 By Pepper Parr
September 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Standing in rain that would not stop – some sixty people involved in the electrical generation business listened to polite speeches and cut a large red ribbon to open a pilot co-generation station at the south end of the Burlington Hydro offices on Brant Street.
 Cutting the ceremonial ribbon is Deputy Mayor and ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven. To his right are : Bob Delaney, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, MPP Eleanor McMahon, Hydro President Gerry Smallegange. Defined as a Micro Turbine Cogeneration Plant it is part of the City of Burlington’s Community Energy Plan (CEP).
Natural gas is fed into the unit which then produces both electricity and heat – enough to heat one third of the Burlington Hydro offices on Brant Street.
 Three micro turbines and a heat recover unit in this micro co-generation project produce 90kv of electricity and enough heat to take care of one third of the needs of the the Hydro head office on Brant Street; Bob Delaney, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy explained that “Projects like this one not only offer a sustainable way to generate electricity, they can also provide valuable insights for other organizations considering the benefits of future cogeneration or district heating projects in the Burlington area.”
As a central partner in the development of the CEP, Burlington Hydro has committed to demonstrating technologies and evaluating their effectiveness in commercial and larger residential buildings by undertaking certain pilot projects through its affiliate, Burlington Electricity Services Inc.
“Increasing sustainable local energy generation in ways that support the City’s economic competitiveness is an important objective identified in the Community Energy Plan,” says Deputy Mayor Rick Craven, and Ward 1 Councillor. “Not only does this project represent a positive step forward in the implementation of that plan, but because the plant is self-contained and portable, it is well-suited for permanent relocation at sometime in the future.”
 The dignitaries had to stand in the rain to speak to the guests who were tightly packed inside the tent. An interconnection into the building’s electrical supply and heating system produces 90 kW of electricity, enough to offset one third of the building’s peak load and provide sufficient heat for much of the building.
District heating can provide heat for multiple buildings from a single heating plant. Hot water or steam is distributed to these buildings through underground piping. This is an efficient source of energy as district heating systems operate at higher efficiencies than individual building heating systems.
“Cogeneration involves the production of electricity and heat simultaneously from a single fuel source,” explains Gerry Smallegange, Hydro President and CEO. “This is more efficient as the heat normally generated through conventional thermal electricity generation is not wasted.”
 One of three micro turbines that Burlington Hydro bought for the micro co-generation project that is now operational. Smallegange explained that Burlington Hydro became aware of a surplus unit in Kelowna BC, “and we bought it for $37,500 – put it on a flatbed truck and built the shed that encloses it all with lumber donated to us by Habitat for Humanity”.
 By Pepper Parr
September 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We used to refer to the group that have organized themselves as an Art Collective – ACCOB – which stands for the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington as an “emerging” group. That day has passed – they are now trying very hard to gain a foothold and to have an impact on the way arts and culture policy and spending are done in Burlington. So far they aren’t getting the traction they need and feel they deserve.
 Art Gallery of Burlington – costs the city close to a million to run – is there value for money? Of course there is – but without artists would we need it?  The Performing Arts Centre has had an immense impact on the artistic growth of the city – and the arts community is now able to make great use of the space. They are dealing with a city hall that is close to patronizing to the individual artists and at the same time spends million on buildings and the subsidizing of an Art Gallery, a Performing Arts Centre and a Museum Board.
The artists feel they should form an Arts Council and be at the table with the same clout, financial benefit and influences the other organizations.
 Jeremy Frieburger, author of a report that provided direction for the city’s cultural plan based on reams of data he had gathered. Now the city has to determine how it wants ti implement its Cultural Action Plan. The city has a Cultural Action Plan and a committee that is involved in overseeing the roll out of that plan. One would like to think that having artists sitting on that implementation committee would be a positive sign – and indication that the artists are finally getting the influence they feel they deserve.
Afraid not – there is trouble in paradise.
 The Art in Action Studio Tour is a ten year success. The event is free to the public and there isn’t a dime of public money in the project. Teresa Seaton, who is a significant part of the driving force behind the Art in Action group that holds an annual art tour that is very successful – they have been putting on the event for more than ten years and are financially successful enough to be able to award a scholarship each year, thinks an Arts Council is needed.
Seaton is also a commercially successful Stained Glass artist with a studio in the west end of the city.
On the Collective Facebook page she made some comments … well let’s let Seaton speak for herself:
“Interesting meeting today as a delegate from the External Body Committee to CAPIC -The Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee. Seems we are still defending the need for an Arts and Culture Council to the city. One of the questions that came up was: What would an Arts and Culture Council do for us, the arts and culture community, in Burlington. As far as I can tell one of the first things an Arts Council would do with funding it hopefully gets is to ask the community what can an Arts Council do for you? And because it seems we are a long way from getting any funding for an Arts Council I thought I might throw up the question here on face book. My personal suggestions…”
An Arts and Culture Council could;
1. Lobby the city to implement, or increase, the already existing public art fee on new developments. I believe the existing recommendation is 1%. I have trouble finding this information.
2. Lobby to lower rental cost for art and culture makers and organizations. No artist that I know can afford retail prices for space. Guess why they all move to Hamilton.
3. Assist arts and culture organization in allowing them access to city printing presses and costs. I know my organization, Art in Action, spends 2,000.00 every year to print its brochures. That money could be used to buy more advertising.
4. Run courses for non-profit organization in gaining more sponsorship dollars. As artists we are not particularly good at this either.
5. Run courses on Succession planning for non-profit organizations. We need help at this.
6. Set up courses for individual artist on social media. How to use it, how to design websites and communicate effectively.
7. Set up forums and try to figure out why the local guilds don’t talk to the local contemporary artists who don’t talk to the local traditional artist who don’t talk to the local crafters who don’t talk to anybody.
 Teresa Seaton – stained Glass artist “Don’t get me wrong; the City of Burlington has come a long way in the last few years. I see the institutions working together more. There seems to be more community involvement in these institutions. But let’s not let this momentum stop.”
CAPIC: the Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee consists of:
Scott Stewart, General Manager for the city
Angela Paparizo, Manager of Culture for the city
Chris Glenn; Director of Parks and Recreation
Barb Teatero Manager of the Museums Board which runs the Joseph Brant Museum and Ireland House.
Maureen Barry, president of the library
Rossana Dewey, an artist
Trevor Copp, a dancer
Andrea Battista, involved with Symphony on the Bay
Robert Steven, Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Burlington.
Six of the eight people on the committee are bureaucrats – there is no balance here.
The meeting Seaton attended and delegated at also had two other city hall staff and a ward Councillor.
Seaton is quite right when she talks about how far the artists have come – they have risen, literally, and said “we are here and we want to be heard”. And city council, a bit surprised at the artistic energy they didn’t know existed, put money into hiring a consultant who put together a cultural action plan that the city adopted – sort of, and the created a committee to implement that plan.
And that is sort of where things are stuck.
The artists don’t fully comprehend that politicians and bureaucrats do not give away power – they accumulate power and they are for the most part loathe to share that power.
The only way the people (in this case the artists) wrestle power from the bureaucrats is to threaten the power base they have.
