UPDATE: Marty Staz advised the Gazette that he has “over 25 years of roots in Ward 1 and is in the process of a search for a new home in the Ward.
There are now six candidates running for the ward 1 city council seat. It is beginning to approach the ten that ran for office in ward 6 during the 2014 election.
Despite there being six candidates – the pickings are pretty slim.
The most recent entry is Judy Worsley, the woman who runs the Aldershot BIA, said to have been hand-picked by current council member Rick Craven.
Jason Boelhouwer, centre was seen at municipal event before the last election – then he dropped out of site.
Jason Boelhouwer 163 Old Orchard Rd., Burlington, ON, L7T 2G2 905-979-7833 jason_boelhouwer@yahoo.ca https://jasonboelhouwer.wixsite.com/ward1
Boelhouwer ran in the 2014 election – he was no match for Rick Craven. Doesn’t bring much to the table. Other than showing up at a few public meetings as a participant – we haven’t heard much from Boelhouwer
Kelvin Galbraith 93 Queen Mary Ave., Burlington, ON 905-928-4513 kelvingalbraith@gmail.com
Arlene Iantomasi 772 Old York Rd., Burlington, ON, L7P 4X9 905-516-2691 arlo60@sympatico.ca
Rene Papin with presumptive Burlington MPP Jane McKenna
René Papin 905-541-7404 rehp1985@gmail.com
Papin doesn’t give a home address – believed to live outside the ward. Papin, his sister is a school board trustee, has wanted to hold public office for some time. He was a contender as the PC candidate in the the 2011 provincial election. He was asked to step aside – and did.
Staz lives out of the ward. do fully understand Aldershot you really have to live in Aldershot. It is a community with a very distinct mind-set that Councillor Craven tapped into very successfully. It may be some time before Aldershot sees another politician who can hold the ward the way Craven has, despite his shorrtcomings.
Judy Worsley, Executive Director of the BIA wants to move up the food chain – can she create her own profile and be effective?
Judy Worsley 629 Cedar Ave., Burlington, ON, L7T 2R4 905-220-0359 judyworsley4ward1@gmail.com
Worsley is thought to be the candidate of choice for retiring ward 1 council member Rick Craven. He has a well oiled campaign team that just might have enough life in it to give the seat to Worsley. The question many ask is: will it be Worsley speaking or will she be just a puppet for Craven. She is going to have to craft her own profile and convince the voters that she is her own person.
At the start of Standing Committee and Council meetings the chair will read a Land Acknowledgement statement.
“Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the Anishinaabeg to the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis – our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in Indigenous history.
“The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
“We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.”
The national anthem will be sung at the start of City Council meetings.
For the next several days the Brant Street Pier will be lit with colours representing each of the Indigenous people of Canada: June 19, the Metis; June 20, the Inuit; and June 21, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation.
In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum.
It will be interesting to learn just how much more information there will be about Joseph Brant at the Joseph Brant Museum when it completes its transformation. In the past there has been just a pretty pathetic display of material.
Anyone buying illegal tobacco products is funding organized crime.
That’s the message Crime Stoppers of Halton is delivering to the public through a promotional campaign to help combat the distribution of illegally manufactured cigarettes.
The initiative is also part of a campaign by several Crime Stoppers programs to create awareness and stop the sale of contraband tobacco products across the Greater Toronto Area.
“We want people to know they are helping finance organized crime activity such as drug smuggling, gun running and human trafficking,” said Detective Constable Jodi Richmond, police coordinator of Halton Crime Stoppers. “A lot of this criminal activity is organized by outlaw motorcycle gangs and the cost to taxpayers runs into the billions of dollars.”
Richmond also said an increasing number of fire deaths in Ontario are now being blamed on illegal cigarettes which are made without self-extinguishing safeguards.
“So not only are people who buy contraband cigarettes helping organized crime to thrive, but they are also putting lives at risk,” she said. “It’s definitely not a victimless crime.”
Dave Bryans, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association said “The Ontario Convenience Stores are pleased to stand with Halton Crime Stoppers in fight against contraband tobacco that is infiltrating every community in Ontario.
