By Staff
June 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) – 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) with the assistance of 2 District CIB has concluded a week-long investigation in relation to a series of garage and shed break-ins, and vehicle entries in Burlington and Oakville.
Since May 23, 2021, a total of 37 incidents were reported where vehicles, garages and outdoor sheds were entered. In many incidents, the accused used the garage door opener stolen from the vehicle in the victim’s driveway in order to gain entry to the garage. Multiple items were stolen through the course of these entries, including high-end bicycles and tools. The accused was also using a stolen vehicle to perpetrate these crimes.
On June 2, 2021, Dylan Brown (28) of Hamilton was arrested at a Hamilton residence. He has been charged with the following offences:
- Break and Enter (11 counts)
- Theft Under $5000 (4 counts)
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000 (13 counts)
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 (3 counts)
- Trespass at Night (6 counts)
- Fraud Under $5000
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Trafficking Stolen Property
A Criminal Code search warrant was executed as a result of the investigation and approximately $70,000 worth of stolen property was recovered.
Brown has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Investigation is continuing in efforts to identify other possible suspects in regards to these incidents. Anyone with information regarding this investigation or wishing to inquire about any recovered stolen property is asked to contact the following investigators.
D/Cst Cole Richards – 3 District Street Crime Unit at 905-825-4747 ext. 2345.
D/Cst Mark Bingham – 2 District Street Crime Unit at 905-825-4747 ext. 2268.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously 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.
We would like to remind our community of the following tips to help prevent becoming a victim to these types of crimes:
- Ensure your vehicle doors are always locked
- Always roll up your windows
- Remove all valuables from your vehicle
- Leave an exterior light on to illuminate your driveway at night
- Remove your garage door opener
By Staff
June 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation has a fund raising initiative underway and has found willing supporters within the commercial sector.
They are there when you need them. Be there for them when they need you.
Using the tag line: This June, support local businesses and support local healthcare. The following have joined the J.
Factory Shoe Outlet
Joseph Tassoni Face Coverings
COBS Bakery – Maple Mews Location
Domenic’s Italian Eatery
AIM Insurance Good for You, Good for our Community
These are a few of the corporations that are taking part in the drive. Each has something unique in the way they donate – each supports the hospital.
Factory Shoe Outlet is over halfway to its fundraising goal of $40,000!
AIM will donate $5 to Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.
Jack is all in!
When Jack Fernihough saw the We Love our Hospital lawn signs were popping back up around the city, he went to his garage and proudly added his sign from last year back onto the front lawn. But he had thrown away his old “We Joined” sign. So when the Foundation was delivering a sign to his neighbour, Jack asked if he could have the full set.
“It’s just something fun,” he said. “I think it’s important to support the hospital because a strong community needs a strong hospital. And Burlington is a top-notch city, and we need a top-notch hospital.”
To request a sign, please click here.
Signs will be delivered and installed by Foundation staff following all safety precautions with contactless delivery.
The plea from the Foundation is: We need you now more than ever.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to Joseph Brant Hospital and we are working tirelessly to make sure that we’re here for you in the moments that matter.
Make this moment matter,
By Pepper Parr
June 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In an earlier version of this story there was a headline that was inappropriate. It was revised. The production happens to be about sex being used as a weapon. The three members of council are part of the production. Apologies to anyone who was offended.
There was a time when radio is all there was. And it was great.
Radio captures the mind and lets the imagination run rampant.
There were those classic programs: Johnny Dollar the report of a private investigator and what he spent his fee on. There was Allan Mills and his program. There was that Bed Time story that CBC used to run.
Television was never able to do what radio does.
The audience will be “out there” instead of these seats.
The people at the Performing Arts Centre are taking us back to what radio was all about: words, tone and inflection all used to capture the imagination and build up a sense of what was being communicated.
Because The Show Must Go Online the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Presents Dangerous Liaisons Online
BPAC will stream a virtual reading of the classic play, Dangerous Liaisons (Les Liaisons Dangereuses) next Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12. Tickets for the stream cost $20 per household, or $15 for BPAC members and volunteers. To thank Burlington-area front-line healthcare workers for their sacrifices during this pandemic, they can contact the BPAC Box Office for complimentary tickets to the show.
Three council members amongst the cast.
Adapted to run approximately 60 minutes, this reading will be directed by Stratford Festival director Richard Ouzounian. The incredible cast features local artists and politicians, including Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillors Lisa Kearns and Rory Nisan, KooGle Theatre’s Leslie and Christopher Gray and others.
