 By Joe Gaetan
September 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In order to understand why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau are on the wrong track when it comes to small business taxation, Joe Gaetan explains that they have to understand what small businesses are all about, how they tick, the challenges they face and the risks they take.
“According to government statistics, approximately 80,000 new small to medium sized businesses (SME’s) are born and about 80,000 cease to exist each year.
 Where does your funding come from? “To start a business you need seed money, in 2014, 51.3 percent of SME’s sought external financing, compared with 48.7 percent that did not request external financing. If a small business owner funds his or her own business they are doing it with after tax dollars, something many people forget. If they borrow from a bank they will have to collateralize the loan which means if things go awry they could lose their home. Lacking both a credit history and the collateral needed to secure a loan, over 80 percent of start-ups face great risk by personally financing their new businesses. On top of that one should know that small business owners (SBO’s), doctors, farmers, restaurant owners are not tax cheats.
 Retirement is not a sure thing. “SBO’s have no pensions, let alone indexed pensions, no stock options with generous tax treatment, no health benefits, no sick day benefits, no vacation benefits, no golden parachutes and no help from Provincial and Federal politicians. When it comes to vacations and sick days, small business owners lose income when they are away, but their expenses continue and they usually experience a drop in income for however many days they are away. Generally speaking small business owners have no entitlements and no security blankets to get them through any rough patches. The same cannot be said for government workers, politicians, teachers and employees of many public and private enterprises.
“The government recently issued a 63-page white paper on small business taxation that requires an in-depth understanding of tax law, something most small business owners do not have. The paper targets, income sprinkling (income splitting), earning passive investment income in a corporation and converting a corporation’s ordinary income into tax-preferred capital gains, using net income examples that any business person would be happy to enjoy, but is far from representative of small business net-income .
“The article states that,” income sprinkling” (a catchy term used by Morneau to denigrate what is really income splitting),“is perhaps deemed the most offensive” and “the one that will likely have the broadest financial impact on small business owners and incorporated professionals”. The latter is an understatement if there ever was one.
 They don’t exist in the private sector where the Small Business people thrive. “Large banks or any large corporation for that matter, can put whomever they like on their board and can sprinkle them generously with stock options, that when exercised are favorably taxed, one could say “that” practice is a major loophole, but it isn’t, it is perfectly legal under our tax code. Why? Stock options usually carry a 10-year life span which allows the grantee the luxury of exercising them when the time is right and when exercised, only 50% of the gain is taxable. In lay terms, imagine how happy you would be if only half of your income was taxed.
“This is costing the government and therefore us about $800 million a year in lost tax revenue, but the government would sooner tax the small business owner.
“At present small business owners can share part of their income with their board of directors. That could include one or more members of the family, including their spouse and children. Money taken out by a family member would be taxed at the rate for the person who benefited from the income. The family member in question may have little or a lot to do with the day to day operation of the business. One of the arguments against this is, small business owners use this money to put their kids through school, but what about the free tuition that is granted to children of university employees, is that not the same thing, is that not a non-taxable benefit and therefore a loophole that needs to be plugged?
“To understand the full impact of the impact of the attack on “earning passive investment income in a corporation and converting a corporation’s ordinary income into tax-preferred capital gains, you should know that prudent small business owners keep between 90 to 180 days of cash in the bank to get them through low business cycles and unexpected events like Sep 11, 2001 or 2008, two events in recent times that had a negative effect on small and large businesses. Except the “too big to fail companies” were helped while small business had to surf through it with zero help.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, goes face-to-face with Finance Minister Bill Morneau Photo credit – THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick “So, if you are looking for income stability or longevity, starting an SME may not be your best choice, and especially after the Trudeau/Morneau juggernaut has gutted some of the few benefits of being a small business owner. Some of the so-called loopholes the Trudeau/Morneau team wish to eradicate are in fact are a legitimate vehicle by which small business try to squirrel money for their retirement years.
“If the government is serious about fair tax reform they should at least do the following:”
Lengthen the consultative window to at least 6 months
Start listening to the many non-partisan tax experts who understand the tax laws and small businesses and are ready willing and able to contribute in a meaningful fashion.
 Joe Gaetan spent 13 of his fifty years of uninterrupted employment as a small business owner. He operated a Laser Smoking Cessation business, treating over 5,000 during the the life of the business. He retired from that business in 2013. Prior to that he worked for a Fortune 100 company.
 By Staff
September 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
As part of Culture Days, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is hosting an Arts and Culture Marketplace, opening the doors to showcase local arts organizations, groups, and artists. The marketplace will be held in The Centre’s lobby on Saturday, September 30 from 10am–4pm.
The event is free.
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band will be on hand to tell their story. Stop by with your family and friends throughout the day to participate in arts and culture activities.
Meet The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Executive Director, Tammy Fox, between 12pm-2pm in the lobby.
 Some of the work hat has come out of the Kirkland Lynch Studio. Participating groups include: Aldershot Players, Arts & Culture Council of Burlington, Art Gallery of Burlington, Art in Action Studio, Burlington Civic Chorale, Burlington Concert Band, Burlington Fine Arts Association, Burlington Footnotes, Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, Burlington Public Library, Burlington Suzuki School of Music, FLK Taoist Tai Chi, Harbourtown Sound, Lowville Festival, Kirkland Lynch Studio Gallery, Mark Zelinski – Photographer, New Horizons Adult Concert Band, Red Leaf Cultural Integration, Rotary Burlington Music Festival, Sahaja Yoga Meditation, soFX, Symphony on the Bay, and The Burlington Slam Project.
