involved in issues across the province. It also gives me an opportunity to meet more often with members of the provincial government and develop fruitful relationships.

We have enjoyed growing our relationship with Burlington MP Mike Wallace.

We look forward to strengthening our connection with Ottawa, regardless of which party forms government after the next election.

2014 was a year of investment in parks and recreation

Mountainside Recreation Centre and Centennial Pool reopened in 2014 with 12 million dollars in upgrades and renovations.

This investment is much more than bricks and mortar.

Recreational facilities build inter-connectivity and a healthy community.

Mayor Goldring in a pensive moment.

Our commitment to creating safe spaces for youth to connect was reaffirmed with a new youth drop-in space at Mountainside.

This is a great example of how we build community.

Our ongoing initiative to update playground equipment continued at five parks last year. We also saw three new splash pads.

These facilities are key to keeping our youngest residents active.

City council approved funding to plow snow from the paths along Centennial Bikeway, the Beachway and the North Hydro Corridor to help residents stay active during the winter and achieve their new year’s resolutions.

We also made our parks smoke-free in April, to create improved outdoor spaces for residents of all ages.

This year will see revitalization plans for Sherwood Forest Park, a Community Trails Strategy and planning for upgraded Windows-to-the-Lake.

We will also show off our city to the Americas during the Pan Am Games, which come to the Greater Toronto Area in July. City View Park here in Burlington is a practice facility for soccer.

We are also proud to host the Pan Am Torch Relay in June.

2014 was a year for going green

Last May, the City of Burlington celebrated the Holland family gift of 37-acres of greenspace at a sign unveiling.

The newly-named Eileen and John Holland Nature Sanctuary is a part of the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System.

We are committed to working with our partners to renew our agreement around the ecopark system.

We opened two new community gardens in 2014 at Amherst Park and along the Frances Road bikeway.

These new sites are in addition to the popular community garden at Central Park.

After undergoing renovations for expansion and revitalization, the Burlington Transit facility received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – or LEED – designation in September 2014.

2014 was a year of culture

In a survey conducted for our Cultural Action Plan, 76 per cent of Burlington residents said culture is ‘essential’ or ‘highly important’ in their daily lives.

Richard Florida, an American urban studies theorist, said, “Creativity has replaced raw materials or natural harbours as the crucial wellspring of economic growth. To be successful in this emerging creative age, regions must develop, attract and retain talented and creative people who generate innovations, develop technology-intensive industries and power economic growth.”

We continued to elevate the profile of arts and culture in 2014.

We launched a new online map showcasing the community’s many cultural assets, from buildings to artists.

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre had 374 bookings between the two theatres in 2014. This was an 18 per cent increase over the previous year.

More than 82,000 people attended performances and there were over 12,000 performers on its stages for a grand total of 94,000 people using the Centre.

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is a world-class facility in our downtown core. Although it was controversial when it was approved, I believe it has enhanced the cultural fabric of our community.

Mayor Goldring gets out into the community at every opportunity.

The Centre is a key performance venue for a number of our community groups, such as the Burlington Teen Tour Band, the Burlington Concert Band and Symphony on the Bay.

Last year also saw strong growth at another key cultural institution in Burlington – our public libraries.

The number of people who have a Burlington Public Library card grew by almost 13,000 over the year before for a total of over 94,000.

There were more than 1.1 million customer visits last year and almost 57,000 people attended library-run or sponsored events.

Community librarians are developing relationships with individuals and many organizations across the city focused on children, teens, seniors and people with special needs.

The Museums of Burlington continued to connect and engage with our community about our rich history.

More than 25,000 guests visited and participated in general museum visits, exhibit openings and special events in 2014.

The museum looks to expand its special programming this year to feature more experiential programming like walking tours and hands-on workshops, for all ages.

The launch of the Art Gallery of Burlington’s new brand was accompanied by record turnouts in 2014 at various exhibitions.

The art gallery also began to take the light out from under the bushel on the gem they have right here at home with the country’s largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics.

This year, the gallery is focused on touring works from its permanent collection to other cities – and into international exchanges.

The city’s commitment to the arts continues in 2015.

We commissioned public art at Norton Park and Moutainside Recreation Centre. These will be unveiled this year.

We also launched the Burlington Mural Project, designed to tell local stories using local artists. One mural will be installed in each of Burlington’s six wards.

Public art enhances our community by providing a sense of place. Just as artwork beautifies the rooms in our homes, public art serves the same important purpose throughout our city.

Our festivals continue to draw hundreds of thousands of people from across the province, country and continent.

These events celebrate local talent, are a major driver of our economy and showcase our city’s many attractions.

Whether it is the Sound of Music Festival, Canada’s Largest Ribfest, the Children’s Festival, Lowville Winter Games, Culture Days or one of the many other exciting events, there is something for everyone.