For those of you who remember the moment when the Mayor sang from the passenger seat of a Smart Car – you can once again hear the dulcet tones of a women who trained to sing opera. Listen to how she did.
“After such a long time without being able to entertain the people of Burlington, it is exciting to be back doing what we do best – and that is putting on a show,” said BPAC Executive Director Tammy Fox. “Working with a director the caliber of Richard Ouzounian and a cast that mixes talented performers and enthusiastic local leaders is fun, energizing and just the tip of the iceberg of what we can accomplish when we are able to welcome patrons back.”
Participating restaurants Paradiso and Pepperwood Bistro have prepared delicious prix fixe takeout meals to accompany a night at the online theatre, so patrons can make it a true dinner and a show experience. Hungry theatre patrons can find all the details about their tantalizing dinner options through the BPAC website.
About the Show
Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a 1985 play adapted from the 1782 novel of the same title by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The plot focuses on the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, rivals who use sex as a weapon of humiliation and degradation, all the while enjoying their cruel games. Their targets are the virtuous (and married) Madame de Tourvel and Cécile de Volanges, a young girl who has fallen in love with her music tutor, the Chevalier Danceny. In order to gain their trust, Merteuil and Valmont pretend to help the secret lovers so they can use them later in their own treacherous schemes.
About the Cast
The Marquise de Merteuil – Leslie Gray
The Vicomte de Valmont – Christopher Gray
Madame de Tourvel – Councillor Lisa Kearns
Cécile Volanges – Arielle Nielsen
Madame Volanges – Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
The Chevalier Danceny – Councillor Rory Nisan
Madame de Rosemonde – Bev Mattson
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre
Virtual Play Reading of Dangerous Liaisons
June 11, 2021 & June 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Streamed from The Burlington Performing Arts Centre
Tickets can be purchased online or by telephone:
905-681-6000 | https://burlingtonpac.ca/events/dangerous-liaisons/
Tickets per household (All-in): Regular $20 / Members $15
The full schedule of BPAC Presents events is available here:
burlingtonpac.ca/bpacpresents – Tickets and dinner choices
facebook.com/BurlingtonPAC | twitter.com/BurlingtonPAC | instagram.com/burlington_pac
By Pepper Parr
June 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
BurlingtonGreen was not going to totally lose the chance to have an impact even if the province put a kibosh on their annual CleanUp/GreenUp event.
They had to announce on April 8th that the Community Clean Up has been temporarily postponed due to the stay-at-home order issued by the Province.
They did what everyone did – the pivoted and put together a program that helped people do things at home.
THE GREEN UP & TREE LOVING CARE (TLC)Ways that you can GREEN UP at home:
- Plant a native shrub, tree or pollinator perennial on your property.
Request a packet of FREE native plant seeds to support your Green Up activities at home, while quantities last.
You can find out more about native trees and which ones are best for Burlington using the Ontario Tree Atlas.
Consult the Tree Planting Guide to set your new tree up for success.
2. Remove invasive plant species from your property.
Learn more about Halton Invasive Species and Biodiversity from Conservation Halton.
Find out how you can tackle invasive species at home from the Ontario Invasive Plant Council.
3. Give some Tree Loving Care (TLC) to your trees
Maintaining and caring for them is important for their overall health and longevity.
4. Learn about the importance of trees, pollinators, native species and biodiversity
The annual clean up event is seen by some as something for the younger crowd. While these woman are certainly young at heart – and they are doing their bit.
Perks of Registering:
We have a limited supply of FREE NATIVE PLANT SEEDS available when you register for Green Up, while quantities last.
Thousands of trees have been planted by BurlingtonGreen volunteers.
When you register your Green Up participation, you will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a $50 gift card to the Burlington Centre. We are giving away 2 gift cards for those that register between now and October 31st.
We’ve got extra prizes for those that share their photos with us – so take photos of your Green Up and tag us on social media or e-mail them to us for EXTRA chances to win!
Note: Submission of photos provides permission to BurlingtonGreen to use your photos in print, or in digital materials including social media platforms with permission to edit, alter, copy, or distribute the photos for media advertising and marketing.
To take part in the program REGISTER
By Ray Rivers
June 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON’
The previous provincial government closed all of the coal-fired power plants and permanently banned coal as a fuel for electricity production. That was one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in North America. More than 30 mega-tonnes of greenhouse gases annually were eliminated.
That is the equivalent to taking seven-million petroleum powered vehicles off our roads. In addition, closing the coal plants helped reduce the number of smog days in Ontario from 53 in 2005 to zero in 2015.