Wow! That is an impressive list.
Each group will share their history, future plans, memberships, auditions, and information on upcoming performances.
Many people in the arts community are grumbling about what little is being heard from city hall on the Culture Day program.
 By Staff
September 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Rocca Sisters, a Burlington Realtor point out that the August real estate sales results need some perspective: you have to look at the last 6 months.
 In March 2017(the peak of the runaway hot market), prices were up by over 30%, year over year.
In August, prices were up 2.3% a slight improvement over July when prices were up 2.2% year over year.
Interestingly, CPI for the same period was up by 1.3% which suggests that even when the real estate market is experiencing a reversal of fortunes, as an investment, it’s still outstripping CPI.
Sales are down by 20%, DOM are up by over 50% and inventory levels are 137% higher at the end of August 2017 then they were in 2016.
These conditions indicate that Burlington is now in a balanced market. If all goes according to plan, this balanced environment will continue right through to the spring.
The interest rate increase announced recently will ensure that the market remains balanced and that’s exactly what the increase is meant to do – Cool things down.
 By Pepper Parr
September 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It may not be news – but he did leave without saying goodbye.
 The man on the far right, the late John Boich, saw Brian Heagle, the man on the far left as a natural politician. But then Heagle changed his political allegiance. It was almost as if he was slipping out a side door and didn’t want anyone to know that he was leaving the party.
Brain Heagle, a former Queen’s University basketball star, once a candidate for the ward 4 city council seat, once the chosen one as a Liberal candidate for the Burlington seat and now a resident of Cambridge.
He was a regular on one of the Cogeco community TV programs.
And he was a partner in one of the city’s more prominent law firms.
Heagle was a flash point in Roseland. He created opinion and published it for his community. He carved out his own version of Burlington by creating a community organization that had boundaries slightly different than those of the traditional Roseland Community Organization.
 One never knew if there was any accuracy to the data collected but Heagle made a point most of the time. He was an astute political observer and ran small mini-polls on what people were thinking. His base, for the most part was Ward 4. What he got back in a poll done a number of months ago may have been a bit of a jolt for the city’s political elite.
He was not a fan of the Maranatha project that is now nearing its final height on New Street.
Brian was Brian – he had a way of coming out of a corner with an opinion, a view point and a suggestion.
Wonder what he will do in Cambridge?
 By Staff
September 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The world is full of grungy rooms, perhaps with a musical instrument in the corner and a bunch of guys hunched over their keyboard revising computer code.
The world is what it is today as a result of these very smart people. There are some women sprinkled amongst this cohort.
 Jonathan Adams at his computer – he is part of the team that created LilySpeech – worth taking a look at. About a year ago a crew in the North West part of the city, surrounded by industrial operations developed what they decided to call LilySpeech.
LilySpeech is a service that lets you talk to your computer and turns your words into text which you can then send.
The service is sold on a monthly basis – $2.49 a month – those that use it swear by it.
In a drive to increase the subscription list LilySpeech gives away a $100 Amazon Gift Card to the LilySpeech user who does the best post on social media about why they love LilySpeech and how they use it.
Chris Burger was the September winner. His social media post is shown below:
If you want to take a crack at winning yourself its pretty easy.
LilySpeech is still quite new so you’re not competing against hundreds of posts here 🙂 get creative, it takes just a few minutes and you could easily win the $100 in October.
They want your story to be funny, original and tell what LilySpeech does.
Just do your post and then send an email to social@lilyspeech.com with a screen shot of the post.
You will need to know more about LilySpeech – check out the story the Gazette did in February.
 Special to the Gazette
September 13th,2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Transit violated provincial laws concerning hours of work and followed unsafe maintenance practices following cutbacks made by City Council to the system’s budget, according to an explosive report by City Manager James Ridge and senior staff at the beleaguered transit agency.
Ridge, Director of Transit Sue Connor and Business Administration Manager Colm Lynn painted a picture of a system stretched beyond its limits at a meeting of Council’s Committee of the Whole Sept. 7.
Councillors expressed shock that the cutbacks for which they had voted caused such chaos at Burlington Transit and directed staff to come up with a budget that would at least stabilize the system at its meeting on Sept. 11.
Ridge told the presentation that the deterioration of the transit system occurred under the City’s mantra of “doing more with less.”
 City manager James Ridge with Mike Spicer who at the time was the Director of Transit. Much of the damage done to the transit service took place on Spicer’s watch. The city manager does not appear to be amused. “With every exercise [in doing more with less] there’s a line you cross where you just provide crappy [transit] service that people don’t want,” Ridge said. “And I think we passed that line some time ago.”
Among the revelations in the staff report:
• A significant number of Burlington Transit drivers worked above the maximum weekly number of hours allowed by provincial legislation without a permit. BT never applied for such a permit, even though some drivers had worked more than 60 hours per week.
• Two thirds of the time, BT’s mechanics work alone, without supervision. The system has had to cut back on preventive maintenance and has the lowest ratio of mechanics to vehicle miles of its peers. If a bus breaks down, there are no replacements available. Reliability has plummeted, and BT’s new Director and staff have used their own cars to rescue passengers stranded by breakdowns. Ridge called these “fundamental safety issues [that] have to be addressed.”
• Drivers who are classed as casual employees are working an average of more than 40 hours per week, with minimal benefits and compensation below the level of Halton’s living wage. Of these employees, the annual turnover is more than 50% because Burlington pays its transit operators less than neighbouring municipalities.
