ECoB - a group of people who want to create an umbrella organization that will support the numerous community groups in the city that don't feel they are being heard at city hall.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

December 13th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It is an important meeting, being held on Wednesday at the Baptist Church on New Street. Starts at 7:00 PM

It will be the second ECoB meeting, first was a founding meeting at which they decided to incorporate and create a board and raised $5000.

ECOB logoECoB stands for Engaged Citizens of Burlington; they argue that the citizens are not really engaged with the council they elected and that staff really doesn’t engage – they aren’t for the most part, especially at the senior level, even citizens of the city.

Director of Transportation – Hamilton
City Clerk – Hamilton
Director of Finance – Milton
City Solicitor – outside of Burlington.
Director of Parks and Recreation – Oakville.
We are not sure any of the Director’s actually live in Burlington.
The city manager does live in Burlington – Aldershot actually.

The city seldom loses a chance to tout just how engaged they are and point to engagement as one of the four pillars that support the Strategic Plan.

Sprinkled throughout the city are groups that are differing with their city over the kind of development that is taking place in their communities. Several examples:

Plains Road group protesting the height and set back of a building beside the Solid Gold adult entertainment establishment.

Roseland Community Association

Shoreacres community group

Bluewater community group

Plan B

Bfast

Alton Village group protesting an ADI development in that community as well as serious traffic control problems.

Jim Young

Jim Young will MC the Wednesday evening meeting at the Baptist Church on New Street.

ECob would like every group in the city to show up and show support and then involve themselves in ways to make the city council they elected more accountable. “It isn’t enough to tell us that we get the opportunity to vote every four years and leave it at that” said Jim Young at a delegation he made some time ago.

The rush to push through a new Official Plan bothered many.  That rush has been slowed down with a much longer timeline announced earlier this week.  Anyone who doesn’t realize that public push-back brought this about doesn’t understand what politics is all about.

The matter of the Mobility Hubs is another issue for many.  During the Mayor’s First Live Facebook event he had difficulty explaining to a caller just what a mobility hub is.

ECoB wants to be a city wide umbrella organization that would become a place where community organizations could gather and work together on common issues.  Their objective is not to fight city hall but instead to work with the city collaboratively and be at the table where their money is being spent.

The common issue was a dissatisfaction with the way city council meets with and responds to the public.

The ECoB group that met in November also created sub-committee that was going to file an appeal against the city decision to permit the construction of a 23 storey tower on Brant Street across from city hall.

With what was seen as a very healthy start ECoB slipped into some organizational struggles trying to work with the founder who was in Fort Myers, Florida on winter vacation – a snow bird, and was going to be there at least until January. It wasn’t working and resignations were being tendered.

To their credit the people doing all the grunt work in the trenches managed to keep it together and have put set out a solid agenda for the Wednesday meeting.

Jim Young, who was one of the original co-chairs, will serve as MC for the Wednesday meeting.

Kearns + Josie

Lisa Kearns, standing, impressed many at the founding ECoB meeting. Seated are two people who were heavily involved in the drive to keep Central high school open.

Fleshing out the ECoB board is Lisa Kearns who impressed a number of people when she delegated at a city council meeting.

Kearns was born in Hamilton, attended university in London, Ontario then lived in Mississauga  and has been a Burlington resident for the past six years. Her career experience includes two decades of corporate management, government relations and strategic procurement experience across the manufacturing, advertising and health care sectors.

Her undergraduate degree was an Honours in Political Science from University of Western Ontario with a focus on Electoral Reform and Public Policy.

She has been a key principal in successful Provincial and Municipal campaigns.

She was the first Patron Sponsor for the Good Shepherd Charity advocating for advances in mental health support. She can be found volunteering at the local farmers market.

Dania Thurman H&S Vg

Dania Thurman, the woman that will direct the social media for ECoB.

Working with Kearns is Dania Thurman, one of the team that did the social media work that helped keep Central high school open despite a recommendation from Board Staff that the school be closed. Thurman is very active at Tom Thomson elementary school where she is one of a group that organized the pre-school breakfast program.

Penny Hersh, another Director, brings years of experience at the Seniors’ Centre and is very involved with the Burlington Seniors Community that was created when city hall basically booted the seniors that were running a large part of the program at the city owned Centre.

Burlington has a couple of dozen small community organizations that have formed when they had issues with city hall. Most tended to be local and didn’t draw much attention.

The decision to permit the construction of the first high rise on Brant Street seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

421 Brant

The development that struck a chord with people who didn’t like the way height was going to be located in their city.

The 421 Brant development is a very short walk from the Bridgewater project that is going to have a condominium soaring 22 storeys into the sky and sits on the edge of the lake. It didn’t seem to create the anger that 421 Brant has – a number of people reacted to the suggestion that a city wide group be formed – and ECoB was born

Far too early to tell if it will develop any traction – there are several accomplished people working on this one.

Worth keeping an eye on.

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$68.6 million to be spent on Capital projects - for a city that keeps talking about improving transit - a lot is being spent on roads.

Budget 2018 ICONBy Staff

December 12, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

During the final city council meeting of 2017 Monday evening, the significant seven approved a Capital Budget spend of $68.6 million without as much as a word from any Councillor and no one delegating.

The ten year capital spending forecast is for $688 million.

The tax increase for 2018 is expected to be in the 4% range.

Seventy nine per cent of the 10-year capital budget will be invested in renewing Burlington’s aging infrastructure in accordance with the city’s Asset Management Plan.

A breakdown of spending for the 2018 capital budget of $68.6 million includes:

• $32 million, the largest component, for roadways
• $11.5 million for facilities and buildings
• $8.1 million for parks and open spaces
• $7.1 million in storm water management
• $6.1 million towards fleet vehicles and equipment
• $1.8 million for information technology
• $1.4 million for local boards (Burlington Public Library, Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington Museums)
• $630,000 in parking.

Capital budget 2018

This is where the Capital spending is going to go – $68.6 million in 2018

City Council meetings are usually quite short – this one lasted 40 minutes. There have been council meetings as short as 20 minutes. The Mayor likes to move things briskly.

The electronic voting system the city used didn’t function – again. The Halton District School Board has a system that works exceptionally well.

During the discussion before the voting on different items there was mention of cycle tracks on New Street that were going to come in at $5 million.