In 2005 coal-fired electricity still accounted for 19% of the utility bill. By 2015 when coal was gone, wind and solar energy had come from nowhere to account for 9%, even as electricity use in the province increased by another 3%. And while the costs of getting there were not inconsequential, solar and wind are today’s lowest cost sources of electrical energy.
Wind turbines work exceptionally well if located in the right place.
Of course wind and solar are intermittent sources of energy by their very nature. And while awaiting the development of backup energy storage systems, natural gas had been included in the mix to allow for those times when the sun was down or the wind had stopped blowing. Still, by 2018, the year the government changed political parties, natural gas accounted for only 3% of the energy mix.
Renewable energy accounts for a third of the electricity produced in Ontario. And a third of that comes from Ontario’s fleet of solar and wind installations. But after the 2018 election the Ontario government stopped approving and started cancelling new solar and wind projects. Still, even in 2020 wind and solar still generated over 11% of the provincial energy mix.
As a result Ontario’s electricity system is currently about 94 percent carbon free. However that is down from 97 percent under the former government, though still very respectable when compared to other jurisdictions like the USA, or even Alberta.
Solar panels have proven to be very cost effective.
Unfortunately the current provincial administration is allergic to naturally sourced renewable energy. In fact, the Premier has recently moved to de-prioritize renewable energy in an effort to allow increases in the carbon content of Ontario’s energy mix.
So it should not be surprising that this Ontario government, through its wholly owned Ontario Power Generation, has just spent three billion dollars purchasing three existing gas plants from TC Energy. It is easy to understand why TC Energy would want to unload these facilities which represent yesterday’s fossil fuel burning technology. But why would the Ontario government buy them?
The contrast with what we see happening in the US could not be clearer. US President Joe Biden is committed to eliminating natural gas electricity production within 15 years, replacing it with renewable energy. Canada has just announced new climate change targets for 2030 which would entail a 40-50% reduction in fossil fuel burning.
Recently 27 municipalities across Ontario, representing half of the province’s population, have demanded that Ontario phase-out natural gas electricity production. They are concerned about re-carbonizing Ontario’s energy mix and the potential smog pollution which would result. Converting Ontario’s vehicle fleet to electricity is hardly carbon free if recharging the cars’ batteries relies on carbon based electricity.
The province’s Independent Electrical System Operator (IESO),which manages Ontario’s power system, had begun a stakeholder engagement process to examine the feasibility of phasing-out natural gas. In response, the Ontario Energy Association (OEA,) which represents most large energy providers, quickly generated a report in defence of the gas plants.
One of the three gas fired energy plants the province bought.
The OEA report delivers what they term a ‘rough estimate’ of $60 billion over the next decade as a consequence of eliminating natural gas from electricity production. Rough estimate is a generous term for this sketchy effort at producing a large enough number to get everyone’s attention. And unsurprisingly, the imaginary number, intended to impress the reader, is based on heroic and incomplete assumptions – in short, shoddy work.
But this is not just about climate change and the environmental consequences of burning more fossil fuel. There have been huge economic costs associated with the direction this government has been taking us from the get-go. They gave away $3 billion when they dismantled Ontario’s cap and trade emission reduction system. Another $231 million was spent compensating approved new renewable energy projects which were cancelled by the government.
Then there were the millions, (initially $30 million) which were poured into the pointless effort to kill the national carbon tax. And now the Province is spending $3 billion to buy gas power plants which will have to be decommissioned in as little as a decade.
Meanwhile the government is paying $6 billion a year to subsidize our monthly electricity bill, a practice estimated by the Ontario Energy Association to possibly end up costing $228Billion over the next 25 years. And even so, the cost of electricity has actually increased since this government came to power, peaking just prior to the onset of the pandemic and the Premier’s decision to offer work-at-home rate relief during the crisis.
By any measure, economic or environmental, this is a troubling roadmap. And it is taking Ontario tax payers into the most ideologically driven and wrong-headed misadventure since a former premier broke up Ontario Hydro.
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. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Coal Power Plants – Ontario Energy Mix – Ontario Electricity Rates –
Municipal Pressure – OEA Study – TC Plants –
Today’s Energy Mix – Ratepayer Subsidy –
By Staff
June 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Another parking fee – this time at LaSalle Park – you pay to park the vehicle you used to tow your boat to the public launch.
The LaSalle Park Community Marina opened the public boat launch on June 1.
The same day the city began charging for parking.
Trucks parked at LaSalle now have to pay for the parking.