• The City provides no capital funding for transit. All capital funding, which buys replacement buses, among other things, has come from federal and provincial grants and special programs.
• Ridership has declined by 16.5% as service has become less frequent and less reliable.
Citizen call for a public inquiry of the city’s public transit service.
Councillors expressed shock that the cutbacks they supported had caused such a mess.
 Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison has his own form of transportation. Isn’t believed to have been aboard a bus for more than a decade. “I didn’t realize that the sky was falling as badly as it appears to be,” said Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison, who supported diverting funds from the transit budget to “scrape-and-pave” projects on little-used residential streets.
Councillors voted to take money out of transit’s share of the money the city gets from the federal gas tax to fund the shave – and-pave projects.
 Councillors Sharman and Lancaster both expressed shock, dismay and concern over the state of the city’s transit service. “Every budget over the last four years, we’ve talked about gas tax split and every year, I’ve asked the question ‘Do we have sufficient funds going into the … vehicle renewal fund that makes this [service] viable?’ And every year I’ve been told ‘yes’,” said Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman.
Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster said she was “just as shocked as anyone” by the information from Ridge and the transit staff. But she said councilors knew that the data they had been getting in the past was “compromised and not necessarily reliable.”
 Citizen taking part in a transit Forum put on by Bfast vents his concern over the quality of the service to the Mayo and the Director of Transportation. “I think there’s an extreme urgency” to address transit’s problems, said Mayor Rick Goldring, but the next budget cycle was “pretty soon.”
“But I don’t believe we should be waiting two cycles before we get the fix,” he said. “I think the sooner we can get our head around this and how we’re going to address it, the better.
“We don’t want to wait. We know we have to do something.”
Related news stories:
Transit riders get specific about service.
Politicians try to romance transit users.
 By Pepper Parr
September 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
While the citizens of the city are asked to sit in on public sessions to discuss how we are going to Grow Bold and where all the high rise condominiums and apartment buildings are going to be located – the cranes towering above the city swing in back and forth and up and down with huge buckets of concrete as the development projects underway rise floor by floor.
 The Bridgewater as it will look from Lakeshore Road. That space on the left is not what the final view will look like. The Bridgewater on Lakeshore Road is now well above grade, the Paradigm on Fairview has three of the five towers on that development well underway – with sales reported to be very brisk.
The Berkeley on John Street is also well above grade.
The Molinaro project on Brock Street is getting ready for public review and the Carriage Gate project that is to be built opposite city hall is waiting for whatever the recommendation from the Planning department is going to be.
There are another couple of dozen projects that are in various stages of development; one a three tower structure on Brant Street at the Ghent intersection.
While all this happens the school board heads toward the actual closing of two of the city’s seven high schools and the city works at deciding when they should be pumping more money into transit.
The project that is going to have a significant impact on how people enjoy the waterfront is Bridgewater. The three structures are going to change how the way Lakeshore Road works and how people get to enjoy some of the eastern part of the downtown core waterfront.
The space between the 22 storey condominium and the eight storey hotel is going to be all people will be able to see from Lakeshore Road.
The opening between the two buildings is a bit bigger than we expected – but it isn’t wide open.
The public will be able to walk from Lakeshore Road through what is going to have to be well graded land. The original plans call for a reflecting pool in the middle.
Add to all this the development thinking being done on what will happen to the existing Waterfront Hotel and the plans the owner has to develop that property by demolishing the current structure and putting up a building that will be in the 20 storey plus hotel and a possible two other structures.
All this is putting some oomph behind that Grow Bold phrase.
 Aerial view of the hotel part of the Bridgewater project that will be on the corner of Lakeshore Road and Elizabeth and the Waterfront Hotel property to the west.  Bridgewater project from what will become the bottom of Elizabeth Street overlooking the lake.  The existing Waterfront Hotel wants to redevelop their property and put a much taller building on the site and add an additional stricture. There are issues to be worked out regarding the land south of the hotel that is to a large degree made up of landfill.
 An aerial view of the Bridgewater construction project. The red line between the buildings is the width of the opening the public will b able to walk through to get to the waterfront.
By Pepper Parr
September 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Later today a small delegation from Pearson high school will be meeting with the Mayor during one of the Open Door sessions he holds for citizens who want to meet with him
 Showing the school colours. Pretty clear what the Pearson parents want to talk about – they want to know just where the Mayor was when the decision on closing schools was made. Those Pearson parents don’t buy the argument that it was just a school board trustee decision.
The Program Accommodation Review (PAR) process that took place made provision for representation from the city – the Mayor chose to pass that task along to his city manager James Ridge and had the temerity to say at a city council meeting that he, the Mayor, couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to represent the city.
 Steve Podrebarac on the left and Burlington city manager James Ridge at a school board PAR meeting. At the time Ridge had been city manager for about 18 months, was not a native of the city and probably could not have named the seven high schools in the city.
Ridge attended most of the PAR meetings, spoke twice. On one of those occasions he said the school board should not sell any land. The school board isn’t permitted to just sit on land it owns – they have to use it or lose it. When they do sell the land, which a decision the Board makes when they declare the land surplus.
 Cheryl DeLught and Steve Armstrong – part of the Pearson delegation. When the Board makes that decision there is a hierarchy of organizations that have the right to purchase the land – the city is on that list. The city could be negotiating with the school board to move some of its staff into Pearson to keep the building until the city has a better view of just what the student population is going to be.