2014 was about getting people moving

Residents have asked us to ease traffic congestion.

There is no silver bullet, but we are doing what we can.

There are significant dollars included in our capital budget and forecast that will be invested in improving traffic flows on some of our busiest roads, such as Harvester Road.

The City of Burlington is replacing its central traffic signal system.

This will be complete by the summer.

The new system will provide staff with automated performance data so their efforts can be focused on adjusting signal timings where the need is greatest.

Public engagement is ongoing for the Transportation Master Plan.

The Mayor is out close to every evening each week. His ward is the whole city and every one wants a piece of him. Not a healthy life for a man with daughters that need face time.

This municipal strategy co-ordinates transportation networks and services with anticipated community growth.

A final report will be ready for December 2015.

We are also working on improving our transit system through a significant investment in a transit intelligent transportation system.

This system will give riders electronic access to real time bus information.

Handi-Van riders will experience some significant improvements with real time bus arrival texts, improved booking technology and trip planning tools.

Importantly, it will provide Burlington Transit with electronic reporting on such aspects as on-time performance, boardings and ridership. This gives us hard data when determining transit improvements.

We’ve invested in getting people moving, but easing traffic congestion will also require a shift among our residents to try alternative modes of transportation.

Of trips taken during a typical weekday that start or end in Burlington, the greatest number – more than 260,000 – remain within the city. That represents almost half of all trips that start or end in our city during this period.

Data also shows that Burlington residents have not changed their travel behaviours in the last decade, with the car as the preferred mode.

I challenge our residents to walk to the corner store, ride their bike to work or take a city bus to the GO station.

If we could make one of every five trips using an alternative mode of transportation, it would result in almost 20 per cent fewer cars on our roads, therefore reducing congestion.

2014 was a year of recognition

We celebrated 29 nominees and seven award winners – our helpers – at the annual Burlington’s Best awards ceremony.

The annual Burlington Accessibility Awards saw 14 awards presented to businesses, churches, non-profit organizations and residents who are changemakers in our community.

Burlington was named the Number One mid-sized city in Canada for the second consecutive year by MoneySense magazine.

The publication ranked Burlington the fifth-best city overall in Canada, as well as the third-best place to raise children, the second-best place for new immigrants and the third-best place to retire.

2014 was about connecting with residents

We have heard from the public that they want to be able to connect with city hall in a meaningful way.

I believe informed residents and engaged residents are essential to a functional democratic system.

We created a new engagement tool last year by launching Insight Burlington, an online community panel.

This allows residents and business owners to share their ideas and join the conversation on city issues, whenever and wherever it is best for them.

Mayor Goldring listening to a member of the community as she bends his ear

As a way to improve customer service, we created online opportunities to report graffiti, streetlight outages, potholes and coyote sightings.

Last month, the city launched a new website that is more user-friendly.

We want people to connect with us. We’ve made that easier.

We will also provide many opportunities for the public to be engaged in the Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2018.

Our Strategic Plan determines where our city will be going over the next four years and in the future, how we will get there and how we will know if we were successful.

Looking to 2015, the new year is about the implementation of priorities

In co-ordination with our Official Plan review, we need to engage in dialogue on smart growth and intensification.

Intensification is an issue I hear about regularly from Burlington residents.

My goal this year is to further engage the community on this topic.

I will be speaking about intensification at every opportunity and inviting feedback from residents.

It is important to talk about the federal and provincial policies that are driving intensification, and how Halton and Burlington are not only managing, but embracing this growth.

Burlington consists of approximately 50 per cent rural land protected by the greenbelt, so the growth must happen within our urban boundaries.

Our Official Plan review is expected to be complete in early 2016.

We are looking for new opportunities for residential, office and commercial development at our mobility hubs, growth corridors and aging retail plazas.

I invite you to participate in dialogue about intensification at the first Inspire Burlington event of the term on April 28.

Climate change adaptation is another priority for 2015.

The ice storm of 2013 and flood of 2014 are further evidence our climate is changing.

We need to be prepared.

Municipal and regional staff is working on ways to mitigate flood risks from our stormwater and wastewater systems.

I will also be hosting a climate change adaptation symposium in Burlington later this year.

Economic development remains a priority, as it was during my first term as mayor.

The BEDC anticipates a number of accomplishments by the end of 2015, among which include a surplus land marketing/sale pilot, an annual economic report, the creation of a five-year development plan and a stakeholder process established with land owners and developers for the QEW corridor.

Now that we have service based budgeting in place for the first time with the city’s 2015 budget, we will continue to strive for continuous improvement.

Very clearly, in business and in government, we must do more and better with less.