New Parking Fees
Anyone parking their boat trailer at the LaSalle Park Community Marina or in the upper parking lot will now be required to pay a trailer parking fee. Trailer parking payments are required seven days a week, including holidays. It is a daily flat rate of $20 for trailer parking; there is no fee to use the public boat launch.
The parking lot has often had traffic flow problems caused by too many trailers and/or improper parking. The new paid parking requirements are intended to create more order in the lots, improve traffic flow and reduce frustrations.
Public ramp – at a time when the water was high and the winter ice had done a lot of damage.
Residents and visitors can use the HonkMobile app or scan the QR code found on signage at the marina to search, pay for, and top-up parking payments directly from their smartphone, tablet or computer.
Dashboard tickets are not required as every payment is linked with a trailer licence plate number.
The Marina has 219 docking spaces and is protected by a floating wave break. The Burlington Sailing and Boating Club (BS&BC) and the Able Sail program offer sailing programs at the Marina. In addition, the City has a public boat launch at the Marina that is protected by the floating wave break.
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By Pepper Parr
June 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Ooops!
The web site was off line, or to use our language – the presses stopped running early this morning. A monkey wrench got thrown into the works and we were responsible.
Traffic increase to the Gazette had us moved to a different server.
The company that hosts our site advised us recently that they were moving us to a different server due to an increase in our traffic.
That required us to make a number of changes in the back end of the system – which I personally never did understand.
Monkey wrench was in the wrong place.
One of the changes didn’t get made and something called a proxy server stopped serving.
We are back and apologize for the inconvenience.
By Pepper Parr
June 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Where do the policy initiatives come from?
Where do the fresh ideas come from?
Are we to rely on those with vested interests or can we look to independent bodies that contribute initiatives and do the analysis needed to take what the data offers?
We recently published a piece on a report on the working poor in the Region put out by Community Development Halton (CDH).
Put bluntly it was a regurgitation of information from Statistics Canada Tax-filer data, which was interesting and informative.
So what – the taxpayers in the Region put up at least half of the annual CDH budget for which the public has a right to expect more in the way of quality analysis.
The numbers are useful – the analysis is vital and missing.
Why does Burlington have fewer working poor than Milton or Oakville? Is it because it costs so much to rent in Burlington, if rental space can be found?
Is the lower level of working poor people one of the forces that is driving the development of high rise towers? We are talking structures that are well above twenty floors in some cases.
Development in Burlington has tended to be for those who can pay the millions for a view of the lake.
There are reasons for the geographical distribution of the working poor. Knowing what those reasons are would be a useful contribution and part of what social planning is about.
Something is missing from the material coming out of Community Development Halton.
Related news article.
Working poor lower in Burlington
By Staff
June 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
There is now a road map to get us from where we are to where we want to be in the battle to prevent the further spread of Covid19 and its variants.
The Roadmap to Reopen, a three-step plan to safely and cautiously reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures based on the provincewide vaccination rate and improvements in key public health and health care indicators.
Roadmap to Reopen outlines three steps to easing public health measures. Each step lasts for 21 days providing the criteria for moving to the next step are met.
Burlingtonians understand social distancing
Step One An initial focus on resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds where the risk of transmission is lower, and permitting retail with restrictions. This includes allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people per table and non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
People got out and exercised.
Step Two Further expanding outdoor activities and resuming limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn. This includes outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people, outdoor sports and leagues, overnight camps, personal care services where face coverings can be worn and with capacity limits, as well as indoor religious services, rites or ceremony gatherings at 15 per cent capacity.
Step Three Expanding access to indoor settings, with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings can’t always be worn. This includes indoor sports and recreational fitness; indoor dining, museums, art galleries and libraries, and casinos and bingo halls, with capacity limits.
The province will remain in each step for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days, the following vaccination thresholds have been met, along with positive trends in other key public health and health system indicators, then the province will move to the next step:
Step 1: 60 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose.
Step 2: 70 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 20 per cent vaccinated with two doses.
Step 3: 70 to 80 per cent of adults vaccinated with one dose and 25 per cent vaccinated with two doses.
As soon as 60% of the population is vaccinated we can move into Step One of the Roadmap to re-opening.
The government expects to enter Step One of the Roadmap the week of June 14, 2021.
What the public is permitted to do between June 2nd and the 14th is not at all clear – other than to get out and get vaccinated.