All the Grow BOLD discussion taking place are making mention of a population that is going to climb from the current 186,000 to something in the 215,000 range. Will there not be some students in amongst those new residents?
Hopefully the Pearson people meeting with the Mayor today will be bold and suggest that the city get onside.
By Staff
September 12, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington and the KaBOOM! Aldershot community planning committee will hold an official opening ceremony for the new playground at Bolus Gardens Parkette on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at 1 p.m. during Alderfest.
Translation – Photo op for the Mayor and the Council member.
Aldershot community volunteers, organizations and businesses joined Foresters FinancialTM and non-profit KaBOOM! during a Build Day in August to create the new play space, which will serve more than 1,200 children and their families in the local community.
 This is what the community designed – the project is now complete and gets an official opening later in the month. The design for the new playground was based on drawings created by neighborhood children at a special Design Day event that was held in June when community members met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters FinancialTM to design their dream playground. The drawings inspired the final playground design.
Mayor Rick Goldring and Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven will cut a special link ribbon made by community children on Build Day and will recognize the community residents and businesses that helped with the project.
Alderfest is an annual festival hosted by the Aldershot BIA, the Aldershot Lions and the Surrey Warwick Community Association. The family event celebrates the people, activities and services in the Aldershot Community.
Bolus Gardens Parkette commemorates the efforts of George Bolus and friends who transformed the area in the parkette for the community.
KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.5 million children.
KaBOOM! creates places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. More on the KaBOOM Facebook page – facebook.com/kaboom.
By Staff
September 12, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This is a photo op that will have gladdened the heart of Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon.
Anything to do with cycling and sharing the road in a responsible way gets her attention.
The announcement earlier today at the Appleby GO station that the province is going to install secure bike storage at GO station and car pool lots making it easier for cyclists to commute to and from work, school, and appointments.
 The construction of new, secure bike storage lockers at GO Transit stations and car pool lots across southern Ontario. This investment is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and is funded by proceeds from the province’s cap on pollution and carbon market.
Eight bike lockers will be installed at each of 15 commuter parking lots across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, Niagara, and Simcoe Region for a total of 120 bike lockers. Work will be finished by the end of March 2018.
In addition, 28 bike rooms will be installed at 26 GO Transit stations in the Greater Toronto Area over the next four years as part of Ontario’s GO RER program, expanding storage capacity while enhancing security. The first locations, which will be complete by spring 2018, include: Appleby, Markham, Mount Pleasant, Bronte, Unionville, and Stouffville.
 Minister of Transportation Steven De Luca and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Eleanor McMahon were in Burlington today to launch the new Commuter Bike Parking Program, which will help encourage people to take their bikes as part of their daily commute.
Eight bike lockers will be installed at each of 15 commuter parking lots across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, Niagara, and Simcoe Region for a total of 120 bike lockers. Work will be finished by the end of March 2018. In addition, 28 bike rooms will be installed at 26 GO Transit stations in the Greater Toronto Area over the next four years as part of Ontario’s GO RER program, expanding storage capacity while enhancing security. The first locations, which will be complete by spring 2018, include: Appleby, Markham, Mount Pleasant, Bronte, Unionville, and Stouffville.
Locations:
GO stations: Burlington and Appleby
Car pool lots: QEW at Guelph Line and Hwy 403 at Hwy 6/Plains Rd
No mention of any fee for use – they will all be in place before the June election – which is more than can be said for the Burlington GO station upgrades.
No report on whether or not the two politicians rode their bikes to the event.
This just might give cyclists a reason to use New Street now that it is still on its Road Diet.
Ontario is investing approximately $2.5 million from its carbon market to fund this project.
About 1.5 million people in Ontario ride their bikes at least once a week during the spring, summer and fall, and many cycle year-round.
The Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program is a commitment under Ontario’s five-year Climate Change Action Plan which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.
 By Staff
September 12, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Residents are going to have to figure out what they want to do this Sunday.
Both the Amazing Bed Race and the Terry Fox Run for cancer are taking place on Sunday the 17th.
Not at the same time but close together.
Beds will be on Brant Street – The Terry Fox Run will start in Spencer Smith Park and go to the canal and back for a distance of 4.5 km
Construction work being done on the eastern end of the Naval Promenade requires the Terry Fox event to shorten the distance this year and to keep all the traffic on the Waterfront Trail which will mean no bikes.
The Terry Fox run organizing committee has not been able to get city hall to do any jiggling of the times for the events so both are taking place on the same day.
Registration for the Amazing Bed race doesn’t take place until 11 am, by which time most of the Terry Fox run people are finishing up.
The city was not at all responsive to changing anything about the Bed Race. Craig Gardner said he found the city was getting “more intrusive by shutting roads even sooner – they close Brant at 8 am when our folks arrive. We asked if they could close at 9 and were told no.”
Registration for volunteers is 7:30 to 8am, registration for runners is 8 am(located parallel to the parking lot on the west side of Spencer’s restaurant on the grassy area by the Terry Fox Monument.
Runners will leave at 9 am and walkers/strollers leave at 10 am.
Once again because of the use of waterfront trail sadly NO BIKES.
 Route map for the 36th annual Terry Fox Run – they have raised millions for cancer research. The design work was done by the good people at Striped Aardvark – check them out.
The Terry Fox run is particular poignant this year – the recent passing of Casey Cosgrove who was one of the moving forces behind the installation of the 3582 km marker in Spencer Smith Park will draw additional hundreds to the event.
