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

By Staff

March 23, 2016

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

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

Older than the Boston marathon.

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

Road Closures – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

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

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

Bus route detours in effect

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

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

By Staff

March 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

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

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

Project is expected to last until September.

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

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

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

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

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

By Pepper Parr

March 10, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Council did hold a vote a number of weeks ago.

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

Adi submitted the following reports to support their application:

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

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

Saud and Tarif Adi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A more recent rendering of what has been named the Nautique

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Walter Byj

February 3rd, 2016

BURLINGTON. ON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Pepper Parr

February 3rd, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

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

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

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

City manager James Ridge.

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

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

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

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

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

Development and Infrastructure has two Directors:

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

Community and Corporate Services has 7 Directors:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Pepper Parr

February 2, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A missed opportunity. Maybe next time.

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

By Mayor Rick Goldring

January 29, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

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

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

Mayor Rick Goldring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A City That Grows

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intensification

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Site with GO in background before sunrise

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

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

Aging retail plazas like Roseland, Eastway and Lakeside.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extreme Weather Resiliency

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

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

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

A City That Moves

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mobility hubs offer significant potential for intensification and walkability.

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

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

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

A Healthy and Greener City

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

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

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

Our health is one of our greatest assets.

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

Healthy Lifestyles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Environmental Leadership

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Engaging City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Budget

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Government Partnerships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Public Engagement Through Cultural and Community Activities

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

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

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

Arts and Culture

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

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

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

Ireland House – heritage that was saved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State of the city addresses by Mayor Rick Goldring:

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

Craven upsets a citizen - this is one vote he is not going to get next time around.

By Pepper Parr

January 27th, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Having a spitting match with a constituent isn’t smart politics.

Larry Good wrote his Council member and got a response he wasn’t too pleased with.

But let’s let the record speak for itself.

Thank you for responding so quickly to my email. I apologize for my tardy reply but I decided to do some research given your strident response.

This is the response Larry Good got from ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven.

Councillor Rick Craven – ward 1

Do you honestly expect me to completely ignore the expert advice from our Director of Transit………..

“Oakville transit has reported increased ridership on Mondays, but that has not equated into additional ridership increases for the other days of the week. Staff do not recommend this to be implemented in Burlington and would recommend the Reduce Fare Option – –a reduced fare during off-peak and weekend hours would provide opportunity to utilize the service in the off peak times. Staff are recommending the “TWO for a TOONIE” seniors program be created. This would allow two seniors to ride Burlington Transit conventional services between 10 am and 3 pm Monday to Friday as well as all day Saturday and Sundays.”

I support some version of the TWO FOR A TOONIE program and am willing to discuss it further.

Good wasn’t going to let remarks like that stand on their own.

“I assume” he said “ the question you asked me in the opening remarks of your response to me was rhetorical hyperbole and not intended to seek clarity. I wonder if you asked Mayor Goldring or Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster if they completely ignored the expert advice of our Director of Transit. Indeed, the Director’s advice is important but it is not the only informational input available to you and Council to arrive at a decision on Free Mondays for Seniors. I would hope you agree.”

“In addition to the Director’s input you could look to the success achieved by Oakville Transit with this program they introduced in 2012. According to a transit survey done in Oakville during their pilot program that transit ridership did increase and continues to increase, especially among seniors through out the week. It would seem Seniors in Oakville have been enjoying this service ever since their pilot project was completed close to four years ago. I am sure when a senior takes transit on Monday’s in Oakville they feel acknowledged and appreciated for their contribution to the community.

Robert Lovell delegating at city council on the Monday Free transit for seniors proposal in the budget.

“Another source of information comes form the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee. This committee conducted their own research including direct conversations with the Oakville Director of Transit who fully supports this program. Mr. Lovell speaking on behalf of the Advisory Committee made a cogent and compelling argument to Council and the Budget Committee. In addition to the goal of increased ridership there are many other benefits which spring from this transit fare reduction proposal. This program could have an impact on Traffic Congestion, Road Safety and the Environment.

“Councillor Marianne Meed Wade’s website also has a wealth of information on this subject which you should take a look at.

“It was reported in the Burlington Gazette that you said very little during debate, Councillor Taylor felt this was a low income or a social welfare issue better dealt with by the Region, that Councillor Dennison has never been in favour of “support” programs. However, this same council supported spending $16,000 for the Car Free Event which only directly benefits approximately 3 wards in the City. The article went on to suggest it is the “old boy’s club” that did not want to see this trial take place. Although you have been a Councillor for quite some time I don’t think that alone qualifies you as part of an old boys club but perception can be a problem.

Seniors gather at a table to talk about the state pf transit – a meeting sponsored by a Burlington advocacy group – there was no one from transit at the well attended meeting.

“As has been pointed out Senior’s represent roughly 17% of the City’s population (even higher percentage in Ward 1) and all estimates point to this demographic growing. The next large demographic are the children of the seniors we are speaking about. As a demographic senior’s are more likely to vote than other groups. This demographic has greatly contributed to our community in many ways including raising our children, contributing to municipal life via volunteerism, charity and I dare say defence of our Country. Why would you not support this demographic? I visited China a few years back with the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and we were taken for a tour of a “Seniors Park” where there were hundreds of seniors dancing in groups, exercising on equipment provided, playing local games and generally just having a great time in the fresh air. I think we could benefit a lot from the Chinese culture in their strong admiration and unfailing support for Seniors. We don’t need to look that far to find inspiration, we need only to look to our neighbours to the east, Oakville.

The ceremonies over the Naval Promenade becomes the fous with the Seniors' out in force listening to the All MAle Welsh Choir. Strolling along is Craig Stevens, the city's project manager on the pier project. He direction and oversight kept the project going when it got a little wonky at times - but that's another story.

The ceremonies over the Naval Promenade becomes the focus with the Seniors’ out in force listening to the All Male Welsh Choir.

“I hope you will not completely ignore the advice of the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee, or ignore the apparent success of the Oakville’s Transit program or ignore the recommendation of Councillor Meed Ward. I continue to believe our seniors deserve all the backing they can be given and if it were up to me alone transit would be free all the time for those 65 and older. This pilot project and Oakville’s permanent program for free Monday’s for Seniors is not a social welfare issue it is a matter of respect and giving back to a segment of our community for their selfless sacrifice for us.

“Your willingness to discuss is belied by your rhetorical hyperbole, it would seem your mind is made up. Again Shame on you!”

There is a vote that shouldn’t be counted on.

That budget - Councillors Sharman and Dennison make comments.

By Pepper Parr

January 27th, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON.

The meeting started with a close to mammoth photo op – players from the Barracudas and the Eagles were on hand to receive certificates of appreciation for the very impressive work they did on the Giving Back project that brought in close to 300,000 lbs of food that was distributed to community organizations.

The Giving Back initiative has proven to be so successful that Brampton and Oakville are taking a look at it and there is talk about developing it as a national program

The students who were given Certificates of Appreciation by the Mayor in turn gave the city a painting that noted the 10th year of the Giving Back program.

It was perhaps fitting that the young people getting the certificates of appreciation were the opening act for a city council meeting at which a budget was approved that runs quite a bit ahead of inflation. The long term projection is for budgets that are usually above 3.5% for the next twenty years.

The city finance department set out what they expected tax increases to be through to 2035.

It is those energetic hockey players who are going to have to pay taxes that increase 3.5% year over year.

In 2011 when this council put out its first budget in their first term (they were all re-elected) the budget had a 0% increase.

The budget was not unanimously approved – Councillor Dennison did not vote for it and Councillors Meed Ward and Taylor were lukewarm – they wanted a different budget but couldn’t seem to pull the strings that would give them what they wanted.