 Joe Lamb, on the left, negotiated a deal for the seniors – he didn’t get the kitchen sink because he didn’t ask for it – but he got everything else he wanted. Then city manager Jeff Fielding was told to keep the seniors happy and he did. There is a lesson for the arts community here. A classic example of this was when the seniors began to complain about what they were not getting from the city. They, the seniors, were not happy with the people city hall had sent over to administrate their Centre and they were quick to get on the phone and let the Council members know they were not happy.
The new city manager at the time was sent over to meet and negotiate with the seniors who got everything they had asked for and more. Jeff Fielding, the city manager at the time, was told to meet with the seniors and keep them happy.
Canadians learned yesterday that Canada now has more people over 65 than we have under 14 – the power has shifted to the seniors and they are going to get what they want o they will vote the politicians out of office.
What kind of clout do the artists have? They are creative people with the ability to give the city character, colour, reputation and a reason to visit the place.
The Sound of Music hasn’t learned yet how to use the clout they have. They constantly complain about how little they get from city hall and compare that with how much business they create for that downtown core that is still looking for its vibrancy.
Imagine what would happen if the Sound of Music decided they would not put on their event for a year. You can only imagine the hair pulling that would take place at city hall.
Seaton is right on another level as well; the artists have to begin working like an orchestra and all play from the same sheet music. The squabbling that goes on between the different artists and the different groups is not pretty. They are admittedly high strung people – they go without to be artists but at some point they have to create a united front and use the strength that comes from unity to make their case.
City council has consistently said the arts are important – and they do pump a lot into the institutions we have. The artists want a real seat at the table – they are going to have to require the politicians to walk their talk. It will not be easy – but it can be done – look at what the seniors achieved.
By Staff
September 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you are a tweeter – I mean a full time addicted tweeter – then this is for you.
You are invited by the Regional police to join the conversation about what is going on in police services on Twitter during the 5th Global Police Tweet-a-thon.
 On Friday October 2, 2015, police services all over the world will be participating in a 24 hour tweet-a-thon with the intent to connect with communities, build relationships and educate the public on what the police are doing.
Between 00:00am and 11:59pm, follow the hashtag #Poltwt on Twitter and see what is going on around the globe.
For the tweet addicts – this is as good as it gets.
@HaltonPolice will be participating and will be tweeting about operational calls for service across the region, traffic, impaired driving, cold case homicides, drugs, frauds, canine and educational topics and safety tips from our website.
By Staff
September 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
For just one week (October 18th to 24th) during Ontario Public Library Week, you can pay outstanding fines with food. We accept *unexpired* canned and dry food items. All food collected goes to Burlington Food Share to help local community members in need. So, clear up your fines and help others at the same time. One food item = $1 in fines, 2 items = $2 in fines, up to $10/card.
 Use food to pay your library fine. Nice policy – but if you don’t play the game the way they want you to – they get nasty and send your fine odd to a collection agency.
The Library will send your account to a collection agency and adds a $15 administration fee when:
• you have items overdue 60 days with an outstanding balance of $35 (formerly $50) or more, or,
• you have an outstanding balance of $35 (formerly $50) or more on your account for 60 days.
I have an overdue fine – but the notice from the library doesn’t tell anyone how to find out what you owe them. Do I take in several jars of peanut butter and a couple of bags of rice? Don’t even know what I owe them
By Staff
September 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Today the Ontario Secondary School Teachers` Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) Provincial announced that teachers in District 20, Halton, will be adding additional sanctions to their job action as of Tuesday, September 29 unless a local collective agreement is reached by that date.
 Secondary school teachers union threatens to ramp up the pressure on the school board – high schools brace for any action. This makes things awkward for the Halton District School Board who are questioning the announcement by the OSSTF Provincial Office in light of the mutually agreed upon local negotiation dates of September 30 and October 1.
The Halton District School Board say they remain committed to continuing negotiations with the local union and want to reach a negotiated settlement as soon as possible.
Some of the trust needed to make negotiations work seems to have eroded
 By Staff
September 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
At a special Board meeting on September 23, 2015, Halton District School Board trustees voted unanimously to appoint Stuart Miller as the new Director of Education for the Board. Miller assumes the role October 1, replacing David Euale who announced his retirement in February 2015.
 Stuart Miller appointed as new Director of Education for Halton District School Board In April, Halton District School Board Trustees enlisted the assistance of an executive search firm to initiate an extensive search for a new Director. The comprehensive search process resulted in the Board of Trustees interviewing a number of candidates before naming Miller as the Board’s new Director of Education.
Miller’s teaching career has been predominantly Halton-based, with the exception of a year in Scotland, and a year teaching in Malawi, East Africa. His teaching responsibilities included Science, Biology and Mathematics, and he also coached hockey and soccer, coordinated science fairs, and initiated and organized social justice conferences for students.
Miller has climbed the senior administrative ladder at the school board very rapidly, In 2009 he was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Education, and moved into the role of Associate Director in 2014.
Miller has been instrumental in creating the Welcome Centre for students new to Canada and implementing an expansion of the international student program within the Board. He is also credited with advancing the work of the Board’s Research and Accountability team, a department that plays a crucial role for schools by providing student data as a resource support for students.
“Positive and supportive relationships with students, staff and the community are essential for the success of our students, and those attributes are evident in Halton,” says Miller. “Education, teaching and learning are rapidly changing and moving into a new paradigm. It is the emphasis on relationships that will sustain and support the Board’s forward movement toward this paradigm.”
Kelly Amos, Chair of the Board said trustees are excited to welcome Stuart Miller to the role of Director. She added: “Our extensive executive search resulted in several excellent candidates. The Board selected Stuart Miller for his passion and commitment to student achievement and his vision for the HDSB.
We have not heard anything yet about just what that vision is.
By Staff
September 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Most parents want to be involved in their children’s education and school community. The
province is providing 24 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grants to school councils in Burlington’s three local school boards to help more parents connect and engage with their children’s learning.
The grants will support projects that help parents respond to important issues in their local communities, such as bullying, student nutrition, literacy and math. They also help address barriers parents may face to participate in their child’s education, such as language and transportation.
 The plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills. Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon says “The Parents Reaching Out grants are important investments to help Burlington parents get more involved in their children’s learning, helping our students succeed and our communities thrive. Each recipient school has identified a project based on their own interests and need. These grants will support projects like family math nights, online safety presentations and health and wellness sessions for parents.”
The province says studies show that when parents are more engaged in their children’s education, students are more likely to earn higher grades, develop better behaviour and social skills, and achieve higher levels of education. The province has provided more than 17,000 PRO grants to school councils.
The following schools in Burlington and the program they will offer received grants that averaged $1000.