“Today we see contraband reaching epidemic proportions at 37% of all tobacco now being untaxed and illegal with highs in Northern Ontario of 65% +. We are hoping the new PC Government will work with Crime Stoppers and the Convenience Store sector to address this issue and look for solutions to minimize the delivery system in Ontario.”
We basically took the land from the Indigenous people.
Some treaties were signed – we didn’t always live up to those treaties.
Canadians have begun creating a new relationship with the Indigenous people. The Halton District School Board has been reading a Land Acknowledgement statement at the beginning of each meeting for some time.
Starting this Monday Burlington city council will begin doing the same thing. Stacey LaForme the elected Chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, a graduate of the Osgoode Hall Law School and a member of the Ontario Bar will be a significant part of this ceremony this afternoon.
Stacey LaForme the elected Chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation,
In 2002, LaForme served on the Ontario Divisional Court panel that ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was a violation of their civil rights; his suggestion – that marriage be redefined – was subsequently adopted by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
A member of the Mississaugas people, LaForme is the first appellate court judge in Canadian history with a First Nations background. He has served as the Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario; as the Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims; and – until his resignation in October 2008 – as head of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He will probably be the most distinguished, qualified and accomplished person at the event.
Some Burlington high schools have been holding “blanket ceremonies”, an interactive way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught.
Blankets representing the territory of Canada – it all belonged to the First Nations before the Europeans arrived.
The Blanket Exercise is based on participatory popular education methodology and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations.
By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.
Students learn the key terms and concepts behind the words Aboriginal peoples, First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Aboriginal peoples is the term used in Canada’s constitution, it has specific importance within a Canadian legal context.
Assimilation, Colonization, Discrimination, Doctrine of Discovery, Equity and First Nations which is not a legal term but replaces “Indian” in common usage. The term elevates First Nations to the status of “first among equals” alongside the English and French founding nations of Canada.
The Blanket ceremony takes participants through the history that took away more and more of the land that the First Nations owned.
Indigenous peoples is a term for which there is no one definition because it is up to each Indigenous person to define themselves, something that for far too long has been done by others. However, Indigenous peoples all over the world have the common experience of being the original inhabitants of a territory and being oppressed by ethnic groups that arrived later.
A Mohawk (Kanienkehaka) person from Akwesasne who is a member of the Bear clan may choose any number of indentifiers. Others may identify themselves as members of one of the many other First Nations in Canada – Innu, Cree, Salteaux, Ojibwe, Haida, Dene, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Blood, Secwepmec, etc., each with its own history, culture, and traditions.
The lnd that the First Nations owned ended up being reserves around the country.
In 1876 all the laws dealing with Indigenous peoples in Canada were gathered together and put into the Indian Act. The Canadian government used the Indian Act to attack the identity of Indigenous peoples. It limited hunting and fishing and made spiritual ceremonies like the potlatch, pow-wow and sundance against the law. This didn’t change until the 1950s. To this day, the Indian Act controls many aspects of Indigenous peoples’ lives.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, thousands of First Nations and Métis children were forced illegally from their homes and adopted or fostered, usually by non-Indigenous people. This period is known as the 60s scoop. Many of these kids experienced violence, racism and abuse and lost connection to their identity and culture. Like residential schools, the purpose of the 60’s scoop was assimilation.
The land that Burlingtonians live on is represented in treaties; what is now Burlington is land that was given to Joseph Brant who in tern sold it off in bits and pieces. There isn’t as much as a square foot that belong to a descendant of the Brant family. But we named our main street after the man.
Treaties are internationally binding agreements between sovereign nations. Hundreds of treaties of peace and friendship were concluded between the European settlers and First Nations during the period prior to confederation.
These treaties promoted peaceful coexistence and the sharing of resources. After Confederation, the European settlers pursued treaty making as a tool to acquire vast tracts of land. The numbered treaties 1 through 11 were concluded between First Nations and the Crown, after Confederation.
Some of the students were transfixed by the blanket ceremony. Far too many paid more attention to their cell phones as they texted each other.
For Indigenous peoples, treaties outline the rights and responsibilities of all parties to the agreement. In the traditions of Indigenous treaty making, these are oral agreements. In addition, they are “vital, living instruments of relationship”
In reading a Land Acknowledgement we are beginning to accept these rights and responsibilities.