The Free Monday transit for seniors was the issue that divided this council but it was not the structural issue that made this budget different.
Both Councillors Sharman and Dennison had detailed comments which they made once the budget was approved.

In his comments Councillor Dennison said he was not supporting the 2016 City Budget for the following reasons:
“I am not happy with a Burlington Tax increase of 3.19%” he said and “I had a number of recommended reductions including saving a possible $337,000 on the Transit Community Connection. He wanted the service to be paid for by users and the benefiting businesses. He pointed out that it costs $10 million to subsidize our current level of transit.

He also wanted to eliminate additional expense and staff for promotion of Canada 150 and save a potential $100,000.

Dennison wanted to reduce the amount that was being put into the Strategic Land Acquisition fund from $750,000 to $550,000 and save $200,000

Dennison wanted the provision for insurance claims reduced by $150,000. He pointed out that $500,000 from retained savings had already been put into the account and that was enough.

Dennison identified a total of $1,337,000 that could have been saved. His fellow Councillors didn’t agree with him. These changes would have brought our city of Burlington Tax increase down by 1% to 2.19%.

The city collects taxes for the Board of education and the Regional government. City council is fully responsible for setting the city tax rate; it has no impact or input on the school board taxes. Burlington has significant input on the Regional tax rate but Burlington doesn’t have all that much clout at the Regional level.

Dennison said he continues to have concerns with service-based budgeting. “There are benefits to the approach but it does not replace the need to know how individual operations are performing.

Burlington moved to a service based approach to budgeting which groups different operations making it very difficult to drill down to a line by line look at costs. He pointed to the problem comparing single-pad arenas to multi-pad arenas with respect to cost of operation and concerns with the Paletta Mansion and the Ella Foote Hall in Kilbride.

Dennison doesn’t feel that serviced based budgeting lets Councillors see all the costs and wants both service-based and individual results in 2017 so he can properly review the budget.

Councillor Jack Dennison has the best grip on where the budget dollars go – he does tend to drill down a little too deeply at times but he consistently wants to see the city spending less money.

Dennison points out that “If we over-budgeted in 2015 that means that we over-taxed our assessed properties and the gross tax should be reduced by something closer to that amount and not just be put into reserves.

Just before the vote was taken, Councillor Sharman – ward 5 – said he wanted to on the record with respect to a few items:

“I fully respect and admire the work of community members who promote what they believe is a good idea. I deeply appreciate the time and effort and sometimes emotional strain undertaken by community members in delegating to Council. However, I often believe that delegations represent less than all of the opinions held by all members of the community.

“I have been and continue to be fully supportive of providing, timely, effective and affordable transportation to our community and especially those who have real needs. Perhaps as much as 37% of seniors need or desire to have use convenient transit at an affordable price, according to more thorough analysis of the Oakville free Monday Seniors Bus pilot program. That represents about 11,500 Burlington Senior residents. 63% of Oakville Seniors did not need or want free transit.

Intense to the point of making delegations uncomfortable ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman does know how to drill down into the data and look for results.

“I wonder why we should provide only one day a week free to those who need services when there is a high probability that they need it all the time. Research suggests that it should be all the time.

“I wonder about why we would not include other groups such as students. I don’t know how many people that would help, but I would like to know.

“We know that 9.5% or about 18,000 Burlington Community members live on less than the low income cut off threshold. Other people who have insufficient income to live on could push this figure up to 36,000 people who need or desire help.

“Without setting aside the legitimate desire and needs of seniors I wish to point out that we have in total perhaps in the order of 50,000 people who might legitimately be helped by Council. Split Pass provides us the way but it needs to be changed.

“Meanwhile, Burlington Transit has struggled to redesign itself to provide a viable business model that will meet the needs of all Burlington community members.

“I am not opposed to change for Transit. However, I am opposed to knee jerk inadequately thought out change. We have a chance to accomplish a properly thought out and real change when we discuss the transit service business case which we are committed to do as a result of my staff direction for Council to have a workshop to review each and every city business case.”

Other members of council had comments but they were not as extensive as those made by Councillors Sharman and Dennison.

Council nixes the idea of a pilot project that would let seniors ride free on Monday's They approved $16,000 for their Car Free Sunday event.

By Pepper Parr

January 21st, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Robert Lovell doesn’t understand.

Robert Lovell

He was interviewed for the job he has as a member of the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee and thought he was expected to do just that – advise city council on things that mattered to seniors.

BSAC met on a number of occasions and went into the community to learn when people wanted in the way of transit services.

They researched what Oakville was doing and came to the conclusion that the Free Transit on Monday’s was a good idea and certainly worth trying in Burlington.

They then delegated to city council and made a strong case for trying the Free transit for seniors on Monday’s.

They argued that ridership would rise and the free service might convince people to try the bus. They argued it would also allow people with limited means to use the bus service more often.

Councillor Rick Craven, centre, with a copy of the 2013 budget on a memory stick. Craven did a superb job of chairing the budget committee last year. He will have no argument with candidate Henshell over the need for additional shopping facilities in Aldershot - getting themt there has been the challenge.

Councillor Jack Dennison, Rick Craven and John Taylor voted not to proceed with a pilot project to learn how much additional ridership could be added to the transit service. All three voted for an allocation of $15,500 for the car free Sunday event that takes place in wards 4,5 and 6.

A majority of city council didn’t see it that way and they voted (4-3) against the pilot program that was to run for six months.

Councillors Marianne Meed Ward, Blair Lancaster and Mayor Goldring voted for the pilot program.

Councillor Craven said very little during the debate. Councillor Taylor seemed to feel that the program was intended for those who could not afford transit – and he argued, if that was the case, there were Regional programs that gave financial support.

Taylor seemed quite prepared to have people submit to a financial means test to get support to buy a transit pass. He saw the pilot project as social welfare which he explained is handled by the Region.

Councillor Dennison has never been in favour of much in the way of support programs. Councillor Sharman said he didn’t have a problem with the program but he wanted to be sure everyone fully understood just what the outcomes and expectations were for the pilot project. He wanted the Director of transit to set out what would be measured so that a proper evaluation could be done when the six month pilot ended.

Lovell said he had been told by friends that the Advisory committees were just a sham – that they were put in place to let the public think the city wanted to hear what they had to say. “If that is the case: said Lovell, “then I am out of that committee. I am interested in working on committees that want to make a difference.”

Lovell was one of three people who delegated on the Free Transit for seniors on Monday – a program that Oakville has had in place since 2012 where it is reported to have increased transit ridership by as much as 14% in one period.

Burlington Transit has always had difficulty growing transit ridership. There have been significant price increases which has depressed ridership and route changes haven’t helped all that much either.

When the matter got to council for debate it was clear that some of the members of council didn’t hear what the delegations were saying the day before.

Jim Young was asking council to forget the cost but focus on service – he argued that it was taxpayer’s money and the seniors wanted this kind of service.

What council failed to see was the real opportunity that was being missed. Burlington has busses that travel the streets “more than half empty most of the time” if we understood what Councillor Sharman says.

A new bus is added to the fleet – city hall staff and area politicians drove over to the transit garage to give a round of applause. They get paid for this – don’t they?

We own the buses, we pay a driver to be behind the steering wheel – if there was a chance to increase the ridership at no additional cost and at the same time provide a service and entice people to use the buses – why wouldn’t one at least try the pilot?

The city wasn’t going to lose any money – there would be passengers on the bus who would not pay a fare – they wouldn’t have been on the bus anyway

There is an additional benefit if ridership can be increased. The gas tax rebate the province gives a municipality is based on two measurements: the population of the municipality and the ridership.

There are currently 130 municipalities sharing $332 million dollars.