 Bateman High School among Burlington schools that gets grant for parent involvement Information Evening for Parents, Canadian Martyrs School
Family Fitness, Holy Rosary Separate School
Descriptive Feedback Prompts, Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary School
Social Media Information Session, Brant Hills Public School
We all Belong, Clarksdale Public School
Online Safety Presentation, Glenview Public School
Parent Technology Initiative, Tom Thomson Public School
Everyone Can Succeed in Math with a Growth Mindset!, St. Patrick Separate School
Speaker Nights Topics for Parents Chosen by Parents, Bruce T. Lindley
Mental Health and Wellness, Dr. Charles Best Public School
Family Math Night, Frontenac Public School
Parent Engagement Presentations, John T. Tuck Public School
Welcoming New Families and Engaging All Families, Lakeshore Public School
Engaging Parents, Lester B. Pearson High School
Health and Wellness Sessions for Parents, Mohawk Gardens Public School
Reducing Stress and Anxiety in our Children, Pauline Johnson Public School
Individual Education Plans: Support and Education for Parents, Robert Bateman High School
Promoting an Inclusive and Safe School: The Role of Parent Engagement, Rolling Meadows Public School
Family Workshop Creating Healthy Schools, Tecumseh Public School
  By Staff
September 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, on
Culture Days has become a model opportunity for citizens, businesses, and all levels of government to collectively help lead the development of Canada through the development of the arts and cultural life of our communities. Volunteers lead and contribute to the success of Culture Days at every level. It is a grassroots, collaborative movement that works.
There is a national advisory board, a national board of directors with some very powerful and effective people sitting around the table. There are then Tasks Forces within each province.
The national objective is create opportunities for people to explore, discover and participate in arts and culture in every community across the country. In 2014, the fifth annual Culture Days event took place in more than 850 Canadian cities and towns, with attendance topping 1.6 million Canadians. Last year, more than 1650 activities were presented across Ontario.
The purpose is to hold events that will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community.
For the next three days you get to see what Burlington has to offer in the cultural world.
Saturday 26th
Morning Yoga in Civic Square
Time: Class 1 – 8 to 8:45 a.m., Class 2 – 9 to 9:45 a.m.
Location: Burlington City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Come and enjoy free yoga classes open to all ages and abilities. Participate in 45 minutes of fundamental postures. This practice is focused on body awareness, breathing and feeling good. Bring your yoga mat and an open mind!
Organizer: AnyBodysYoga, anybodysyoga@gmail.com, www.anybodysyoga.ca, 905-869-0255
Music Lessons for all Ages
Time: 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Location: Burlington Music Centre, 2311 New St., in Central Park, Burlington, Ont.
Description: Music is for all ages – you can learn to play an instrument at any age! Speak with music teachers, test out instruments, learn some more about the effects music has on the human brain and how it improves learning, social skills, ability to multi-task and more.
Organizer: Rob Bennett, Rob.bennett@burlington.ca, www.burlington.ca/en/live-and-play/music-lessons.asp, 905-335-7807
 Sit in with the Burlington Teen Tour Band during Cultural Days Burlington Junior Redcoats Marching Band
Time: 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Location: Burlington Music Centre, 2311 New St., in Central Park, Burlington, Ont.
Description: For ages 9 to 13. Come and sit in with or march beside band members at a regular Saturday rehearsal. The event is to be held outside weather-permitting, and inside if weather does not accomodate. Previous music knowledge is not required, so come on out and see what it is like to be a young member of a marching band!
Organizer: Rob Bennett, Rob.bennett@burlington.ca, 905-335-7807
Celebrating Burlington through Photos
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Tourism Burlington Visitor Information Centre, 414 Locust St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Celebrating 30 years of tourism in Burlington through photos, featuring local attractions and famous Burlingtonians from the past and present. Activities include interactive displays, hands-on activities, a scavenger hunt, and more!
Organizer: Tourism Burlington, info@tourismburlington.com, www.tourismburlington.com, 905-634-5594.
Music and Meditation by the Lake – Celebrate Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Location: Spencer Smith Park – Gazebo, 1400 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Join us for collective meditation on live flute music. Experience Raag Durga interpreted by Francesca Smita Soni, a William Blake Duet, Tim Bruce (actor and music therapist), Sunny Levi (Opera singer), bhajans singing, and inner centre chakra workshops with Ontario Yogis.
Organizer: Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation, 905-484-2068, contact@free-meditation.ca, www.free-meditation.ca.
Doors Open Burlington
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Locations: see complete list below
Description: Doors Open Burlington will feature sites located in the downtown and waterfront areas of our city. The event will highlight important buildings, organizations and landmarks that make Burlington a culturally vibrant place to live, work and visit. Admission is free.
Participating sites include: Joseph Brant Museum, Art Gallery of Burlington, Spencer Smith Park, Gingerbread House Gardens, St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Eglise Saint Philippe, Different Drummer Books, Burlington Central High School, Burlington Masonic Centre, displays at Tourism Burlington, Vintage Motors at Burlington Central Public School, and the Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukranian Church. Visit our website for event details at www.doburlington.com.
Site list:
Joseph Brant Museum: 1240 Northshore Blvd. E, Burlington, Ont.
Art Gallery of Burlington: 1333 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Vintage Motors at Burlington Central High School: 1433 Baldwin St., Burlington, Ont.
Different Drummer Books: 503 Locust St., Burlington, Ont.
Eglise Saint Phillipe: 472 Locust St., Burlington, Ont.
Gingerbread House Gardens: 1375 Ontario St., Burlington, Ont.
Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukranian Church: 419 Pearl St., Burlington, Ont.
Burlington Masonic Centre: 463 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
St. Luke’s Anglican Church: 1382 Ontario St., Burlington, Ont.
Tourism Burlington: 414 Locust St., Burlington, Ont.
Spencer Smith Park: West Lawn – Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Burlington Central Public School: 638 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Organizer: Doors Open Burlington, hello@doorsopenburlington.com, www.doburlington.com, 905-332-9888
 The Different Drummer Book Store – well worth a visit  St Lukes Anglican church – one of the riches pieces of Burlington’s history. 
Etsy: Made in Canada Marketplace
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre, 3063 South Service Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Etsy: Made in Canada is a national grassroots initiative celebrating the crafters, collectors and artisans in local communities across Canada. Made in Canada marketplaces will pop up in 33 cities on September 26, 2015. Explore handmade wares and vintage goods in an artisan marketplace.
Organizer: Jacqueline Hunter, show director, Etsy Canada, info@craftian.ca, www. craftadian.ca/etsy/, 289-239-8163
Celtic Music Performance
Time: 11 to 11:30 a.m.
Location: City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Enjoy 30 minutes of Celtic music presented in a light orchestral format.
Organizer: Celtic Fiddle Orchestra of Southern Ontario, Cfoso.exec@gmail.com, 519-219-0757
Burlington Student Theatre Presents: Burlywood
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: City Hall – Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Burlington Student Theatre will feature local artisans in theatre, music, dance, film, photography, visual art demonstrations and interactive opportunities. Performances by: Burlington Student Theatre, Halton Dance Network, wushu and Chinese lion/dragon dance demonstrations and performances! Join us for free, family friendly events.
Organizer: Rainer Noack, rainer.noack@burlington.ca
 An example of the work Donna Grandin does. Collaborative Acrylic Painting and Art Display in Civic Square
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Visual artist Donna Grandin will start a painting and then encourage the public to collaborate on it. Individuals will have the chance to express their creativity and add to the piece. The painting will be completed in the artist’s studio on October 2, and one of the participants will be chosen at random to win the collaborative painting.