An Infograph is a graph that conveys information in a more effective visual manner.
The Halton District School Board released an infograph that showed how poorly the Region does in terms of provincial grants for education.
No one at the Board of Education can say quite why the Region gets less on a per student basis than others – the fact is Halton, which is Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills get less.
The model used for school bus funding has not changed since 1998 which is what has led to the near crisis is recruiting bus drivers. The boards have not been able to pay the drivers a decent rate.
The funding shortfall impacts what the Board does at many levels – Special Education suffers; the Halton Board has to find $20 million to cover Special Education needs which are higher than the average student.
The needs are very real, unfortunately the local school boards are totally dependent on the province for a significant part of the funds needed to operate the schools.
Trustees and the Board administrations work to determine where the needed funds are going to come from at a time when we now have a provincial government that thinks aloud in terms of “efficiencies” and talks in terms of reducing spending by as much as 4% (at least that is what the public heard during the recent provincial election). Education and health are two of the biggest spending items in the provincial budget.
Just how provincial funding for school boards works isn’t fully understood by the public. Property taxes and development fees cover just a portion of the cost.
Because the funds come from the provincial government the Boards and trustees would like to see pressure put on the newly elected members of the provincial legislature. For Burlington this means appealing to Jane McKenna who has been returned to the Legislature. McKenna was first elected to Queen’s Park in 2011, lost to Eleanor McMahon in 2014 and defeated McMahon in the election held earlier this month.
During the election debates it was clear that McKenna was going to follow the path set out by Doug Ford who talks in terms of getting better value for the dollars spent. Burlington parents with children in local schools are the people who know where efficiencies exist.
Given that those same parents elected the government we have now – they have to live with the consequences of the election.
There are two problems with those conclusions. A majority of those who voted didn’t choose this government and just 58% of those with the right to vote bothered to troop out to the polls on election day.
Salt with Pepper is the musing, observations and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette.
Roger Wilkie has been named Halton Regional Police’s new deputy chief. He joins Deputy Chief Nishan (Nish) Duraiappah and Chief of Police Stephen Tanner as the Senior Command.
Roger Wilkie – new deputy chief.
The decision from the Halton Police Services Board comes after a comprehensive search which considered candidates from across Canada.
Wilkie, a 22-year veteran of the police service will make the jump from his role as superintendent.
Wilkie has served in uniform patrol, criminal investigations, drug enforcement, as a district commander, and most recently as the commander of human resources, training and the emergency services unit.
He also played a key leadership role in the development of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for the Region of Halton.
A member of the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has been sentenced in relation to an earlier plea of guilty to the charge of Breach of Trust in connection by stealing and/or tampering with seized evidence.
Staff Sergeant Brad Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was sentenced to a conditional discharge with three years’ probation. Sentencing took place at the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on June 7, 2018.
Staff Sergeant Murray still faces discipline under the Police Services Act. Police Services Act proceedings arise out of the same facts that underlie the criminal charges that were laid against Murray in 2017.
“Staff Sergeant Murray remains suspended under the Police Services Act of Ontario, and that suspension is with pay (the only suspension currently allowed under the Act). The internal disciplinary process will now proceed. One of the possible outcomes as a result of the Police Services Act hearing process is dismissal from the service and termination of employment,” said Chief Stephen Tanner.
Murray pled guilty to one count of Breach of Trust in relation to thefts from the Service’s evidence vault.
Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was arrested on May 28, 2017 and charged with two counts of Breach of Trust, two counts of Theft Under, and one count of Obstruct Justice. These charges stemmed from an internal audit and a subsequent independent investigation into HRPS drug vault anomalies that occurred between August 2015 and April 2016
Murray was investigated by the Toronto Police Service and prosecuted by a Crown from outside of this jurisdiction to ensure a fair and independent assessment of the evidence.
Maria Richter, 94, died in hospital in the early afternoon yesterday of the injuries she suffered when struck by a pick-up truck at the intersection of New Street and Drury Lane
The investigation is ongoing and any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext:5065.
There is no information as to any charges being laid by the police.