The item is in the 2019 capital budget just as a place holder (it had to be put in somewhere was the comment heard off camera) – no date on when such a spend would take place. The decision to get rid of the road diet New Street was put on does not seem to have had any impact on how New Street is going to work going forward.

The buzz word was “active transportation for city roads.”

Council received and filed an update on the work being done on the Waterfront Hotel development plans. Councillor Meed Ward commented that this was a work in process and that there was still a lot to be done.

Councillor Craven added that he was pleased to see the high level of community input and added that is it “fair and appropriate to point out that this the property is privately owned.”

Traditionally this council has been much more robust in the way they wished their constituents all the very best for the holiday season and spoke glowingly on how much they had gotten done during the year and how well they had done their jobs – none of that grandstanding Monday night.

This is a somewhat subdued city council. As usual the tough questions came from Councillor Meed Ward.

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Riding a bike while breaking into cars on Walkers Line - the bike had been stolen earlier.

Crime 100By Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

On December 10th 2017 at approximately 3:10 PM, several citizens notified police about a man who was observed breaking into cars at a townhouse complex at 2239 Walkers Line in Burlington.

Police quickly located the man riding a bike along Cleaver Avenue. He was arrested and found to be in possession of 8 grams of marihuana, along with property stolen from cars which included iHome speakers, cigarettes, hat and a pair of shoes. Police conducted further investigation into the bike the man was riding which turned out to have been freshly stolen from a shed at a residence on Heidi Crescent.

The man, identified as Charles Russell MCBEATH (18 yrs) of Burlington was released on bail and will appear in Milton Court on January 17th 2018 charged with the following offences:

• Theft under $5000
• Break, enter & theft
• Possession of a controlled substance (marihuana)
• Fail to comply with undertaking

Detective Sergeant Ron Hansen commented that “we (police) are appreciative of help from the public who are seeing suspicious activity happen and calling us right away”

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable Mark Urie of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2338. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).

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City adds several months to the time line for approving a new Official Plan.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

The Planning department had initially planned on having the draft version of the new Official Plan ready for a city council vote at the end of December.  Stakeholders and citizens objected vigorously to the timeline.  The following revision was released today.

The following memo, prepared by the city, provides an update on the Proposed New Official Plan – Process. It was prepared for inclusion in the Council Information Package dated December 8, 2017.

growbold-847x254The memo outlines the next steps of the new Official Plan (OP) project, following the statutory public meeting held as part of the Planning and Development (P&D) Committee meeting held on November 30, 2017.

This was the meeting where the live broadcast of the Standing Committee didn’t make it to the network; technical glitch was the explanation given.

On November 30, staff reports PB-50-17 (Proposed New Official Plan) and PB-81-17 (Downtown Precinct Plan) were reviewed by the P&D Committee. Public delegations were considered during the afternoon and evening sessions of the meeting. A subsequent meeting was held during the afternoon of December 1, providing members of Council the opportunity to ask questions of staff, which focused on the downtown. The meeting agenda and webcast is available on the city’s website here and the minutes are available here.

An outcome of the meeting was the following recommendation:

First – • Refer planning and building department report PB-50-17 regarding proposed new official plan (November 2017) to the Director of Planning and Building; and

Second – • Direct the Director of Planning and Building to consider the feedback received through the statutory public meeting process related to the proposed new official plan (version November, 2017), and to make appropriate revisions prior to bringing forward the recommended proposed revised new official plan for Council adoption; and

Third – • Direct the Director of Planning and Building to advise Council at the earliest opportunity of the nature and scope of recommended revisions, including timelines for delivering the revised new official plan.

Next Steps:
The memo provides a follow up to the third recommendation above and outlines process timelines below:

Staff report PB-50-17 , which was previously considered at the November 30 P&D Committee, will be placed again on future P&D Committee agendas to accommodate questions of staff, enable further discussion on the proposed new OP and obtain any further Council motions to amend the new OP. The statutory public portion of the meeting will remain closed and no delegations will be heard in relation to PB-50-17, however members of the public are welcome to attend and the meeting will be webcast.

These upcoming meetings will focus on various topic areas of the new OP, as detailed below:

• January 8, 2018, 1:00 pm: Rural, Agriculture, Natural Heritage and Mineral Aggregates;
• January 16, 2018, 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm: Employment Conversions; and
• February 6, 2018, 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm: Growth Management and any remaining topics areas with the exception of the downtown. The motion recommending that Council receive and file staff report PB-50-17 will be put forward at this meeting.

Grow bold - front door

The planning team overseeing the Grow Bold initiative were set up in office outside city hall. They had their own offices on Locust Street

An information report related to the downtown will be presented at the January 23, 2018 Planning and Development Committee Meeting. This report will contain additional information requested by Council (e.g. background information regarding the Urban Growth Centre boundary; proposed heights as compared to the existing in-effect Official Plan; and key redevelopment sites). Also, this meeting will provide Council the opportunity to direct staff to revise the proposed new OP.

A second statutory public meeting on any revisions to the proposed new OP will be scheduled for February, 27 2018.

A meeting to recommend adoption of the new proposed Official Plan will be scheduled for a committee meeting during the first week of April, 2018.

This revised schedule gives the public and the stakeholders the time they have been calling for the city to provide.

The completion of the new Official Plan process will stay in the hands of Mary Lou Tanner who has been made the Deputy City Manager.

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Regional police crackdown catches three from Burlington - charged with impaired driving.

Crime 100By Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

On Saturday, December 9, 2017, after 3:30am, witnesses reported a suspected impaired driver in the area of Woodland Avenue and Victoria Avenue in the city of Burlington. Adam Smith (35) of Burlington was charged with care or control while impaired and care or control over 80mgs.

On Sunday, December 10, 2017, after 12:00am, witnesses reported a suspected impaired driver in the area of the Aldershot GO Station in Burlington. Jennifer Doucet (38) of Hamilton was charged with driving over 80mgs.

On Sunday, December 10, 2017, before 11:00pm, a traffic stop was initiated near Upper Middle Road and Guelph Line in Burlington. As a result of an investigation, Joseph Morris (45) of Burlington was charged with driving over 80mgs.

HRPS crestThe Halton Regional Police Service remains committed to road safety through prevention, education and enforcement initiatives.