Step One will permit the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller, well-managed crowds where risk of transmission is minimized and will permit retail, all with restrictions in place, including but not limited to :
Outdoor gatherings up to 10 people;
Outdoor dining up to 4 people per table;
Outdoor fitness classes, personal training and sports training up to 10 people;
Essential retail at 25 per cent capacity and can sell all goods (including discount and big box);
Non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity;
Retail stores in malls closed unless the stores have a street facing entrance;
Outdoor religious services, rites and ceremonies with capacity limited to permit 2 metres’ physical distancing;
Horse racing and motor speedways without spectators;
Outdoor horse riding;
Outdoor pools and wading pools with capacity limited to permit 2 metres’ physical distancing;
Outdoor zoos, landmarks, historic sites, and botanical gardens with capacity limits;
Campsites, campgrounds and short-term rentals; and
Overnight camping at Ontario Parks.
The detail is dizzying.
By Staff
June 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Work or employment is commonly understood as a means for individuals to have a decent living.
With the impact of COVID-19 over the past year, there were substantial changes in both employment and earnings, leading to precarious work for individuals and their families.1 Many of those individuals may become the working poor and how we as community ensure that all members of our community are included in the recovery process is critical.
As shown in the chart below, Oakville and Milton are above the Halton average, while Burlington and Halton Hills are below.
As with poverty, there are many ways to define working poor. Using Statistics Canada’s tax filer information set as the data source,2 working poor3 is defined as individuals with an after-tax income below the Low Income Measure (LIM-AT) and earning an annual working income4 of over $3,000.
The income threshold of $3,000 reflects the federal government’s Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB) refundable tax credit intended to provide tax relief for eligible working low-income individuals and families who are already in the workforce and to encourage other Canadians to enter the workforce.
Using the most currently available data, in 2018 a working poor person earned more than $3,000 but less than $24,654 (LIM-AT for a single adult).
In 2018, there were over 444,000 working poor individuals in Ontario. They represented about 6.6% of the population (18-64 years) excluding full-time students living on their own. By comparison, in Halton Region, the working poor population was over 12,000 accounting for 4.5% of the working age population.
The data was provided by Community Development Halton.
1 COVID Economic and Social Effects Study (CESES), McMaster University, 2021. https://labourstudies.mcmaster.ca/research/covid19- impact
2 Grouping of postal codes were provided to Statistics Canada and Statistics Canada makes no representation or warranty as to, or validation of, the accuracy of any Postal Code OM data
3 A similar definition is used in Metcalf Foundation, The Working Poor in the Toronto Region, mapping working poverty in Canada’s richest city by John Stapleton, April 2015
4 Working income is the total amount of an individual’s income for the year from employment and business, excluding losses.
By Pepper Parr
June 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Tomorrow, June 2nd, we come out of the Stay at Home order the province put in place April 7, 2021.
Social distancing was observed in most places.
However, all the other public health and workplace measures remain in place provincewide until Ontario enters Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen, at which point some restrictions will ease with an initial focus on outdoor settings.
The Roadmap to re-opening is a complex document with specific changes that are linked to the number of people who have been vaccinated.
Details on that Roadmap will follow in a separate article.
“With the Stay-At-Home order set to expire, we need to provide people with certainty so that they can continue to follow public health guidance. Doing so will help us to meet our goal of starting to gradually lift some restrictions when we enter Step One of the Roadmap when it is safe to do so.”
In a concentrated effort to reduce mobility and opportunities for transmission, the Stay-At-Home order required Ontarians to remain at home except for the purposes set out in the order, such as exercise, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, or accessing health care services. Once the Stay-at-Home order expires on June 2, these restrictions will no longer be in effect.
However, all other existing measures will remain in place provincewide, including restrictions on gatherings, businesses, services and activities.
This includes limiting indoor gatherings to households only and outdoor gatherings of up to five people, subject to limited exceptions, maintaining a cap of 25 per cent capacity for essential retail where only certain goods are permitted to be sold, restricting non-essential retail to curbside pickup and delivery only, as well as limiting short-term rentals to individuals in need of housing and allowing Ontario parks and campgrounds on public lands to be used for day-use only, subject to limited exceptions.
Ontarians will be able to leave home to travel within the province to a secondary residence for any reason however, they are not be permitted to host members of another household indoors except for a person from another household who lives alone or with a caregiver.
A simple, easy-to-understand summary of restrictions can be found on the province’s “Reopening Ontario” webpage, which provides details on what public health measures are in place before the province enters Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen. As always, anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or who may be exhibiting symptoms of the virus should use the province’s self-assessment tool to determine what they should do next, including getting a test and isolating if necessary.
One has to wonder why a Stay at Home order was put in place.