Maria was seen often visiting the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners at the AGB when she was out and about.
She was one of the ladies that meet every Thursday at the Burlington Seniors Centre who knits and sews and donates everything to the Senior Centre. The group of women have over the years sold and donated thousands of dollars to the Centre. Maria was an independent woman who never let her age get in the way of doing anything.
A trade war between Canada and the USA is already here but according to at least one columnist help could be on the way. Apparently Kim Jung Un has offered his good offices to host peace talks between Canadian PM Trudeau and the US president. Kim was considered the evilest of evil until US president Donald Trump announced that he is a good guy after all, funny and strong, and someone who loves his starving oppressed people and is loved in turn.
Kim Jung Un with Donald Trump
Donald Trump wants to be known as a man of his word and true to his election promises. So he’s tearing up NAFTA through a series of small injuries – the ‘worst treaty yet’ along with the Paris Climate agreement and the Iran Nuclear deal. And Canada and Mexico are just chump change, small game in the foreground of his grander gun sights. Because America First is going to change the world – burying the notion of freer global trade big league, and bringing an end to globalization.
Trump and the latest incarnation of his inner cabinet are convinced that trade is only good when America exports more than it imports – the emperor’s new clothes. They’ve seen the equation used in standard economics text books and know that gross domestic product equals domestic consumption plus investment plus net exports. So all exports are good and all imports are bad. The Donald would know this too because he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics back in the ’60’s.
Of course the economics of trade is far more complicated than that, since, for example imported investment capital is far more valuable to an economy than imported consumer products. But complexities like that and philosophical theories like comparative advantage are the kinds of details that the bloody ‘elites’ like to toss around to show how smart they are. And by elites the Trumpeters mean anyone with more than a passing knowledge of anything besides… real estate deals. After all, it was the anti-elite crowd who elected him.
American President is known to chow down on junk food – McDonalds being a favourite.
Trump probably sees Canadian prime minster Trudeau as one of those elites. Though Trudeau, like Trump, hadn’t made it to Harvard his father did briefly. But Justin has that aura anyway, the stuff that elites are supposed to be made of – civility and culture, politeness and courtesy, and political diplomacy. He is so unlike the in-your-face, tweet-prone, American Big Mac – the US president. They do have drama in common – Trudeau as a teacher and Trump playing his best real life Willy Loman character from Arthur Miller’s classic, The Death of a Salesman.
Canada will not forfeit supply management for its dairy industry because Canadians know it is more sustainable than the American alternative of market distorting subsidies. The evidence is clear. We have stability and they have over-production and market chaos. Then they expect us to absorb their excess dairy products. Supply management is something which all Canadian political parties fully endorse, a policy initiated by Justin’s father almost half a century ago.
Canada has supply management in place which gives us price stability; the Americans have over-production and market chaos.
And it’s not like Trump cares a drop about the mainline dairy industry. He doesn’t even drink the stuff – he’s a raw milk guy. So why would he care about the conventional dairy folks wanting to dump their millions of gallons of subsidized milk in Canada, instead of their plowed fields? No, dairy is just a pretext for battle, and another nail in the NAFTA coffin.
If I were a betting man I’d put my money on NAFTA being relegated to the history books at least for rest of this generation. The new and substantial tariffs Trump is planning for the auto industry will be the coup de gras. Of course Canada’s foreign minister is hoping to seduce the US congressional types with her charm offensive, but the odds are not in her favour. The Republican Party is the party of Trump now, and he won’t be charmed.
This is a job for our own big guy, the PM. Some might think the emerging problem between the two men is lack of respect. Trump had said nice things about Trudeau in their earlier days, but then he also slobbered all over China’s leader Mr. Xi before slapping him with $50 billion dollars of tariffs. Despite their names both beginning with the letter T, they are different, One is old and messy the other young and fit, one opens the door for women to get catch up, the other just lusts over them.
And one is a true liberal while the other is neither that nor conservative – just a thug. Canada is a smaller economy and nation, and heavily dependent on the US for its trade and arguably its defence. So Trump’s ‘weak’ and ‘meek’ and ‘mild’ comments are likely more about the nation and not just its leader. One believes in climate change, the other believes in coal.