Members of the public are reminded that driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is a crime in progress and to call 9-1-1 immediately to report a suspected impaired driver.

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150 Burlingtonians celebrated as the sesquicentennial comes to a close.

News 100 blueBy Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

We are coming to the close of Canada’s sesquicentennial – our 150th anniversary as a country,
Both the federal, provincial and municipal governments’ have poured a tonne of money into this celebration.
When the Gazette’s political columnist Ray Rivers was touring a Canadian Armed Forces training base in Ukraine he was able to hand out Canada 150 pins to the troops serving in Ukraine.

Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon announced last week the names of the Burlington150 Award recipients at a special reception held at Crossroads Centre in Burlington.

McMahon said the 150 residents “embody the qualities and values that make our province great and who have dedicated their time and talent towards community service in Burlington.

The recipients contribute to:

• Celebrating diversity/inclusion
• Building community/capacity
• Protecting the heritage of Burlington
• Protecting the environment
• Promoting a healthy community

In July 2017, residents of Burlington were asked to nominate suitable candidates through an application process organized by MPP McMahon’s Constituency Office.

Photographs of some of the recipients are shown below.
Awarded were:
Woman
Sue Aiken
Michelle Bennett

Michelle Bennett, who has her own political capital, has called upon MP Mile Wallace and MPP Jane McKenna to use theirs to drive up the Burlington numbers in the Jamieson $100,000 contest. Do the two politicians who represent the city even know about the event? The House of Commons is on its latest Torty version of the NDP Ray Days

Michelle Bennett an advocate for community gardens.

Cheryl De Lught H&S

Cheryl De Lugt

Dorothy Borovich
Rishia Burke
Lana Biro
Susan Busby
Karen Candy
Charlene Cheng
Angie Crichton
Cheryl De Lugt
Kristin Demeny
Mary Dilly
Amy D’Souza
Jody Dugas
Erin Dunham
Elaine Evenson
Tanya Ferro
Jasmina Garbus
Stephanie Geosits
Judy Goodings
Shirley Heathfield
Janine Hersey
Becky Hewis
Frances Hillier
Beverley Jacobs
Paulene Jodry
Candice Keem
Lisette Kingo
Marina Lloyd
Jean Longfield
Lisa Lunski
Heather MacLeod
Diane Miller
Colleen Mulholland

Colleen Mulholland was apparently the force behind the decision to publish a Vital Signs report that some in the social services community thought was a little "spotty" and on the weak side.

Colleen Mulholland

Mary Nichol
Sandy O’Reilly
Gwen Piller
Dorothy Pocock
Connie Price
Sara Rams
Fareen Samji
Chloe Schleichkorn
Amy Schnurr
Peggi Shepherd DeGroote
Janice Skafel
Sheila Slattery-Ford
Joanna Sparrow
Hanadi Subhi Almasri
Bonnie Sylvia
Patricia Vollick
Carole Ward

Carole Ward, Burlington 20111 xxx of the Year has been a community activist for as long as most people can remember.

Carole Ward on the left.

Jessica Wesolowski
Pam West
Darlene Wierski-Devoe

Men
Don Allan
Andy Barber
Rob Bennett
Angelo Bentivegna

wevb

Angelo Bentivegna

Kale Black
Rev. Bill Bond
Rick Burgess
Colin Campbell
John Chisholm
Stephen Clarke
Casey Cosgrove
John Creary
John Doyle
Ron Foxcroft
Gil Garbus
David Goodings
Brian Hansell
Alan Harrington
Dr. James Henry
Fergie Holland
Bill Hughes
Cam Jackson

Cam Jackson: Election night 2010

Cam Jackson

RAINER NOACK

Rainer Noack

David Johnson
Ron Kirk
Craig Kowalchuk
Doug Leggat
Bryce Leggatt
Marcus Logan
Matthew MacPherson
Ken Maitland
Ted Michaels
James Morrison
Walter Mulkewich
Rainer Noack
Fred Norman
Angelo Paletta
Dr. Bob Peeling
Bob Pring
Bill Reid

Karmel Sakran

Karmel Sakran, chair of Halton Learning Foundation

Karmel Sakran
John Searles
Don Smith
Jonathan Smith
Murray Sutherland
Jim Sweetlove
John Thorpe
Dave Tourchin
Jack Van der Laan
Peter John Van Dyk
Mike Vencel
Scott Wallace
George Wright
Dan Wynnyk

Four boys Griffen

Griffin Gervais second from the left.

LBP George Ward + Rory Nisen

Rory Nisan on the left.

Youth
Janna Abdelaziz
Sara Ahmed
Aiman Akmal
Madeleine Barbeau
Sarah Bennett
Kennedy Boyd
Charlotte Brooks
Sean Clarke
Hannah Doherty
Autumn Finley
Victoria Finley
Jerry Gao
Griffin Gervais
Grace Hellam
Luke Hellam
Emma Jackson
Riya Karumanchi
Megan Lee
Jacob Lightfoot
Tianmi Liu
Aidan MacMillan
Carina McDonald
Thomas McDonald
Brianna Moore
Rory Nisan
Shawn Patrick
Sean Reynolds
Pranetr Ranjit
Kate Smith
Keri-Lynn and Maddie Smith
Phoenix Smith
Ayden Soares
Aleksandra Sorbovski
Jessica Sumner
Abbey Syer
Luis Tavares
Noor Toeama
Gershon Tsirulnikov
David Vandenberg
Olivia Walker-Edwards
Emma Ward
Taylor Ward
Connor Withers
Grace Aleta Workman-Porecki

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Resident beleives it is up to the developer to decide if they want to comply with the city position or take the differences to the OMB.

opinionandcommentBy Jeremy Skinner

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Where is the 421-431 Brant Street development application going?

If anyone has any concerns as to the City of Burlington’s decision with regards to the 421-431 Brandt St. application, then I suggest that they read the City of Burlington Planning Department’s Recommendation Report PB-62-17 which was accepted by City Council decision on November 13th.

The document in its entirety (all 71 pages) is at

Scroll down to Recommendation report and click on the report.  The Recommendation report is close to the bottom – they don’t make it easy to find.