As members of Halton Regional council and custodians of the public purse, your city council is also watching the region’s budget closely.

The approved 2015 regional budget sees a property tax increase of 1.6 per cent for regional services and police services.

Yesterday, the Community and Corporate Services Committee approved a city tax rate increase of 3.64 per cent.

The city’s proposed increase, combined with the Region of Halton increase and the Boards of Education, results in an overall increase of 2.14 per cent.

This is below the most recent Toronto average consumer price index figure of 2.5 per cent.

The city, in partnership with Burlington Hydro, and with the assistance of a group of community stakeholders, has developed a Community Energy Plan for Burlington.

The plan helps us identify areas where conservation and efficiency measures can be focused.

It also assesses the potential for local generation, particularly through renewable energy, and the use of smart grid technology.

We will find ways to move forward with initiatives identified in the plan this year.

In summary, 2015 is a year of promise.

How do we define Burlington?

Burlington cannot be defined in a single word, sentence or paragraph.

Why?

Because Burlington means something different to each one of you in this room, to each resident in this city.

For some of you, it is home. It is the place you taught your child to ride their bicycle. The place you take daily walks around your neighbourhood. The place you bought your dream house.

For others, it is where you opened the doors of your business. The place you are hiring local employees. The place you are networking with other driven professionals. The place you are growing your company.

To me, it is all these things and more.

Mayor Goldring defending his record as Mayor during the 2014 election. He won hands down.

I stand here today, committed to a city that people are proud to call home, their place of business, their heart and soul. I am proud to have earned your trust for a second term. I take nothing about being mayor for granted.

It is an honour and privilege to do this job each and every day. Even on some of the more challenging days, it is still an honour and privilege.

I will continue to work with council, work with staff, work with the whole community to make Burlington a place that is beyond definition.

The Gazette has published every \state of the City address given by Mayor Goldring.

State of the City: 2011

State of the City 2012

State of the City 2013

State of the City 2014

With the structure of the Freeman Station saved - city council now needs to ensure the funds to complete the restoration are available.

Who Knew 100x100 2015 By Mark Gillies

February 13, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part 3 of a 3 part feature.

Cherish what few historical buildings are still left with us

Burlington does have other very significant historical buildings, all great contributors to our local heritage. St Luke’s Anglican Church and other old local churches are so important to the community. They tell us so much about our spiritual past. Some churches have historic cemeteries surrounding the grounds. On Brant Street, we still have the Hotel Raymond, now a restaurant, and the Queen’s Hotel, with a different name, is a pub.

The Ireland House Museum on Guelph Line, is a real treasure and a beautiful link to our past, telling us about rural life during the mid 1800s. The Joseph Brant Museum, a re-creation of Joseph Brant’s home, plays a valuable role in providing visitors with information on life in the early 1800s. Burlington is fortunate to have historical houses. Most are privately owned. Some have been officially recognized as historical, some have yet to be recognized, while others, once recognized historical, have recently been removed by the City of Burlington, making them susceptible to demolition.

The two historic buildings on Brant Street have somehow survived for over 125 years. The Hotel Raymond sign is still showing and can be seen from the second floor. The Queen’s Hotel is now a pub with a different name. The interior walls have some old pictures of what the building was like at the turn of the 20th century. These are nice touches to help preserve our local heritage.

The McNichol Estate, also historical, located on land once owned by Laura Secord has been saved by the City. Outside of these, we don’t seem to have much else in historical properties. The rest have been demolished by homeowners, developers, or local and provincial governments.

This beautiful painting by renowned heritage artist William Biddle depicts the idyllic life at the historic Freeman Station in 1906.

The Freeman Station symbolizes Burlington in transition
These are the main reasons why I believe the Freeman Station is Burlington’s most historical building. There are literally thousands of untold stories about the Freeman Station from individuals all across Burlington, stories that should now be made public. The Freeman Station has served more people, in so many different ways, over a very long period of time. The Freeman Station at 109 years of age, has always been there for us. This is the very best piece of local heritage symbolizing Burlington in transition from an agricultural community right up to this beautiful city in 2015. The Freeman Station saw it all.

Strong civic leadership is the answer to preserving our heritage
Here‘s what I would like to see. Will this present City Council really get their heritage preservation act together, show the residents of Burlington some unified leadership, stop their petty squabbling, get behind the restoration of the Freeman Station, Burlington’s most historic building, and finally get it completed? The City of Burlington owns the building, yet they have demonstrated a willingness to shirk their basic responsibilities and let volunteers do all the work on their behalf, after our City Council was unable to come to any agreement on what to do with Burlington’s most important piece of history.

