 By Ray Rivers
April 1st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The question no one seems to be asking is whether Burlington really needs another waterfront pier. Sources distant from both the PM’s people and those of the Premier have indicated some kind of an announcement is forthcoming in the near future.
 Upon completion of pier number two will reach well into the lake The potential cost of this project could total close to four billion big ones and would be funded through a new infrastructure fund. “What better way to use our federal and provincial deficit money than to create new jobs, right here in Burlington,” one source was overheard mumbling.
The mayor has been very closed-lipped about this initiative. That may be because a former Burlington mayor had been thought to be working hard between the sheets to create this baby. And some baby it will be. A mega-motel, to be named after former city and regional counsellor Robert Bates, will anchor the attractions on this artificial piece of land reaching out into the middle of Lake Ontario.
 The ferris wheel on pier number 2 will be visible from Toronto. The project will also feature the largest ferris wheel in North America named in honour of the former Toronto mayor, whose brother Doug, had been promoting a similar icon to dot the Toronto skyline. Doug Ford, who always wanted to be known for, and as, a big wheel himself, couldn’t be reached for comment.
However, somebody on somebody’s staff noted that the Fords had always supported using somebody else’s money to move people around, so long as it didn’t get in the way of Toronto’s grid lock. In fact the former Toronto Councillor had hoped that the ferris-wheel could be directly connected to Toronto’s expanding subway system.
Stretching out two and a half kilometres into Lake Ontario the centrepiece of the structure will be a huge ferry docking station with access to planned ferry ports as distant as Oakville and Hamilton and the existing Burlington pier. There will be a 30-hectare amusement park on the water, which will include the ferris wheel and thirty-seven Tim Horton outlets. In addition plans may include a waterfront zoo featuring elephants, lions, penguins and other native Canadian wildlife.
Already, ribbon cutting is being projected to coincide with the 2018 Sound of Music festival which would see a switch in content to such classical pieces as Handel’s Water Music, rather than the heavy rock known to incite wave action. However, given the size of this project, the grand opening may have to be postponed once or twice – or several times.
 Land fill at the Burlington air park being trucked to the pier number two construction site. Land-fill for this massive project is expected to come from the levelling of Halton Conservation Area’s Rattle Snake Point. Rock climbing activity has severely eroded the rock face and Milton has been reported petitioning the provincial government and Green Belt commission to make way for even more residential housing in Canada’s fastest growing city. And besides the rattle snakes are all gone, the last one seen on March 17th.
Lawyers from around the problem are looking for a way to legally move the land fill on the air park property to the lakefront.
Not everyone will be pleased with this new development and you can be sure that the Burlington Gazette will be sued and have to shut down at least five or six times in the course of this project.
But the proponents are keen to see the pier built and even keener to give its ferris wheel a spin. They have been heard to say that they personally anticipate this to be a very rewarding venture.
Rumours abound about the siting of multi-unit condos as well, adding as many as fifty thousand new residents to the man-made peninsula.
And as is always the case with innovative ventures, even at this early stage, there are the critics.
 Steel for pier number two was imported from Mexico – the city took this retaliatory action when Hamilton refused to sell the Lasalle Park water lots at a reasonable price. Some folks can’t help but compare this initiative to what they saw as wasteful spending by the federal Conservatives in the wake of the 2009/10 recession and in preparation for the G20 summit. They cite the expensive network of sidewalks Tony Clement built in his rural northern riding which no one actually uses. And then there is the massive effort that went into constructing Canada’s sixth great lake – right there on the shores of Lake Ontario.
In the words of Burlington Gazette publisher, Pepper Parr, who is believed to be a strong proponent himself, despite his denials, “they pissed away all that money back then and got re-elected, so why not this, now? Besides how better to employ all our adopted Syrian refugees looking for work, and where better to offer them a place to live?”
 Rumours abound that the Gazette has been approached about locating its new international headquarters adjacent to the Bate’s motel complex. When asked to confirm that story, Parr responded that he couldn’t confirm or deny his involvement. “It would be like stabbing the mayor in the back,” he was heard to mutter before turning his head away to suppress a giggle.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Something special happens to Rivers on the first day of April each year.
Our apologies for his excesses.
Tweet @rayzrivers
Existing Pier
 By Pepper Parr
March 31, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
How do you build community? Doesn’t it just happen naturally? Apparently not – the city has adopted a policy that is intended to help people organize events that will pull people together for a common cause.
A house fire will always get everyone out on the street to watch the fire fighters – figuring out how to come up with something less extreme has resulted in what Burlington is calling a Community Investment Policy that provides funding for the holding of events.
In language that only a bureaucrat could write – here is that policy.
Purpose
Establish the principles and practices around how the City of Burlington will invest in our community.
Statement
The City of Burlington, (“City,”) believes that residents want to contribute to the quality of life in Burlington.
Residents have great ideas about how to create both vibrant neighbourhoods and/or communities and may require support from the City for implementation of initiatives.
The City provides support for these initiatives with one-time funding for events, programs or projects that build community capacity:
• To a registered not-for-profit corporation or a group of neighbours
• For areas within the geographic boundaries of the City of Burlington
• For projects, events and activities that occurs on City of Burlington property
• Program and services that benefit the residents of the City of Burlington and
• Organizations that do not receive any other financial support from the City of Burlington
 Scope:
This policy applies to not-for-profit groups or a group of neighbours that use City owned and managed property for the benefit of residents of the City and happens within the geographic boundaries of the City.
This policy does not include boards and agencies of the City, school board property, Halton Conversation lands or lands of the Region of Halton or organizations that currently receive funding from the City of Burlington.
Definitions
Corporation Refers to the Corporation of the City of Burlington.
Community Capacity Building A process that strengthens the relevance, responsiveness, effectiveness and resilience of organizations. For example, an event, a training session, a promotion campaign.
