By Pepper Parr
August 12th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Correction: Bill Kelly is with CHML radio – not CHCH TV as originally reported.
A report out of Hamilton has Bill Kelly being dropped by CHML – Global New Radio 900. radio. Mr. Kelly’s last show will be Monday August 14th
That is one hell of a way for a week to end for Burlington’s Mayor who used to be able to skip over to Hamilton to chit chat with Kelly and get the softest interviews ever given to a politician on a regular basis.
Premier Ford tells the a news conference that Burlington is not meeting its housing construction pledge.
Earlier in the week the Premier told us that Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was a “good” person but her numbers weren’t good enough and he was going to meet with her and help solve the problem – which was Burlington having the lowest number of housing starts in the province; 5% of what was pledged.
Will Mayor Meed Ward be smiling when she meets with the Premier next week?
Meed Ward responded with – we have more in the pipeline. This might be an opportunity for her to point out that the Ontario Land Tribunal isn’t helping her meet the pledge the city made.
The week began with the news that City Hall Staff in the bylaw enforcement unit had sent personal information along to the holder of the mortgage on the property that was visited by the bylaw people who proceeded to weed-whack all the plants on the front lawn and rear yard that didn’t meet a city standard.
In the world of horse racing they call that a trifecta – this was a trifecta of bad news.
Related news stories:
Premier mentions Burlington – wasn’t what the Mayor wanted to hear.
City Staff descend on residential property to clear out what they called weeds.
It certainly has not been Meed Ward’s “best day(s)” – as one senior staff was heard to comment. I would suggest that Her Worship set an environmentalist example, take the GO train to QPK then walk the PATH from Union to the Legislature. There are several excellent restaurants along the way – one which I particularly recommend that caters to politicians when they need to “eat crow”.
Let’s hope Bill Kelly departure ends the failure to hold Meed Ward accountable rather than be part of a friendly coffee morning. . We need to hear our news station asking the tough questions no other media gets the chance to ask. Let this be the end of Meed Ward getting the media nod, nod, wink, wink.