The Freeman Station was this close to being carted out of town and used for kindling somewhere else. It was the Friends of Freeman Station that rallied and saved the building with the help of Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster

As a taxpayer, you and I should be outraged at our City Council, and their inability to properly recognize true historical buildings. We elected these people to make the right decisions, and as taxpayers, we pay them to do this. If it wasn’t for the Friends of Freeman Station, plus many local concerned citizens and businesses stepping in to save this magnificent building, our historic train station would not be with us today. The Freeman Station was that close to being added to the ever growing demolition list created by the City of Burlington and endorsed by your City Council.

My thoughts on heritage
Heritage is a gift; it is your inheritance from previous generations.
Heritage is all about who they were, and how they lived.
The concept is no different than a monetary inheritance. We have the choice to squander it away, or we can be responsible and do something that will benefit our present and future generations.

Heritage will help us understand who we are.
Heritage is a combination of genes, decisions, and environment, over time.
Heritage cannot be stolen or taken from you, only lost or forgotten through our choices of ignorance, neglect or disuse.
Heritage is your history.
You do not get a second chance at the past.

In my next column find out why a Burlington Member of Parliament was personally invited to travel with President Abraham Lincoln by train from the White House in Washington, DC, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where the American President delivered his famous “Gettysburg Address”.

Mark Gillies is a lifelong resident of Burlington, who grew up in Aldershot and developed as a local historian, researcher, master genealogist and writer who has a passionate interest and extensive knowledge of the many early pioneer families. Mark will write a regular column about colourful local history introducing Burlingtonians to the people that made this city what it is today.

Part 1

Names of appointees to city Boards and committees released.

By Staff

February 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

Burlington has a practice of recruiting citizens to sit on Boards and committees that are involved in the operation of the city. There are advisory committees and Committees that the city must create as well

The city sees the appointing of citizens as part of its strategic direction for Excellence in Government as identified in the City’s Strategic Plan.

Through its citizen committees and municipal boards, the city says it is forging strong community relationships with open dialogue and citizen involvement in municipal issues.

Citizen committees offer Burlington residents the opportunity to provide Council advice and recommendations on various matters and/or organize activities that strengthen the community’s connection to the municipality.

The Clerks department conducts a recruitment process during the fall of each year. Recruitment opportunities are advertised on the City website as well as in local media.

This time around the Clerks department organized a volunteer fair where the public was invited to learn about all of the various opportunities available; more than one hundred applications were received from individuals expressing interest in the committees and boards.

The interviews for the citizen committees and boards were held in December 2014 and January 2015. The interview teams for each were comprised of the Chair or Vice Chairs of the Committees, staff liaisons and Council members.

The interview teams made their selection recommendations based on the respective committee’s needs as well as the applicant’s knowledge of the role, relevant skills and experience, expressed dedication/commitment/time availability, and communication skills.
The terms of reference for the citizen committees specify the duration of the appointments and provide for staggered terms to ensure continuity in the operation of each committee.

The interview team for the Committee of Adjustment (which includes the Property Standards Committee and Committee of Revision) recommended five individuals for appointment and three alternates. The Terms of Reference for the Committee of Adjustment however, stipulate that there are to be five members and only one alternate.

Staff are recommending with the guidance from the Legal department that a member of Council be appointed to act as an alternate member on the Licensing Committee. Should a member of the Licensing Committee have a conflict of interest, the alternate member would be required to participate in Licensing matters.

City hall has put a very positive spin on the process of involving citizens. There is some information that doesn’t get passed along; an oversight perhaps.

There is no longer a Transit Advisory Committee – yet transit is one of the most pressing problems the city has. The subject is seen as important enough for a citizens group to have formed a committee of their own that delegates to Council regularly – they are seldom actually listened to yet it is made up of people with an excellent understanding of transit and how it is managed in the Greater Toronto Area.

Many years ago when the Orchard community was being developed provision wasn’t made for a lot of space to park cars. At the time the thinking amongst planners was that public transit would be developed and families wouldn’t need two and three cars.

Well public transit wasn’t developed and parking in the Orchard is a mess. The ward Councillor for that part of the city, Paul Sharman, has done as much as he can to create solutions to a messy problem which might not exist if there were a well thought through, properly financed transit policy.

Matters of confidentiality plague at least one of the Advisory committee. Heritage once found itself having to go into a closed session without the members of the committee fully understanding what that meant.

The city does have some exceptional Advisory committees. Heritage was a mess until decent leadership was put in place and solid policies implemented. The Heritage Advisory actually got a close to standing ovation from council for the excellent work they had done.

Then a council member, whose name shall go unknown, began to talk about bringing that function back into city hall.
They sometimes just don’t know when to leave well enough alone.

City Council approved the following appointments citizen committees and boards.