There was an addition to the 2016 budget that was estimated to cost $14,000 – they spent more than an hour

Burlington has had problems convincing people to use transit. Doug Brown maintains the city does not have a plan to increase ridership and that there really isn’t anyone within city hall who will advocate for improving transit. There is no one at city hall who fully understands transit – responsibility for transit get mentioned by the people responsible for transportation.

More than 17% of the population is over 65 and while many people are able to drive their cars well into their 90’s our aging population is likely to become subject to graduated drivers licenses.

We will get to the point where a doctor will be required to advise the department of transportation that the patient is no longer capable of driving a car. What do we do when we have a growing cohort of people who are either not allowed to drive or are no longer comfortable driving?

The transit free Monday was an opportunity to learn if people would take a bus if it were free. The driving factor behind the pilot project was to see if this was a way to increase ridership.

Old school thinking had Councillor Taylor seeing the request as a social welfare issue, while Councillor Sharman wanted a clear understanding of what the expectations of the pilot were going to be.

Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster – voted for the Free Monday transit service for seniors

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward made her presence known to Council well before her election to office, the city knew what they were getting and she has delivered on that promise.

Councillors Lancaster and Meed Ward were quite willing to let the Director of Transit take the time needed to prepare a report and if they had to move the start date of the pilot back a bit they could live with that as well. An amendment to the motion allowing for a report to be prepared didn’t pass either – the four opposed to the pilot project just didn’t want to see it take place.

When an item fails at the Standing Committee level there is always an opportunity to debate it again at a council meeting – these are usually held a couple of weeks later. However, budget meetings were slipped in and the normal rotation of meetings got jammed up. If there is going to be a change at city council – those who are behind this project will have to get a wiggle on.

The Gazette understands that the good folks in Aldershot are not at all pleased with the Councillor Craven vote against the pilot.

Council to debate the operating portion of the budget - looks like a hike of 3.85% over last year.

By Pepper Parr

January 19, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The report going to the Community and Corporate Services Committee asks city council to approve the 2016 Operating Budget including any budget amendments.

The proposed net tax levy for 2016 is set at $146,883,341.

Members of Council have had the Operating Budget book since November and will now debate the operating budget and listen to public delegations at meetings on January 19, 20 and 21.

The budget goes to city council on January 25th where it gets approved.

The city held a just the one public meeting on January 14, 2016 at Tansley Woods Community Centre. The intent of the meeting was to provide residents with an overview of the 2016 proposed budget.

A disturbing comment was made when city council discussed the operating budget. Treasurer said her staff would inform the public about the operating budget but would not be “engaging” the public. No one corrected the treasurer – so this city might have to swallow a budget that asks for an increase of 3.85 % over the 2015 budget.

With inflation at the 2% level one would think the people paying the bills would want to have some say in why such a big difference between inflation and the increase in taxes. Perhaps city council feels the public had their say when they re-elected every member of this council in 2014.

Members of Council are given thick binders will details on the spending plans and are asked to submit Budget Action requests in which each council member sets out items they would like to see changed.

Some of the changes that have been put forward are set out below:

Members of city council were given the budget on a memory stick that allowed them to do simulations on what the budget total would look like if they added or deleted an expense items. This year they went through the budget line by line individually. Based on what the public has seen so far – it doesn’t look as if there is going to be much in the way of cuts. From the left are Councillors Jack Dennison, ward 4, Rick Craven ward 1 and John Taylor ward 3.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven wants to see the one time funding of $35,000 for the Downtown Data Collection Project pulled. He points out that the original staff recommendation in September 2015 included the following observation: “After considering the staff and funding resources that would be required to collect accurate and useful data to inform the performance indicators and headline measures, staff is of the opinion that the value of obtaining and maintaining such data as a means to evaluating the experience of the downtown may be limited” Remove project and one-time funding of $35,000

The Performing Arts Centre appears to be facing an uphill battle for the additional business case funding it is asking for; $72,500 for a technician and $115,800 for someone to work on community engagement.

Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison wants the Performing Arts centre to stay within their budget; Councillor Blair Lancaster (Ward 6) wants data to show the success of the previous contract position and indicate if the proposed permanent position could be self-sustaining.

He also wants to know: Why has the Human Resources budget been increased by 6.2%?

Why is the Arts and Culture – Human Resources year-end projection for 2015 $43,000 over the budget?

Why is the budget $1,009,140 for Human Resources?

Why has the Human Resources budget for Council and Citizen Committee been increased by $30,000?

Dennison has always been the Councillor with the best understanding of the budget and has consistently asked the toughest questions.

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward seems to have focused on transit and seniors in the changes she wants to see in the 2016 budget.

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has focused some of her energy on seniors and transit.

She wants to replace the existing business case with the following staff direction (Part 1): “Direct the Director of Transit to implement a pilot program for free transit on Mondays for seniors (65+) for the period April 1 – Sept 30 2016 and report back with results and a recommendation as part of the 2017 budget cycle.” The goal of the program is to increase ridership among seniors; among the Key Performance Indicators that will be tracked during the pilot are: change in ridership among seniors on Mondays; change in ridership among seniors Tuesday to Sunday; change in revenue from seniors Mondays and the rest of the week.

Replace the existing business case with the following staff direction (Part 2): “Direct the Director of Transit to implement a pilot program of a $30 monthly pass for seniors (65+) (about $1/day) for the period April 1 – Sept 30 2016 and report back with results and a recommendation as part of the 2017 budget cycle.” The goal of the program is to increase ridership among seniors and remove affordability concerns for people who may not qualify for the Regional SPLIT pass. Among the Key Performance Indicators that will be tracked during the pilot are: change in sales and revenue of monthly passes for seniors; change in ridership among seniors.

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman has focused om both information technology and corporate management and is asking that staff be directed to prepare an assessment of each of the services with respect to their relative strategic importance. The objective is help determine where we might wish to reduce/cut spending and therefore be able to re-allocate funds to services which are strategically more important.

Councillors Sharman and Lancaster: both part of the Shape Burlington committee who seem to have forgotten what the report was all about - civic engagement

Councillors Sharman and Lancaster – both had changes they wanted to see in the 2016 budget.

Staff be directed to conduct a series of Council Workshops to explain and seek agreement about each service: strategic positioning; service improvement goals; improvement actions: short/medium & long term resource/financial requirement projections.

The Strategic Plan has now gone through an extensive public review – when staff returns with its summary of what the public thought of the document it will be brought to Council for adoption. Some of what Councillor Sharman is asking for will then get matched up with what is included in the Strategic Plan.

Sharman is perhaps the Councillor with the best understanding of spending on Information technology. He suggests that a justification based on the 2 1/2 year old report is of questionable value today due the pace of change in technology. He points out that a report did correctly point out that City systems are aging and should be updated.

Rather than spend $209,350 in 2016 and $407,250 in 2017 Sharman proposes the following staff direction: Funding for IT Business Cases be approved but be refined by the City Manager relative to his assessment of the alignment of IT projects, in the context of the Strategic Plan, and the current strategic review of IT now underway, as well as the approach proposed in the subject Business Cases.

City manager James Ridge has some IT experience – but his desk is pretty full with managing the city – and he no longer has a management level between his office and the directors. Interesting that there has been no mention of just what the city is going to have in the way of a management structure going forward.

Mayor Rick Goldring didn’t ask for any cuts to the 2016 budget but did want the city manager to look for ways to increase revenue.

Mayor Goldring didn’t seem to see anything he wanted to cut in the 2016 budget but did want the city manager to study approaches that the city can take in revenue generation and provide a report to committee with the presentation of the 2017 budget

City has named Vito Tolone the new director of transportation.