Upon reading the Recommendation Report, it is my opinion that the applicant (421 Brandt Street Inc.) and City Planning were unable to agree upon what the permitted height for the proposed building should be. I can only surmise that the developer threatened to seek an appeal to the OMB to obtain what could not be negotiated from City Planning Staff. A building height of twenty-seven storeys.

I base my opinion on the words “recommending modified approval” which are found in the Recommendation Report’s Subject line and two statements contained within the report found in the Section entitled “Purpose” documenting the different points of view. They are:

1. “The applicants are proposing to amend the Official Plan (Downtown Core designation) and Zoning By-law (DC zone) to permit the proposed 27-storey mixed use building with a floor area ratio of 10.29: 1.” and

2. “Notwithstanding, planning staff have recommended a “modified approval” which would permit a mixed use building with a height up to 23 storeys, subject to significant design and public realm improvements.”

While the developer has documented their agreement to comply with many City and Region comments made during the application process by submitting a revised application last August, the requested building height remained unchanged at 27 storeys.

421 Brant

Skinner believes the developer has an important decision to make.

In addition, the cover letter for the revised submission written by Mr. Mark G. Bales of 421 Brandt Street Inc. dated 03 August to Ms. Mary Lou Tanner Director of Planning & Building includes the following Conclusion statement: “Further to the comments received, the analysis completed by our consultant team and our comments above, we are requesting that you consider the resubmission materials and move the project forward to City Council for approval immediately.”

It is my opinion that the consequence of City Council’s approval on the 13th of November of the City Planning recommendations implies that the developer must decide between:

1. Complying with City Council’s approval of City Planning recommendation of “a mixed use building with a height up to 23 storeys, subject to significant design and public realm improvements.”

The City is not known to amend the Official Plan (Downtown Core designation) and Zoning By-law (DC zone) to permit development of the site until such time when it receives the developer’s agreement to comply.

Other parties, such as a Resident’s Association, can not seek an appeal to the OMB against the City and/or the developer until the City amends the Zoning By-law.

Should any of these other parties seek an appeal against the City and the developer, they would have to: prove that they made a delegation at the Statutory Meeting held on the first of November; assume the costs of obtaining suitable representation at the OMB; and make the case to the OMB that the City and/or the Developer made significant errors in interpreting Provincial, Regional and/or Municipal Policies, Principles and Guidelines.

The risk in seeking an appeal is that the OMB is an independent tribunal with the authority to approve, change, or reuse planning applications. As such all parties run the risk that the developer will take advantage of the appeal to make the case for the original development application requirements, including the 27 storey building height.

421 Brant 12 and 23

Graphic profile of the proposed development on Brant Street – 12 storeys and 23 storey’s.

The OMB may or may not ultimately side with the party seeking appeal in whole, or in part, based upon the strength of the arguments presented by all the parties for and against the appeal.

2. Appealing City Council’s approval of City Planning’s recommendations to the OMB in the hopes that the OMB will direct the City to “amend the Official Plan (Downtown Core designation) and Zoning By-law (DC zone) to permit the proposed 27-storey mixed use building with a floor area ratio of 10.29: 1.”

The costs to the developer in doing so include the costs of obtaining suitable representation at the OMB and the costs associated with delaying development of the property for between 6 and 12 months pending the OMB decision after multiple hearings.

The risk to the City is that the OMB is an independent tribunal with the authority to approve, change, or refuse planning applications. In other words, OMB decisions take the place of decisions made by Council.

The risk to the developer is that other parties, such as a Resident’s Association who made a delegation at the Statutory meeting held on the first of November, could make the case to promote more restrictive terms than those which were recommended by City Planning, such as to limit the building height to twelve stories, etc.

The OMB may or may not ultimately side with the developer in whole or in part of the appeal based upon the strength of the arguments presented by all the parties for and against the appeal.

It is my opinion that the decision rests with the developer as to where the 421-431 Brandt St. development application is going. Until the developer decides, no one else can and the development remains stalled.

Editor’s note:  ECoB – Engaged Citizens of Burlington have called a public meeting for December 13th at the Baptist Church on New Street to discuss an appeal to the OMB of the city council decision to approve the the 421 Brant Street development.

Related content:

Staff recommendation.

Skinner JeremyJeremy Skinner is a Burlington resident who is a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of the Gazette.

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Burlinton male - 20 years of age - arrested and charged with seven counts of theft under $5000.

Crime 100By Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Earlier in the month, Friday December 1st 2017, between 2:30 AM and 4:30 AM, numerous unlocked vehicles were entered and property stolen on Maryvale Court in Burlington.

Property stolen included loose change, GPS devices, debit/credit cards, sunglasses, headphones, CD’s and cigarettes.

police in cruiserOfficers from the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau identified Wayne Erik MILLAR (20 yrs) of Burlington as the person responsible.

MILLAR was arrested on December 10th and held for bail charged with seven counts of theft under $5000.00.

Detective Sergeant Ron Hansen commented that “these types of occurrences are preventable if citizens would take appropriate steps to secure their belongings and lock their car doors”

Police are reminding the public of the following prevention tips:

• Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are kept locked/secure
• Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle
• Park in a well-lit and attended areas whenever possible
• Never leave spare keys in your vehicle
• If you have to leave valuables in your vehicle, lock them in your trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages or purses in plain view or on the seat.
• Remove garage door openers, GPS navigation and cell phone devices & power cords from view when not in your vehicle
• Consider installing CCTV / Surveillance cameras which can capture the crime and aid in suspect identification
• ensure their homes and garages are locked when absent from the home or turning in for the night.

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable Mark Urie of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2338. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).

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Bateman high school parents will have their 1000 signature petition read in the Legislature today.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Whitby-Oshawa MPP Lorne Coe (PC) will read a petition signed by more than 1000 Burlington community members into the record of the Ontario Legislature calling for the Liberal government to reverse the closure decisions for all schools where those decisions were made after September 1, 2016.

Bateman - crowd scene with Bull

Bateman parents and students make their views known.

In a media release a Bateman high school parent group said: “In June of this year, Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced a province-wide Moratorium on school closures, stating that the Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) process used to close schools was flawed and should be overhauled.

“Following this PAR process, the Halton District School Board voted to close Burlington’s Robert Bateman and Lester B. Pearson High Schools (June 7th) just 22 days before Hunter’s announcement. Parents from both schools have argued that a decision made under this flawed process must be overturned.

