By Pepper Parr
May 18th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
I have no idea who Anne Wilcox is.
The pictures below came to us from her; it is a collection of photographs that show us how she has seen Burlington in the past year.
Is this the way you see Burlington?
People in Burlington Garden. There used to be a number of prizes that were given out each year for the best hardens in the city – private home hardens. That practice was brought to an end when then Mayor Rick Goldring decided he didn’t want to take part in the prize process- and it all sort of came to an end. There will come a point when the Gazette will try to reinvigorate that prize program.
A scene that we can all remember – the only thing missing is a bird feeder with a squirrel dropping by for lunch.
We don’t often see a picture of the escapement covered in a blanket of snow.
This might well be the picture that tugs at the heartstrings of most of the people who wonder what all the high-rise towers are going to do to their city. Good question – does anyone know what Burlington will be in a decade?
Burlington is nothing more of a shell of a once beautiful city. We now have nothing more than memories as condo’s start to fill in our downtown with ugly glass towers replacing historical building that once housed family businesses. Add on the constant on slot of traffic from people trying to get around QEW traffic on most weekends makes living in Burlington quite undesirable.
I wish we had leadership similar to Oakville that would stand up for their residents. Say no to condo’s downtown and put them near the GO stations and highways where why belong. Maybe close down QEW Niagara ramps on Fairview and Lakeshore when QEW Niagara gets backed up to deter people from driving through residential neighborhoods.
In the 15 years I have lived in Burlington I have noticed many changes. In my opinion these are not good.
There was a time not so long ago when I would walk downtown with my grandson and be greeted by the owners and employees of the mom and pop stores as you went by. Not any longer.
The downtown was like a town within a city.
Now you walk downtown where there are crumbling buildings that have been empty for years. The mom and pop stores have been replaced with high end restaurants where an appetizer of “loaded fries”( fries with cheese) costs $15.50 before tax.
I know that some readers will say things change we can’t stop progress. My answer is has anyone seen the downtown of Niagara on the Lake. It is vibrant with mom and pop stores and people come from everywhere to experience the ambiance.
Burlington has the waterfront and it could have been another Niagara-on the Lake.
Past councils did not have a vision and consequently we have ended up with condo high-rises blocking a view of the lake, traffic congestion and expensive restaurants.
We had our glimpse of the future on Mother’s Day weekend. For anyone who missed the traffic apocalypse, there will be a repeat. Again, two lanes on the Niagara-bound Skyway are closing from Friday, May 23 at 10 p.m. to
Monday, May 26 at 5 a.m.
Be prepared to walk or ride your bikes this weekend and a decade from now. At least a decade from now, we’ll all be sitting in traffic with zero-emission electric cars.
Editor. Maybe you can amplify this message in an article of its own. Maybe tag Kelvin and Lisa to do the same on their socials. We have the Dog Guides 5K walk downtown on Sunday. Maybe have to add another 10K to it and walk there and back!