Times are
 By Pepper Parr
September 12, 2017
BURLINGTON,ON
After winning their first game of the season, well into the season the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) Guelph Royals ownership decided to fold their tent.
The biggest reason was financial.
 Intercounty Baseball League commissioner John Kastner introduced the new owners of the Guelph Royals during a press conference Monday. The team will return to the league in 2018.
Burlington’s entry in the league, the Herd didn’t make it out of the quarter finals in the 2017 season. Our interest in the Royals situation is to give readers a sense of what it takes to run a baseball team in the league.
The Royals have been purchased from Jim Rooney by businessman Shawn Fuller along with Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.
Fuller, who grew up in Guelph and now lives in Kitchener, has had a life-long relationship with the Royals and added “you can see my mom’s house” from the ballpark.
“To be clear, this is a passion project,” Fuller told Guelph Today. “I don’t see it as a money maker. I see it as doing something for the love of the game.
“It’s a six-figure budget to do this thing and to do it right …. I’m sure this thing loses money its first year, two years of operation. But we’re here to weather the storm. We’re here to build it.”
 New Guelph Royals owners Cam Guthrie, left, and Shawn Fuller, middle, pose with IBL commissioner John Kastner at Hastings Stadium Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. Guthrie as Mayor of Guelph has got his photo ops set for the year. Photo by Tony Saxon/GuelphToday Fuller and Guthrie take over a team that ceased operations in June after going 1-15 to start the season. The team had struggled for several years and also took a leave of absence in 2011.
Fuller, who worked in sales with BlackBerry for 10 years, is the owner of Canadawide Sports, a sports equipment distribution company that operates out of a 65,000 square-foot facility in St. George.
Kastner said Fuller contacted him the day after Rooney informed him he was folding the team and the process to get baseball back in Guelph began that day.
The six figure budget was what caught our attention. If that is what the owners of the Herd are putting into the team – our hats are off to them.
By Staff
September 11, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Four Halton residents have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). These are the first human cases for Halton this year.
 wev “The Halton Region Health Department works diligently to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community through both education and preventative programs such as larviciding. Until the fall frost, Halton residents should continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites and remove mosquito breeding sites,” said Dr. Daniela Kempkens, Acting Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region.
“While 80 per cent of people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms, others will have West Nile fever consisting of fever, headache, muscle ache and a rash. If residents are concerned or experiencing symptoms, I would encourage them to visit their health care professional.”
Urban areas are more likely to have mosquitoes that carry WNV. The types of mosquitoes that transmit WNV to humans most commonly breed in urban areas and in places that hold standing water such as bird baths, plant pots, old toys, and tires.
Residents are encouraged to take the following steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes:
• Cover up. Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric.
• Avoid being outdoors from early evening to morning when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite, as well as at any time in shady, wooded areas.
• Use an approved insect repellent, such as one containing DEET or Icaridin.
• Make sure your window and door screens are tight and without holes, cuts or other openings.
• Reduce mosquito breeding sites around your home by getting rid of all water-filled containers and objects, where possible. Change the water in bird baths at least once per week.
As part of its ongoing West Nile prevention program, Halton Region staff continually monitor areas of standing water, eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites and larvicide when mosquito larvae is found.
By Staff
September 12, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It took a long time to actually get PopUp patios operating in the city.
 Outdoor dining – where few found the passing traffic to be a problem. The first was at what used to be the Test Kitchen on Brant Street – they closed but not because of the PopUp.
Papa Giuseppe’s moved into the location and put up a PopUp patio that was popular.
Then the Coop that set up shop in what used to be the Rude Native location put a PopUp outside their restaurant on Brant Street.
The city wants to know what the public thinks of the things.
 They weren’t obtrusive and they weren’t inexpensive to install. Took the city years to make a decision and the uptake by the hospitality industry wasn’t all the high – just two locations. The people who operate the restaurants that have PopUps outside would really like to city to lighten up on the rules and the paper work.
The survey is short – link to it is – you have until October 6th to say what you think.
By Pepper Parr
September 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They are in the classroom and that first week of being back at it is done for the high school students.
The teaching teams have done their updates and gotten caught up and now the getting on with the business of educating them and turning them into responsible, productive and accountable adults can begin.
But for some students – it isn’t going all that well. There will have been some disappointments, perhaps a disaster. A good teacher can spot the kid who is having a tough time with less than a glance.
They will look for a way to give the student a chance to talk – more often than not the teacher is already aware of the problems.
 The Foundation works out of a portable – with the washrooms in a seperate building. Sometimes it’s a school supplies issue, sometimes the student doesn’t have clothing – shoes are usually an issue for some students. And we aren’t talking about their having the latest fashion – we are talking about shoes that are not bursting at the seams.
Burlington is part of the Halton Learning Foundation, a group of people who are in place to do something about the needs of students who aren’t able to fend for themselves financially.
While Burlington is seen as a wealthy community that tolerates gas prices that are three to four cents higher per litre than in neighbouring communities, there are still a lot of people that live very close to, if not below, the poverty line
The cost of rental housing doesn’t help this part of the population either.
The close to dire financial straits for many households extends to those who are students.
 Lesley Mansfield, Executive Director of the Halton Learning Foundation, presenting to the Board of Education. The Halton Learning Foundation is headed up by Lesley Mansfield, a woman with solid experience in the private sector and the ability to make the needs known to those who can help.
Mansfield will tell you that if there is a student need and she is made aware of it by 10 am – she can have funds in the hands of a student by 3:00 pm
All the requests that come to her office get there via a call from a school principal.