“Save Bateman Committee member Jennifer Beleck spearheaded the collection of petition signatures as part of a provincial movement led by the Ontario Alliance Against School Closures.

Bateman - crowd scene

Showing the school colours as part of a protest against the Board of Education to close a high school that meets the needs of disadvantaged students.

Beleck says that in the conversations that she has had with parents, retirees, business owners and others from across Burlington while gathering the names, the overall response has been one of frustration. “Everyone I spoke with said how angry they are with the large number of schools which have been slated for closure under the Liberal government” said Beleck. Records suggest that over 500 schools have been closed under the Liberals prior to them announcing the moratorium.

A similar petition from the group working to stop the closure of Burlington’s Lester B. Pearson High School was read at Queen’s Park on October 25, 2017.

With the over 1000 signatures, the Save Bateman petition is one of the largest to be read on school closures to date.

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Engaged citizens of Burlington survived a tumultous series of weekend meetings and will hold its first public meeting on Wednesday.

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It was a hectic week for the newly formed Engaged Citizens of Burlington – ECoB.

They struggled to work with a co-chair that was not in the country and, based on what has been passed along to the Gazette, she was difficult to work with. During what is reported to have been a difficult conference call the “group was blown up by its leader”. People were resigning left and right.

ECOB logoThe phrase “disrespectful” crept into the conversations the Gazette had with a number of people involved in the development of what is intended to grow into an umbrella organization for community groups that want to see a better relationship between city hall and the tax payers.

The small group of people who have been behind ECoB managed to get themselves incorporated, raised $5000 to cover some of their early expenses and put together a sub-committee that was preparing an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) against the city council 5-2 vote to approve the construction of a 23 story tower opposite city hall.

Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor voted against the staff recommendation.

Meed Ward with Mayor Goldring: she is more comfortable with herself as a speaker.

Councillor Marianne Meed Ward with the Mayor. Both voted against the motion to approve a 23 storey tower opposite city hall. They are expected to run against each other in the October 2018 municipal election.

ECoB scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday of this week (the 13th) at the Baptist church on New Street where they hope to hear from as many groups as possible on how they can look for a better way to work with city hall.

The group wants to be at the table and involved in the development of community plans rather than just standing at the podium in the Council Chamber, speaking for their allotted ten minutes and then being dismissed with no follow up questions.

Last Thursday the EcoB people took their appeal to city hall only to learn that they couldn’t file the document because there was nothing to appeal. The city council vote was just part of the process – there are additional documents to be created, including the creation of a Section 37 agreement which sets out what the city is to be given in return for the additional height and density before there is something to appeal.

At this point the ECoB people have a commitment from city hall that they will be advised when the file is complete – at which point they will file their appeal.

421 BrantECoB was not prepared to reveal any of the appeal points other than to say that they believe city council exceeded their authority and that the Official Plan limit for the property is 12 storeys – not the 23 that council approved.

A significant number of people in the city continually ask why an Official Plan is consistently over-ridden by city council.

In an item that was published earlier this week Tom Muir, a consistent city hall delegator, spoke of a conversation with city manager James Ridge in which Ridge is reported to have explained to Muir that development agreements are negotiated with developers. Muir said Ridge told him: “That is good planning”. Which is the rub for many who are opposed to a city that will find its main street not much more than a row of high rise towers.

In a media release put out on Sunday the ECoB people said: “We live in an ever changing world. Our core team remains committed to work towards building a better Burlington for generations to come. We hope to accomplish this goal of building awareness through our online and community presence.

“YES, The meeting is taking place on Wednesday, December 13th from 7-9 pm at Burlington Baptist Church, 2225 New Street (next to Dodsworth & Brown). The entrance to the church is off the Dodsworth & Brown parking lot.

“Discussion will include the grounds for our appeal to the Official Plan and steps moving forward. We encourage all Community Groups to attend and help grow the organization.”

ECoB has created a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ECOBurlington

Related news stories:

Citizens group created.

City manager tells resident that negotiated development plans are good planning.

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Demographics, tax and land use policies are the keys to shaping the future of housing and urban development.

Rivers 100x100By Ray Rivers

December 11th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

This is one of a several part series on affordable housing

Over the 20th century the world’s population grew by 400 percent despite two world wars which killed off tens of millions of young people of child rearing age. Canada ranks 2nd in the planet by land mass but only 38th by population. Still we have multiplied from seven million in the early 1900’s to five times that number today.

Statistics Canada is projecting that we’ll be fifty or sixty million by the middle of the century. The post-war baby boom and the baby boom echo have been a big part of our growth. But that has now concluded as Canada, like other developed nations, has seen its natural birth rate plummet, for all but our indigenous communities.

Immigrant at Halifax

Immigrants who landed in Canada and came through Pier 21, which is now a museum. This country was built on the backs of these people – they are us?

We are a nation of immigrants, including our first nations whose numbers were devastated by smallpox and other imported diseases introduced by the European settlers. Over the last decade Canada had welcomed roughly 250,000 migrants a year. More recent immigration plans will bumped these numbers to the point where we’ll be taking in a million more people over the next three years. And of course there is ongoing pressure to admit more refugees.

So even if we don’t actually have more children to take our places there will still be increased demand for housing. And most of those immigrants will be moving to cities in southern Ontario, Alberta, BC or Quebec, where housing markets are already relatively tight pushing up the demand and therefore the price of housing. Still, demographics is only one factor in this equation when it come to housing demand and supply.

Land use and fiscal (tax and government spending) policies also play a role. After all for most people their home is their biggest investment, and yet capital gains on that investment is tax-exempt, making ownership very desirable. A second or third home can also be a good source of rental income, in addition to being an appreciable asset.

Not through this part of th Escarpment if you don't mind. Citizens want to make sure the province fully understands how iopposed they are to a raod through this part of our city.

Everything north of Dundas and the 407 is rural – no development except in the hamlets; Kilbride, Lowville. The housing growth will have to be south of the dividing line.

BC and Ontario recently introduced special taxes on non-resident owned property, a policy which has been credited with discouraging speculation and cooling down their steamy housing markets – at least for now. Some municipalities are considering additional taxes on vacant homes in order to encourage landlords to better utilize the existing housing stock. And then there is the impact of Air B&B, influencing house market dynamics – the conversion of long term to short term rental units adding new challenges to rental markets.