Community A group of people bound by common beliefs, values or interests, ethnicity or place of origin, geography or other self- identified commonality.
Events A one-off single activity, occurrence or celebration typically taking place over a concentrated period of time, such as a few hours.
Not-for-Profit Is a corporation that has articles of incorporation establishing the organization as a not-for-profit corporation
One-time funding Lump sum funding or funding that is phased out over a period no longer than three years.
The community can only apply every five years for Community Investment Funding.
Programs Refers to regularly scheduled activities (minimum once per week and 4 repetitions) of a recreational, sport, leadership development, art and cultural nature as defined by the departments Leisure Services Policy (e.g. structured programs, community leagues, camps).
Principles
The following principles are taken into consideration when investing in the community:
1. Community members want to contribute to their quality of life.
2. Community members have great ideas on how to enhance their quality of life in the public realm.
3. Community groups can be informal or organized (e.g. a group of neighbours on a street or a legally incorporated not-for-profit organization).
4. Community groups sometimes need financial assistance to launch a program, project or event and the City agrees to support with one-time funding, provided that the group is not receiving any other financial assistance from the City.
5. A community group can only receive funds once every five years.
6. The funding program (approvals, amounts) will be at the discretion of the Manager of Community Development Services as identified in the policy.
 EXCLUSIONS
• Properties governed under another body, agency or business (e.g. school board, board or agency)
• Private Property
• Individuals
• On-going financial support such as operating grants
• Organizations whose purpose is related to political or religious activity
• For-profit organizations
• Foundations
• Schools, hospitals and public agencies
• An activity or project that conflicts with existing City policy
Annual fundraising events/projects
• Organizations or groups of individuals organizing an event, program, project or activity that is in furtherance of a position either for or against an issue over which the City is a regulator or may have a legal interest
• An event, program, project or activity that conflicts with City policies, Council decisions or directions
Policy Guidelines
There are two streams for funding
Community Capacity Building Projects*
Application Period Accepted at any time Accepted once a year
Review Team Community Development Section with subject matter experts as required Cross department team to review feasibility of the proposal. May evolve to include community members as neighbourhood committees are developed
Review Period Once per month Three months
Criteria for Review
• Completeness of the application including organization/event budget
• Meets the eligibility criteria requirements
• Demonstrates need
• Linkage with the City’s strategic plan • Completeness of the application
• Meets the eligibility criteria requirements
• Linkage with the City’s strategic plan
• Will provide a public benefit
• Demonstrated community interest
• Feasibility
• Demonstrates on-going maintenance and upkeep
• Ability of the community match the financial contribution from the City
• Realistic budget
Implementation Project must be completed within one year. Project must be completed within one year of the contract
In the setting of the 2016 budget city council did approve funding for the project. There have been about 15 – maybe 20 projects.
Next week we will write about several of those projects and get some sense of what works and what doesn’t work from a citizen’s point of view. The funding allocation for neighbourhood projects is set at $300 which some people feel isn’t quite enough.
Denise Beard, Manager, Community Development Services, has a target of having 150 projects on the go in the city during 2017 – the year that Canada celebrates its sesquicentennial – this country came into being 150 years ago.
It is a brave target – let’s see how it works!
 By Staff
March 30, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
CogecoTV has announced they will be broadcasting the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) South-West Conference Final live in its entirety from Georgetown and Burlington
The Georgetown Raiders and Burlington Cougars will be facing off against each other in the South-West Conference Final for the Buckland Cup. The Raiders knocked off the North York Rangers in the semi-finals. The Burlington Cougars who finished last year 2nd last in the league won in a deciding game 7 last night against the Oakville Blades.
 Long-time CogecoTV sports producer Brad Scott stated “We are very excited to bring our viewers and fans of the OJHL this Conference Championship. We cover our Halton teams on a regular basis with our game coverage on the OJHL Tonight as well as our weekly program OJHL Rinkside. This Conference Championship will be action packed and the Halton rival will add fuel to our broadcasts.”
 The Conference Championship will be available to Cogeco customers on channel 14/700HD in Milton/Georgetown and channel 23/700HD in Burlington/Oakville. It will also be available to cable customers across Ontario on the Super Sports Pak (channels will vary). Schedule for this series to be confirmed – check tvcogeco.com for schedule updates.
 By Staff
March 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
We goofed.
A number of people wrote to tell us that both Test Kitchen locations have been closed for a number of months: Clearly we don’t get out as much as we’d like. We apologize for the incorrect information – which doesn’t take away from the fact that it was the place to be. Something was seriously wrong with the business model – but the mood and the food were both great. Let’s give them credit for giving it at go.
 Were things on Brant Street ever really vibrant? One reader commented: “That you used Test Kitchen as an example of success for the downtown is telling: Test Kitchen is out of business for both its Burlington locations. There does not seem to be a comprehensive plan to qualify, attract, and retain businesses that build an “environment” that makes downtown Burlington distinctive. At times, it seems that the city and major event planners are actively hostile towards the downtown business community.
A recent example was the Chilly Half Marathon where a McDonald’s truck was sampling free coffee in the downtown core. I am sure that Coffee Culture, The Village Perk (now out of business) Lakeshore Coffee House, and Tamp Coffee were happy that a corporate behemoth was given the exposure.
Maybe it is foreshadowing who is taking over the Second Cup location? Perhaps Burlington can take a lesson from the BIA of Corning, NY. Not a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds within the boundary of the core.
While the rest of the town is struggling the downtown is truly “vibrant.” An inverse of what is seems to be happening here.
And just what is happening here? We will see what we can learn.