Mansfield’s job is to administer the requests and then get out into the field and raise the funds. She isn’t at the chicken feed level. The Halton Learning Foundation is edging towards the million dollar operation.
Along with raising and allocating the funds she is also a full time advocate for the Foundation and the people that need help.
Mansfield is a big advocate of thanking people. She doesn’t just say thank you – she does what you would call a “full Monty” thank you. Every donation to the Foundation is followed up with a report on how the funds were spent.
She looks you in the eye and let’s you know that what you have given is more than appreciated.
In 2015 the Foundation met 657 requests for help
In 2016 the figure was 780 – a 17% increase. Mansfield doesn’t see that number getting smaller.
Her approach is to say yes to every request – she relies on the input from the teachers who know the students better than anyone else.
Mansfield tells the Board of Trustees that the Foundation is their charity – “we are here to support your students in your schools”.
 Lesley Mansfield serves as the Executive Director of the Halton Learning Foundation and is a consistent advocate for supporting students while they complete a high school education. The Foundation is an arm’s length non-profit corporation that is linked with the school board but not a part of it. Her route to the classrooms and the students is through the Board of Education.
The Board provides space for the Foundation – in a portable with the washrooms in a separate building. Technical support and some maintenance is the sum total of what the Foundation gets from the Board of Education.
Mansfield realizes she is part of a larger community initiative. There is the Food4Kids organization that provides lunches for students. A number of churches in Burlington have meal programs; there is also a food banks that can be used.
The work the Halton Poverty Council does and the exceptional work Joey Edwardth does at Community Development Halton support the thinking and strategic planning that is essential for a city like Burlington as it struggles to come to grips with a problems that is growing.
There is a single solution to the poverty issue – give these people an income or the means to earn an income.
And to earn that income people need jobs.
And to get a decent job one needs an education.
 The Foundation is the organization that ensures the essentials are available to students in our classrooms which makes HLF close to the critical fulcrum in the process of getting people out of poverty.
The people who work with those who have needs they cannot meet believe there is a single solution to the poverty issue – give these people an income or the means to earn an income.
And that is the level Lesley Mansfield works at. She provides the support for the students in the high schools who are working at getting an education so they can get jobs and earn the income they need to become productive citizens.
Their perspective is that getting an education means being able to go on the field trips; having the glasses they need to be able to see the white board or see the ball in the gymnasium. It means providing fees for being part of an extra-curricular group.
Lesley has dozens of stories about how the help gets to her office. She gets a new one almost every day of the week. Last year an organization learned of what the Foundation does – they were clothing manufacturers – and donated 400 good quality winter coats.
 The Foundation holds an annual Benefit Bash in November – it is their prime fund raising event.
Revenue levels have been fairly consistent – over $800,000 annually. Mansfield can see the need rising – it continues to increase in Halton which is why they have embarked upon a campaign to raise $1.6 million in the next four years. They want to continue to be able to say “yes” to every request that comes into HLF from the principals to help a student in need.
 Sherry Armstrong handles marketing and promotion – and anything else that needs doing – for the Foundation The Foundation is run by three people – their salaries are paid for by the Foundation. There is an opportunity there for the Board of Education to find a way to take on that cost so that there is more money getting into the hands that need it.
There is some lobbying needed to bring that about.
The HLF is part of an eco-system that does what it can to ensure that those with real day to day needs are served with dignity and respect.
This city is fortunate to have these people in place.
By Rory Nisan
September 10, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Part of what makes Burlington arguably the best suburb in the GTA is that, almost anywhere in the city, you are no more than twenty minutes from the Escarpment or the lake. Nature is at your doorstep, as is the culture of the downtown mixed with the expansive views of the water.
As many readers know, a provincial mandate to increase the city’s population combined with the decision to not build north of the Dundas/407 barrier means that Burlington will be growing “up” rather than “out”.
 One of the prime places to just enjoy the city is on the north side of Lakeshore looking out over the lake. When the weather is right – seats are hard to get. The city’s plans for this growth have focused on “mobility hubs” around our three GO Train stations and, more controversially, the downtown corridor. The latter was destined to be the toughest sell: the downtown is not a true hub of mobility in 2017. The truth is that the downtown is a place people want to live for the lake, the restaurants and night life and the culture, not because it is a starting point for transportation to other destinations. Unlike the other three, the downtown is, by its nature, a destination hub first, a transportation one second.
There is an agenda to grow in the downtown core, and while it may in fact be good for the city as a whole, a bit of cognitive dissonance is required to buy into the mobility hub rationale.
When I attended a meeting about this downtown mobility hub this past Thursday, it was not surprising that the Art Gallery of Burlington’s largest hall was filled with interested and sometimes concerned local downtown residents.
Presentations from consultants began shortly after 7 pm, and it wasn’t long before the anxiety of the audience became evident. They did not wait long before interrupting the consultants to ask questions. After responding to a few of them, the consultants understandably implored the audience to let them get through their slides before taking any more.
However, when they finished a few minutes later, they handed workbooks out to the audience and left the microphone, taking no questions in front of the audience. Instead, city staff were deployed to the tables to answer questions in a small group format.
This conveniently prevented the consultants or the city from having to answer questions in front of the packed hall. The city staff patiently and diligently listened to attendees, responding to concerns and asking them to make their views known through the workbooks.