By Staff

January 12, 2016

BURLIGNTON, ON

Finally – the city made Vito Tolone the Director of Transportation; he has served as the acting director since May 2015 and is a long-time city employee.

Tolone has been with the city since 1990; has held various positions at the city, including transportation planner, project leader, supervisor of traffic signal systems and senior transportation planner.

“After an extensive competition with a strong slate of candidates, I am very pleased that Vito has agreed to lead the city’s transportation group,” said City Manager James Ridge.

“Vito is well regarded in the Ontario municipal sector and brings extensive experience to this role.”

Tolone is a graduate of the Mohawk College Transportation Planning Technology program and a member of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists.

The transportation department at the City of Burlington oversees the delivery of various road-related services, including the traffic signal system, traffic services, transportation planning, parking, and school crossing guards.

If Burlington is going to function as a city people can move around in – Tolone is going to have to be right on top of how much in the way of financial resources are available to him to do the job. He knows the transportation field – will his advice and recommendations be heard?

Burlington Green comments on Strategic Plan - will they be listened to? The comments are very valid.

By Staff

January 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

BurlingtonGreen put its two cents on the table and gave city council and senior staff its views on the Strategic Plan that is currently out for public review.

They made several significant points: One being that there wasn’t enough focus climate change and they wondered why there was a long term vision but not much in the way of a four year, single term of office document. Burlington Green isn’t the only group asking that question.

Burlington Green’s Executive Director Amy Schnurr points to “the extensive community feedback” they received through their Greenprint for the Future outreach program where they learned what the citizens of Burlington had to say about a variety of local environmental issues.

Ice birgs are melting.

“Both globally and locally, the health of the environment and need for effective, results-oriented action to ensure a sustainable future has never been more important. Municipalities have an essential role to play in combating climate change and must prioritize and integrate associated action strategies into short and long-term planning. Additionally, with Burlington currently facing the conflicting challenges of build-out and population growth, the associated issues of intensification, infill practices, habitat destruction, local food security, waste management and effective transportation, combine to make sustainable planning a top priority.”

BurlingtonGreen strongly believes that climate change and the environment must be central to Burlington’s vision and planning going forward and respectfully offers the following input to aid the City in improving the draft Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2040.

Issue: Strategic Plan versus Long Term Vision: we feel the current document represents a strategic vision, rather than a plan which requires specific, measurable time-bound strategies.

Recommendation: Re position the document as “Burlington’s Vision for 2015 to 2040”and develop a five year Strategic Plan in consultation with the community, to implement the short and long term elements of the vision.

Issue: The Vision Statement “Where people, nature, and business thrive” is missing the element of community context.

Recommendation: Include the word “community”, so that the vision statement reads: “Where people, nature, business, and community thrive”.

Smoke stacks are killing us.

Issue: Climate Change: the document makes no reference to this, the most important environmental and social issue of our times, and though some elements, such as the City’s carbon-neutral proposal, address it in part, there is no cohesive or strongly-stated strategy articulated. Cities must be on the front line of action in dealing with climate change, and Burlington needs to demonstrate clear leadership here.

Recommendation: Add a fifth section to the plan dedicated to climate change because strategies dealing with climate change must include or involve all sections of the plan: not just health and environment, but also transportation and economic development and the type of growth we want to have and can sustain in the next twenty five years.

If it is deemed that an additional section cannot be added then all document sections should be strengthened significantly to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation planning strategies.

Issue: A City that Grows: we support the thrust towards intensification and smart growth; however, there is insufficient recognition of the need to develop and preserve a livable and environmentally sustainable community, while promoting economic growth.

Smart growth must advance strategic plans that respect nature’s biodiversity and our irreplaceable green spaces that Burlington is fortunate to have. This additional point is not only important for Burlington citizens, but is fundamental to promoting economic growth in a postmodern information economy.

Reccomendation: Strengthen this section to clearly indicate that the vision is to absorb growth in the currently defined urban areas to support an economically strong, livable and environmentally sustainable community.

Issue: A City that Moves: we strongly believe that a much greater focus on public transit and active transportation is required in the draft plan.

Do we have enough buses and are they the right size to meet the changing demand?

Recommendation: Make Public Transit and Active Transportation priorities by creating a dedicated section specifically dealing with “public transit” and “active transportation options”, in coordination with the Region of Halton’s recently published Active Transportation Master Plan, and where necessary, work proactively with the Region to suggest any improvements to the Plan that are needed to meet Burlington’s specific requirements.

Issue: A Healthy and Greener City: we find this section represents a fairly traditional approach to environment and more innovative and integrative thinking and strategies, with a strong focus on Climate Change are required.

Tree canopies like this take decades to mature – is there a plan in place to replace these trees when they begin to fail? It is streets like this that give Burlington much of its character and value.

Recommendation: Review this section approaching urban and growth issues from an environmental point of view, and ensure the inclusion of important issues such as:
• Green Space: include strategies for green space growth and preservation for its carbon sink capacity and quality of life and health benefits.
A comprehensive (city and privately owned) green space inventory and acquisition plan is required to support this;
• Tree Canopy: include strategies to protect and strengthen our tree canopy to meet Environment Canada’s community sustainability standards.
One example includes the establishment of a practical, effective private property tree bylaw given that the majority of our tree canopy is located on privately owned lands.
• Habitat & Biodiversity Protection: A balanced approach to development planning is essential to ensure the city’s natural areas are preserved and habitat restoration work is advanced to ensure local biodiversity is protected and enhanced.
• Waste Reduction: include municipal and community strategies to support the Region and Province to meet waste reduction goals. Advancement of the city’s green procurement strategies and establishing local targets, incentives and requirements for all events and festivals conducted on city property are a few examples.
• Energy: consider whether energy, being at the fulcrum of climate change, should be a distinct initiative in this section and perhaps whether the section might be renamed Environment and Energy. Include forward looking strategies such as developing community energy systems(s) by engaging industry experts and committing to community energy infrastructure development.
The test for feasibility should not be limited to existing business and geopolitical measures but should include forward looking plans that anticipate changes in support of combatting climate change.
• Farmland/Source Water Protection: include strategies that will strengthen the protection of our vital agricultural sector and water resources such as adopting a Food & Water First policy.

Do we have a rural farmland policy?

A rapt audience listens to an overview of a budget – did they have any real input ?

Issue:
An Engaging City: we generally support what is here, however as a Blue Dot community, Burlington needs to step up to the commitment and advance a plan to stimulate citizen engagement specifically in regards to growth and environmental issues.

Recommendation: Advance plans to stimulate meaningful citizen engagement with respect to growth and environmental issues.

Burlington Green has been consistent with its plea that the public be listened to and heard. They argue that the City’s Strategic Plan for 2015-2040 “must reflect this commitment; they hope the constructive input and recommendations provided make it into the final document.

Strategic plan that is now out for [public consultation has four strategic directions. Pure pablum says on resident - another adds that no one does strategic plans anymore.

By Pepper Parr

January 8th 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

Strategic plans are by seldom an easy read. They are however important – they set out where the politicians you elected want to see growth take place.

There was a time when Burlington had acres of farm land that was developed over time – the two malls we have were once very productive farmland at a time when Burlington was known around the word for the quality of its produce.

The city – then a town – was once a produce garden known around the world. We grew and we now need a strategy to guide the growth,

We shipped so much fresh fruit and vegetables that the railway had two tracks coming into what was then a town.

That was then – developers bought that farmland and put up a parking lot and added some stores along the edges. The old Burlington began to change and the downtown core that once was a place where people did gather began to wither.

Strategic Plan is based on four strategic directions.