Grandin was born and raised in the Carribean, and has been living in Burlington since 1998. She exhibits and sells her art in both the Carribean and Canada. Locally, her work can be found at Art Etc., the Art Gallery of Burlington or Blue Roots Art Studio.
Organizer: Donna Grandin, fine artist, Blue Roots Art Studio, donna@bluerootsartstudio.com, 905-639-3419
Photo-Acrylics by Beth Bennett
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: ‘Photo-Acrylics’ is a combination of Bennett’s photography and acrylic painting with a twist – the look and feel of painting with wax. Bennett is happy with her art when both photography and painting elements are visible yet cohesive. She has also photographed a brick wall and would like community input on how to turn this photography into a “photo-acrylic”. What should be placed on this brick wall? Come out and share your ideas!
Organizer: Beth Bennett, bethbennettartist@gmail.com, www.bethbennetartist.com, 905-333-9868
B Town Sound Record in Studio and Sing on Stage
Time: 1 to 3 p.m.
Location: 919 Fraser Dr., units 9 and 10, Burlington, Ont.
Description: We invite everyone to have a tour of our recording, rehearsal and event facility as well as the new addition of our music school. We welcome you to sing on stage to karaoke tracks with the instruments we have at the studio, or with instruments that you have brought with you.
Then you will get the opportunity to sing in the isolation room of the studio and feel what it is like to record a hit song!
Our clients include: Silverstein, Billy Talent, Finger Eleven, New World Son, and Youtube star Walk off the Earth
Organizer: B Town Sound, Robyn Pauhl, robyn@btownsound.ca, www.btownsound.ca, 905-308-0026
 See the Art Gallery through practiced eyes. Free Gallery Discovery Tours
Time: 1 – 1:40 p.m.; 2 – 2:40 p.m.; 3 – 3:40 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery of Burlington, 1333 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Free guided tours of the Art Gallery of Burlington in conjunction with Doors Open. Tours will be approximately 40 minutes in length.
Organizer: Art Gallery of Burlington, 905-632-7796, info@artgalleryofburlington.com, www.artgalleryofburlington.com
Guild Demonstrations
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery of Burlington, 1333 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Free demonstrations by our 7 guilds in their studios. Participating guilds include the Burlington Fine Arts Association, Burlington Handweavers & Spinners Guild, Burlington Fibre Arts Guild, Burlington Rug Hooking Guild, Latow Photographers Guild, Burlington Sculptors & Woodcarvers Guild, and the Burlington Potters’ Guild.
Organizer: Art Gallery of Burlington, 905-632-7796, info@artgalleryofburlington.com, www.artgalleryofburlington.com
 Teresa Seaton, a stained glass artist has been a prime mover behind the annual Art in Action tour – she will be doing workshops as part of Culture Days. Stained Glass Demonstration – Copper Foiling Method
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: 654 Spring Gardens Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Teresa Seaton, a fifteen-year veteran of stained glass, will be demonstrating her copper foiling techniques as she completes a stained glass panel. Teresa’s gallery features a large selection of her latest works and now exhibits the work of established and emerging Canadian artists.
Organizer: Teresa Seaton, tmseaton@cogeco.ca, www.teresaseaton.ca, 905-510-5030
DIY BookArts: Hardcover
Time: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Burlington Public Library – Brant Hills, 2255 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Using the library’s bookbinding equipment and supplies, build your own hardcover book to take home. Personalize it with a painted book cover. No bookbinding experience required. Ages 18 and up.
To register, call 905-335-2209
Organizer: Burlington Public Library – Brant Hills, arkelll@bpl.on.ca, www.bpl.on.ca, 905-335-2209
heartBEATZ
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Location: City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: The Halton Dance Network’s presentation of ‘heartBEATZ’ is a transformative event that embodies HDN’s mandate to build community in and through dance. A local choreographer will collaborate with drummers and a dance collective from the three communities to create an original dance work. We will also invite a local dance studio to showcase a dance number from their current repertoire. ‘heartBEATZ’ will conclude with a community interactive dance experience/workshop involving the audience and all dancers.
Organizer: Halton Dance Network, Kate Lowe, www.haltondancenetwork.com, katewlowe@hotmail.com, 905-637-5408
Celtic Fiddle Music: In Canada and Abroad
Time: 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Burlington Public Library – Central, Centennial Hall, 2331 New St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Alana and Leigh Cline talk about the history of Celtic music in Canada, and perform tunes from Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Scotland and Ireland. You won’t want to miss this foot-stomping, hand-clapping, feel-great musical experience in celebration of Culture Days!
To register, call 905-639-3611 ext. 1321
Organizer: Burlington Public Library – Central, arkelll@bpl.on.ca, www.bpl.on.ca, 905-639-3611 ext. 1321
 Margaret Lindsay Holton – a Hamilton based artist who works in several mediums has put together an innovate program that marries poetry to ping pong. Ping Pong and Poetry – with Margaret Lindsay Holton
Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
Location: Burlington HIVE, 901 Guelph Line, Burlington, Ont.
Description: Join in the fun as Golden Horseshoe poet and painter, Margaret Lindsay Holton, bats bon mots and balls in a playful ‘ping pong and poetry’ Round Robin. Poets will unleash a few lines of potent poetry her popular poetry collections, ‘On Top of Mount Nemo’ and ‘Bush Chord’.
Organizer: Margaret Lindsay Holton, owner/author of Acorn Press Canada, mlhpro@hotmail.com, 905-393-5196
 By Walter Byj
September 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton school board is facing a conundrum and it needs your help.
At the September 16th meeting of the HDSB, Associate Director Stuart Miller, on behalf of the Program Viability Committee, issued the report outlying both the process and timeline that the committee will follow in consulting the public about both English and French programming.
 The French Immersion program is very popular and has a huge uptake in Halton schools. Schools within Halton that are dual tracked, having both English and French Immersion (FI) from grades one to eight, are facing an imbalance in class sizes. With high enrolment in FI, 19 schools face limited enrolment in the English program.
A possible result is split classrooms for the English program. The committee was formed to formulate a plan that would continue to offer quality programs for both English and FI.
Miller’s report recommended that the time frame for implementation be September 2017 and that extensive consultation from the community be taken prior to any action steps.
 A tentative communication plan, starting October 17th was presented to the trustees. The plan includes both information nights for the public along with focus groups. The dates will be published once confirmed. In preparation for these meetings, Miller set out the information that would be available to the public.
• Number of single track schools
• Number of dual track schools
• Pupil place capacity of the schools (OTG)
• Number of schools with core French
• Historical and projected enrolment growth(both English and French Immersion)
• Uptake of French Immersion
• Projections of FI uptake
• Class sizes in both English and French(samples)
• Recruitment of French Immersion teachers
• Attrition rate of students choosing FI(Grade 2-12)
• Comments on subject specialists in secondary schools
• Enrolment projections at FI secondary schools
Miller felt that the time line put in place (Process of public consultation begins Oct 2015 with implementation September 2017) along with the information the Board can share the community would have its voice heard. The recent Pineland public school turmoil was on the minds of trustees who followed up with questions and suggestions of their own.
