 By Pepper Parr
February 27th,, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Comment on just why the city has to keep the ICBL in place is set out below the city media release.
In a media release from city hall it was announced that
The City of Burlington continues its work to ensure land-use development is well managed as outlined in Council’s Vision to Focus 2018-2020 strategic workplan. The Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) Land Use Study, which froze development for one year in Downtown Burlington and at the Burlington GO station, is an important action to meet these goals.
On Jan. 30, 2020, Council approved the revised recommendations from the findings of the Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) Land Use Study, including the approval of the proposed Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendments resulting from the ICBL Land Use Study.
 The boundaries of the Urban Growth Centre with the different precincts highlighted in different colours. City staff presented the refined ICBL study report to Council for approval in advance of the initial one-year deadline. The official plan and zoning by-law recommendations are a result of extensive technical review by the City’s external consultants and planning staff, public input including written and oral submissions from the development industry, and Council deliberation.
Urban growth centre
The boundaries of the Urban Growth Centre with the different precincts highlighted in different colours.
The revised recommendations were based on the land-use study undertaken as a result of the ICBL, passed by City Council on March 5, 2019. The purpose of the ICBL was to restrict the development of lands within the study area for a period of one year, including the Downtown Urban Growth Centre (UGC) and lands near the Burlington GO Station to undertake a land-use study.
As per the Planning Act, appeals to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) must be filed 20-days after notice is given. Notice of Decision for Official Plan Amendment 119 and Notice of Passing of Zoning By-law Amendment 2020.418 was provided on Feb. 6, 2020. The last day of appeal was Feb. 26, 2020.
The City has received 31 appeals to the LPAT for both Official Plan Amendment 119 and Zoning By-law Amendment 2020.418 which have been filed with the City Clerk. As a result, the Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) remains in effect and will not end on March 5, 2020. The ICBL will remain in effect until the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal has issued a final decision on each appeal of Zoning By-law Amendment 2020.418.
The recommendations from the findings of the ICBL study include proposed amendments to Burlington’s current in-force-and-effect Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw. The staff recommendation report and proposed amendments can be viewed online at burlington.ca/icbl.
The City is also working closely with Halton Region to confirm with the Province the requirements and next steps for approval of changes to the downtown UGC and Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designations. City Council has directed the Chief City Planner to report back in May 2020 with recommendations.
The City will share more information on the ICBL appeal process and timelines as they become available, as well as details about the nature of the appeals where we can.
City Executive Director Heather MacDonald said at a council meeting that the Interim Control Bylaw, put in place March 5th would be allowed to expire in March 5th, 2020. That was the intention.
Developers impacted by the ICBL had 20 days after the end of the one year ICBL to appeal the decision that was made in 2019.
More than 30 developers chose to do just that – which meant the city could not repeal the bylaw until all the appeals were heard by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). How long that will take is something over which the city has no control. All the city can do is appear at the LPAT hearings and defend their original decision to put the ICBL in place back in March of 2019.
With all due respect to the person who wrote the media release – it does not explain why the ICBL has to remain in force. It is not something the city actually did – the process made it necessary. Once an appeal is filed – the ICBL remains alive and whatever decisions made come from the LPAT people.
By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
CLARIFICATION: City Executive Director Heather MacDonald said at a council meeting that the Interim Control Bylaw, put in place March 5th would be allowed to expire in March 5th, 2020. That was the intention.
Developers impacted by the ICBL had 20 days after the end of the one year ICBL to appeal the decision that was made in 2019.
More than 30 developers chose to do just that – which meant the city could not repeal the bylaw until all the appeals were heard by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). How long that will take is something over which the city has no control. All the city can do is appear at the LPAT hearings and defend their original decision to put the ICBL in place back in March of 2019.
The announcement that the city was not going to let the Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) die a natural death on March 5th, surprised many.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in front of city hall where she is making Burlington a much different city. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said; “Burlington remains open for business and the city honoured our commitment to complete our work within one year and lift the Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) that affects 1% of our total land.
The appeals will now extend the ICBL. We will fight vigorously to defend the policies we have created. They are founded on sound planning principles based on evidence and a one-year independent consultant study.
They also reflect the vision of staff, council and our residents for the future of our city. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the right development in the right place at the right scale.”
 Executive Director Heather MacDonald at a Standing Committee with city manager Tim Commisso on the left and Jamie Tellier, a planner on the right Heather MacDonald, Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility said: “Given the significant level of development interest in Burlington, and in particular the Burlington downtown and lands in the vicinity of the future mobility hubs, I am not surprised by the number of appeals that have been filed. It’s not uncommon for a significant change to an Official Plan to attract a number of appeals.
“After listening to the submissions made as part of the public meeting held on Jan. 14, 2020, staff did work hard to resolve issues raised and make changes to the planning instruments where possible.”
Obviously the work done by staff wasn’t sufficient and they decided to fall back on the ability to extend the ICBL. Hackles will be raised within the development community – and billable hours will rise within the legal community that serves the interests of the developers.
Quick Facts
• An interim control bylaw (ICBL) is a tool available to Ontario municipalities as part of the Planning Act. An ICBL places a temporary “freeze” on the development of certain lands while a municipality is studying or reviewing its land use policies. The restrictions can only be imposed for one year, with a maximum extension of a second year. An ICBL may not be appealed when it is first passed, however the extension of the ICBL to a second year may be appealed.
• Developments in the study area that submitted applications for site plan approval, in accordance with the approved zoning bylaw, prior to March 5, 2019, were exempt from the ICBL study area.