 By Pepper Parr
March 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
A number of people write to tell us that both Test Kitchen locations have been closed for a number of months: Clearly we don’t get out as much as we’d like. We apologize for the incorrect information – which doesn’t take away from the fact that it was the place to be. Something was seriously wrong with the business model – but the mood and the food were both great. Let’s give them credit for giving it at go,
The Finance Department advised the Community and Corporate Services Committee of the 2016 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy for the Burlington Downtown Business Improvement Area
The levy for 2016 will amount to $728,000.
Are the retail people within the BDBA boundaries getting value for the money?
 Brian Dean, top toff at the Downtown Business Association was out drumming up business for those of his members that took part in the Red Bag Sale. The BDBA is mandated to improve the downtown core and make it a place where retail and service operations can prosper; to market the downtown core as a place that people will want to go to for hospitality, entertainment and shopping.
How well did it do that job in 2015? Not all that well.
Those who concern themselves with the downtown part of the city give the word vibrant one heck of a workout.
And there are occasions when the downtown core is vibrant – but the event that brings about the vibrancy, the buzz, and the excitement has precious little to do with BDBA events.
 Good crowds – but they aren’t shoppers. How often is Brant Street shut down for events that harm the retailers? Sound of Music, RibFest, the really neat old car rally that took place, the Amazing Bed Race – those were events put on by other organizations and they all had people strolling along Brant street – did the event pull any business into the retail outlets? Don’t think they did.
There was an interesting promotional event put on by the Yellow Pages people – it looked like they got more benefit out of the event than the merchants who took part.
The most significant failure on the part of the BDBA is the way they dress up (or rather fail to dress up) the store fronts during the Christmas season.
 East side of Brant Street 10 days before Christmas 2013. It has been desperately dismal the past two years. A number of the major retailers on Brant Street don’t spend a dime on making their stores look festive.
Oakville does superb job and Milton is pretty good.
There are some retailers who are not on Brant Street who do a very nice job of decorating their windows; some of the retailers on the side street also make a real effort – but there isn’t a collective push – an occasion when the lights come on and the place looks inviting.
To add to the sorry situation – city hall doesn’t look as good as it could.
Where one does see that sense that Christmas has come is when the light go on in Spencer Smith Park – there are almost too many displays.
Talk with the members of the BDBA and you will hear less than complimentary comments from the association leadership. The negative remarks come from the members of the association that make that extra effort.
Retail is a tough business – for those that set up their shops along Brant Street – it is not easy and they need all the help they can get.
 A restaurant that set up a “popup” patio that increased his capacity and brought something interesting and different to Brant Street. will there be another one this summer? Shopping is an experience, dining out can is an experience. And there are places in Burlington that are delightful experiences. Get into the Test Kitchen on Brant and be prepared for an experience. The prices are close to unbelievably decent and the place is usually packed.
The pure retail operations have to rely on the quality and price point of their inventory but most important – the level of service.
There is a dry cleaner in the small mall on Brant Street that bends over backwards for her clients. The family are immigrants and they work hard. One could bet dollars to donuts that they have never heard of the BDBA and that the organization does very little if anything for them.
The budget that was put forward and approved in principle by council had some stress lines that didn’t get much in the way of attention.
The BDBA had to draw down $10,000 from their reserve in 2015 and will draw down an additional $10,000 in 2016. At some point that well goes dry.
 The association boundaries were expanded in 2015 bringing in a large automotive dealer that knows something about marketing – they might have some impact on a lackluster BDBA marketing program. The boundaries for the BDBA were extended in 2015 – that doesn’t seem to have had any impact – perhaps it needs some time to work itself into the way things get done.
And that may be the problem with the BDBA – the way thigs get done.
Council didn’t ask a single question of the BDBA delegation that was on hand to speak to their 2016 budget. It seems that having to dip into a reserve two years in a row is just the way things are done.
Mix that in with the overuse of the word “vibrant” and you just might have a train wreck in the making.
 Well over one third of the budget is for staff and administration – that $155,000 isn’t explained. Is this a healthy budget going forward. The levy of $728,000, is an increase of $14,610 or 2.0% over 2015. Overall, expenses have increased by $24,610 or 3.3%. Key expenditure increases for the BDBA’s 2016 work plan include enhanced investment in marketing, reinvestment in business recruitment services and sponsorship for the Burlington Comedy Festival. Additional revenues of $10,000 from the BIA Reserve Fund to balance the budget.
 By Staff
March 28, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
April is going to be a really busy month – we can all come out of the winter cocoons and begin to enjoy the city.
 Spring Clean Up – Green Up is Saturday April 23rd this year Late in the month of April Burlington Green will be doing its annual Clean Up Green Up campaign.
The Comedy Night is back at the Burlington Legion on April 2nd. This amazing night of comedy for a great cause – Burlington Army Cadets The Facebook page says Air Cadets – media release says Army – tickets are just $15; doors open at 7:00pm with the show beginning at 8:00pm. Two amazing professional headliners who have toured all over Canada will be at the Legion.
 White peonies by Michelle Maurik was shown at the Louvre in Paris. Very early in April Michele Van Maurik will be showing her art work at the Seaton Gallery on Spring Garden Road from April Ist – May 29th 2016. The artist reception will be held Sunday April 3rd, 1 – 4 pm
Maurik is a much underappreciated and under recognized artists in the community. She is best known for her bold floral oil paintings, the dramatic use of light and her mastery of colour.
Her work has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris – not something anyone else in the region can lay claim to. This is a show you don’t want to miss.
The Teresa Seaton Studio & Gallery is located at Spring Gardens Road, just across from the Royal Botanical Gardens.
 By Pepper Parr
March 26th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
As Standing Committee meetings go it was a pretty full agenda. The afternoon session was full and some significant recommendations were made. One was so important to this council that they held a Special meeting of council to pass a recommendation they had made minutes before – that had to do with the designation of a piece of property in the city core in ward 2.