 Tracey Ehl Harrison(Oakville) asked if there should be a student voice in the consultations along with school councils. Use of facebook and twitter should also be used. Responding to her question as to the philosophy of the consultations, Miller responded that it was similar to boundary change hearings and that those have been effective. While a large cross section of the community is ideal, we need to be cautious as to the time constraints that they are facing with such a major endeavour. There will be a large spread consultation process. He stressed that the process is about how to deliver FI, not about the curriculum.
Joanna Oliver(Oakville) asked if transportation costs would be part of the process. Miller responded that it would be difficult to breakout this information as buses are shared for many different students.
When asked what the core goal of this consultation process was, Miller stated that it was to deliver viable programs for both English and French Immersion. Harvey Hope (Oakville) asked if fluency in French can be delivered in a different way. Miller later said there is no test for language proficiency and there is no way to say the current program will make bilingual people.
The final word came from Director Euale who stated that after all the consultation; there could be no action at all.
Other than the comment: “I like the process” from second term trustee Amy Collard, Burlington’s other three trustees didn’t have a word to say. Unfortunate!
 Walter Byj has been the Gazette reporter on education for more than a year. He is a long time resident of the city and as a parent has in the past delegated to the school board.
 By Staff
September 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Friday the 25th
Culture Days has become a model opportunity for citizens, businesses, and all levels of government to collectively help lead the development of Canada through the development of the arts and cultural life of our communities. Volunteers lead and contribute to the success of Culture Days at every level.
There is a national advisory board, a national board of directors with some very powerful and effective people sitting around the table. There are then Tasks Forces within each province.
The national objective is create opportunities for people to explore, discover and participate in arts and culture in every community across the country. In 2014, the fifth annual Culture Days event took place in more than 850 Canadian cities and towns, with attendance topping 1.6 million Canadians. Last year, more than 1650 activities were presented across Ontario.
The purpose is to hold events that will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community.
As a grassroots, collaborative movement, Culture Days relies on your participation.
For the next three days you get to see what Burlington has to offer in the cultural world.
Celebrating Burlington through Photos
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Tourism Burlington Visitor Information Centre, 414 Locust St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Celebrating 30 years of tourism in Burlington through photos, featuring local attractions and famous Burlingtonians from the past and present. Activities include interactive displays, hands-on activities, a scavenger hunt, and more!
Organizer: Tourism Burlington, 905-634-5594, info@tourismburlington.com, www.tourismburlington.com
 We As One: Bridging Meditation, Living Arts and Spirituality
Time: noon to 8 p.m.
Location: Burlington City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Come and celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sahaja Yoga Free Meditation in Burlington. Enjoy live music and dance performances, including: bhajan, qawalli, opera, flute, harmonium, drums, violin and vocals. Participate in a guided meditation on planet earth, self-realization “Experiment with Truth,” individual chakra and art workshops, realized souls gallery, cool kids workshop, clay sculpting, Indian mythology workshop, kuchipudi “Living Goddess Performance,” aarti group featuring Greek, Persian and Irish Dance, yin yang energy-balancing workshop, and “Shri Saraswati” henna palm painting.
Activity Contact: Sahaja Yoga Meditation, contact@free-meditation.ca, www.free-meditation.ca, 416-628-0355,
Volunteer Coordinator/Organizer: Ioana Popa, ioanayoga@yahoo.ca, 905-484-2068
 stained glass artist Teresa Seaton – will give a workshop on stained glass Stained Glass Demonstration – Copper Foiling Method
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: 654 Spring Gardens Rd., Burlington, Ont.
Description: Teresa Seaton, a fifteen-year veteran of stained glass, will be demonstrating her copper foiling techniques as she completes a stained glass panel. Teresa’s gallery features a large selection of her latest works and now exhibits the work of established and emerging Canadian artists.
Organizer: Teresa Seaton, tmseaton@cogeco.ca, www.teresaseaton.ca, 905-510-5030
B Town Sound Record in Studio and Sing on Stage
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Location: 919 Fraser Dr., units 9 and 10, Burlington, Ont.
Description: We invite everyone to have a tour of our recording, rehearsal, and event facility as well as the new addition of our music school. We welcome you to sing on stage to karaoke tracks with the instruments we have at the studio, or with instruments that you have brought with you. Then you will get the opportunity to sing in the isolation room of the studio and feel what it is like to record a hit song! Our clients include: Silverstein, Billy Talent, Finger Eleven, New World Son, and Youtube star Walk off the Earth
Organizer: B Town Sound, Robyn Pauhl, robyn@btownsound.ca, www.btownsound.ca, 905-308-0026
By Staff
September 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
This is a different way of promoting fire safety.
Fire official’s report that the #1 cause of home fires is unattended cooking.
 Fire Chief Tony Bavota, Mayor Goldring, people from the Burlington Restaurant Association and Robert Bateman High School are joining together for activities to help spread this public safety message.
 Mayor Goldring brings a bit of an edge to the cooking competition to take place at Robert Bateman – he flips ribs pretty well – let’s see what he flips at the high school. Spreading the fire safety message is being tied to the Top Chef Competition at Robert Bateman High School. Four teams, each with one Burlington firefighter and two Robert Bateman High School culinary students, will compete to create a fiery dish from a mystery box of ingredients. Contestants can earn points or be penalized by answering cooking safety trivia.
Other features of the event include interactive stations with information on smoke and CO alarms, the 911 call system, career options in the fire service, a firefighter crash course and technology demos as well as Burlington Fire Department truck display.
This sounds like a neat event; it isn’t open to the public – the Gazette will tell you all about it
 By Pepper Parr
September 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The people of Burlington did it for the 35th time – the Annual Terry Fox run for a cancer cure.
This time it could well have been called the Team Casey get together.
 The fast runners had finished the course – those who chose a more leisurely pace brought up the rear. Casey Cosgrove who has battled cancer for a number of years and has become something of a poster boy for the people at the Princess Margaret hospital where his treatment program takes place chose a spot yards away from where the Terry Fox marker is going to be placed greeting friends (and there were a lot of them) and having his picture taken.
 Another Team Casey  A Team Casey – there were about eight of them. There seemed to be as many Team Casey T-shirts being worn as there were Terry Fox –shirts.
The weather was perfect
Don Carmichael reports that there were 900 + participants, 44 teams – way up from last year. 110 volunteers. More than $ 67,000 raised on the day with donations still pouring in. It’s not too late to donate. We want to reach $100,000.
 Many walkers were alone with their thoughts – a card with the name of a person they wanted to remember affixed to their sweater The Run is a day out for many people – a time to chip in and do their bit – many people make this an annual family event. Brian Heagle was out there with his family, including his Mother – she seemed to do just fine.
One participant had completed his walk and was about to head home and said to the child with him – “why don’t we walk out on the pier”. We asked: “You’ve never been out on the pier” “Nope” he replied – “I always felt it cost too much and I didn’t want to go out on the thing.”
Resentment persists doesn’t it?