Developers and the real estate sector decry the constraints on land development, such as they see with the provincial Green Belt. Their biggest complaint is that this impacts there ability to convert cheap farm land into masses of single family homes, traditionally the most sought after type of housing, but also the least efficient. Why grow food when it so much more profitable to grow houses.

Mapleview Mall parking east side

Once some of the best farm land in the province. “…they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”

Burlington was once home to some of the best farm land in Ontario. Nothing epitomizes its unfortunate transition to today’s urban form more than Mapleview Mall – where maple trees are no more. Indeed this development gives real meaning to Joni Mitchell’s song ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ – they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. It symptomatic of the demise of low growth rustbelt cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Hamilton at one time or another.

Highly touted GO commuter service is of little use if your job is scattered among the scads of low density industrial sprawl areas throughout the GTA. Spending up to half of one’s working day just commuting is crazy! And then there is the cost of that transportation, a huge price to pay for living the old ‘50s California suburban dream.

So the provincial planning whiz kids dreamt up this ‘places to grow’ stuff which municipalities treat as license to continue sprawl under another name. And of course developers love it. Because they can now make even more money than before building higher density homes on that same old cheap farmland, and occasionally tearing down low rise apartments to reach for the sky.

And there is the matter of municipal zoning policy. Originally designed to protect Dick and Jane in their comfy split-level from the horrors of industrial pollution, zoning has become the true enemy of sustainable living, creating silos in our cities which can only be broached by the automobile.

One only has to look at the parking lot at Mapleview during the Christmas season to get the point or Costco anytime. Strip malls, big box stores and shopping plazas have replaced the local corner store for much of what we buy. And nobody walks to get there. More recently on-lines sales and home delivery, à la Amazon, are threatening to re-shape the future of the shopping mall as consumers literally take to heart that old jingle – ‘let your fingers do the walking’.

Hong Kong has been called the best city for commuters with extensive public transportation options and one of the lowest car ownership rates. 38% of commuters use bicycles or walk to work and shop. And extremely high urban density has made transit both economic and a convenient way of moving about the city. But then do we really want to live in a city where you sleep in a tower and travel to get to anywhere else thorough a canyon?

trudeau-makes-housing-announcement-in-toronto

Prime Minister Trudeau announces a $40 billion dollar federal-provincial partnership deal to match the need for more affordable housing.

Mr. Trudeau recently announced a $40 billion dollar federal-provincial partnership deal to match the need for more affordable housing with real substance. It was one of his promises in the last election. That will require provincial buy-in, something which would have been easier back when more provincial governments also wore the red party colours. Nevertheless it is an ambitious undertaking. And of course money alone will not solve the matter of housing affordability.

Demographics, tax and land use policies are the keys to shaping the future of housing and urban development period. Next week, in this column, we will explore options and entertain possible solutions as we put some meat onto these bones we’ve now laid bare.

Rivers hand to faceRay Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington in 1995.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.     Tweet @rayzrivers

 

Background links:

Population Growth –    StatsCan Projections –      Population of Canada

Birth Rate in Canada –      AIRBNB –      Hong Kong Housing

Bad Policies –      Market Bubble –      Housing Outlook

Liberal Housing Election Promise –      Housing Announcement

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High school parent group sends a Christmas wish list

News 100 redBy Staff

December 10th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

If you were a child sitting on the curb along Guelph Line or New Street when Santa visited you could have had you letter to Santa Claus listing the gifts you wanted. Canada Post employees were collecting the letters – that has to ensure delivery.

The parents at Lester B. Pearson and Robert Bateman high schools have asked the Gazette if we would deliver their Christmas wish to Margaret Wilson, the facilitator who was brought in by the Minister of Education to determine if the Board of Education followed the PAR process properly.

There were a number of parents at both schools who think the Board sort of blew it and they want to let Mrs. Wilson know what they are looking for either in their stocking or under their tree.

LBP Santa plea

Margaret Wilson is in the process of writing her report on whether or not the Halton District School Board followed the PAR process properly. Some parents are hoping Santa might influence her thinking.

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1,100 educational assistants are in place to support the work teachers do - for many students the EA's are pivotal to a quality education.

News 100 blueBy Staff

December 10th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

On Monday classrooms through Halton will celebrate and acknowledge the role educational assistants have on student success and well-being.

educational assistant

Teachers will teach and explain a subject – the educational assistant is on hand to help students practice what they have learned.

The Halton District School Board employs more than 1,100 permanent and supply educational assistants. Guided by the values set out in the Board’s Multi-Year Plan 2016-2020, educational assistants support students with evidence-based instructional strategies, resources and interventions differentiated to each individual student’s strengths and needs.

Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller explained that the “role of educational assistants is pivotal to the success of many of our students and we are grateful for their continuous support to our students, staff, parents and the system at large.”

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A celebration of food - made by the kids - shared with their parents.

eventsblue 100x100By Staff

December 8th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Terra Madre Day is Slow Food’s annual day to promote the diversity of food traditions!

Children age 7-10 are invited to join us for this free workshop to work on a United Nations Nutrition Badge.

UN badgeLearn about food safety, food planning, seasonal fruits and veggies. International students will share traditional vegetable dishes from their countries. Families are invited to join at the end of the workshop to celebrate their child’s success and try some of the international dishes.

For ages 7-10 years
Student Theatre Centre, 2131 Prospect Street
Sunday Dec 10, 1-4pm

Register for free

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It was a negotiated deal that Tom Muir thinks is the kind of thing that leads to municipal corruption.

background 100By Pepper Parr

December 8th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Tom Muir was leaving city hall recently, heading to the parking lot and crossed paths with city manager James Ridge.

A conversation ensued. Muir describes his conversation with Ridge as “cordial”

Muir making a point

Tom Muir making a point

Muir mentioned the verbal scuffle he had with Councillor Taylor over what Muir thought were points Taylor didn’t want to hear; that the city was using concepts that were not vetted and not approved on the 421 Brant project that was approved by the planning department and then passed by city council under the current Official Plan.