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Kate White
• Howard Bohan
• Dorothy Kosinska
• Daniel Boag
• John Vice (Alternate)
• Pauline Laing (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Arthur Rendall
• Ashley Taylor
• Brian Ouellette
• Adam Spencer

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Sustainable Development Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Carolyn Barnes
• Julian Riano
• Sumit Kumar Tangri
• Tim Park
• Katherine Miller
• John Thompson
• Emma DeFields
• Anthony Zhou (Alternate)
• Michael Leone (Alternate)
• Albert Faccenda (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Cycling Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Lindsay King
• Jeremy Santucci
• Brad Slade (term to expire 2016)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Inclusivity Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Michael Demone
• Dana Anderson
• Katelan Dunn

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Mundialization Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Chuck Morris
• Arnold Koopman
• Rob Lyng
• Bill Stafford
• Kevin Visser
• Sai Ramanathan
• Mary Vuk
• Neal Patel

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2017:
• Robert Lovell
• Kim Routlege
• JR Gauthier (Alternate)
• Peter Cowman (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Burlington Public Library Board for a term to expire at December 31, 2018:
• Gloria Baxter
• Micki Clemens
• Nancy Douglas
• Maciej Jurczyk
• Brian Kenny
• Denise Maraj
• Catherine Benzie (Alternate)
• Shelley Easton (Alternate)
• Chris Gauthier (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Committee of Adjustment for a term to expire at December 31, 2018:
• Malcolm Ramsay
• Rob Bailey
• Lindsay King
• Alexandra Rawlings
• Terry Kay
• Grant Newbury (Alternate)
• John Calvert (Alternate)
• John Vice (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Audit Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2018:
• Peter Maher
• David Tait
• Brian Goard
• Maciej Jurczyk
• Paul Vetrone (Alternate)

Approve the following citizens for appointment to the Conservation Halton Board of Directors for a term to expire at December 31, 2018:
• John Vice
• James Sweetlove
• Gerry Smallegange

Approve the following citizen for appointment to the Downtown Parking Committee for a term to expire at December 31, 2018:
• Joe Henning

Region wants the province to get moving on upgrading local court infrastructure shortfalls

By Staff

January 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Halton Region’s rapidly growing population has stretched the current capacity of local court resources and facility infrastructure causing delays for many legal proceedings. If you’ve had occasion to do anything at the Court House in Milton – you will agree with the Region’s conclusions.

Superior Court housed in Milton where the structure needs a major upgrade – maybe an entirely new structure.

“Our current court infrastructure does not meet the growth related needs for Halton,” said Regional Chair, Gary Carr. “We have been mandated to grow, but our legal infrastructure has not kept pace. Our system is stretched beyond capacity. Residents and legal professionals are feeling the pressures. “

Carr is working with local MPPs and Regional Council including the Mayor of Burlington, Rick Goldring, Mayor of Milton, Gord Krantz, Mayor of Halton Hills, Rick Bonnette and the Mayor of Oakville, Rob Burton, as we simply cannot wait any longer to see changes to this critical community service.”

Halton Regional Council will consider a resolution for continued support by the Province to address the shortfalls with Halton’s legal infrastructure. There are a number of pressing issues to be resolved including outdated court house facilities resulting in significant delays for legal proceedings.

The Provincial Offences Court in Burlington has reached capacity. There were plans to build a new Court House on Palladin Way in the Alton community but that got scrubbed. Now the Region seems to be leading the push.

Halton is including the issue of court resources and infrastructure shortfalls in its Provincial pre-budget submission later this month. In addition, the Region has requested a meeting with the Attorney General outlining the need for further action to ensure that legal facilities are in place to keep pace with mandated provincial growth. Halton’s advocacy efforts on this issue date back a number of years including a 2012 meeting with the Attorney General, John Gerretsen, where the Halton court situation was presented.

The Provincial Offenses Court House in Burlington is scheduled to be moved. Last March city staff brought a proposal to the City’s Community and Corporate Services Committee to combine two provincial offences courts—one in Milton and one in Burlington—to reside under one roof in Burlington at Walkers Line and Palladium Way.

Local residents were upset at not being informed – the city manager quickly withdrew the idea – turned out that all the players to make this happen weren’t in place.

Acting on behalf of the province, the City consulted with its municipal partners—Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills—to get input into this location. Staff realized more feedback was needed, and put the proposal on hold, to be revisited in 2015.

In 2013 the city pointed out that Halton Court Services has the challenge of managing an increasing need for court resources. Courtrooms reached 100-per-cent capacity in 2011.
Growth continues throughout Halton Region. The number of charges has increased by 32 per cent since services were transferred to the municipal partners to manage in 2001. The municipal partners realize that more courtrooms, services and staff will be needed in the future.