The city believes it needs a Strategic Plan and spends a considerable amount of time and significant financial resources putting a document together and looking for public comment.
The draft version of the Strategic Plan that is now ready for public comment has four Strategic Directions: a city that moves; a city that grows; a healthy and greener city; and an engaging city.

This report takes material from the draft report and adds comments to put what the draft Strategic Plan is saying in context. See the draft plan as a piece of sales literature with one side of the story. The Gazette has added comment based on its five years of covering this council and attendance at all the meetings for the 2011 Strategic Plan and most of the meetings for the plan that is ready for public comment. The commentary is set out in bold italic.

Everything your city council wants to have happen in Burlington as it grows – and the city has to grow because the province says we must – is pinned to the four strategic directions. There was no public input on the choice of those four strategic directions. They came out of discussion and debate and wordsmithed by the consultants.
First strategic direction is related to growth. That growth is identified as coming about as the result of – economic development, intensification and smart population growth.

Each of these has a list of strategic initiatives the city will undertake and then a list of progress indicators telling us what real progress has been made.

Council wants to promote economic growth. Local incomes have risen and Burlington continues to be a prosperous city due to the co-ordinated action of the city, region, province, educational institutions and industry. The very significant increases in the selling prices of housing has made a difference as well; a recent report had the increase at the 9.2% year over year level.

More people who live in Burlington, work in Burlington and targets for employment lands have been met (15,000 new knowledge-based jobs by 2025) through the creation of an employment lands vision to unite the community, developers and industry.

An empty lot on the North Service Road at Walkers Line was to be the home of a new IKEA – that didn’t work out but a six storey office building got built a couple of hundred yards away.

The development community has been banging away at council to let quite a bit of the land set aside for employment be converted and used instead for housing – which is a lot more profitable.

The draft report claims that employment lands are connected to the community and region and include transportation links and options that are easy to access and contribute to a sustainable and walk able community. That statement is more than a bit of a stretch. A report earlier this week in the Spectator said that those who attended the Pan Am games didn’t make much use of public transit – and there is nothing wrong with the GO service.

Burlington hasn’t taken to the idea of public transit yet. When a significant number of seniors find that they can’t drive or find the traffic too congested to drive – they will make their concerns known to council and then watch how quickly city council comes onside and starts spending the gas tax rebates on transit – which is what they were intended for.

Small businesses contributes to the creation of complete neighbourhoods. Commerce aligns with land-use planning goals so that residents are close to goods and services.

Innovative, entrepreneurial businesses have settled or developed in Burlington. The city has helped create the technological support, business supports, infrastructure and educational environment to attract start-ups and growing businesses.

The people who write these reports keep saying things that are just not true – they seem to feel that if they say something often enough it will become true.

This just isn’t a vibrant downtown – the site has been sold with yet another condominium being planned for the site – right opposite city hall.

Two statements that need to be dealt with honestly – Burlington’s downtown is vibrant and thriving with greater intensification. The downtown isn’t vibrant – hasn’t been vibrant for a long, long time. Better minds than mine may know how to make it vibrant – but we aren’t there yet.

Much of the rural property is in the hands of speculators who limit what can be done with the land. There are farmers north of Dundas that would like to grow different crops but the owners of the property limit what they can grow. The City of Burlington’s rural areas will be economically and socially vibrant, producing commodities and providing unique recreational activities for the city.

How will Burlington make the growth wanted actually happen?

These are some examples of actions and measures of success:

Create an employment lands vision that drives investment and growth in the Prosperity Corridors.

Getting the people who own the land to work with the city and develop with long term viability is the first step – some of the plans on the table for the land around the Aldershot GO station leave a lot to be desired.

Develop and put in place a redevelopment and intensification strategy for the Prosperity Corridors

Build one economic development brand for the City of Burlington that reflects the city’s economic development vision

Develop a holistic strategy for Burlington’s rural area. This strategy will consider economic, social and environmental factors in support of the rural community, agricultural industry, natural heritage and water resources

Develop a post-secondary attraction strategy.

Something along these lines was planned for Burlington’s downtown core – but McMaster stifed the city when a nicer deal came along.

There was a time when the DeGroote campus now on the South Service Road was going to be downtown on land that is currently the Elizabeth Street parking lot. That on got away on us. There has been some rumbling about perhaps getting some of the Mohawk College courses delivered in Burlington. Mohawk president Ron McKerlie says that isn’t going to happen. The one post-secondary institution we did have pulled up their stakes and moved on.

Develop a business-friendly environment that attracts investment. The real issues is to find investors who look for long term returns and not the getting in and getting out to turn the fast buck. There is a project in the west end that the developer wants to get approved that doesn’t include very much, if anything in the way of amenities. There are developers building forms of housing that are not built that often. And at the same time there are developers prepared to work with city hall and the ward Councillors and not grab every last square foot of density available. There is a developer currently building what will amount to a new community that will house more than 2000 people.

Create and invest in a system that supports the start-up and growth of businesses and entrepreneurship. There are a lo of people who would love to know what such a system would look like. The role of government is to create the conditions needed for economic growth and then stay out of the way and let business people do what they do best. Keep the taxes low – provide services that people need fix the pot holes and keep the snow off the roads and sidewalks.

Progress indicators:
How will we know we are getting to where we want to get to?

• Median household income will rise
• Labour force by industry will tell us ho we are doing
• Industry location targets will be clearly identified
• Income distribution will be known to track inequity
• Percentage of families with low income will be lower
• Rural economic health indicator will exist
• Number of hectares of farmland under active cultivation
• Year-over-year employment land absorption
• Jobs per hectare in the urban boundary
• Percentage of the community that does not work in Burlington
• City’s gross domestic product
• Employment and unemployment rates.

There is a bit of a problem with this list of data – the city does not have a demographer on staff and without one it will be very difficult to report on any of the above. There was no mention made of hiring a demographer during the strategic plan discussions.

Intensification:

Growth is being achieved in mixed-use nodes and corridors, including mobility hubs and urban centres.

The city defined four possible “mobility hubs” They appear to have settled on the Aldershot location.

Mobility hubs are developed near each GO Station and in the downtown.

Aging plazas are being redeveloped and transformed into mixed-use neighbourhood hubs.

New/transitioning neighbourhoods are being designed to promote easy access to amenities, services and employment areas with more opportunities for walking, cycling and using public transit.

Older neighbourhoods are important to the character of Burlington and intensification will be carefully managed to respect this character.

Energy-efficient buildings and other onsite sustainable features are the norm, thereby improving Burlington’s environmental footprint. Existing buildings are being renovated to improve efficiency.

Intensification is planned so that growth is financially sustainable and supported by appropriate funding and service delivery.

Burlington has an urban core that has higher densities, green space and amenities, is culturally active and is home to a mix of residents and businesses.

Architecture, sustainable buildings and urban design excellence are being achieved through a commitment to creating public spaces where people can live, work or gather.

The city will create and implement an awards program to recognize and celebrate excellence in architecture, urban design and sustainability in all developments.

Waterdown Road was recently widened from Hwy 403 to Plains Road. As part of an intensification exercise the planners prepared visualizations of what that Road could look like if there were some commercial development. This is what they thought possible.

This is what Waterdown Road north of Plains Road looks like today.

How will Burlington make this happen?
These are some examples of actions and measures of success:

Strategic Initiatives:
The city will focus intensification to mixed-use nodes and employment corridors by updating intensification targets and co-ordinating infrastructure to achieve growth objectives. The city will incorporate revised intensification targets into its Official Plan. The city will demonstrate its commitment to growth management by preparing an intensification plan to manage projected growth and its related impacts. This will be complete in two years but will not limit prioritizing/directing intensification in the shorter term.