With the expiry of the Stay-at-Home order, emergency order O. Reg 266/21 (Residential Evictions) will also expire on June 2, 2021.
Emergency orders currently in effect under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act have been extended until June 16, 2021.
No word yet on what the Premier wants to do with schools. He is looking for a consensus: should something go wrong the blame can be shared by everyone.
By Staff
June 1, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank got to meet with new Garden Coordinator Samantha (Sam) LeGrand on site this week.
The seedlings are beginning to sprout – Sam expects them to begin to produce in about a month.
Samantha (Sam) LeGrand on site this week.
There is some lettuce, sage and rhubarb to harvest today along with the garlic greens and garlic heads that were planted last season.
Canadian Tire gave Sam a collection of seeds (sunflowers among others) they could not sell and now we are sending some seeds (that we could not use in our own garden plots) along to our clients.
The Food Bank was allotted seven plots at the Maple Gardens, found Sam as the woman who would lead the operation and find the volunteers needed to make it all come together and produce fresh vegetables.
Without the volunteers we wouldn’t have gotten this operation off the ground said LeGrand. There is someone on site everyday watering and making sure the plants are in good shape.
Please contact Sam at garden@burlingtonfoodbank.ca if you are interested in helping out over the summer.
If you are in need or know of someone who could use our help, PLEASE have them email us at info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at their door or make arrangements to pick it up through our curb-side pickup option. If you are a resident in Burlington, we are all here to help. Don’t struggle – give us a call.
By Staff
May 31st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) is doing work on North Shore Boulevard East, between QEW Toronto and QEW Niagara on-ramps
All lanes will be closed except for one lane in this section of North Shore Boulevard
Tuesday, June 1 to Friday, June 4, 2021
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
MTO Traffic Control personnel will maintain two-way traffic and provide priority right-of-way for emergency vehicles when needed.
By Pepper Parr
May 31st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Earlier today Karina Gould, Burlington MP and member of the Trudeau Cabinet where she serves as Minister of International Development, sent out her May Newsletter in which she said:
MP Karina Gould talking to a citizen after one of the last public debates that took place during the last federal election.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for all of us, it has highlighted barriers that many individuals and sectors face disproportionately.
“This month, I hosted roundtables to discuss issues facing seniors and individuals living with disabilities.
“I heard from service providers and community advocates on how to continue building a community that is inclusive by design and that enables an environment of belonging for all Canadians. It was important to hear their perspectives as we work with the provinces and territories on improving supports for Canadians living with disabilities, create dignified employment opportunities, and support accessible spaces here in Burlington and across the country.’
First let us applaud the Member of Parliament for holding the RoundTables. These are important – the elected need to hear from the electors.
There is however a larger audience that hasn’t a clue what the various advocates think is important and how the MP responds to them.
These RoundTables, as important as they are, should be open to media. Not to participate but to observe and report and then to follow up with the voice of different community groups and the MP as well.
It’s known as transparency – a word used by the elected when it suits their purpose.
By Eugene Katrell
May 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite all the economic chaos of the last year, there are certain industries that are enjoying more success than ever.
This is particularly true of the online casino sector, which has posted industry records for the last year, including increases in revenue and the number of new users signing up to online gambling platforms.
The preferences for online casino gamers seems to be the more fast-paced games.
Online casinos have become particularly popular as many of us wait for society to open up again in the summer months.
As more and more individuals sign up to online casino platforms for the first time, a new generation of online casino goers is discovering the enjoyment of playing classic games in an online format.
What is interesting about the preferences of online casino gamers, however, is that it seems to be the more fast-paced games that are proving to be the games of choice for these new players.
Of the many games enthralling this new wave of online casino goers, blackjack is proving to be particularly popular. This is certainly true of SuperSeven Casino, where new players have been flocking to the many blackjack variations they have on offer.
Although one of the oldest casino games around – with roots stretching all the way back to the French casinos of the 1700s – blackjack has proved to be consistently popular among casino fans. Part of this popularity is to do with the pace of the gameplay. With shorter rounds and a higher rate of turnover between games, it is a popular choice for those players looking to hop in and out of a game.
But what really helps to make blackjack a popular choice among players is the fact that it has one of the lowest house edges out of all the most popular casino games. In most standard blackjack game types, players will benefit from a house edge of just 1%, which gives you a decent possibility of seeing a return on your stake over time.
With this in mind, what are the best strategies for players looking to increase their chances? Are there any concrete steps you can take or is it truly all in the hands of Lady Luck?