Operating a single, consolidated court building would save the municipalities about $225,000 a year.
The zoning at Walkers Line and Palladium Way is business corridor use that allows for a range of industrial and office uses, including a courthouse. The roads at Walkers Line and Palladium Way are designed to manage traffic associated with business and commercial use.

Local residents asked some very pointed questions about transit service to the proposed location.

The City of Burlington has the authority to act on behalf of the provincial government when it comes to managing the Provincial Offences Court. The city consulted with key stakeholders and its partner municipalities in making the decision to house provincial offences courts in one building.

With the proposal withdrawn at the Standing committee level in Burlington there wasn’t much more to be said. The Region has now taken up the matter. Burlington doesn’t have a new city manager yet – Interim City Manager Pat Moyle is scheduled to turn in his keys before the end of the month.

Whatever the Region does later this month the matter will work its way to Burlington’s Community and Corporate Services Committee where residents will undoubtedly push for real input on design and transit concerns.

A key issue for some in the community was: Will my house value go down if a courthouse is built at Walkers Line and Palladium Way?

Under Chief Smith's watch, peace and tranquility was the way everyone liked it, and he kept it that way.

Who Knew 100x100 2015 By Mark Gillies

January 22, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part 3 of a 4 part feature

Burlington in transition
Under Chief Smith’s watch, Burlington continued to grow rapidly, as it continued to transition itself from an agricultural community to a suburban bedroom town. From around 1916 to 1941, the little town grew to almost 4,000 inhabitants. One man that was instrumental in feeding construction materials to the exploding housing market was Jacob Cooke. Jake manufactured concrete blocks starting in 1935.

Jake Cooke started his concrete block business in 1935 at his residence in his garage. The house was originally numbered as 3 New Street, and was at the corner of Martha Street. This Burlington manufacturer grew to be one of the largest of its kind in North America.

The one man factory was located in Jake’s garage beside his house on New Street, at the corner of Martha Street. The demand was so high for Jake to supply the house builders with concrete blocks, that as a one man operation, Jake was churning these blocks out almost nonstop around the clock, 7 days a week. As with most factories, big or small the noise was unbearable, and Jake’s neighbours on New Street and surrounding streets were complaining. Chief Smith was at Jake’s home continually handing out warnings and fines. Jake consistently apologized, yet persevered, paying out the money for the fines. Today, it’s widely accepted that a great many houses in Burlington with concrete blocks in their basement walls were manufactured by Jake Cooke’s second plant located in Aldershot. One day Jake Cooke’s house on New Street was also demolished, an all too familiar practice in Burlington.

The men of Burlington gather as the Home Guard under Chief Smith’s guidance and get ready for a drill in 1940 to prepare for any disaster that might happen during World War 2.

The Chief defends Burlington with the Home Guard
In 1940, as the war began, it was decided that Burlington needed to be prepared locally for anything destructive that might happen, perhaps sabotage, or something worse. The Burlington Home Guard was created. Chief Lee Smith was one of the founding organizers, and all Burlington men of legal age, were to register on a voluntary basis. A counting of all local firearms was to recorded. The Chief was ready for anything. “O Canada, We stand on guard for thee”.

Ken Scott is behind the wheel of the new 1947 Ford Coupe Police Cruiser, the first one for the department. The photo was taken on Lakeshore Road at the corner of Maple Avenue, by the railway tracks. If you look behind the rear of the trunk you can see part of the word “Burlington” in a floral garden on a slight hill, planted there by Spencer Smith and the Burlington Horticultural Society, as part of their beautification of Burlington mandate.

Burlington’s first Police cruiser
Chief Smith continued to work hard and grow his department. It took a while, but the Town Council under the leadership of Mayor Edwin Leather, took the Chief’s request seriously. The Police Department should now have their own cruiser. Officers would no longer be required to use their own vehicles to drive to accidents, perform high speed chases, apprehend criminals, or transport vomiting and urine soaked drunks off to jail. In late 1946 or early 1947 Chief Smith and his department proudly took possession of their first police cruiser. The boys down at the station were pretty excited and happy about this new arrival. The vehicle was a brand new 1947 black 2 door Ford coupe and it actually had a working siren on the roof. Children in the neighbourhood loved to hear the siren’s sound, and the boys on the force loved to turn it on for the kids’ amusement. Chief Smith, on the other hand, was not amused. Still, life was pretty good at the Burlington Police Department in 1947.

Burlington’s finest from 1953 remembered.
By 1953, Chief Smith’s Police department had grown, now there were 8 men, as the town continued to expand. The town had also taken another dramatic jump in population. Now, Burlington had over 6,000 living within its boundaries. Chief Smith had excellent instincts about people, and always personally selected each new officer. All new officers were to possess outstanding leadership characteristics and stellar people skills. Any of his men should possess the abilities to one day be a future Police Chief or a community leader.