Through policy, the city will influence the redevelopment of aging plazas and transform them into mixed-use neighbourhood hubs.

The city will work with Halton Region and other partners to develop a servicing plan for intensification areas.

The city will conduct and implement an intensification plan that will include a specific focus on the Urban Growth Centre, and will develop a strategy for the downtown core that will promote residential and appropriate niche/boutique office development

The city will develop energy and sustainable site feature guidelines to require new/ renewed buildings to promote energy-efficient technologies.

The city will complete a city-wide fiscal impact analysis of all forms of development

The city will put in place the recommendations of Core Commitment in the downtown and extend, where possible, recommendations to other urban centres.

The city will create an independent capacity study to understand and comment on real estate economics and trends.

The city will create a design review panel and put in place an awards program to achieve excellence in architecture, urban design and sustainability.

Progress Indicators:

Percentage of aging commercial plazas that have redeveloped

Percentage of mobility hubs that are developed

Intensification (Jobs/people per hectare) for mobility hubs, urban centres, urban corridors, commercial plazas and urban employment areas.

Smart Population Growth:
Burlington is an inclusive city that has a higher proportion of youth, newcomers and young families and offers a price range and mix of housing choices.
Seniors are supported by a strategy that promotes health, recreation, transportation and aging in place.

How will Burlington make this happen?
These are some examples of actions and measures of success:

Strategic Initiatives:

Fairview was seen as a street with people walking and lanes for cyclists. That’s not what it is today.

Future development will be higher density, walkable, accessible and transit- oriented. The city will become a leader in walkability scores in the province, and will be fully aligned with provincial strategy and goals.

The city will prioritize one mobility hub, and will work with partners to ensure resources are available to allow the development to proceed in a timely way. The prioritized hub will be included in the Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan. Stakeholders will be consulted to help gain consensus.

Within two years, the city will develop a strategy in co-operation with other levels of government to support young families:

Housing supply will allow young families and newcomers to locate in Burlington
Infrastructure will support the economic, social and community goals of youth, young families and newcomers.

Within four years, the city will develop an economic migrant outreach and liaison office to attract investor/entrepreneur class immigrants, while remaining a destination of choice for all immigrants, including refugees.

An Age Friendly strategy for seniors will be developed within three years to ensure sufficient seniors’ programming space is provided throughout the city.

The city will improve its ability to monitor, track and understand Burlington’s demographic growth trends and profile.

If you give them enough rope – they eventually hang themselves – what’s with all the “within” dates? Do your best and try not to set yourselves up for failure by attaching a specific date to something you may have little control over.

Progress Indicators:
Walkability score applied to intensification and population growth
Population by demographics
Median age
Immigration numbers and percentages
Household size
Median housing price
Mix of available housing types.

More data is always nice – the capacity to make decisions is what taxpayers both look for and expect.

The remaining three Strategic Directions will be detailed in a follow up article.

There are three more public information sessions on the draft Strategic Plan; January 13 and January 18th.

Canada Summer Jobs 2016 now accepting applications from employers.

By Staff

January 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

An information release from the office of MP Karina Gould announces that Not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees looking to hire full-time workers for summer 2016 can now apply for funding under the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program.

Summer employment has been the beginning of a lot of careers.

CSJ creates summer job opportunities and valuable work experience specifically for youth aged 15 to 30 intending to return to their studies in the next school year. The program’s aim is also to help employers create summer job opportunities that focus on priorities important to their local communities, which could include special events such as sporting or cultural occasions.

In Burlington, the priorities focus on local special events and festivals, advanced manufacturing, tourism, and organizations that provide programs and services for seniors or disadvantaged community groups, but all eligible applicants are encouraged to apply. It is hoped that a number of employers will come forward with applications which will also complement a number of national priorities, including support for:

• employers who help welcome and settle Syrian refugees to Canada, as well as Syrian students;
• Indigenous people, who are among the fastest-growing segments of the Canadian population;
• small businesses working to become more innovative, competitive and successful, in recognition of their key contribution to the creation of new jobs; and
• cultural and creative industries looking to create jobs and to strengthen our rich Canadian identity. This latter priority will support the planning of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.

The application period runs from January 4, 2016, to February 26, 2016. Applicants approved for funding will be able to hire students as early as May 2016.

An education is part of getting a job – some experience helps.

For further information and to apply, please visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca/csj or visit a Service Canada Centre.

Canada Summer Jobs is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, which is its commitment to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market.

Halton District School Board welcomes Syrian refugees; 12 students have been welcomed to the area since December 2015

By Staff

January 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton District School Board has welcomed 12 Syrian students in Milton, Oakville and Burlington since December of 2015.

The Board has been advised an additional 13 students are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. While Halton Region is not among the seven communities designated to receive federally-sponsored Syrian refugees, the Board anticipates more refugees will be arriving in the coming months as Halton is a location of choice for many privately sponsored refugees.

Syrian children at a refugee camp in Jordan learning something about Canada.

Halton, and Ontario, are home to one of the most diverse populations in the world, where generations have come to build new lives. According to the Halton Multicultural Council (HMC Connections), approximately 100 refugees are welcomed to Halton on an annual basis. The current commitment to resettle Syrian refugees will increase the number of those settling in Halton in 2016.

To date, the Halton District School Board has supported the settlement and inclusion of refugees into our elementary and secondary schools and communities through our Welcome Centre, located inside Gary Allan High School in Milton (the former E.C. Drury High School) at 215 Ontario St South.

“We are pleased that in our own small way, we are contributing to the much needed aid of those who have lived through and continue to face great challenges in their homeland, says Stuart Miller, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support our Federal and Provincial governments in this humanitarian cause.”

City hall staff refugee fund very close to its target.

The following actions are being taken by the Halton District School Board to ensure a successful transition for Syrian refugees:

• With support from, and in consultation with, the Ministry of Education and the Federal government, the Halton District School Board will help settle Syrian refugees and integrate them into our communities, through our Welcome Centre, and into our elementary and secondary schools.

• All students who are new to the Halton District School Board and who speak a language other than English as their first language visit the Welcome Centre as their point of entry to receive settlement supports and academic assessments.

• The Halton District School Board’s School Programs department is developing English Literacy Development (ELD) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programming and instructional supports and resources for teachers.

• ESL instructional program leaders, in coordination with the Welcome Centre and schools, will support classroom learning and co-curricular experiences in academically appropriate and culturally responsive and relevant approaches. Examples of some resources developed include Q&A scenario-based documents, lesson plans appropriate to English Proficiency Assessment levels and entry points within the grade and subject curriculum, Arabic specific teaching tools and lessons to include all students in literacy learning through Arabic/English translation.

• A central resource teacher will be assigned to assist with the process of coordinating support for schools for ESL and ELD students. Based on volume and levels of language proficiency, schools may need assistance in integrating refugee students.

• School administrators will attend professional learning sessions with their ESL/ELD teachers to learn about targeted and focused supports for welcoming students and families, engaging newcomer families into school life, and developing a support network to enhance and enrich the learning experiences and inclusion of all newcomers in their communities.

• Ongoing support for all newcomers to the Halton District School Board includes orientation programs about the Ontario educational system and requirements. Newcomers are also provided information about the processes and programs specific to the Halton District School Board, the provision of interpretation services, as well as the translation of Board and school documents. Furthermore, information about parent and student engagement through Community Connects programming is available to promote academic success and social and emotional health.

• Many schools are engaged in initiatives to support Syrian refugees as they arrive and continue to grow and learn and become members of our Halton communities. For example, Oodenawi Public School in Oakville has developed ‘play kits’ to provide to students when they arrive at the Welcome Centre. The Halton Learning Foundation provides donations to students in need, including Syrian refugees.