Trudeau showing some real strength.
Maybe it’s time for Mr. Trudeau to take a lesson from North Korea’s Kim and show some real strength. Perhaps he should bring in the TV camera’s and show off a newly installed big red button on his office desk. Justin should then brag about how much bigger it is than the one in the oval office, and that pressing it would release a barrage of nuclear missiles aimed at the White House, Mar-a-Lago and Trump Towers everywhere. But he’d be happy to meet in Singapore for a nuclear summit.
Of course none of that would be true. Canada hasn’t had a nuclear missile on its soil since former PM Diefenbaker sent the Bomarc’s back stateside in the sixties. But then when has telling the truth ever been important to America’s liar-in-chief, Mr. Fake News south of the border?
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
There are things other than the Sound of Music to attend. Why bother – there is so much going on at the bottom of the city – head for Lakeshore Road – just don’t bother looking for a parking space. Find a way to use public transit, bike (careful if you use New Street) or walk.
Here is what will be on the four stages today.
Besides the stages in Spencer Smith Park there are pods placed all over the downtown core that are worth dropping by for a listen.
Scroll on down and decide where you want to spend your time.
Mayoralty candidate Marianne Meed Ward is holding her first large fund raising event on June 21st at Joe Dogs on Brant Street – $25 at the door.
This is the first of what is expected to be numerous fundraiser, meet and greet and town hall events. “we’ll be everywhere “ said Meed Ward.
Invitation from the Mayor.
Mayor Rick Golding is launching his re-election campaign on June 26th from 6:00-8:00PM at Faraway Greens Indoor Golf Club on Mainway.
Goldring is hosting a BBQ, with music and lots of fun! “I would love for you all to hear about my plans for the next four years” said Goldring in a media release.
The event is complimentary, but “donations to the campaign are always welcomed and encouraged.”
Meed Ward expects to be allowed to spend around $100,000 – the precise amount is based on a formula based on using the number of voters to determine the amount.
“We will spend everything we raise. Individual limits are $1200 per person, to a single candidate.”
A person can contribute to more than one candidate to a combined total per donor per municipality of $5000.
No corporate, union donations allowed (a good thing); only individual contributions. Meed Ward said: “I will not be accepting personal donations from developers. I believe it’s important to keep a professional, arm’s length relationship with the development community given the issues around development in Burlington.
“You’ll see in my 2006, 2010 and 2014 municipal campaigns I did not accept any contributions from developers. The current mayor and other councillors did.
The Meed Ward said her campaign team is made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds from across the city and across the political spectrum.
Marianne Meed Ward promoting her fund raising event.
“We are not backed by any riding association, provincial/federal candidate or MP/MPP, and believe partisan politics have no place in municipal elections. We all set aside party politics and our team come together to work for the best interests of all the residents of Burlington. We are getting new volunteers every day, and welcome more people to join us!
“They can sign up at the campaign website here: https://mariannemeedward.ca”
Goldring’s campaign web site is at: https://www.rickgoldring.ca/
A neighbour, who has asked to remain anonymous, reports that Maria Richter was the 94 year old female who was hit by a pick-up truck at the intersection of New Street and Drury Lane earlier this week.
Neighbours spoke very fondly of Maria who lived on Lakeshore Road west of Brant and used a mobility scooter to get around the city.
The initial police investigation had the pick-up truck making a left turn and struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk. She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital by Halton Regional Paramedic Services with life threatening injuries.
The intersection was closed for approximately five hours for investigation.
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext: 5065.
Things just don’t happen – they don’t just fall off the back of a truck.
Someone has an idea, there is something someone wants to do.
Sometimes a person doesn’t like the way something is being done and they want to have it changed.
Other times people see an unfortunate situation and they want to make it better.
Burlington is a community with a lot of wealth. There are people who are not wealthy but overall the city is financially comfortable.
Some describe the city as complacent.
Others see something that isn’t happening and they think something should happen and they mobilize and make it happen.
Carie DeMunck
Carie DeMunck, a parent with children at the Pauline Johnson (PJ) public school, was touring the Frontenac public school that he daughter was to attend next year. Pauline John public school is a K to 8; Frontenac is a Middle school.