Pic 13 Chief Smith & his officers in 1953

These 8 police officers in 1953 were Burlington’s finest. Standing: L-R, Sam Peer, Tom Smith, Art Turcotte, Charlie Parsons & Tom Oliver. Seated: L-R, Lisle Crawford, Chief Lee Smith & Ken Scott.

The Police Chief believed in his men, and they believed in him. The bond between them was very tight. The “Magnificant 7” never let their Chief down. The department under Chief Smith’s command consisted of Sam Peer, Tom Smith, Art Turcotte, Charlie Parsons, Tom Oliver, Lisle Crawford, and Ken Scott. Some of these officers went on to have long rewarding careers with Halton Regional Police Services. Lisle Crawford in 1953 was Chief Smith’s sergeant, and when Lee retired in 1956, at the age of 71, Deputy Chief Crawford became Burlington’s next Chief of Police.

Sam Peer is on the left, and Lisle Crawford is in uniform. Lisle was promoted to became Burlington’s Police Chief following Chief Smith’s retirement in 1956.

Sam Peer was active in the community, also serving as a volunteer fireman, in addition to his duties as a Burlington Police Officer.

Sam Peer, proud to be known as an “old school” officer passed away in 1987. Sam was an outstanding Officer, and even his son James was so inspired by his father, that he too, followed in his father’s footsteps and became an OPP Officer. Sam was so community minded, he even served as a volunteer fireman. Charlie Parsons after returning from the war, initially found work as a bus driver, then joined the police department in 1948.

A former Citizen of the Year, Charlie Parsons served his community well, as a Police Officer, a volunteer fireman, and 30 years with the Burlington Teen Tour Band.

Many in Burlington will remember Charlie as a fixture for 30 years with Burlington’s Teen Tour Band, devoting countless hours with them, as an Equipment Manager and driver for the band’s truck, Charlie travelled everywhere with the band. The kids in the band affectionately called him “Uncle Charlie”. Always willing to help, Charlie served as a volunteer fireman too. Gary Parsons, Charlie’s son was so proud of his father, he too, felt the call to become a Halton Regional Police Officer. In 1957 Charlie was awarded Burlington’s Citizen of the Year. The City was saddened when Charlie at the age of 60 passed away in 1983, the same year he retired. Fortunately, for Charlie, he did get to attend his huge retirement party held at King’s Court on King Road. The place was packed. It seemed like everyone was there. Charlie will never be forgotten.

Lisle Crawford was Police Chief in 1959, when a bank robbery at the corner of Brant and Caroline Streets resulted in a gun fight between the robbers and the police. An unbelievable 45 shots were fired before the 2 men were apprehended. Lisle retired as Chief in 1968, and sadly Chief Crawford passed away in 1983.

Ken Scott was promoted to Deputy Chief after Chief Smith’s retirement, and after amalgamation Ken became an Inspector with the newly amalgamated police department.

Ken Scott was promoted to Deputy Chief, and in 1958 when Burlington, Aldershot, and Nelson Township amalgamated, Ken became an Inspector for the newly integrated department. It was actually Ken Scott who became the first officer to get behind the wheel of the department’s new 1947 Ford. Ken recalled when he retired around 1968 or 1969,that back in the early days when he joined the department full time in 1943, all 4 officers were working 6 days a week doing 12 hour shifts, even doubling as dog catchers, and licence fee collectors. Ken fondly recalled, they were rough days, but good days. Ken Scott passed away in 1986.

Constable Tom Oliver marries the love of his life, the lovely Dorothy Daniels. Tom, a Staff Sergeant retired from the Halton Regional Police Services around 1991.

One of the men who the Chief hired as a new police officer in 1946, following the war, was 23 year old Fred Oliver, ex-soldier and ex- military police officer who was the older brother of fellow Officer Tom Oliver. Tom had a full rewarding career in policing and would later retire as a Staff Sergeant with Halton Regional Police. Tom passed away in 2006.

Fred Oliver was the older brother to Tom Oliver. Fred eventually became Oakville’s Chief of Police and Deputy Chief with the Halton Regional Police Services, and after retirement, Fred had a second career as a politician serving on Oakville and Halton Regional Council.

Fred stayed for one year in Burlington, and moved on to head up the Trafalgar Township Police and become its Chief at 25 years of age, making him the youngest Chief in Ontario. Fred was involved at this same time in the famous bank robbery shootout on Brant Street, firing 2 shots at one of the robbers. With amalgamation in 1962, Fred was promoted to Chief of Police in Oakville, and in 1974 he was promoted to Deputy Chief of Halton Regional Police Services, retiring in 1980. A new career in politics led Fred into the Oakville and Regional Council political circle for many more years. Chief Oliver passed away in 2011.