The city of Burlington staff have created a fund to support a refugee family – they are very close to their objective.

Two woman come up with an old tradition celebrated throughout the province - a levée - first one to ever be held in Burlington

By Staff

January 5, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The word levée a social event that now takes place on New Year’s Day goes back to this country’s colonial times.

The Lieutenant Governor’s |levee still takes place at Queen’s Park and a number of armed forces regiments hold the event.

Close to a hundred different Ontario municipalities in Ontario hold a levee but Burlington apparently has never held a levée.

The times they are a changing. On Sunday, January 10th, Burlington’s MPP Eleanor McMahon and Member of Parliament Karina Gould will officiate at a levee to be held at the Art Gallery of Burlington from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

McMahon and Gould at the 2015 Remembrance Day ceremony.

No word yet on how the two women are going to style the vent. Will they have a receiving line, will they both wear long gowns?

Will McMahon sing – she has a pretty good voice.

Will there be a military presence?

Will members of the various youth military groups be on hand?

Will there be a piper?

Gould and McMahon have an opportunity to create an event that can be colourful, historical and not the usual “borington” event.

The two woman took part in the Remembrance Day event as a team bringing a quiet dignity to the role they each played.

“In the 18th century the levée in Great Britain and Ireland became a formal court reception given by the sovereign or his/her representative in the forenoon or early afternoon. In the New World colonies the levée was held by the governor acting on behalf of the monarch. Only men were received at these events.

It was in Canada that the levée became associated with New Year’s Day. The fur traders had the tradition of paying their respects to the master of the fort (their government representative) on New Year’s Day. This custom was adopted by the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors for their levées.

MP Karina Gould

The first recorded levée in Canada was held on January 1, 1646, in the Chateau St. Louis by Charles Huault de Montmagny, Governor of New France from 1636 to 1648. In addition to wishing a happy new year to the citizens the governor informed guests of significant events in France as well as the state of affairs within the colony. In turn, the settlers were expected to renew their pledges of allegiance to the Crown.

The levée tradition was continued by British colonial governors in Canada and subsequently by both the governor general and lieutenant governors. It continues to the present day.

As mentioned, the levée was historically a male preserve but during World War II levées were attended by female officers of the armed forces. Since then levées have been open to both women and men.

Over the years the levée has become almost solely a Canadian observance.

MPP Eleanor McMahon

Today the levée has evolved from the earlier, more boisterous party into a more sedate and informal one. It is an occasion to call upon representatives of the monarch, military and municipal governments and to exchange New Year’s greetings and best wishes for the New Year, to renew old acquaintances and to meet new friends. It is also an opportunity to reflect upon the events of the past year and to welcome the opportunities of the New Year.

It will be interesting to see how Gould and McMahon fashion this event – there is an opportunity to make it colourful with a historical tweek to it.

Keep the speeches short and ensure that the Tory’s are made to feel fully welcome – this isn’t to become a Liberal event.

2015 in review - July, August and September - some significant appointments made.

By Staff

December 29, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The year in review – July, August and September – how did the city do?

July 2015
Union wage settlements of 4.25% and 6.95% negotiated by CUPE.

Burlington Transit asking its riders what they want

We get to use HOV lanes with two occupants in the vehicle – as we prepare for the day when we have to pay to use that lane with just a single occupant in the car.

Burlington’s federal Liberals launch their campaign; they sense a victory in the air.

Changing the culture at city hall; bringing in the department leadership needed – and getting a Code of Conduct in place for the politicians.

Federal government decides the CN Milton Logistics hub needs to benefit from the eyes of an independent panel. Truck traffic impact on Burlington roads worrisome.

Messy council debate refers the Code of Conduct to the city manager.

Community Foundation closes it books on the Disaster Relief Fund – $2.72 million distributed.

Is the Food Truck a fad, a new phenomenon or the shape of things to come?

Is there a future for the oldest farmhouse in the downtown core? Could be if the city planners and the developer get creative.

Premier plans to make room for more politicians in the legislature.

An electric vehicle charging station will be installed in downtown Burlington at the parking garage on Locust Street.

The Flood – It was small in area and it hovered in the one place and just kept pouring – dropping almost as much rain as Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

August 2015

Can we pull it off? The potential is significant and it will certainly change the city in a rather positive way.

Premier tells Ontario Mayors they will get a better deal next time there is a localized disaster.

Burlington imports a new executive director for the Performing Arts Centre from Richmond BC; Susan Haines starts September 1st

Rebuild of the Freeman station is coming along nicely – they still need help with a lot of the work. Get in on it now – when this thing is done it will be something to be able to say you were a part of.

Where do we put 35,000 people in the next 25 years? And what will the city have in place in the way of roads and transit to move these people around?

September 2015
Hydro cuts the ribbon on a micro co-generation turbine that has the potential to contribute significantly to the city’s Community Energy Plan

Is there an Arts Council in the city’s future? Should there be one? Does anyone care?

Stuart Miller appointed Director of Education for the Halton District School Board

A fourth GO station for Burlington? It is in the works.

City Clerk opens the kimono just a little and lets you see how Council voted on recorded votes.

Most of the community and corporate affairs discussion at council was be behind closed doors – six confidential items on the list.

City challenges residents to Think Outside the Car – the process of changing the car culture has begun

Transportation Minister explains what the provincial government is going to do with rail transit – catch up and keep up!

Prime Minister in town with a promise to build an Advanced Manufacturing hub – if he is re-elected.

The full year:

Ist quarter – January, February and March

2nd quarter – April, May and June.

4th quarter – October November and December. To follow.

2015 – Year in review – top story second quarter – Flood victims get financial support.

By Staff

December 29, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

What happened to our city during the 2Q (April, May, June) of 2015? Click on the link for the full story.

April 2015
Population shifts suggest there might be some consolidation, especially at the public elementary school level

Mayor assures audience that intensification will not impact traditional communities – Tyendaga golf course seems to be safe.

THE Ice Storm

Province gives the Region the balance of the $2.8 million promised to cover part of the cost of recovering from the ice storm December of 2013.

Community Foundation distributes $897,000 to groups in the city – highest level ever for the organization.

Strategic Plan deliberations begin – intensification and where people are going to live appears to be the question that will shape the conversation.

City and region give Transport Canada their views on how the regulations regarding public input on air park development can be changed. Progress – finally.

11,970 people take part in the 2015 CleanUp GreenUp of the city.

Transit advocates issue a short report with recommendations – will city council react?

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

Aldershot residents feel they aren’t being told the whole story – It’s not right and regrettable as well.

Councillor Dennison’s OMB hearing to overturn a Committee of Adjustment decision begins Tuesday.

Air Park berm – built without a site plan

City and the air park are back in court – city manager proving to be a man of few words when it comes to explaining what the city is doing.

Public gets a look and a listen to the plans for upgrading Brant Square – developers hope to have it done by 2018.

Early designs for the Windows on the Lake appear to get public support – local residents don’t seem to be as impressed.

Burlington’s former Miss Canada has her sights set on the House of Commons – bye bye city hall.

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

Head of the culture and heritage in Grande Prairie coming to Burlington to lead the AGB – wait till he sees the cost of a house in this city.

Ron Foxcroft – on hi way to met the Queen.

Royalty is the next stop for Burlington’s most famous high school drop out.

Plans for rebuild of Lakeshore Road are shown – lots of discussion to take place on this one: road to be raised a metre in some locations.

Province to publish graduation rates: Halton Board released numbers yesterday.

May 2015
It is going to cost $686 million to educate 62,000 students in the public school system – they might have to get by with fewer French language teachers.

Province reviewing Municipal Elections Act to give municipalities more choice in municipal elections; ranked ballot under consideration.