While touring Frontenac Carie learned that they had celebrated their 50th Anniversary in May of 2017
In September of 2017 Lori Waugh was appointed as the new school principal. She told the Parent Council meeting later that month that the school would celebrate their 50th anniversary the following year.
“Nobody really jumped on it” said Carie . “It was brought up again at the November Council meeting when the principal recommended putting a committee together to mark it in some way. It was then that we learned there were time capsules that were marked for opening, which the majority of us on Council, including myself, had been completely unaware of until that point.
“Initially we all shied away from it because we all knew what a big job it could be and the event /fundraising planning always seems to fall on the same four or five people. It’s difficult to get people on board and motivate parents to volunteer and be leaders within Council.
“By the November meeting I had already started looking up news articles for our school to see what was in the local history and general interest articles. That’s when I jumped in and said to myself – I’ll do it.”
Carie met with Dave Woodward, a 1968 staff member at PJ who returned to the school in the 70’s as principal.
Trips to the library to dig out whatever the Historical Society had on the school.
With her mind made up and he best friend beside her Carie headed for a meeting with the principal to sell the plan to her.
Carie DeMunck pointing o where the two time capsules were stored – no one knew.
With the concept thought through and the team in place Carie was ready to put it in front of principal Waugh.
I was thinking a formal assembly and tree planting was a fitting tribute especially for working in a time capsule reveal, and doing a public reunion on a Saturday which would require the principal to be totally on board.
Carie is one of those people who can use words to paint a picture.
“So picture this” she said. “Do you remember that picture of Merkel and Trump at the G7?
Well I was Merkel and Waugh is sitting there like Trump and we presented the ideas. I said I would run the whole thing and she said Ok.”
Chiefwoods the Pauline Johnson ancestral home.
She took her kids on a tour of Chiefwoods, the Pauline Johnson family home in Brantford to get a deeper idea as to just who Pauline Johnson was and came away with a much better understanding of just what Canada has in the way of an Indigenous population and how Canadians have related to them – not always that well.
The Indigenous people have been given a bad rap said Carie. “We need to open up our minds and become more aware of our colonial past and begin to collaborate with the First Nations.
Carie didn’t make the two day 50th anniversary celebration happen all by herself. Her 11 years on the school’s Parent Council meant she had all kinds of contacts and a network of her own she could call upon.
Along with principal Lorie Waugh and Parent Council Chairs, Patty Chanda and Jenn Cooper-Cabral stepped up when there was a need and ran the student volunteers and bought the cake and helped with decorating and attended all planning meetings.
“ Patty is my right hand, without being asked, she’s cool and collected, organized, doesn’t get her feathers ruffled, lets me vent to her when I’m frustrated, is highly objective, not overly opinionated, steps in when she sees a need, she doesn’t like the spotlight either.” The two have been close friends for 10 years.
Next for the team that made the celebration happen? Well all those posters and picture the students put together have to be put into a 50th anniversary time capsule to be opened on perhaps the 75th anniversary. Carie has found the containers she want to use. No stopping this lady.
Mary Alice St. James, retired Pauline Johnson public school principal.
Mary Alice St. James, a former and now retired PJ principal speaks glowingly of Carie DeMunck. “She epitomizes the positive impact of volunteerism in a school. With 17 years of involvement at PJ where she saw her three children Jessica (Nelson High School), Ryan (Frontenac Public School) and Emilie (Pauline Johnson Public School) pick up the first part of the education she made a positive difference. As a School Council Member Carie learned leadership skills that served her well as she coordinated Pauline Johnson’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
In a small neighbourhood school, volunteering is welcomed. It makes a huge difference. Carie liaised with many to begin and follow through with a vision of inclusion, involvement and reflection of the impact of life particularly in a small community has made to many over the past 50 years.
Carie humbly says that the successful two days of events are due to her team of parent volunteers, the PJ Staff current and past, the students and their families both current and past. True, everybody assisted BUT it was Carie who led the team, developed the vision and ensured its meaningfulness and celebratory feeling.
Yesterday morning there was a motor vehicle collision at the intersection New Street and Drury Lane in the City of Burlington.