To answer this question, we first need to acknowledge the fact that there are not necessarily any strategies you can follow or adopt that will assure you of victory. Just like many other casino games, as a game of chance – where you have no control over what cards you or your tablemates get dealt – there is not a lot you can do to sway the odds in your favour.
Nevertheless, there are some tips, strategies and approaches you can take that might help nudge the odds in your favour over time. While not guaranteeing a victory, they might help you to see a return on your stake over the course of a few rounds.
Know the basic blackjack strategy
One of the most popular strategies is what is known as basic blackjack strategy. Adopting this approach allows you to chip away at the house edge and to reduce it to as low as 0.5%.
Knowing the value of each card is vital – if you haven’t got these memorized – perhaps you shouldn’t be playing the game.
It entails sticking to a few basic rules:
• Stand when your hand is 12 to 16 or the dealer has a 2 to 6.
• Take a hit when your hand is 12 to 16 and the dealer has a 7 to Ace.
• Always ask to split Aces and 8s.
• Go double on 11 when the dealer has a 2 to 10.
• Ask for a hit or double on Aces to 6.
Pay attention to the dealer’s up card
Although it seems obvious, newer players tend to be too focused on their own hand and forget what the dealer is working with. Always pay attention to the dealer’s up card and try to gauge what sort of hand they might have. Bad hands for the dealer will generally fall between 2 and 6, while a decent hand will be a 7 card through to an Ace.
Ignore your tablemates
When you’re playing at a crowded table, you need to remember that the only two hands that matter are your own hand and that of the dealer. Anything else is superfluous.
Don’t get caught up worrying whether the person beside you has a more competitive hand – focus on what your hand is and what you think the dealer might have to work with.
Avoid progressive betting strategies
Unlike games like roulette where there is a decent statistical chance of them paying off in the long run, progressive betting strategies don’t tend to work in a blackjack setting.
Rather than ramping up your bets in response to a win or a loss, focus on intelligent bankroll management. Blackjack is a game that rewards over the long run, so try and stay at the table for as long as possible to increase the chances of a return on your stake.
By Staff
May 29th, 2031
BURLINGTON, ON
The LaSalle Park Marina Association (LPMA) and the Burlington Sailing and Boating Club, the LaSalle Park Community Marina will be ready to open the public boat launch on June 1.
Marina at sunset
The new normal – parking fees
New Parking Fees
Anyone parking their boat trailer at the LaSalle Park Community Marina or in the upper parking lot will now be required to pay a trailer parking fee. Trailer parking payments are required seven days a week, including holidays. It is a daily flat rate of $20 for trailer parking; there is no fee to use the public boat launch.
The parking lot has often had traffic flow problems caused by too many trailers and/or improper parking. The new paid parking requirements are intended to create more order in the lots, improve traffic flow and reduce frustrations.
Residents and visitors can use the HonkMobile app or scan the QR code found on signage at the marina to search, pay for, and top-up parking payments directly from their smartphone, tablet or computer
Users can scan the QR Code found on signage at the marina or download the HonkMobile app.
Dashboard tickets are not required as every payment is linked with a trailer licence plate number.
For more information about parking at LaSalle Park Community Marina or elsewhere, visit burlington.ca/parking.
About the LaSalle Park Community Marina
The Marina is a beautiful location for residents and tourists to launch their boats and enjoy the crisp waters of Lake Ontario and Burlington’s breathtaking lakefront views. The Marina has 219 docking spaces and is protected by a floating wave break. The Burlington Sailing and Boating Club (BS&BC) and the Able Sail program offer sailing programs at the Marina. In addition, the City has a public boat launch at the Marina that is protected by the floating wave break.
For more information about the marina, visit burlington.ca/marina.
By Staff
May 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Forestry department will be overseeing the application of the second and final application of a bio-pesticide on Tuesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 2
Public risk is very very limited.
Low-flying helicopters will be used to apply the pesticide over four wooded areas to control gypsy moth (lymantria dispar dispar, LDD) populations.
Gypsy moth caterpillars eat the leaves of trees, causing significant defoliation and potential long-term impact to the City’s urban forest.
The first application was successfully completed on May 25.
The final application of the pesticide will be completed between 5 and 9 a.m. and is expected to take 5-10 minutes for each park.
The areas identified for spraying include:
• City View Park
• Kilbride Park
• LaSalle Park
• Zimmerman Park
City staff will be temporarily preventing vehicles from using roads nearest the spray areas as the helicopter passes. The stoppage will take less than 15 minutes.
An interactive map is available on burlington.ca/gypsymoth that allows residents to enter an address so they can see where the address is in relation to the spray areas.