The Gazette reports on that event elsewhere.
 The webcast station is tucked away in a corner at the back of the council chamber. It needs an equipment upgrade and better oversight as well. The evening session had three items that were important:
1 – Memorandum from Mayor Goldring requesting pilot for private tree by-law in Roseland. (DI-01-16)
2 – Report providing enhanced cycling infrastructure options for New Street. (TS-06-16)
3 – Statutory public meeting and report providing information regarding a rezoning application for 2384 Queensway Drive (Habitat for Humanity Halton). (
The meeting did take place and there was some media in attendance. The Gazette chose not to attend this meeting – choosing instead to hear a presentation on what is being done with the Randle Reef – a pile of toxic sludge in Hamilton harbour that is being covered over using $2.3 million of your tax dollars.
We decided we could pick up the webcast and report on the evening meeting of the Development and Infrastructure Standing Committee.
Well – we are not able to report on that meeting – the web cast does not include either sound or the closed captioning. As of Thursday afternoon – no one seems to know quite why.
 Councillor Craven chaired the Development and Infrastructure meeting and was not aware it wasn’t being fully broadcast. No one told him. As a former broadcaster that must rankle him. The Chair of the Standing Committee didn’t appear to know that his meeting was not being effectively broadcast. There is no reason why he should. The Information technology staff didn’t seem to know that the broadcast wasn’t complete either.
The Gazette was able to get through to Councillor Meed Ward who made inquiries – the city manager doesn’t appear to have been in the loop.
This is sort of like a radio station going off the air and no on at the station being aware that no one could listen to what was being said.
The city did add a note to the web site saying:
D&I – Mar 22, 2016 – 6:30 pm
Due to technical difficulties, the evening session of the Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting on March 22, 2016 does not contain audio or closed…
We don’t know of there was a malfunction of the equipment or if it was the web caster who didn’t push a button or if the committee clerk failed to push a button.
The record of the meeting is lost – forever apparently – so the public has no way of knowing what the Mayor had to say about his motion to create a private tree bylaw nor do we know what the discussion was about adding bike lanes to the construction work currently being done on New Street.
The Committee Clerks does take minutes –we are about to see just how completely inadequate those minutes are. We will publish them just as soon as they are available.
The questions one asks is: What’s going on at city hall? We do not believe the failure to capture the sound and the closed captioning was deliberate but we do wonder aloud why someone did not check to ensure that the sound was being captured and broadcast. Is this something the webcaster should have done ? Is it something the Committee Clerk should have done? Should the Committee Chair, Rick Craven have checked, or more importantly, should the webcaster or the Committee Clerk alerted the chair to a problem – and once it was evident there was a problem should the city manager James Ridge not have made a statement and apologized for the screw up?
This mistake points to a bigger problem – the equipment the city uses is ancient and the quality of the broadcast is terrible. The mages are fuzzy and it is difficult to understand just who is speaking at times.
We have a city administration that goes on and on about how well they engage the people picking up the tab – but they rob you of the opportunity to go back and see just what the rascals are doing.
 By Staff
March 23, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Thursday evening Halton Police Officers will be playing local youth in a friendly ball hockey game at Glad Tidings Church, 1401 Guelph Line in Burlington.
Once a month, since March 2014, Burlington officers engage in Youth Sports Nights.
These nights provide an opportunity for youths and police to interact in a relaxed environment. This strategy was initiated by the youth of the North BurLINKton community organization. The youths challenged members of 3 District’s Community Mobilization Bureau (CMB), and the officers accepted.
These nights are a drop in style community event open for teens 12-18 years old. The events are free and open for local youths to attend and engage in fun physical activity/organized sports.
It was designed to create positive police interaction and assist in breaking down barriers between police and local youths.
We will let you know who wins.
 By Staff
March 23, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
2016 is all about mobile web and short ‘bite-sized’ communications. Our desktop messaging has shifted to our smartphones and tablets, and spelling and grammar have been slashed in favor of thumb-typing speed. All the while, we still need to pack meaningful information, courtesy and etiquette into our messaging.
 I’ll call this one – you call that one. Hundreds of bizarre texting jargon expressions have spawned as a result. Primarily about shorthand and the removal of capitalization and punctuation, the new jargon is all about speed and brevity.
It saves us keystrokes to say ty (thank you) and yw (you’re welcome).
Capitalization and punctuation are optional. Yes, English teachers cringe at this new and loose language of messaging. In text messaging, lowercase is the norm for speed. For desktop email and IM, UPPERCASE is acceptable for emphasizing one or two words a time. AVOID TYPING ENTIRE SENTENCES IN UPPERCASE – IT’ CONSIDERED RUDE SHOUTING.
Some of the more used shorthand –
WBU – What About You?
IDC – I Don’t Care
W/E – Whatever
Also: wuteva – Whatever
PROPS – Proper Respect and Acknowledgement
NP = No Problem
NVM – Never Mind
IDK – I Don’t Know
TYVM – Thank You Very Much
WTF – What the F*ck?
LOL – Laughing Out Loud
BISLY – But I Still Love You
BBIAB – Be Back in a Bit
If you want to add to the list – add a comment.
By Staff
March 23, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Hamilton Herald Newspaper and cigar store owner “Billy” Carroll, originated and sponsored the first “Around the Bay Road Race”, run on Christmas Day, 1894. It is now the oldest road race in North America, older than the Boston Marathon which was born three years after the Around the Bay Road Race. The race tested the abilities of the finest long distance runners, but was also an avenue to lay down some bets.
The Around the Bay Road Race established Hamilton as a running mecca for long distance runners, and it was not uncommon for thousands of spectators to line the route to watch their local favourites start the race from the front of the Herald Newspaper Offices at 17 King Street West Hamilton.