The collision involved a pick-up truck and a 94 year old female pedestrian in a mobility scooter.
Initial investigation suggests that the pick-up truck was making a left turn and struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk. She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital by Halton Regional Paramedic Services with life threatening injuries.
The intersection was closed for approximately five hours for investigation.
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext: 5065.
Now that the province is beginning to get used to the Premier designate and the city can get on with enjoying the Sound of Music and weather that ranges from pleasant to stinking hot.
Next up is the municipal election that will take place October 22nd.
James Burchill, the lad that drives around town in a Smart Car getting out for coffee and a conversation.
He interviews all kinds of people including the three candidates for the Office of Mayor.
He did interviews of the current Mayor, Rick Goldring, then an interview with Mike Wallace, a former city Councillor and a former MP for Burlington.
The most recent, which is set out below for your viewing pleasure, is Burchill’s interview with Marianne Meed Ward.
Three very different people. We have provided links to the Goldring and Wallace interviews – gives you a chance to see who wants to lead the city. You are the one who gets to decide.
The 2018 election is going to be a lot different than the 2014 election when every member of the 2010 Council was returned to office.
Burchill has an easy, natural conversation style and lets the person being interviewed do the talking. Goldring and Wallace seemed a little apprehensive. My take on the Meed Ward interview is that Burchill was flirting with her – but have to be the judge of that.
Bookmark this story and come back to it in October. Which one do you think can best lead the city
This news story is Milton based but just too funny not to be shared.
Couple try to rip open an ATM machine – no luck.
On June 1st, 2018 at approximately 12 a.m. a male and female attended a business on Harrop Drive in Milton.
A male entered an open lobby area of the business and attempted to drill and pry open an ATM while a female acted as a lookout. The male made repeated attempts to pry open the ATM but was unable to do so.
The male then attached a towing strap to a pick-up truck and made several more attempts to rip the ATM open. The two remained at the location for over an hour and eventually left in the vehicle without obtaining any cash.
Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives quickly identified the suspects as a husband and wife duo residing in Milton. They were arrested on June 12th and 13th without incident and later released on a promise to appear.
James Matthew TINGLEY 46 years and Tina Louis TINGLEY 33 years, both from Milton are facing charges of theft under $5000, mischief under $5000 and possession of burglary tools. They are scheduled to appear in Milton Court on July 16th.
The ATM is a total loss and is valued at approximately $2500.
Can’t you just see the guy backing his truck up and desperately trying to rip open the ATM. This is the kind of stuff they make movies about.
The trial should be a hoot – wonder what the defence should be?
People charged with a criminal offence are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Detectives from the One District Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) have concluded an investigation into a failed Milton ATM Heist.
Despite the overall rather sluggish appearance of the Burlington market, inventory levels suggest that Burlington is still in a sellers market.
Based on historical data, in order to achieve a balanced market in The Greater Golden Horseshoe area, there needs to be 3.1 months worth of inventory on hand.
At the end of May, Burlington had 490 freehold properties for sale which represents 2.24 months of inventory, based on total May sales of 219. While inventory levels suggest a sellers market, the sales results tell another story.
Sale prices are down 7.3% when comparing May 2017 to May 2018.
Sales are down over 27% and it’s taking twice as long to sell properties. YTD most communities continue to see a moderate decline in values with only Aldershot and the Orchard seeing significant declines in the double digits.
The month of May saw some incredible recoveries, particularly in Tyandaga where we saw a 27% increase in prices paid and a 20% increase in sales when comparing May 2017 to May 2018.
The Maple neighborhood also saw a terrific result in May with sale prices up 29%. The overall trend in Burlington continues to be declining prices with only Millcroft showing an increase in prices paid year over year. The declines are gradually decreasing for the most part.
The real estate party appears to be coming to an end.
The Sisters!
What will happen when all the condominiums that are going to begin to rise out of the ground do to the market?
The data used in this report was supplied by the Rocca Sisters Team.
Denis Longchamps the Artistic Director and Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Burlington since 2013 is leaving to become the Executive Director of the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery in Waterloo effective August 1st.