 The location of the Terry Fox market that will be erected later this year  KM 3582 – a point at which Terry Fox paused as he left Burlington and head to Hamilton on an epic journey he was not able to complete. And so does the annual run. Later this year a marker will be set in concrete at one of the points Terry Fox stopped at as he ran through Burlington 35 years ago.
 By Pepper Parr
September 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The crowds they had hoped for did not materialize but the weather did hold. There were more people at No Vacancy’s Supernova this year than there were at the Cirque event held at Village Square last year.
 Perhaps outside some comfort zones. Let’s look at what was good. The Art Market was good – some of the exhibits stunned people a little – others were a pleasure to look at. Art is supposed to take you out of your comfort zone.
The Teresa Seaton/Tomy Bewick event and the Kune Hua event were superb – illustration art at its best.
Hua was a last minute entry – 36 hours before the opening he was still working through his concept – it turned out to be one a very emotional event for many people.
 Several thousand ribbons were draped over the branches of the trees in the Wishing Garden. Set in a lot that was once a gas station the Wishing Garden was a collection of birth tree branches planted into pots with small white lights strong along the branches.
Visitors were invited to take a ribbon and write a wish and then tie it to one of the tree branches.
Hua believes that with all that energy; all those wishes collected in a single place – change was inevitable. Only those who tied a ribbon will know if there was a change – one can say however that there was a mood in the darkened space where you could smell the lake and not feel you were being intruded upon by the noise from Emmas Back Porch just yards away.
 Tomy Bewick intoned in a strong passionate voice while Teresa Seaton spread the feathers about the ground “feathers spinning in the downdraft” The Seaton/Bewick event was more of a performance – and for those that listened there was a sense of trance as Bewick spoke ans Seaton moved around the space placing feathers fashioned out of stained glass on the ground while Bewick chanted
she’s walking down that road again
flying off the fumes
this highway life on a long enough stretch wears thin
Seaton would gently place a few stained glass feathers on the ground while Bewick continued …
watching the freebirds float above
feathers spin in the downdraft
wind kicks sand across face releasing strained tears
the rain makes the asphalt seem slick
the sheen of blacktop coated hopes slippery
you see the machinery from a distance
silhouettes like soldiers along a long abandoned flightpath
from a thousand miles the towers look like flamingoes
stilted sun refracts rainbows in cracked glass
It wasn’t dramatic but it drew you in as the Bewick voice continued to intone and the feathers took their place on the ground as Seaton stepped around gently
 The audience didn’t move while Bewick and Seaton performed – they stood silent for a few moments when the performance ended – it was that kind of event. she’s walking down that road again and the fumes are getting stronger
the feathers falling faster
there is disaster on the horizon, stretched like the skeleton of industry
It was a fine performance given every hour. If you missed this – you really did miss something.
The problem areas – getting crowds out means promotion – some thought there wasn’t enough done. The location was very good – did the organizers create too much space?
They were able to set aside basically all of the Old Lakeshore Road but there weren’t enough artists to take up the space which left the event feeling it was a little thin on the contents side.
There were a lot of people at the event – it was hard to appreciate just how many because there was acres of space. At Village Square everything was crowded in – which made it seem very busy.
There could have been more artists – it takes time for this type of event to gain a foothold. This was the third event put on by the No Vacancy group.
 It was electric – it had energy and it had three dimensions – you left feeling better after looking at this piece of work. One of the problems they might want to give some attention to is the identity of the event. No Vacancy is the sort of umbrella name with each event given a different theme name each year. That gets a little confusing for the casual visitor.
The organizers do something few other events of this type do – they ensure that the artists are paid – and that can be a real grind when other than the beer garden and perhaps some revenue from the art market there is no revenue stream. There were sponsorship’s and the city did kick in some money – there may not have been enough.
 The Poacher Ukelele Band and the jugglers didn’t seem to fit into the art theme – but there were people who enjoyed both. The juggler was determined to make the event pay for him – which was outside the boundaries set by the organizers of the Supernova There was security that wasn’t needed – this was a very tame crowd that mixed well with the people that troop into Emma’s Back Porch.
But there was something missing – and the organizers are going to have to take some time in a month or so and think through what the recipe needs. A little more spice? Perhaps. More interesting artists and a program with a map of who was where. There apparently was a map – we didn’t see it until after the event.
Printing a program means getting advertisers – and that requires time which the organizers just didn’t have.
 The Art Market was in a smaller space this year and it had the crowds that in retrospect were what people missed overall. There was a very cruel, uncalled for comment from an artist who said ‘this was probably the last No Vacancy event. The artist who made the comment had submitted an event but was turned down and is reported not to have been prepared to make revisions to what was a collection of paintings that were for sale. Supernova was not at art sale – it was a collection of art illustrations – an event that you interacted with.
It was an uncalled for comment from an artist currently looking to the community for financial support.
After two outstanding successes the turnout this year is a bit of a setback. The arts are fickle – it doesn’t always turn out the way people hope it will
What the arts community has to do is be mature and stop going on about how great the event was – it wasn’t great. This year something was missing – the people who did all the grunt work will work it out.
 The Beer Garden was well situated – the band was loud – by the time this reporter was ready for an ale – the gates had closed – it was after 11 pm. The arts community has to call a spade a spade and work towards improving the event – what was great was the close to incredible support from the volunteers – who don’t get as much as a dime.
Be kind to Selena and Dean Eckersall – they put their hearts into this and deserve an opportunity to put the event on next year
 By Staff
September 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Lakeshore Road Lane Restrictions for Terry Fox Run – Sept. 20
 The northbound land of Lakeshore Road will be closed from Maple Avenue to the Halton Skyway Waste Water Treatment Plan between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20 for the Terry Fox Run.
The southbound lane will remain open.
By Walter Byj
September 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite what seemed like a lengthy and potentially controversial agenda, the September 16th meeting of the Halton District School Board went smoothly and relatively quickly. Items covered during the meeting were as follows;
Program Viability Committee
The Halton District School Board initiated a committee to examine program viability in both the English program and the French Immersion program and to make a recommendation to the Board no later than June 2015. The committee will be chaired by the Associate Director and will be composed of the Superintendent of Program, Superintendent of Student Success, System Principal of French Program, System Principal of School Program, Principals of dual track elementary schools, elementary single track English schools, elementary single track French Schools, French Immersion programs in High School, single track English programs in high schools and three trustees who currently sit on the French advisory committee.
A more detailed report on this item will be published later in the week.
Active Transportation
Active Transportation to school and work is defined as human powered transportation such as walking, cycling, wheeling, rolling and using mobility devices. Students and their families and staff who make active transportation a choice, over automobile travel, experience benefits in mental and physical health and well-being, are more prepared to learn and promote community connections.
 Burlington school board trustee Andrea Grebenc wants to see more walking to school. Reducing automobile use around schools by choosing active transportation modes and/or school buses/public transit improves air quality around schools for students, staff and the whole community. Supporting such active and sustainable travel choices reflects the principles of Ontario’s Foundation for a Healthy School.
Trustee Grebnec introduced a motion that will be debated at a future date.
