By Pepper Parr
December 19th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
In just a little over an hour from now City Hall will close for the holidays.
Staff in most of the departments will have put active files away for a few days; some of the more xxx staff members might take a file home with them to do some thinkingover the holidays.
Everyone returns on the 5th of January – the start of a new year – and an election year as well.
What will Staff and Council be focusing on?
Not a banner that will be seen in this location again. Sound of Music leadership appears to intend to rise from the ashes.
The public will want to know the details on whatever the new Music Festival is going to be called and what the financial side of that picture is going to look like. Sure it’s free for those who want to attend – but what is it going to cost the city? Recall being told that this would be a multi-year contract: Might be soft on the public purse in year one to get this Council through the election in October.
Is it a Caravan that is beginning to look like a circus?
Will Burlington be included in the FIFA Caravan tour that will be visiting 15 Ontario city’s? Burlington is committed to paying $160,000 while Chatham Kent is committed to $50,000 – why such a huge difference in costs when the communities are not that far apart in population size.
The decision to bring the current not-for-profit Burlington Economic Development and Tourism corporation inside City Hall and making it a department that would report to the CAO is both complex and significant – it will have a major impact on how new businesses are brought to Burlington.
Rendering of proposed design for a new Art Gallery.
Will the plans to tear down the current Art Gallery on Lakeshore Road go any further?
The design was impressive – the location just didn’t seem to work.
Will the existing Land Tribunal decision on the Waterfront Hotel site get revised? The OLT decided against the proposed development.
And finally, are there any surprises in store for the city? You could bet the farm on that one?
Addendum to my previous Comment:
It is not okay for our Mayor and Council to Vote unanimously for an expenditure of a “$160,000 plus for a FIFA Event” that they know absolutely nothing about??
Our mayor and council have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their consituents in the City of Burlington, and not for themselves or for COB staff members.
“Burlington is committed to paying $160,000 while Chatham Kent is committed to $50,000”.
Emilie Cote, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture at the COB, as well as our Mayor and Council who all voted in favour of it, have some serious explaining to do over this so called “2026 FIFA Event”. This is costing Burlington Taxpayers a minimum of $160,000 on an event that Council and taxpayers have absolutely no details on whatsoever. (as police, transit, portable washrooms etc. will be added to this amount).
Taxpayers have a right to a public statement on this expenditure from our Mayor and Council; and an explaination on why Chatam is only on the hook for $50,000; but Burlington is on the hook for a non refundable amount of $160,000??
Also, Emilie Cote brought this to Council as an Emergency request to Council!!
Who’s running who at Burlington City Hall??