 Older than the Boston marathon. The 122nd Around the Bay Road Race on Sunday, April 3, 2016, will result in road and lane closures in Burlington from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Streets will reopen as the last participant passes. Vehicles parked illegally in the event area will be tagged or towed to allow emergency access.
Road Closures – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• QEW Toronto-bound exit ramp to North Shore Boulevard East. Detour via Fairview Street.
• North Shore Boulevard East Niagara-bound entry ramp to the QEW. Detour via Fairview Street.
• Plains Road West at York Boulevard. Detour via Hwy. 6 and 403.
Traffic Lane Closures – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Southbound lane of King Road from Plains Road East to North Shore Boulevard East – local access only. Northbound traffic not affected.
• Eastbound lane of North Shore Boulevard East and North Shore Boulevard West from Plains Road West to the QEW exit ramp west of Joseph Brant Hospital. Westbound lane open to westbound traffic only.
• Eastbound curb lane of Plains Road West from York Boulevard to North Shore Boulevard West. Two-way traffic maintained.
Bus route detours in effect
Routes 1 and 5. The HSR, Route 11 Parkdale bus will detour via the QEW and Maple Avenue to the John Street Terminal. For more information call 905-639-0550 or visit www.burlingtontransit.ca
 By Staff
March 22, 2016
BURLINGTON ON
Burlington residents are going to decide on what Burlington’s theme for the Canada 150 Mosaic Mural is going to look like.
And what is the Canada 150 Mosaic mural all about.
If you are a little weak on your Canadian history – think 1867 when the country was created – add 150 years and you get to 2017 when the country is going to go bananas over our sesquicentennial.
 New Canadians being sworn in at a Burlington Canada Day event. In the lower left corner former Former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – The Late Lincoln Alexander and wife Marni Beal Alexander. The Canada 150 Mosaic Mural is a national project created by Albertan artists Lewis Lavoie, Paul Lavoie and Phil Alain. During the two years leading up to Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017, the artists plan to create murals in 150 different communities across the country as part of the national celebrations. Each mural will incorporate locally relevant imagery. The mural will also be featured on the project’s website where the 150 completed murals will be virtually joined together and displayed.
“The City of Burlington will be participating in the Canada 150 Mosaic project through our public art program,” said Angela Paparizo, manager of arts and culture.
“The mural will be made up of approximately 400 individual tiles painted by the residents of Burlington. It is open to residents of all ages and skill levels. The tiles painted by
Burlington residents will be joined together to create a large mural designed by the artists.”
Residents can vote online and chose from these themes for the Burlington mural:
Brant Street Pier
Burlington Teen Tour Band
Joseph Brant
Lake Ontario
The Niagara Escarpment
Let the city know what you would like to see as the theme – CLICK here.
Those with some other idea for a theme for Burlington can email it to kim@cobaltconnects.ca
Voting has already started – a sense of where citizens are going with this one is evident in the graph below. Perhaps every member of the \teen Tour Band voted – along with the band alumni – it is a pretty big group. City council will shudder if the public voted for the (paid for twice) pier and most people know so little about Joseph Brant the founder of the city that he will get precious little memtion.
The Canada 150 Mosaic artists will be in Burlington to direct tile painting with residents on Monday, May 22 and Tuesday, May 23, 2017. The final mural will be unveiled on Canada Day, July 1, 2017.
 By Staff
March 21st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Various schools within the Halton District School Board will be hosting open houses in late March and early April for Grade 12 students to select various free articles of donated prom clothing.
 It’s a big night and they want to look great – and their is a great program in place to help out with the clothing side of the evening. High school social workers are once again hosting an initiative to help students look their best for their Grade 12 prom, called Fashion Forward. New or gently-used articles of prom wear for all students were donated and available for students free of charge. There are many different styles, colours, and sizes of formal dresses available including suits, shirts, ties and shoes.
The open house for Burlington will be at:
• Thursday April 7, 2016 at M.M. Robinson High School (2425 Upper Middle Road, Burlington) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.
Students are asked to bring their student identification card with them.
We don’t know how long this program has been around nor do we know who came up with the idea – but it is a superb way to let young people get to their prom look smashing.
By Staff
March 21, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting nominations for its 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee.
Established in 2013, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of the City of Burlington. The Hall of Fame Inductee will be announced at the 2016/2017 Season Launch event held at The Centre on Tuesday, May 17.
Nomination applications must be submitted by noon on Friday, April 8th, 2016. The nomination form can be downloaded from The Centre’s website.
 When the pier was being constructed – both the first and the second time, Gordie Tapp could be seen most days checking on the progress. Here he talks with Pier Project Manager Craig Stevens.  Rainer Noack on the left.  Stewart Laughton The Burlington Performing Arts Centre recognizes that the individual and group artists are paramount and fundamental to cultural development. These individuals and groups contribute to Burlington’s reputation as a city with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence. Hall of Fame Inductees include Gordie Tapp (2013), Rainer Noack (2014), Lawrence Bonanno (2015) and Stewart Laughton (2015).
By Pepper Parr
March 18, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The plan is for the lights to go out at 8:30 Saturday night and remain out for an hour. Will you flick that switch to recognize Earth Day? And if you do what difference is it going to make.
Turning off the lights for an hour isn’t going to save the planet.
It is however a statement – and it is a statement the public needs to make – for a couple of reasons.
The earth is not going to disappear – it will be around for a long time – it is we human beings who are at risk.
 Vince Fiorito – probably the city’s best environmental advocate. Vince Fiorito, a Burlington citizen nominated for the Environment award as one of Burlington’s Best, will bend your ear badly if you let him get started on what we human beings have done to the environment. He does however make a number of critical points.
“2015 a new record high average temperature for the planet’s climate. It broke the 2014 record that was a new high. What seems evident is that there is a rate of change taking place that we have not seen before.