The Chief’s priority was to keep Burlington’s youth out of trouble
The Chief was becoming more alarmed by the number of young people in the recently suburbanized Burlington, who were now beginning to get themselves into lots of trouble. They were good kids, just bored. During the 1950s, the town went from a population somewhere around 6,000 in 1950, and in the same decade, Burlington’s population would top up at around 47,000 by 1960. Burlington was experiencing a huge population explosion. During the Chief’s time in office, the population came very close to being a staggering 25 times greater than when he first began his career in Burlington. In this bigger town, there wasn’t too much for these teenagers to do in those days.

The kids were starting to hang around the new plazas that had just been built, or they were wandering up and down Brant Street in large numbers, yelling, swearing, fighting and just making a complete nuisance of themselves, all to the annoyance of those around. Teenage drinking, noisy cars and motorcycles, and lots more mischief from these kids was taxing the Chief’s patience.

The Chief instructed his officers to pay particular importance to these kinds of events, and to put a stop to their antics as quickly as possible, without bringing strong armed enforcement into it. The officers carried out the Chief’s orders efficiently and without any major incident, and as a result, once the young troublemakers were made aware that the Chief and his men meant business, and would not tolerate any misbehaviour, everything soon settled down to relative calmness, just the way the Chief liked it. Under the Chief’s watch, peace and tranquility was the way everyone liked it, and he kept it that way.

What is the rush? Are they ashamed of the decision they made and want to to make sure the public doesn't have a chance to protest?

By Pepper Parr

December 17, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

What’s the rush?

Has your city Council let the holiday schedule deprive you of an opportunity to review what they have done at their Standing Committees before they rubber stamp their deliberations at Council where bylaws get passed?

The Standing Committee of Development and Infrastructure met on Monday and got a solid briefing on what the Economic Development Corporation has planned. There was a public meeting on a sub-division application for Twelve Mile Trail.

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

Route 6 and 52 will stay as the are for now. Took close to an hour to make that decision.

There was a review of transit service for the Headon Road part of town – routes 6 and 52 during which Councillor Dennison managed to use more than half an hour trying to work out all the twists and turns the buses on that route should take.

There was a lot of huffing and puffing over what a municipal council can and can’t do with development applications.

The following day, Tuesday, the Corporate and Community Services committee met and accepted the staff recommendation to sell the lands along the edge of the lake between Market and St. Paul Street.

Mayor Golding mastered the art of the photo op during his first term of office. He is photogenic and that is apparently enough to get elected.

We heard, for the first time, what the Mayor’s thinking was on that momentous decision. It was kind of wishy washy.

The Standing Committee approved 56 pages of changes in rates and fees – those are dollars that you will pay for the use of facilities that your tax dollars paid to have built.

The chair of each standing Committee diligently explains that the Committee does not make final decisions – they make recommendations that go to Council where final decisions are made and by laws are passed.

The practice in Burlington has been for there to be a full week, usually more, for the public to make themselves aware of what has been recommended before it goes to Council.

The public then has some time to think about was has been recommended and appear at Council if they want to offer a different opinion.

In a democracy the elected would welcome – maybe even encourage the public to appear and make their views known so that the elected could make decisions informed by the public.

Some might suggest that the media is in place to inform the public. And it is – but there has been a strange twist. The Burlington Post usually has a reporter at the media table covering meetings.

Tina Depko –Denver covers city hall for the Post – she is a good reporter – she frequently does a better job as a reporter than I do.

She wasn’t at the media table on Tuesday. Why?
We learned at the end of the Standing Committee meeting that Ms Depko –Denver has been hired by the Mayor as his Manager of Communications.

We congratulate Ms Depko-Denver and hope she serves the Mayor well and that she chooses to take direction from the Junius quote atop the Globe and Mail editorial page: “The subject who is truly loyal to the chief magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures”.

Junius, a pseudonym, wrote letters between 1769 and 1762 to inform the public of their historical and constitutional rights and liberties as Englishmen.

The Depko-Denver appointment probably means that the Post will not carry much in the way of news coverage unless they pick up the meeting from the webcast.

The Gazette will publish several pieces on the two Standing Committee meetings and go into some depth on the atrocious decision to sell waterfront property.

City Hall will close down at the end of the day on Tuesday, the 23rd and we won’t see anyone other than the people who keep the building secure until after the New Year. The holiday schedule for city hall is CLOSED between Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, reopening on Monday, Jan. 5, 2015. Sweet!

Is there a good reason for not deferring the Council meeting until after the New Year? Well one reason is that would be a lot of time for people to become informed and perhaps “mad as hell” and decide they don’t want to be treated this way anymore.

We did get the municipal government we apparently wanted less than 60 days ago.

What have we done to ourselves?

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