The city is in the process of writing a totally new Official Plan and was pushing very hard to get it done before the end of the year. The public began to push back even harder and the completion date for the new Official Plan, now in draft form is now uncertain.

City manager James Ridge

James Ridge at his first city council meeting.

Muir says that Ridge immediately disagreed and asserted that it was a “negotiation”. Carriage Gate, the developer, had the right to build a 12 storey structure on the property they had assembled.

It has been described as an ugly squat building that used every square foot available. No one liked the look of the building but it was what the developer was allowed to do.

The city apparently came back with the tall building guidelines that call for podiums that were set back nicely from the property line, rose to four storeys and then had a tall skinny building that rose an additional 19 storeys.

The revised proposal Carriage Gate took to the planning department was for 27 storeys – the planners recommended 23 and that was what council bought on a 5-2 vote with the Mayor and Meed Ward dissenting..
Ridge said, according to Muir, that this is what was “negotiated”.

Muir glancing

Tom Muir, a frequent delegator at city hall.

Muir said this was arbitrary and gave everyone around that table power they are not supposed to have if Official Plans and zoning bylaws that the public has bought into are to mean anything at all. Why have bylaws and height/density limits if the parties can just negotiate them away was Muir’s argument.

Muir said Ridge didn’t have a real answer, except he called that “good planning”, and added that he and Ridge talked about the economics, and the built form. They chose high and skinnier rather than shorter, squat, not the massing city wanted, and perhaps butt ugly, like the Sims building which Muir adds was his example not Ridge’s.

Muir’s view is this might be central to any OMB appeal case. Is it “good planning” to just ignore the determinative Official Plan and zoning bylaws and public opinion that gets expressed at required meetings that go way out of compliance and are rationalized as “negotiation”, when they appear to be no more than arbitrary decisions.

James Ridge - looking right

James Ridge Burlington city manager.

Muir said Ridge maintained that the existing Official Plan was designed to be “a negotiation” framework,
In my view, says Muir, this introduces arbitrary power to rules that are supposed to be complied with so that arbitrary is not in the cards to enable noncompliance. “That’s a door to corruption, like it or not.”

Muir makes an additional point.

What Carnicelli didn’t say in his delegation was that Carriage Gate began assembling property for this project ten years ago and that they at one point took a proposal to the Planning department that met the 12 storey limit many people want.

It was a pretty plain looking building that used every possible foot of the property – not much in the way of a street-scape – but it met the rules.

The developer and the Planning department worked together to come up with the structure that met the tall building guide lines that were new and the developer revised the proposal.
City council decided it was what the city needed and voted for it; with two exceptions, the Mayor and Councillor for the ward.

Now, as a citizen, ask yourself this; would you rather have an 11-storey mass (I believe this is the ugly that Mr. Ridge is referring to) or a 23-storey building, 19 storeys in a slender tower? Consider that the 11-storey building is at the property lines and the tall building is set back (wider sidewalks) and the bulk of the tall building is set back once you pass the podium.

Why are we beating up the developer?

The City has never seen anything like this!

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Forecasted winter weather means second zone 3 leaf collection to begin early.

News 100 greenBy Staff

December 8th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON
Due to the winter weather forecasted, the final scheduled loose-leaf pick-up is being started immediately. Residents in Zone 3 are asked to place their leaves by the curb as soon as possible as trucks will be picking up leaves beginning Dec. 7.

Trucks used for leaf collection are the same used for snowfighter operations (plowing, sanding, salting). If we receive significant snowfall, the leaf collection program will end and equipment will be changed over to allow for snowfighter operations.

2017-leaf-collection-map

2017 leaf collection map

Halton Region’s yard waste collection program has also been extended one week. Residents are asked to have bagged leaves curbside by 7 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 11.

Regional crews will pick up yard waste throughout the week.

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Should the Sound of Music Festival be given an additional day for ticketed events. Let then know what you think.

News 100 blueBy Staff

December 7th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Sound of Music Festival wants to add another day to their already existing paid event which is held the weekend before the festival, on Sunday, June 10, 2018 from 1 to 9 p.m. and would like to know if there is community support for the second event.

The short, one-question survey will be open until Dec. 14, 2017.

Sound of Music will get no sympathy from Alexandre Kubrak were she to be elected a Council member. She thinks the event should be looking for additional sponsors - she's not the only one with that thought.

Sound of Music wants to add an additional ticketed event day. City wants to know what you think.

The festival has had a paid event since 2015 to support performances on the Father’s Day weekend and help ensure a quality festival for years to come.

In 2017, a second event was added to help celebrate Canada 150 which was very well attended.

Sandra Maxwell, supervisor of Festivals and Events explains:

“The Sound of Music Festival organizers have approached the city to ask if they can host another paid ticket event as a way of financially supporting the four-day festival on Father’s Day weekend. We would like to know if there is community support and appetite for this sort of event and encourage all residents and people of surrounding area to provide their input into this short, one-question survey.”

Dave Miller, executive director of the Sound of Music Festival adds that “… the success of last year’s additional day on Sunday, June 11 in honour of Canada 150 and the growing popularity of the ticketed Kick-off Concert, we’re hoping to have the Kick-off event for Sound of Music Festival 2018 running for two days instead of one, making it a full weekend experience.

“Proceeds will support overall costs of the event including stages, security and great musical talent.”

The Sound of Music organization has not made any comment on how much they earned from the additional day nor what they did with the extra income. A bit more transparency would be appreciated.

LINK to the survey.

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Planner made deputy city manager - Mary Lou Tanner wins the search for a deputy - this will mean changes to the planning department

News 100 yellowBy Staff

December 7th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The City of Burlington announces that effective December 21, 2017; Mary Lou Tanner will assume the position of Deputy City Manager. Tanner was the successful candidate after a comprehensive internal competition.

Tanner is currently the Chief Planner and Director of the Department of City Building for the City of Burlington. Tanner has been with the city since November 2015 heading the department responsible for planning, building, by-law and culture.

mary-lou-tanner-city-hs

Mary Lou Tanner will assume the position of Deputy City Manager.

Tanner is a well-recognized and experienced leader in municipal planning and development and is a Past President of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and a graduate of the Planning School at Queen’s University.
The Deputy City Manager role is a new position at the City of Burlington which will report to City Manager James Ridge.