“We are in uncharted territory now. It doesn’t take a genius to know that as these trends continue, the result will be series of unprecedented floods and droughts.
“No human being has ever breathed an atmosphere of 400 ppm of carbon dioxide. What does that mean? The more carbon in the air the warmer the climate gets.
“We have cut down most of the forests and altered the earth’s ecosystems in ways that reduce the ability of the earth to sequester carbon.
“No one can claim to know the future. What we do know is that CO2 levels are rising, along with the average global temperature and sea levels. Oceans are acidifying. Corals reefs and life at the bottom of the ocean food chain is dying.
 Arctic Ocean sometimes does not freeze over – even in winter. “The last time the earth’s atmosphere had this much CO2, the Arctic ocean didn’t freeze, even in “winter”. Eventually the climate may change to the point where Greenland will become tropical enough to support crocodiles and palm trees, like it was 55 million years ago when ocean levels were 50-100M higher than today.
“The Arab spring and the Syrian civil war are just a taste of what may be coming.
“How does one link a war half way around the world to climate change? That unrest and violence was preceded by a five year climate change exacerbated drought across North Africa and Middle East. Farmers couldn’t pay their bills, lost their land and moved to the cities where they didn’t find jobs and in the case of Syria, didn’t find a caring government either.
“When people are so poor they can’t afford to some of the nicer things they want, they pick up signs and protest. When they are so poor they can’t feed their children, they pick up guns. When the level of desperation reaches the point where the majority of people have nothing to gain from the status quo and nothing to lose from chaos, even the wealthy living in “safe” gated communities become refugees.
“Likely the biggest climate change exacerbated crisis in the near future will come in Bangladesh. Already they’ve lost about 10% of their rice production in the Ganges river delta to rising ocean levels and salt water contamination. Sooner or later a massive climate change exacerbated typhoon will hit this region, flooding and contaminating the remainder of the delta with salt. Then 100 million people will suddenly become food insecure and desperate. The same thing will happen in the Mekong river delta and many other food production areas.”
What would a drought do to wheat farmers in Saskatchewan?
Why do you think those millions of Americans want Donald Trump as their president? Because he says he will do something for them and they are so desperate they will vote for a man that is seen as a dangerous demagogue by many. And they are our neighbours.
xxx 2
 Millions around the world demonstrate regularly for changes – before the planet becomes a place we can no longer live in. The environmental movement has been around for a long time. When it began we were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.
Mainstream North America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and beginning to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and links between pollution and public health.
We are now at least at the point where we accept that the climate is changing – we have yet to get to the point where we are ready to do anything about it personally.
 Burlington doesn’t hold large demonstrations – we are too polite to do anything like that. Mayor Goldring did speak to a group of activists about climate change – it was during an election and he was told he couldn’t use the Gazebo in Spencer Smith Park nor could he use Civic square – so he gathered in front of a coffee shop. Earth Day has reached its current status as the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.
Today, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day.
Flicking that switch for an hour on Saturday won’t save the world – but it will be a statement – and that is a start.
 By Staff
March 17, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
 On a day when we all manage to find a little Irish in us we like to pass on a lovely little Irish limerick that says it all for us.
May those who love us, love us.
And those who don’t love us,
May God turn their Hearts;
And if he doesn’t turn their hearts
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them
by their limping.
Gerry Murphy will be printing this one out and framing it
 By Pepper Parr
March 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Performing Arts Centre will soon show the public what its new Executive Director is made of – in the near future the The Centre will announce its 2016-2017 season.
 Suzanne Haines, Executive Director of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. When Suzanne Haines arrived she was given the gift of a career lifetime when the show that opened her first day on the job was sold out – the rest of the season did quite well. Haines followed Brian McCurdy who put together a strong program two years in a row and created a team of people that made the place work.
Now we get to see what Haines can do with her own skill set. She is certainly off to a good start – the Centre announced today a new $100,000 initiative sponsored by TD Bank Group.
The four event series is geared to 20 to 35 year olds; an audience that has been a bit of a struggle for The Centre in the past. In some of the best public relations language money can buy The Centre said: “Every show in this series will be met with an equally vibrant and modern ambiance, which may include post-show socials and the possibility of live pre-show performances from emerging local bands,” said Suzanne Haines, Executive Director.
“We are so excited that TD shares our vision in launching this new series. TD’s sponsorship will allow us the opportunity to expand our programming in order to continue with offering innovative and diverse programming.”
The intention for this new series is to create an entire experience for these patrons that will deepen and cultivate their long-term relationship with The Centre.
 “TD is proud to support The Burlington Performing Arts Centre and provide opportunities for people to connect with their communities and enable better lives through the arts,” said Anna Iacobelli, Senior Vice President, Western Ontario Region, TD Bank Group. “We understand the power of the arts in bringing people together and TD is proud to support initiatives that help make a lasting impact in the communities where we live and work.”
TD is committed to providing $50,000 annually for each of the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 programming years for a total gift of $100,000.
Since The Centre’s inaugural year, TD has supported The Centre through its sponsorship, which began with Title Sponsor for the Opening Celebrations held on December 3, 2011.
What the four part series is going to be about; who wrote the material; who will be on stage? It will take another media release from The Centre to get that information.
By Pepper Parr
March 10, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Festivals and events are big deals for Burlington.
In the summer months there is RibFest; Sound of Music, Canada Day and the Children’s Festival.
 Does RibFest define Burlington? Should it? It is a very popular event. People in the parks and recreation department are looking at what has been done in the past and what they might do in the future in terms of planning for events.
They want to develop a strategy to help guide the delivery of festivals and events in the community and they want public input on the types of events held in the city, how many events are held, where in the city events are held and if and how the city should help to fund events
There is an online survey where you can get your two cents worth in –takes approximately five minutes to complete. Click here.