By Staff
May 28, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Five days a week the volunteers show up. And the donations arrive – sometimes with nothing in the way of notice.
The first time they showed up there was just the three of them. Next time they arrived there were four of them. That’s what makes the Food Bank the community success it is.
The Food Bank is very thankful for donations of any kind however please make sure that any food donations are dropped off during normal business hours which are
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 11:45 am
Thursday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Donations can also be dropped off at any local fire hall and/or local grocery store – our drivers make sure to pick up regularly.
With warmer weather approaching they don’t want any donation to go to waste or get damaged, as might be the case in wet weather.
They want to do their best to ensure donations remain safe. People needing food support need to know that anything we send them is in date, well protected and healthy/fresh as can be. Thanks everyone!
If you are in need or know of someone who could use their help, PLEASE have them email info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at their door or make arrangements to pick it up through the curb-side pickup option. “If you are a resident in Burlington, we are all here to help. Don’t struggle – give us a call.”
By Staff
May 27th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Real Estate agent sends in a news tip along with a photo of a house he sold for $420,000 over asking.
Agent reports that the property sold for $420,000 over asking.
That’s not really news in Burlington. What is going to be news is the impact these sky high property prices are going to do to the makeup of the city in the long-term.
Great for the people who sold. The people who bought might feel that they got in before prices got even higher.
Real estate prices can’t keep rising at this rate. It is no longer a stable market and at some point someone will intervene: Federal government; CMHC, or the banks, and when the contraction takes place it will be painful.
Everyone will be hurt.
By Staff
May 27th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
June is the Month of Play – Get Outside and Play.
That is the message coming out of city hall.
Heard in households across the city are the words: “ Can we go outside and play”
The terribly mixed messages coming from the province are being ignored. In Burlington most of the rules are being followed – some more responsibly than others.
Vaccination rates are climbing creating the sense that we are almost out of this aren’t we?
To kick off June, Mayor Meed Ward has proclaimed June as the Month of Play and the City of Burlington is encouraging residents to get outside, play, have fun, stay safe and be active with a variety of options.
First piece of summer cake at LaSalle Park
Straight from the desk of the Mayor: “June is the time of year where the City’s parks, trails, outdoor pools, splash pads and events come to life. Being active is a powerful way for residents to maintain or improve mental and physical health. As we celebrate June as the Month of Play, we encouraged residents to get active indoors or outdoors and enjoy options the City offers, safely.”
Get Outside and Play Challenge
The Get Outside and Play Challenge begins on June 1 and continues until June 30. The Challenge is a fun way to learn more about Burlington while completing the activities.
• Download the app from burlington.ca/playoutside
• Search for the Get Outside and Play Challenge (Game code ZDB8GE)
• Create login as a family or a group
Let’s Fly a Kite – Presented by the Rocca Sisters Team
Let’s fly a kite on Father’s Day, June 20.
Together, let’s celebrate play and fill the sky with colour starting Father’s Day, June 20. This June, the City will be offering a limited supply of FREE Kite Kits to Burlington residents. Registration is required and will open on June 7, 2021. Learn more at burlington.ca/kitefestival.
Picnics – with the weather we are having – great idea.
Recreation and Parks Month
June is also Recreation and Parks Month, so Parks and Recreation Ontario has provided a list of fun activities for everyone.
Splash Pads and City Outdoor Pools
The City has 9 splash pads, including a new splash pad location, Brant Hills Park Splash Pad 2300 Duncaster Dr. All splash pads are now open. For a list of locations, visit burlington.ca/outdoorplay.
LaSalle Splash Park and the outdoor pools, Mountainside Outdoor Pool and Splash Park and Nelson Pool and Splash Park are expected to open June 14, also pending Provincial regulations and public health restrictions.
Learn more at burlington.ca/waterplay.
Tim Hortons Free Summer Swimming
There are always swimming pools. Check out the available programs and register for a spot.
Tim Hortons Free Swims will be offered from June 19 to Sept. 5, 2021, pending Provincial regulations and public health restrictions. Registration will be required. Learn more at Burlington.ca/timsfreeswims.
Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture might be beginning to think that he is close to being able to operate a normal recreation program and comes close to bursting when he says: “June is the month of play is a big kick-off to the summer. Everyone is eager to get outside and play, to explore our city and we’ve got so many great opportunities for families, individuals and people of all abilities.”
Links and Resources
burlington.ca/timsfreeswims
burlington.ca/waterplay
burlington.ca/playoutside
burlington.ca/kitefestival
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