 Resident suggest that if “residential condo towers dominate the downtown core, the beauty of the area will be lost and the development initiative will become counterproductive. I’m not sure what the consultants’ roles were, other than to fend off potentially embarrassing questions. They presented from prepared remarks for about half an hour and then we didn’t see them again.
Their job was, as is often the case, more about “having a consultation” than actually consulting. While the efforts of the city’s employees to answer queries was welcomed, at some point the city’s leadership will have to stand up and take some heat from area residents. Otherwise, a sense that they were not heard will prevail, and the social licence required for such a large remaking of the downtown will not be given.
Most of the attention focused on the many maps provided, outlining different districts that were often non-contiguous. It became unwieldy trying to understand what the consequences would be at the street level. Still, there was a lot of thought put into the detailed maps and it works as a basis for further discussion.
Several residents wondered whether views of the lake would be further blocked by high rises. The answer: quite possibly. The Old Lakeshore Road Precinct is marked for mid- and high-rises up to 15 storeys.
 Rahoons Persian Eatery at Village Square has won awards for its menu and service. One of the city’s most under utilized locations. As an uptown resident, I want to see the downtown to become an even better destination for all Burlington residents to enjoy. Having more people in the core, if done right, can lead to more thriving businesses and great energy. The downtown looks great on a sunny summer or fall weekend, but it’s a bit of a ghost town in the winter. I see the Village Square as a test of the vibrancy of the downtown. It is a beautiful business centre, reminiscent of the romantic squares of Europe but it has yet to become the thriving destination it deserves to be.
That being said, while adding residents to the core is important for business and culture, if residential condo towers dominate the downtown core, the beauty of the area will be lost and the development initiative will become counterproductive. This is a real risk — one need only look down the QEW to the cold condos along the lake in Toronto.
This would be exacerbated if the City is serious about making the downtown a commuter area — that will attract investors rather than residents and we then risk the high vacancy rates predominant in Vancouver.
We need a made-in-Burlington solution for the downtown and the first step would be more transparency from the City’s planners and leadership on its vision for the area and real consultation with decision-makers, not outside consultants.
The first step should be to pull the downtown core out of the Mobility Hub process in recognition that this area is unique from the real mobility hubs and needs special attention. We are not talking about building a mobility hub around the John Street Bus Terminal. We are talking about permanently altering the character of the downtown area. It’s time to get serious.
 There was a time when Lakeshore was known as Water Street and traffic was a little slower. Rory Nisan is a long-time Burlington resident and Lester B. Pearson High School alumnus. He has been an active member of the Save Pearson community organization.
By Pepper Parr
September 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette has been communicating electronically with Board of Education trustee Leah Reynolds about the texts that took place between Reynolds and Marianne Meed Ward, a PAR member while it existed. The texts were exchanged during the Board meeting at which the decision was made to close two of the city’s seven high schools. That request for that information has yet to be reported on.
While waiting for the text data, Ward 1 and 2 Halton Board of Education trustee Leah Reynolds sent in the following comment on her controversial vote for the closing of two of the seen high schools in Burlington.
 Board of Education trustee for \Wards 1 and 2 Leah Reynolds in discussion with students from Central high school. Reynolds represents Central High school which was on the original list of schools recommended for closure. The Director of Education revised his list of recommendations and removed Central and added Bateman, Pearson was on the original list and remained on that list.
Reynolds provides some background on the decision making process she went through.
“In October of 2016 I did not support engaging a Program Accommodation Review (PAR) . My concern at that time was the recommendation excluded an important stakeholder (representation from grade 7 and 8). Notwithstanding that roughly one third of both schools population receive programming directly within Aldershot and Burlington Central schools, this group had no right to voice opinion on the high school closure at the PAR discussion table.” Reynolds said at the time that “This revised motion does not negatively impact these Grades 7 and 8 students.”
“Through the PAR discussions, I learned the extent in which Burlington students lacked equity of opportunity in program and as pointed out by my trustee peers – also across Halton. Low enrolments at 5 out of 7 high schools meant students can’t get the classes they need. Since the future of our children depends on what they are exposed to having a variety of course selections including skilled trades in every high school is paramount. We know that critical mass is important to allow students voice and choice and to provide multiple pathway options and to graduate. To obtain needed courses, Burlington students are confronted with the prospect of changing schools, taking classes online, attending summer schools or even taking another year of school.”
“This report (the revised recommendation) speaks to the importance of maintaining a community school in each area of Burlington. The overlapping geographical catchment of Bateman and Nelson and MM Robinson and Pearson allows students to receive programming within their local community. It also provides a new state of the art purpose-built composite school in the South and increased programming in the North. This report speaks to the values of delivering education closer to where students live, thus reducing bus ride times. All of the changes are meant to improve the delivery of the mandatory Ontario English curriculum.”
“Currently, we are spending money keeping underutilized buildings open that could be used to improve programming for all students. In light of the information learned throughout the PAR including the many emails and phone calls I have gotten from parents and students, I believe this recommendation puts the best interests of all student first, for the long term.”
“I recognize” said Reynolds that “ some will not be happy I have changed my position on school closures and weighed my decision on sound facts. This is not about me, it’s about what is in the best interest of all HDSB students.”
 City Councillor Marianne Meed Ward at her nomination meeting in 2014 with Leah Reynolds who was nominated at the same time for the Board of trustees Full disclosure: During 2016 I spent time with Leah Reynolds mentoring her on the role of a city Councillor. Directed her to significant city of Burlington publications: Procedural bylaw, copies of the Operational and Capital budget binders and discussed with her the Standing Committee structure as well as what was entailed in serving as a Regional Councillor.