Ontario plans to increasing protections for Condo Owners; little late for the $4 million that was taken from a number of Burlington condo corporations.

Council during a recorded vote.

Vote on Code of Conduct deferred – Dennison wasn’t able to attend the meeting.

Does the Ghent house on Brant Street at Ghent matter historically? Should it be saved and if it should how can a city do that?

Beachway Park will cost $51 million – includes everything – even the cost of removing the hydro towers.

Public will be able to take city council behavior complaints to an Integrity Commissioner once the Code of Conduct has been passed.

Test kitchen - Pop Up from the store side

The Test Kitchen Pop Up seating on Brant Street.

Pop Up Patio on Brant opens – 21 tables where two cars normally park – interesting menu and a fun place.

Mayor returns after week long trip representing Burlington in Holland during historic 70th anniversary celebrating the end of WW II

There just might be some life in the Skyway Plaza in the east end of the city – proposals and ideas are being kicked around.

Community Foundation is ready to close the file on flood relief claims – $2.97 million will eventually be distributed.

June 2015
Community Foundation brings their Disaster Relief Fund drive to a close – 38 of the 310 claims were denied; $2.7 million distributed.

Residential re-sale prices brisk; up 17.7 % year over year.

Aldershot residents get an up close look at Masonry Court project – “not very imaginative” was one comment.

Director of Education has failed twice at retirement; thinks he can get it right on this his third attempt – expects to leave in August.

Design for a Window on the Lake the public can actually get to.

More than respectable Windows-to-theLake designs approved by a Council Standing Committee.

Art Gallery of Burlington raises $60,000 at its Parisian themed Art Auction

Board of education does a quickie and approves spending for both capital ($62.6 million) and operating ($685.7) spending in minutes – also says it will be going along with the new sex ed curriculum .

Conservatives in new Oakville North Burlington federal riding choose Effie Triantafilipoulos over Blair Lancaster.

New Burlington riding chooses Oakville Councillor as their candidate: Pam Damoff will run for the federal Liberals in Oakville North Burlington.

What Burlingtonians told market researchers they liked and did not like about living here – what’s not to like?

The first of the new Canadians from the Middle East arrive at a resettlement centre in Hamilton; some may start their new lives in Burlington.

By Pepper Parr

December 24, 2105

BURLINGTON, ON

How many will there be? We have no idea, said Gillian Kearns, interim director at the Wesley Urban Ministries in Hamilton, one of the re-settlement points for those people who have been sponsored by the federal government.

We are gearing up to get ourselves to the point where we have 150 places we can house people – which we figure will allow us to handle up to 450 of these newly minted Canadians who have come to us from the war torn Middle East.

There are currently 17 people at the Wesley office in Hamilton where there are 36 rooms in what was once a senior’s home.

Once a Seniors’ residence this Catherine street building in Hamilton is where the bus with new Canadians stops and where the process of re-settling people from the Middle East begins.

This is the first intake point and where we begin the process of orienting them to life in Canada, said Kearns who has been working with Wesley Urban Ministries (WUM), for three years, an organization that has been around for more than 60 years. We help them open up their bank accounts, get them used to transit in Hamilton and walk through Jackson Square with them.

A parking lot with graffiti all over the walls of a building across the street from the Wesley Urban Ministry offices is what greets the new Canadians who arrived last week – no grass and not a tree in sight – but the rooms are warm and the food is good.

Wesley Urban Ministries is right in the middle of that part of town where there aren’t’ a lot of trees and the closest park is a couple of blocks away. One has to look hard to see any grass. An abandoned bus terminal is steps away from the entrance to the WUM door and a parking lot across the street with some very impressive graffiti. You’ll never see anything like that in Burlington – over here we call it public art and pay artists a pretty penny to put it in place.

Wesley is now in the throes of hiring intake case workers – there were four and now there are ten; just about everything else has scaled up at the same rate explains Kearns.

Kearn’s doesn’t know if any of the government supported new Canadians will get to Burlington. “The biggest issue is the cost of housing – the funds these resettled people get can barely pay for housing in Hamilton and as everyone knows housing in Burlington is much higher.

Canada has grown to a significant degree from immigration – there was a time when the railways and steamship companies advertised for immigrants. This poster is part of the story told when times were very different.

Those that get to live in Burlington will be part of the group that came into the country as private sponsorships – there is no link between the government sponsorships and those that are privately sponsored.

There are about 20 groups in Burlington that are working on private sponsorships.

Individuals and faith groups have banded together to support families – to do so the group has to show that is has $30,000 committed to supporting the family for a year. We don’t know at this point what kind of oversight there is for these private sponsorships.

We do know that the rest of the world marvels that Canadians pull together and help these people financially, emotionally – they almost adopt them.

Canada has brought in around 7,000 immigrants each year with about 300 of them starting their lives in Hamilton, so we have quite a bit of experience explains Kearns – this wave however is made up of people who had to make decisions very quickly and they left conditions that were pretty miserable.

Of the 25,000 the federal government has said will come to Canada about 10,000 will be private sponsorships.

Wesley has an offsite kitchen that prepares meals for several of the Wesley operations. Their chefs know how to prepare the diet Middle Eastern people want.

Each day begins with breakfast which the immigrants prepare for themselves in the small kitchen in the building, the other meals are brought in.

The first group haven’t been here a week yet and we don’t know when the next group is going to arrive. The general public know about as much as we do. When the aircraft land in Toronto or Montreal decisions are made at that end as to where people are going to be sent. We get a call telling us that a bus is on the way with a certain number of people and we take it from there.

Hundreds of Burlingtonians gathered at a public meeting early in December to learn what they could do to support immigrants who were about to arrive in Canada.

We have no idea what is coming our way and the people on the bus know very little about where they are going – just that they are now safe, that the sheets on the bed are clean and they have a future to look forward to in a country that has welcomed them.

The hardest part of the task for the people doing the day to day work is always being “brain tired”. The problems just keep rolling in. Our case workers explained Kearns hear stories that are horrifying every day – we have to ensure that both our case workers and the people they are helping get the support they need as they do what is difficult work.

We create a profile for each immigrant so that we can figure out what they need to learn in terms of life skills; what they have in terms of work experience and education. They are in our care for as much as a year. The objective is to get them started and let them figure out what they want to do – they can basically go anywhere they want. They are permanent residents of Canada and in five years they can become citizens.

Helping hands exchanging information Gillian Kearns

Gillian Kearns, on the right, exchanges information with Burlingtonians at a public meeting early in December. She works with a team of people at the Wesley Urban Ministries helping the immigrants that have arrived re-settle themselves.

Our job is to know as much as possible about each person so we can help them resettle themselves. We bring in people to do a full medical checkup – we look for signs of serious emotional stress and guide people who have come from half way around the world to a place they knew very little about adjust. The work is exciting Kearns added but there is just so much to do.

Clothing for everyone; answering the questions they have and helping them keep in touch with those they left behind. Getting the children into school and ensuring they can adapt.

At a time of year when the rest of us are celebrating a major cultural and religious event, at a time when we usually have snow, we too have to adapt to a change and at the same time help those in our care adapt to the massive change in their lives.

It is exhilarating and at the same time it is tiring, adds Kearns – but if we get it right we will have brought to this country people who will add to what we are – a caring, giving people who made a place for them in this world.

There is a small reception office on the ground floor of the Wesley Urban Ministry on Catherine Street where a cheerful well informed woman answers the phone and keeps in touch with staff. From time to time someone will quietly walk in and place an envelope on the counter. The receptionist smiles and asks – “would you like a receipt?” No – you can mail it, thank you.

That’s the way it works in this country.

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