 The data shown are not the final results – the survey has not been completed yet. There is a historical approach applied to the acceptance of events hosted within Spencer Smith Park. The park and some downtown roads have reached capacity and there is now a desire for a balanced approached to potentially expand events to other areas in our city.
Staff want to:
Set a vision for events in Burlington
Define the objectives for hosting events in Burlington
Determine guiding principles for event hosting including:
define different types of events and priority events
do risk assessments
look at the funding model for events
establish critera for considering new events and removal of duplicate or less desired events
 The city doesn’t stage much in the way of public events north of the QEW – everything happens along the edge of the lake. This event was in Alton – stage certainly wasn’t city issue – shows what you can do with couple of 2×4’s and a sheet of canvas if you have to keep the sun off you. A number of months ago council and staff met as a Committee of the Whole and talked about the direction the city might want to take with its festivals and events. The city consistently wins awards for the quality of the events it does hold – the question that was put before the meetings was:
Are the events we are currently holding the events we should be holding is a question that was asked. How you events get selected? More than twenty years ago city staff opposed the RibbFest being held in the park – but it was a Rotary project and Burlington city councils rarely oppose what Rotary wants.
There was discussion about the “Burlington brand” – are we more than the Sound of Music? Has RibFest met its best before date? Do we want to begin to move events out of the downtown core?
Committee of the whole meetings have an open approach – the rules of procedure that stymies council meetings don’t apply – comments are much more candid.
The Parks and Recreation people are taking an innovative and welcoming approach to citizen engagement – they are going to hold a “party” at Royal Botanical Gardens March 29th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Auditorium B.
The creating of community seems to be replacing community engagement – we are seeing some interesting and innovative approaches coming out of the parks and recreation department.
By Staff
March 8, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington Animal Shelter invites all cat and dog owners to attend its low-cost microchip clinic on Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Burlington Animal Shelter, 2424 Industrial St.
 City by law says cats have to have a microchip – did you know that? “The last thing any pet owner wants to experience is the stress that comes with trying to find a missing animal,” said Dave Lake, the city’s supervisor of animal services. “In addition to a dog licence, a microchip is an easy, inexpensive way to ensure owners can be quickly reunited with their pet if they are ever separated.”
The cost for a microchip is $30 per pet and only cash will be accepted. Visitors to the clinic can expect a quick and minor procedure. Dogs attending the clinic should be brought on a leash and cats placed in a carrier. The City of Burlington’s bylaws require cats to be microchipped.
Appointments for the clinic can be reserved by calling 905-335-3030. Walk-ins are also welcomed. Pet owners are asked to bring proof of up-to-date vaccinations.
All proceeds from the event will go to the Paw Fund in support of stray animals.
How do they work?
Microchips can be implanted by a veterinarian or at a shelter. After checking that the animal does not already have a chip, the vet or technician injects the chip with a syringe and records the chip’s unique ID. No anesthetic is required. A test scan ensures correct operation.
 Microchip implanted in a cat – visible near the top of the photograph. An enrollment form is completed with chip ID, owner contact information, pet name and description, shelter and/or veterinarian contact information, and an alternate emergency contact designated by the pet owner. Some shelters and vets designate themselves as the primary contact to remain informed about possible problems with the animals they place. The form is sent to a registry, who may be the chip manufacturer, distributor or an independent entity; some countries have a single official national database. For a fee, the registry typically provides 24-hour, toll-free telephone service for the life of the pet. Some veterinarians leave registration to the owner, usually done online, but a chip without current contact information is essentially useless.
The owner receives a registration certificate with the chip ID and recovery service contact information. The information can also be imprinted on a collar tag worn by the animal. Like an automobile title, the certificate serves as proof of ownership and is transferred with the animal when it is sold or traded; an animal without a certificate could be stolen.
Did you know?
That you must have a microchip put in your cat? In 2005 the city passed a bylaw:
Control and Registration of Cats
30. (1) No person, being the owner of any cat shall fail to have the cat implanted with a functioning subcutaneous microchip.
February 11, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
My colleague, Joan Little, a former Burlington alderman and Halton councillor, writes a regular column for the Hamilton Spectator. We share a table in Council chambers reserved for media.
More often than not, it is just me from the Gazette and Joan from the Spectator – the Post gets a reporter to about half of the meetings.
Little and I share views on what we see taking place – we use each other to check on what we thought a council member said – we confirm with each other how a member voted – there are a couple that you would swear did not want the public to know how they had voted.
In her most recent column, Little wrote the following:
Monday saw the end of the online Burlington Gazette. (Not completely correct Joan – but do read on.)
Burlington’s online news and opinion journal has been produced by resident Pepper Parr for over five years, initially as Our Burlington. Although a resident for under six years, he seems to know almost everyone in the city and at City Hall.
Mayor Goldring once described the Gazette as almost better than sliced bread – he has changed his mind about the Gazette and the Gazette changed its mind about him.
 This is what the original Burlington Gazette office on Brant Street used to look like. The demise of the Gazette is sad, because the outspoken Parr always evoked interesting feedback, and left Burlingtonians with something to mull over. He seemed to be everywhere — city hall meetings, community activities, even sports and arts events. And he strongly promoted local endeavours.
But litigation takes its toll. Always outspoken, Parr regularly made on-the-edge observations. Whether actually litigious, only a court could rule, but he upset companies and individuals enough to attract two challenges over the years, neither of which has been heard yet, according to Parr. They cost money for consultations with lawyers.
He had been increasing the Gazette’s advertising revenue recently, but the time needed, and the confluence of the cost of running an online journal and defending against legal threats took its toll.
One company suing is Burlington Executive Air Park, which itself was sued in 2013 by the City over the amount of fill it imported to its Bell School Line site. The City claimed importation of fill is covered by its site alteration bylaw. The Air Park said it was exempt because airports are under federal jurisdiction. Burlington initially won, but the issue is still before the courts as the result of appeals.