Reynolds was interested in moving from her role as a trustee to that of a city Councillor. We met on five or six occasions – always in a coffee shop for several hours on each occasion.
Those mentoring meetings ended when the PAR process began.
 One of the younger runners enters the home stretch of the Terry Fox 5k run. Many his age did a second go around to make it a 10k run. By Pepper Par
September 9th 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The way in which a community comes together to support a family that has been devastated is something to behold.
Hundreds upon hundreds of people in Burlington and those involved in any way with what Casey Cosgrove did in and for Burlington, have rallied and moved in to support the family during a very hard time.
 Casey with his wife and daughter out on the streets in the Alton community distributing flyers door to door for the Terry Fox run – this was in 2013. One group has taken on the task of preparing meals.
Another has set up a Gofundme campaign to raise funds to ensure that the three children are able to complete their education.
Last week the lineup of people at the Wave Twin Rinks, Pub 21 wound down the stairs and outside the building; an amazing turnout.
One can only guess at how many people are going to show up at the annual Terry Fox run on Sunday the 17th – everyone will be a Team Casey participant.
A few hours after the run there will be a celebration of Casey’s life at the Burlington Convention Centre on Burloak between 4 and 6 pm.
The people who set up the Gofundme account described what they were setting out to the with the Memorial Education Fund.
“After being diagnosed in 2010 with stage 4 Lung Cancer and enduring a courageous 7 year battle against all odds, our dear Casey has left us to battle on without him. Ever optimistic and ready to push headlong into the next trial, Casey showed us all the true meaning of courage, bravery, positivity, spirit, and strength. Casey always donated his time and energy to several community causes and was ever present as a Champion for the Terry Fox Foundation, working tirelessly to help bring the Terry Fox Mile Marker to Burlington. He touched hundreds of people, leaving a lasting impression of what a true Hero is. Any contributions that can be made to help with educational costs for his three loving children Evan, Jack and Kate would be greatly appreciated.
The Casey Cosgrove Memorial Education fund web site is HERE
Our last interview with Casey Cosgrove.
By Pepper Parr
September 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette is a member of the National NewsMedia Council
We became members when the organization it was known as the Ontario Press Council – at that time we were one of the earlier online newspaper accepted into member unanimously by the Board of Directors at that time.
We pay an annual fee to be members – it isn’t cheap.
The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) does not impose its own code of practice. Instead, it expects members to adhere to their own or some generally-accepted code of journalistic standards, practice and ethics.
 In considering a complaint, the NNC has regard for a cascading set of criteria that includes the news organization’s own code of conduct; generally-accepted national and regional journalistic standards; standards such as those of the Canadian Press and the Canadian Association of Journalists; such legal or ethical guidelines as appropriate; and any other considerations deemed valid by the Board.
The NNC promotes media ethics and responsible journalism through our mediation services, pre-publication advising, and outreach.
One of the prime purposes of the NNC is the provision of a place people can go to and air complaints they have about how media has treated them.
This is a valuable public service that is needed – media have to be held to account.
The NNC works diligently to get both sides of the story and they issue a statement that can be either:
An upheld complaint.
Dismissed complaints.
Dismissed with reservations.
Resolved due to corrective action taken.
As NNC members the Gazette is expected to publish any decision made to the Council.
 National Newsmedia Council advertisement that promotes the purpose of the Council. In the past several months there have been two complains made to the NNC about material published in the Gazette.
Both relate to the closing of two of the city’s seven high schools – and in each case the matter came from the Bateman community.
The fist was a complaint that we violated our privacy policy – which we in fact did. We published the name of an individual who has chosen a pen name rather than his own in a comment he made related to a Gazette article.
We later learned that the individual was a member of a Board of Education Advisory committee who we felt was hiding behind the pen name rather than letting readers of his comments know where his thinking was comment from.
We were asked by the NNC to apologize for braking our own rules which we did and that matter was closed.
Since then the Gazette has announced that it is in the process of changing its privacy policy; quite what form that policy change will take has not yet been determined.
We want to provide a form for people to air their views. We regret that frequently some people use a pen name and attempt to”game” the process. A number of news organizations have given up on a comments section. We are not prepared to go quite that far.
The second complaint is much more complex – it relates to a matter of fairness and just how much we did to ensure that we were fair and complete in our reporting.
The prime concern appears to be that we did not name the person we were reporting about but that anyone could read between the lines and determine who it was. Perception and reality are not the same thing.
 In our conversations with staff at the NNC they understand and appreciate that the closing of a high school is a very emotional issue and feelings come to the surface quickly. The situation at Bateman is very, very hard for many of the parents who have children in the Community Pathways Program to deal with.
We won’t comment further on this until the National Newsmedia Council has issued their decision, which we are advised will be before the end of the month. We hope at that time that we can name the individual, publish the content of the complaint and the Council decision which we will abide by.
By Staff
September 9th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The Guelph Royals chose to drop out of the playing schedule during the regular season in June – at that time they had not won just a single game.
 Pitching just wasn’t what it needed to be. There was no reason given for the abrupt decision to cease operations.
 It was a team that at one point was the IBL Champions on nine occasions. The InterCounty Baseball League (IBL) announced on Friday that they would hold a media event in Guelph on Monday during which they would confirm that new ownership has been found for the Guelph Royals and outline plans for the future direction for the team.
The IBL has worked with former team owner Jim Rooney in the search for new ownership. They appear to have succeeded.
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