While with the AGB Longchamps curated a number of significant programs including Lyndal Osborne’s Of Water and Tides (2014), the touring Naked Craft (2015-2017), and the various components of the Canadian Craft Biennial (2017).
Longchamps created two residencies, ran numerous workshops and an international symposium.
The Centre for Skills Development and Training has partnered with the Oakville Trafalgar Rotary Club on a Tiny Homes initiative.
These Tiny Homes are being built by students at enrolled in different trades courses at The Centre. The students, supervised by fully qualified instructors, get hands on experience. Rotary gets a product they plan to sell and make available to disadvantaged communities.
What is a Tiny Home?
It is a little little home that has wheels. It’s not a toy, it is real accommodation.
The units are 24 feet long, 8 feet wide and 14 feet high.
They are set up to handle 50 amp electricity, plumbing, and ready to take a gray water tank.
Propane or gas for heating. The units are insulated to an R32 standard
The lower level is one large space with the bathroom set up as a separate space.
There are two small lofts
The units are built by students-and-volunteers at The Centre in Burlington.
An example of what students are building at The Centre in Burlington, ON
They will be on display at the Oakville Ribfest which takes place on Friday, June 22nd starting at 4pm at Sheridan College’s Trafalgar campus, and will run until Sunday, June 24th at 7 pm.
Rotary would love for people to see the home, and meet some of the people who cooked up the idea, and actually built it.
The new Tiny Home will be on display, and also available for purchase. Offers start at $40,000, all of which will be used to support Rotary’s charitable initiatives in Halton and beyond.
Cheque presentation from the Oakville Trafalgar Rotary to The Centre where the Tiny Home is being built.
“We really feel that this program addresses multiple issues now affecting communities around the country” said Oakville Rotary Club executive Lauri Asikainen, “Not only will it provide valuable skills training for students, but the homes they create have tremendous value, not just as affordable housing, but as green living spaces, or for people downsizing, adventure traveling, vacationing, or just trying to lead a simpler life.”
Ken Coulter, past president of the Oakville Trafalgar Rotary explained that they provided some of the materials funding and that much of the insides have been donated.
The first unit will be on display at the Oakville Trafalgar Ribfest on June 22nd to 24th.
How did the idea get started? The Oakville Trafalgar group was having lunch at their usual location one meeting and talking about new fund raising ideas. Mention was made of maybe building a Tiny Home; the waitress suggested that the Rotary talk to people at The Centre – and an idea suddenly had legs and before long, in typical Rotary fashion, something was happening.
A trailer base was donated, windows were donated, and Canadian Standards Association approval was obtained.
It all leads to the first of what the Rotary hopes will be a couple of buildings a year.
Rotary International happens to be meeting in Toronto the same weekend as the Rib Fest in Oakville. More than 100 District Rotary governors will be bused out to the Rib Fest to chow down on some ribs and have a look at the Tiny Home.
For more information slip over to – www.rcot.ca You can communicate with someone at TinyHome@rcot.ca
A little after 12:00 PM, yesterday, police responded to a report of a break and enter in progress at a rural home on No. 1 Side Road near Walkers Line in the City of Burlington.
Officers arrived on scene to find a female in the garage. The female attempted to flee on foot but was quickly arrested.
The female was found to be in possession of a screwdriver, two socks believed to be used as gloves and a two-way radio.
The area was searched for her accomplice / get-away driver which proved negative. Officers believe the woman was able to alert them prior to her arrest.
Maria WASZKOWSKA (65-yrs-old) of Poland was held for bail charged with break & enter and possession of break-in instruments.
WASZKOWKSA was also found to have a Canada wide Immigration warrant for her arrest since 2004.
Anyone with information on these crimes is encouraged to contact Detective Jared McLeod of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2385
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
By Pepper Parr
“Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the Anishinaabeg to the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis – our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in Indigenous history. 
That’s the message Crime Stoppers of Halton is delivering to the public through a promotional campaign to help combat the distribution of illegally manufactured cigarettes.
Richmond also said an increasing number of fire deaths in Ontario are now being blamed on illegal cigarettes which are made without self-extinguishing safeguards.
Staff Sergeant Brad Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was sentenced to a conditional discharge with three years’ probation. Sentencing took place at the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on June 7, 2018.
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