Key responsibilities of the Deputy City Manager include:

• Serve as the city’s representative for all Agencies, Boards and Commissions; acting in an advisory and liaison capacity for each organization and helping plan and coordinate major capital projects.

• Being responsible for the diversity and inclusivity portfolio; ensuring a strategy is developed, and implemented across the organization for all services and programs;

• Overseeing the Project Management Office, ensuring the priorities of this office are aligned with the Strategic Plan and corporate work plans and work with the Senior Leadership team to identify and establish priorities across the organization.

A transition plan including an acting Director of City Building will be announced in the near future; however in the meantime Tanner will continue to lead the work on the completion of the city’s new Official Plan.

James Ridge Day 1 - pic 2

James Ridge on his first council meeting as city manager.

Prior to city manager James Ridge being appointed Burlington had three General Managers. One was shown the door, another retired and a third Scott Stewart took a position as deputy city manager in Guelph. Stewart was a candidate for the city manager position.
Ridge has been running the city with his office being the report to point for all the Directors.

Sometime will be needed to think through just what this small level or re-organization is going to mean to the citizens of the city.

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Filing of an appeal against the city decision to approve the construction of a 23 storey tower opposite city hall is said to be imminent.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

December 6th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The first meeting of the ECoB Engaged Citizens of Burlington ended with a commitment to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Beard to set aside the decision made by city council on a 5-2 to approve a 23 storey structure across Brant from the city hall.

No word yet on the filing of the appeal “imminent” was the latest we had from the ECoB group who are working feverishly to get things in place for the next meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13th from 7-9 pm- at the Burlington Baptist Church- 2225 New Street- next to Dodsworth & Brown.

While the OMB appeal of the 421 Brant Street project was at the top of the task list – they were up against a ticking clock on this one – the bigger picture is to create an organization that can serve as an umbrella for the numerous community groups in the city that have concerns with the way city hall is handling the issues that are important to them.

There isn’t a complete list yet of just who those groups are. Shoreacres, Bluewater, Roseland, TEC and Plan B are among those that are expected to attend on the 13th.

The ECoB objective is to have an organization that can hold the current city council accountable and able to direct staff to deliver on what the residents want.

ECOB founding Nov 25 back of heads

ECOB founding meeting November 25th 2017

Few hesitate to express their concern over the make up of the current city council and their desire to see some changes on the makeup of the current city council in the next municipal; election to take place in October of 2018.

The current council was elected in 2010, re-elected in 2014 – most appear to be in the 2018 race. They Mayor has already held his first photo-op of his campaign.

ECoB expects to make extensive use of social media to get their message out to the public.

They have part of the team that did an astounding social media job for the Central high school parents who fought the recommendation to close their school leading the creation of social media, a web site and a Facebook page.

ECoB poster

Posters distributed by ECoB are about as direct as one can get.

The group urged citizens to turn out for the November 30th Standing Committee meeting that was thought by many to be one of the most important Standing Committee meeting at city hall this year.

The meeting was seen as a turning point and sharpen the difference between Councillor Meed Ward who is expected to run for the office of Mayor next October and the current Mayor Rick Goldring who has already declared that he will be running for a third term as Mayor.

The Mayor has stayed pretty close to the positions Meed Ward has taken and on a number of occasions joined her in a vote against a motion.

The tipping point for many was the November 13th council vote to approve a 23 storey tower opposite city hall.

A significant number of very vocal people believe city council is wrong and that the Planner is not in tune with the people who live in the downtown core.

Using the acronym ECoB – Engaged Citizens of Burlington, the group easily raised the first $5000 needed to launch the appeal at their inaugural meeting earlier in the month.

Lancaster as Dep Mayor Sept 28-15

Councillor Lancaster got to serve as the Acting Mayor for an evening. She kind of liked the chair and invited her Mother to join her for a photo-op. Will we see this on an election poster?

Blair Lancaster, Councillor for ward 6 who has supported the residents in her ward over one of the ADI developments that is now at the Ontario Municipal Board, said in her Newsletter that:
“During our most recent rounds of public consultation we heard many comments from residents. While they understand the need for growth they are concerned that:

• Burlington will turn into a big city with big tall buildings.
• Heard from specific residents who border on the growth areas
• Residents found the precinct plans difficult to analyze and understand the impacts.

“As a result of these comments, staff will be meeting with the residents in order to resolve some of their specific concerns and will be working on the communications for the concepts that will be easier to understand.

“Burlington residents should know that the process was visionary, thorough and involved thousands of stakeholders. Lancaster has asked for feedback which she will happily include it in the process for Council consideration.”

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Public school board replaces both its Chair and vice chair - Grebenc and Ehl Harris to lead in what will be a difficult year.

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

December 6th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

The old order changeth – a new Chair and vice chair of the Halton District School Board were elected this evening.

Miller in a huddle with Grebenc

Chair Andrea Grebenc talking over a concern with Director of Education Stuart Miller during a board meeting.

Andrea Grebenc, a Burlington trustees replaces Kelly Amos who has served the board for … and Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee, replaces Kim Graves, a Milton trustee as the vice chair.

Tracey Ehl Harrison

Vice chair Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee.

Ehl Harrison is a registered professional planner, a certified professional facilitator and a PhD candidate whose career has focused on environmental planning and education, communication and community engagement.

Grebenc is a lecturer and instructor at McMaster University, and an e-learning consultant and programmer.

She is a graduate of Lester B. Pearson high school which she voted to close in June of 2018.

Amos has served as a trustee for more than ten years

The all female Board of Education has gone through a very tough year. On a number of occasions it was evident that Chair Amos was having difficulty with the agenda.

The Board decision to accept the staff recommendation to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools was taken to the Ministry where a request was made for an Administrative Review of the process used by the Board.

The Administrative Review facilitator, Margaret Wilson is expected to have her report in the hands of the Ministry before the end of the year.

The Ministry will release the report at a later date.

The Ministry can direct the Board of Education to hold a second PAR – Program Administrative Review which would mean creating another PARC – Program Accommodation Review Committee. A PARC is made up of two parent representatives from each high school – one selected by the school board the other by the Parent Council of the school.

The Central high school parent council decision to have ward 2 city city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward represent the parents was a controversial choice. One wonders if the parents would make that choice again.

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