Ontario Ombudsman
Effective September 1, 2015 the Ontario Ombudsman obtains jurisdiction for school boards. We have been asked by the Ombudsman’s office to supply a list of procedures the public can access to regarding challenges to Board procedures. Many of the Board’s procedures have been listed in the survey (transportation, discipline, suspension/expulsion, etc.), all prefaced by the Board’s Process for Public Concerns, attached to this document as an administrative procedure.
Background:
The Ontario Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act has broad powers that include the ability to assist the public in matter of school boards’ jurisdiction. The general role of the Ombudsman is to respond to complaints and seek to resolve concerns raised by the public. The Ombudsman’s website (www.ombudsman.on.ca) details the breadth and depth of the work performed by that office.
Generally speaking, the Ombudsman will look to refer concerns to existing internal resolutions procedures (discipline appeals, human rights procedures, staff grievances). I believe that is the reason why we have been asked to supply an overview of our various procedures for public and parent concerns. The Ombudsman refers to itself as “an office of last resort”, meaning that other internal mechanisms for disputes should be exercised first. In the case where a complaint cannot be resolved, the Ombudsman determines whether an investigation is warranted and the Board is notified. The Ombudsman then investigates and reports publicly. It should be noted that the decisions of the Ombudsman are not binding and do not overturn decisions of the Board; however, it is my understanding that the wisdom and impartiality of the office is usually acknowledged with a review of the decisions.
Most of the items on the agenda were of the FYI nature and will be summarized in the near future. However, both the program viability committee and active transportation agenda items will be reported in more detail as they have the potential to be controversial and have a profound impact on the community.
Walter Byj has been the Gazette reporter on education for more than a year. He is a long time resident of the city and as a parent has in the past delegated to the school board.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A select group of people saw the Premier of Flash Flood – a Cogeco TV documentary on the flood that drowned parts of Burlington on August 4th 2014.
The 28 minute film will be shown on Cogeco Cable – channel 23 and 700 for HD
Airdates are:
Sun, Sep 20, 2015 20:00:00
Mon, Sep 21, 2015 17:00:00
Wed, Sep 23, 2015 19:00:00
Thu, Sep 24, 2015 15:30:00
Sat, Sep 26, 2015 17:30:00
Sat, Sep 26, 2015 22:00:00
Kristin Demeny was the lead reporter on the project that started the day the rains fell. She didn’t become aware of the flooding until around 4:30 that day by which time many people had everything in their basements floating in several feet of water.
 Kristin Demeny, Cogeco’s lead reporter on the August 2014 flood, was everywhere during the days after the flood. she was in the homes that were ruined and talked with hundreds of people whose lives had been forever changed. She was literally everywhere the first few days after and said she crawled through close a 100 basements to personally see and record the damage. “There was a woman in her 90’s – there with her son looking at all the ceiling tile that had come down in the basement. Her husband, no longer alive, had built the home for the two of them. It was heartbreaking to meet and talk to these people.”
Kristin did her first piece of broadcast reporting when she was 17 – “I fell in love with the business that day and have been in broadcast all of my career”. She includes her formal training at Loyalist College as part of that career.
She worked with CKWS in Kingston, the CBC television affiliate and proudly point to two stories that went network wide.
Demeny has been with Cogeco for five years.
Ben Lyman, Manager, Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco Cable, is recognized as the Executive producer of the documentary and said that “, we had documented so much footage at the start of the flood for our new local news program, we knew we could take it a step further.”
“At that time we decided we can produce what could be considered a historical documentary on this flood. That we would sit down with residents that were affected, let them tell their stories of how devastating this flood actually was to them and the city as a whole.
 It was a flash flood – and the damage done was significant. Most of the city wasn’t even aware that it had happened – the rain fell in just one part of the city – 191 mm in a single day, “We knew a documentary was the way to move forward with this project. Kristin Demeny who had been our lead reporter in covering the flood was the lead producer for the project and with the help of Daniel Ricottone’s editing skills (he directed/edited TVCogeco’s Special on Chris Hadfield before he took command of ISS), we knew this duo would be able to tell the stories that needed to be told and create a lasting impact for our viewers.
“Once you watch this documentary, you really empathize with the victims of the flood and you realize how much work needed to be completed to get their lives back on track. As the station manager, I was very proud of the work our team completed in producing this doc. and was very pleased to see, in particular the vision I had for this flood documentary come to fruition this fall.”
It is certainly worth watching.
 By Pepper Parr
September 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Look in almost any car in a mall parking lot and you will see a car seat for a child in the back. Legally required and gratefully used by every parent – was the seat properly installed?
A the leading provider of Canadian car seats is sponsoring the Canadian Walmart Car Seat Clinic that will take place in the parking lot of the Walmart located at 4515 Dundas Street W on September 26 from 10 AM – 4 PM.
The sponsors are encouraging people to make an appointment on their website (www.gracobaby.ca/news), but we will also take drop-ins.
 There is a right way and a wrong way to install a car seat. You have to have one – might as well do it properly. Appointments will last for approximately 30 minutes (per car seat). The technicians will check and install seats for all ages and stages and any brand car seat. They encourage people to bring the manuals for both their vehicle and their car seat, along with their child if possible.
Graco Canada, the sponsors of the event, claim that 90% of Canadian car seats are installed improperly and/or misused. Common errors include a missing top tether, an improperly positioned chest clip, and loose harness straps, not to mention children riding in seats that do not accord with their weight, height, and age.
The simple habit of a child wearing a winter coat within their car seat can render the seat ineffective. The reality is that parents and caretakers love their children, but they don’t always know how to best protect them in a motor vehicle.
 By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Richelle Pain took a rather circuitous route to becoming a school board trustee. She originally thought about running in 1991 – it didn’t seem right to her at the time.
 Richelle Papin describes the board she serves on as cohesive and that serving as a trustee takes up a lot more time than she expected. When she did run in 2010 and lost she found “losing was hard” At the time she had no special passion, no particular issue to run her campaign on – she just felt it was time for her to be in some form of public office.
She moved sometime after the 2010 race and now lived in ward 4 where she decided to run in 2014 and won the seat at the public board of education. She had grown to the point where she felt the school boards had to be accountable and she wanted to be part of the process that ensured accountability was in place.
Papin is more of a bureaucrat than an issues person – process matters to her which reflects her years of working in the public sector – currently as an information technologist.
Papin found the discussion around the French immersion programs all consuming and pointed out that in some western cities in Canada the second language is Spanish.
Papin describes the board she serves on as cohesive, “one that works well together” but she was not able to point to anything that she felt she had achieved in her first year as a trustee.
 Papin, like every other trustee, said the board’s web site is “lousy”. As the only trustee with as full time job she finds that role requires more work that she thought it would take to get the job done.
The leadership conference the board held recently was one she appreciated – “I took quite a bit away from that”
Papin said she doesn’t have a strong policy on communicating with parents in her ward – she does have a Face book page but doesn’t get much traffic from it.
She wonders if our schools are what we think they are. She mentioned that Tuck, which has one of the best reputations in the city, had problems getting enough parent volunteers to help out at the annual Fun Fair.