Besides the Gazette, North Burlington citizens Monte Dennis and Vanessa Warren were also sued for comments they made. Dennis wrote a Letter to the Editor to the Spectator in response to a submission by Air Park’s Vince Rossi. The Rural Greenbelt Coalition is raising money to help fund their defence.
Another recent corporate threat was from Adi Development Group. Adi is proposing the 26-storey condo at Martha and Lakeshore, which is the subject of a March OMB hearing.
Adi demanded an apology for comments in two November columns which it claimed damaged its reputation. The apology appeared Monday, and the offending columns were retracted.
A question that troubles citizen activists and journalists is whether they might become the targets of libel chill (the threat of being sued for libel to shut them up). Having a second pair of eyes check columns before publication is a plus. On one occasion my Spec editor was concerned about a column’s content, and cautioned me. Grateful for the advice, I amended it, or could have been in that situation.
Ontario passed legislation in October, “The Protection of Public Participation Act”, aimed at protecting against SLAPP suits (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation). It reduces the risk of suits (which are often dropped before getting to trial anyway) and fast tracks the process.
Unfortunately it won’t help Dennis or Warren, because they were sued before this legislation was passed. Such suits can cost defendants thousands. How many people have that kind of spare change?
Meantime Parr has shut down the Burlington Gazette. Asked what he will do now, he said he wasn’t sure, but is considering a couple of options, and will enjoy expanded participation in his church community.
Burlington owes him a debt of gratitude for demystifying some of the operations of city hall, and for providing a local sounding board.
Clearly disappointed, he noted that one of the main things he tried to do was educate citizens about how City Hall works, and how to effectively present their positions. In that, he succeeded brilliantly.
He definitely knows more about the internal workings of City Hall than most people as the result of investigations he’s done. And he has acted in the past as a consultant for small business.
Who knows? He could show up on a council ballot.
Little got most of it right. The Gazette has not shut down – it has just limited what it publishes for a very short period of time.
The apology we were required to publish, if we wanted to avoid a very expensive libel suit, which we thought we could win but could not afford to fight, was to be the top story on the paper for a period of forty – eight hours.
If we published our usual daily volume that apology would have been shoved off the front page with a day or two. So we published very little – and let the apology – that we didn’t write, got top billing.
That 48 hours is coming to an end and we will get caught up.
However – and this is critical – the Gazette needs to change its financial model if it is to continue and find a way to get more advertising into the paper so we can pay our bills and have a cookie jar with some fall back on cash.
I have put everything I had into the Gazette – it cost me a marriage that I did not want to see end and it requires me to move from the accommodation I have now to something that is closer to the pension money I get. It is going to be bumpy for a while
By Pepper Parr
February 4th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
“We’ve got to get the time line in place” explained Janine Stodulksi. “The funding for the bleachers is in the city’s capital budget – we don’t want to lose that” she added. “We have momentum going here” and when Stodulski has momentum – step aside.
 Janine Stodulski – she keeps things moving. She was talking through where things are with a community initiative to revitalize the Nelson Stadium, a facility on property that is owned by the city and the board of education – and where there are shared jurisdictions – you know there is going to be some friction.
The residents are hoping they can either jump over the jurisdictional issues or do an end run around them.
Six people gathered around a table in the Nelson High school library to go over what they knew and what they didn’t know and to line up their ducks and make something happen.
 Brad Scott, with Cogeco Cable and Jeff Brock with Nelson high taking part in a discussion on the plans their group have for significant improvements to the Nelson Stadium. Jeff Brock, who has Nelson High school football logos all over his laptop, looks at the numbers and suggests that bleacher seating for 700 will work. He thinks the sound system can be fixed.
Brad Scott, he’s with Cogeco, has been making calls to equipment suppliers and looking at prices – he didn’t like some of the numbers he was given.
Chris Zadow is the track and field guy and is working up a document that will show what the new footprint will look like when everything is done.
 Karen Hartman, principal at Nelson High school – explains what can be done and what can’t be done when working with the board of education. Karen Hartman, principal at Nelson, runs interference with the board of education and advises the group on what they might be able to get away with.
Tibor Olah, a soft spoken man, who is in real estate, has to move quickly to get a few words in edgewise.
Janine Stodulski, who serves as spokesperson for the group, is a driven woman who believes she has momentum and wants to see something happen. She is involved with one of the football leagues.
Their goal is a little on the lofty side but they aren’t going to let that deter them.
The Nelson Stadium facility is run down, tattered looking in places with facilities that need a serious upgrade.
They want to re-orient the racing track, add to lanes to the existing six, push back some bleachers on the south side and add a second set of bleachers on the other side of the field and get a decent press box in place.
 A community group made up of every imaginable Nelson Stadium user organization has plans for a much improved facility. They are currently working the city and the board of education and have their eyes on the Region. They see that world class velodrome in Milton and appear to want something just as good – better if Stodulski has her way – for Burlington.
The Haber Recreational Centre, joined at the hip to the Hayden high school has fabulous indoor courts – this group wants to see something as good behind Nelson high school – they want the location to be the place for Regional outdoor sports events.
The group sees upgrades coming at the Skyway facility in the east end of the city, the big, big upgrade done at Mountain side, the City View sports facility in the north east part of the city on Dundas – and note that much of the sports facility growth has been above the QEW – they want the something much better on New Street.
They have a grasp of the city budget that just might be better than that of some council members. They have figured out where their champions are at both the council level and within Parks and recreation – and they have strong connections within the community.
Their next round with the city is in April – it should be quite a delegation.
Odd though that the plans have yet to make it to a board of education level – and trustees don’t seem to have a clue at this point.
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