By Staff
October 18th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Days away from the first public version of the Mayor’s 2025 Budget that is now said to include an 8% plus increase over last year has BRAG – Burlington Resident Action Group ready to march on city hall and we see a sign like this.
BRAG is getting ready to do a deep dive on just what’s involved in the $6 million it will cost the city to provide free bus transit service.
For the most part, what we are seeing is significant spending – no mention, at least not at this point, that some items are going to be cut from the budget.
One of the people we keep in touch with regularly has said “Nothing is going to change with this Council until they realize they are all going to lose their council seats” -by then it might be too late for them to save their skins.
What the public is looking for is a council that is listening – that might take some time.
There is a reckoning coming.
Our BRAG surveys and petitions are listed here:
https://gobrag.ca/?cat=6
Have your say.
I would be very interested in seeing the actual number of people using transit since the all day free transit for seniors was introduced. How much did this cost to implement. What percent of Burlington residents use public transit? I still, more often than not see full sized buses with just a few people on them. I have taken the bus on several occasions downtown from the east end. It takes me more than 3 times longer than driving and there are usually 4 people on the bus at any given time. Maybe there used to be 2 and now there are 4. Will Burlington report this as a resounding success and that ridership has doubled.
It will take four Councillors to vote against the items in the budget to bring about change. Wonder if any of them are concerned?
Will someone please confirm that the $6 million is just the fare collection of a cost of Burlington Transit that was about three times that last year? And now, the City is looking to add 5 new buses and 9 new drivers in addition to the capital cost of a new bus garage to accommodate the buses that roll around the City. Does anyone else notice how many riders are on these buses or are you having difficulty seeing through the advertising wrappers also?
All while our Mayor, Marianne Meed Ward; CAO, Mr. Basit; Councilor Rory Nisan; Councilor Kelvin Galbraith; Brian Hurley, COB Legal Counsel; and others are in Japan enjoying a trip fully funded for by Burlington Property Tax Payers!!
We have tried for ten years now (four years after MMW and PS were elected to Council) to have Council and the last three CAO’s understand where they are governing outside legislation including the Municipal Act and the cost to families and businesses alike. Hansard reports in 2024 on our attempts to get action from the Minister through a provincial committee.
We know every one of them fully understand what they are doing is wrong and deserves a municipal investigation far more than the ongoing one that is being held into a Catholic School Board. Do they care? No. They repeatedly tread the same path regardless. It is called the Titanic Syndrome they believe they are never going down. However, pride goeth before a fall…… just like Humpty Dumpty we believe we will see a huge fall prior to the 2026 election and “all the kings horses and all the kings men will not be able to put them together again.”
We are hearing from more and more people that this council has just gone far too far to survive.