TVO hosts Goldring, Meed Ward and Wallace in a solid debate. You get to see what the options are on a bigger stage.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

October 18th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It was worth watching – three of the Mayoralty candidates debating on TVO’s The Agenda.

It gives you a chance to watch a debate with an experienced moderator who put tough questions to the three of them.  This level of quality is something ECoB can aspire to.

TVO debate 2

The Agenda with Steve Paikin and three Mayoralty candidates

Steve Paikin covered a number of bases.

Development, intensification, aggressive third party advertising that was aimed at Meed Ward which the other two candidates said they knew nothing about.

That advertising didn’t fall off the back of some truck

Paikin missed picking up on Mayor Goldring’s two public gaffs when he went after Meed Ward with some uncalled for comments.

The matter of Mayor Goldring asking the province to think about letting us annex Waterdown came up. Wallace said the idea may well turn out to be a Pandora’s Box.

Meed Ward said it should never have been brought up.

TVO debate

It was a good debate – they got to go after each other in a polite Burlington way.

Paikin pointed out that one of the worst kept secrets in the province are the plans being developed at Queen’s Park for more municipal amalgamation. It was suggested that the provincial municipal ministry might decide to merge Burlington with Hamilton.

The question I found myself asking was: Which of these three do I want leading the city through the tough issues ahead of us.

Make a point of watching the 27 minutes – you will come away with a better view of what the options are after watching the program. Click on the link to view the broadcast.

 

 

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8 comments to TVO hosts Goldring, Meed Ward and Wallace in a solid debate. You get to see what the options are on a bigger stage.

  • Don Fletcher

    Certainly worth the watch. What continues to mystify me is why, when a regime more supportive of municipal government’s planers is introduced (LPAT replacing OMB), why would you force through an Official Plan that provides for such increased building heights in the downtown, and elsewhere in Burlington??? Just as the City was given the means to enforce our OP, we relax/ eliminate most citizen-based input/ ideals for planning our community. Does it make sense to anyone that our mayor supported the new OP, while holding to the view that it probably won’t ever materialize? What??? The new Official Plan is quite a body of work (albeit incomplete & flawed), but I think we should hold James Ridge/ Mary Lou Tanner primarily responsible for ramming it through a pre-election approval process, for whatever reason. The Mayor and councilors (Meed Ward excepted) in my opinion just mistakenly and irresponsibly “went along for the ride”.

  • TVO Watcher

    Interesting that neither Mr. Goldring nor Mr. Wallace have posted this TVO segment on ANY of their social media. Not proud of your perforrnances gentlemen?

    • Mary Jenkins

      Mr Wallace has it posted on his website and I’m sure he is very proud of his performance. He answered all of the questions very clearly and concisely. Mike knows exactly what needs to happen to address the issue of over intensification.He has the experience and the connections in the upper levels of government to do what should have been done years ago. I guess the other two candidates were waiting for Mike to come along and show them how it’s done. I am a little disheartened that this whole election appears to be solely focused on one thing and one thing only. While intensification is obviously very important, it is not the only issue we should be talking about. Creating fear is one of the most common used tactics in politics. I hope that the people of Burlington use common sense when casting their votes this Monday. I hope that they realize that rhetoric is not the same thing as having a clear concise plan to the solution as well as the ability to get us there. I live in the heart of downtown and know what’s at stake. Do your homework people, check out track records.

      • Phillip Wooster

        nd yet during the debates around the OP and the approval of highrises on Brant, Wallace was nowhere to be seen or heard???

  • joe gaetan

    Seems like Pandoras box was opened with the Waterdown issue, and the province could now decide Burlington should be part of the Hammer. We need more Paikins.

  • Stephen White

    Interesting to hear how the Mayor can travel to Queen’s Park to meet with the Minister of Municipal Affairs to pitch his pet project of amalgamation with Waterdown. I wonder if he also told the Minister that Burlington has already met its population growth targets for 2031? I wonder if he discussed with the Minister the possibility of revising/scrapping the former government’s Places to Grow strategy in favour of a plan that promotes more equitable, balanced and distributed population growth throughout the province? I wonder if he told the Minister about the intense pressure that will be put on our community’s downtown transportation and infrastructure network as a result of all the 30 proposed highrises downtown …which, interestingly, he claims will ever materialize?

    Somehow, I strongly suspect not. It’s always a lot easier to go along to get along. Come to think of it, maybe that’s the problem with this Mayor and this Council: no backbone.

  • Phllip Wooster

    My biggest takeaway from watching this debate was the body language of the three candidates–Goldring did not look comfortable, he appeared uneasy and defensive with that “deer caught in the headlights” look. I think he knows he has lost this election. Meed Ward in contrast looked comfortable and relaxed. Wallace came across as an affable fellow but looking like an after-thought who was on the outside of the discussion.

  • Phllip Wooster

    As your article noted, Goldring again made some uncalled for (negative) comments about Meed Ward–this is the third time Goldring has done so. He certainly likes to feed into the negative ad campaign rampant on social media and in the flyer distributed by Rusin. I don’t think I’m being cynical in suggesting that, despite his tepid denials, Goldring is involved in this campaign against Meed Ward. Truly pathetic!