Households today are not what they once were. The demands and strains on parents are a lot different – many parents don’t have the time needed to be fully active in their community. Those that commute aren’t back in Burlington until pretty close to 6 pm – and if they’re children are involved in some activity – a family around the table dinner often gets a pass.
Papin, like every other trustee, said the board’s web site is “lousy” – the current Director of Education has said $100,000 has been committed to upgrading the web site – but no one has attached a time line to the planned upgrade.
Papin admits that she doesn’t have nor does she want a high public profile. She feels her job is to look things over and be involved in the process of managing the issues before the board.
 “That’s a good question” she said – “it isn’t something I, given any thought to – I am certainly going to finish this term.” While some trustees had an issue with schools being used for voting purposes – Pain doesn’t see any problem with such a practice. “I’m certainly not against it” she said and pointed out that the one parent who delegated at city council and met with people at the board of education is married to a police officer and that may have influenced some of her thinking.
Papin says she has a very good working relationship with the ward Councillor Jack Dennison, a former boss. “He copies me on anything that is even remotely related to school board matters”, she said.
Is there a political life beyond the school board for Papin? “That’s a good question” she said – “it isn’t something I, given any thought to – I am certainly going to finish this term.”
Papin was born in West Africa raised in Aldershot and attended Aldershot High school and earned a degree at the University of Guelph that had majors in English and sociology. “I gave some thought to becoming a teacher but life took me in another direction.”
Related articles
First in the series
Second in the series
 By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Close to the first thing city council did when they returned from a three month vacation away from city business was to go into a closed session to talk about the property the city owned and how it could be leveraged to get something going in the downtown core in terms of development that wasn’t just condominiums and retail operations that lasted a year and went bust.
Before the meeting went into closed session Councillors Taylor (ward 3) AND Mead Ward (ward 2) complained about getting a document several hours before the discussion was to take place.
 Councillor Taylor wants to see reports in his hands several days before he is asked to discuss the contents, His beef was over getting document just a few hours before he was to make comments. Taylor started out with a Point of Order he wanted to make and then asked why the policy that was agreed upon in 2014 to get material to council members on the Friday of the week before meetings take place allowing time to read the material and think it through.
“I don’t know what is expected of us” said Taylor, “there hasn’t been any time to read the material. Are we just going to receive and file it?”
Taylor went on to say that “knowledge is power and it looks to me as if you are going to go ahead and do what you want without any input from Council.
 General Manager Scott Stewart was away on vacation which meant a report to be discussed wasn’t available in its final form until he returned to the city. General manager Scott Stewart responded by saying the report was meant to bring council members up to date on the thinking that was being done and to give a sense of where staff was going. “If we are offside” he said, “this was the time to let us know”.
Staff may have been offside and council may have let them know – but the public will never know – the session in which all this revealing was taking place was closed so the public.
City manager James Ridge explained that the documents they were seeing today was one of three pieces of information.
Council was getting a look at what staff felt could be done with property the city owned in the downtown core – parking lots for the most part.
Ridge went on to say that with staff thinking in front of council they could then talk about how all this would relate to the “core commitment” – an issue that has been kicked around for more than a decade with no results that are visible.
 Something along these lines was planned for Burlington’s downtown core – but McMaster stiffed the city when a nicer deal came along. The last great hope for the downtown core was when McMaster University got serious about locating a campus on the Elizabeth Street parking lot – McMaster had a change of heart, helped by a great deal on a piece of property and decided that the South Service Road was a pretty good location.
Ridge went on to explain that with the basic information clearly understood and agreed upon staff could begin doing some “growth modelling” that would get attached to the Strategic Plan which would in turn inform the Official Plan that is slowly working its way through a required revision.
While the process was clear enough Councillor Meed Ward wanted a little more information on why the documents in front of her were not available when they were supposed to be available.
Scott Stewart fessed up and explained that he had been on vacation and staff wasn’t able to get as much done without his presence. Stewart did add that changes were being made to the report as late as Sunday night.
All well and good – but the public still doesn’t know what the debate was about.
The web cast did not catch all the council member remarks – there was a comment from Councillor Sharman – he appreciated “you’re bringing this to us now”.
At some point the public might get to know what it was they talked about.
By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
City Manager James Ridge put it pretty clearly to council members when, after more than an hour of debate, he said they had to decide how the city wanted to treat coyotes.
Do you want them lopping along the streets of the city or do you want us to remove the animals from our urban spaces, he asked?
The sense from Council was that no one minded the animals on the streets just as long as they don’t hurt us – and that was the issue – there appear to be coyotes out there that do want to hurt us.
The worst concentration of coyotes appears to be in the east end of the city but they are spreading around and are now found in all the wards. In the rural part of the city Councillor John Taylor said “we have our own way of handling the coyotes” which appeared to be acceptable.
 There isn’t going to be a coyote kill like this in Burlington – unless someone is attached by one of the animals – there is considerable debate over whether or not coyotes actually attach people. What wasn’t acceptable is shooting the animals, Councillor Craven kept calling them critters. And it isn’t acceptable to bludgeon them to death either, which appears to be what happened to one of the pups belonging to a bitch coyote in the east end.
Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster told of an evening driving home and there was a coyote in the middle of the road – she slowed down, drove past the animal and moved on then came upon a resident walking a small dog and suggested he might want to carry the dog.
The male resident said he wasn’t worried – he would just shush the coyote away.
Two Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry staffers delegated and told council that there were no known incidents of coyotes attacking people. The Mayor Googled and came up with specific incidents in Ontario where people were apparently attached by a coyote.
The issues seems to be – what does a community do when a wild animal changes its behaviour and decides it will not co-exist with humans and attacks them instead.
The draft bylaw that was in front of the Standing Committee didn’t seem to provide an answer to that question and so it was deferred to the next cycle of Standing Committee meetings.
 A coyote that has apparently gone rogue in the east end of the city lost at least one of her pups to a public that wants that specific coyote out of the community Councillor Paul Sharman has what he called a rogue coyote in his ward that had chased a young boy on his bike and another situation where a coyote had circled someone driving a jeep.
Council was meeting to debate a proposed by law that none of the members of council had seen more than a half day before council met.
The end result was to defer the debate on the bylaw – which was going to make it illegal to feed animals or fowl on public property.
What people did on their own property wasn’t something council could do anything about – which didn’t do much for the two woman, Kelly Rosbrook and Jennier Glenn of ward 2 – they had a local resident feeding the coyotes, the pigeons, the geese and apparently anything else that was hungry. They showed a video of vermin scooting through their back yards.
 The trumpeter swans can be fed on public property – but only by people with a license to band them for scientific purposes – there are only eight people who can do that in Burlington. The draft by law was to prevent people from feeding wild life on public property – there is to be an exception – the people wanting to restore the Trumpeter Swans were going to get an exemption – however it was to be limited to just the eight people who have a license to band and record data on the swans.
Councillor Craven had concerns over the number of people he believes are feeding the swans. He commented that anyone feeding swans in LaSalle park had better have their banding license with them.
There is more to this story. Stay tuned.
Female coyotes are properly described as bitches
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