• During the one-year “freeze” on development in the study area, the ICBL Land Use Study:
o Assessed the role and function of the downtown bus terminal and the Burlington GO station on Fairview Street as Major Transit Station Areas
o Examined the planning structure, land use mix and intensity for the lands identified in the study area
o Proposed updates to the Official Plan and Zoning bylaw regulations as needed for the lands identified in the study area.
• On Jan. 30, 2020, Council approved the revised recommendations from the findings of the Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) Land Use Study, including the approval of the proposed Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendments resulting from the ICBL Land Use Study.
• On Feb. 6, 2020, the public was notified of plans to lift the ICBL and the 20-day window for appeals. Appeals were due to be filed with the city clerk on or before Feb. 26, 2020.
The avalanche of appeals appears to have been the justification for extending the ICBL deadline.
No mention is made of possible exemptions for some of the developments that have been hard hit by the ICBL decision.
 By Pepper Parr
February 27th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The province appeared to be ready to legalize the sale of cannabis based edibles – they wanted to get feedback from the public and specifically the municipal sector on:
cannabis ‘lounges’ where people could buy and consume cannabis; and
cannabis at festivals and events through the Special Occasion Permit (SOP) process, similar to how alcohol is allowed at events.
Burlington approved the opening of cannabis retail stores in the city with certain limitations – the most significant being how close these establishments were to schools.
Five of the seven members of Council voted for the idea: Councillors Bentivegna and Stolte were opposed.
At this point there are four commercial operations in the city with a fifth due to open soon.
The city wanted to know what the public thought and they put a survey up on the GET INVOLVED portal the city has. The survey was open for a short period of time between February 14th and February 23rd, seeking input on the future of cannabis sale and use in consumption venues such as cannabis ‘lounges’ and at public events such as outdoor festivals and concerts and found that:
969 respondents:-50% were in favour of allowing the sale and consumption of cannabis in places like cannabis lounges and cafés (5% undecided, 45% not in favour).
57% were not in favour of allowing the sale and consumption of cannabis at festivals and events such as music or food festivals, etc. (3% undecided, 40% in favour)
67% felt that municipalities should be able to decide/govern the sale and consumption of cannabis in cafés and lounges (11% undecided, 23% not in favour)
  72% felt that municipalities should be able to decide/govern the sale and consumption of cannabis at special events (7% undecided, 21% not in favour)
 The province wanted public reaction in hand by March 10th – which pushed the city administration a bit. They felt they didn’t have enough information to take a position on February 24th and decided to defer the motion until March 9th when they will squeeze a City Council meeting into a scheduled Standing Committee meeting.
The motion that was deferred read as follows:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Council of the City of Burlington is open to the sale and consumption of edible cannabis products in additional locations such as cannabis lounges so long as these locations do not also permit the sale and consumption of alcohol nor conflict with our existing distance criteria for retail cannabis store locations.
The City of Burlington does not support the sale or consumption of any cannabis products in public spaces or at public events such as outdoor festivals and concerts.
We ask the government of Ontario to allow municipalities to make their own local decisions on these matters and permissions.
We ask the government of Ontario to ensure that no additional permissions on the use of cannabis would be granted in such a manner as to contravene the Smoke-Free Ontario Act of 2017 or any HaltonRegion bylaws that exist at the time of their decision.
By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has received notification from Health Canada that analysis of a drug seized in Halton by the HRPS earlier this year has been identified as a mixture of flualprazolam, fentanyl, caffeine and dimethylsuplhone.
Flualprazolam is a synthetically manufactured benzodiazepine derivative (central nervous system depressant) similar in nature to Xanax, but far more potent.
While the HRPS is not aware of any confirmed or suspected overdoses related to flualprazolam in our region, the potential risk of this novel substance necessitated a community alert at the earliest opportunity. Flualprazolam has been linked to deaths elsewhere in North America.
According to the Centre for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), “the human toxicity of flualprazolam has not been extensively studied but recent association with drug user death leads professionals to believe this new benzodiazepine retains the potential to cause widespread harm and is of public health concern.”
 Police attending to a drug user. Flualprazolam is not an opioid, meaning that naloxone may not reverse the effect of an associated overdose.
Despite this, the community is encouraged to administer naloxone in the event of any suspected overdose, as you will not know what drugs caused the overdose.
If you use drugs, or have a friend or family member who uses drugs, these tips may help save a life in the event of an overdose:
Know the signs. An overdose is a medical emergency. Know the signs of an overdose and call 9-1-1 right away:
• difficulty walking, talking, or staying awake
• blue lips or nails
• very small pupils
• cold and clammy skin
• dizziness and confusion
• extreme drowsiness
• choking, gurgling or snoring sounds
• slow, weak or no breathing
• inability to wake up, even when shaken or shouted at
Don’t run. Call 9-1-1. Our frontline officers, and other first responders in Halton, carry naloxone and we want to assist. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides broad legal protections for anyone seeking emergency support during an overdose, including the person experiencing an overdose. This means citizens, including youth, will not be charged for offences such as simple possession for calling 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Carry naloxone, a drug that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone is available free-of-charge in Halton at:
• Regional Health Clinics (in Acton, Burlington, Georgetown, Milton and Oakville) and Halton Region Needle Exchange Program (Exchange Works)
• Some local pharmacies. To find a pharmacy that distributes naloxone, visit the Ontario government’s Where to get a free naloxone kit web page.
Never use alone. Don’t use drugs alone, and don’t let those around you use alone either. If you overdose when you are alone, there will be no one there to help you. If you are using with someone else, don’t use at the same time.
Go slow. The quality of street drugs is unpredictable. Any drug can be cut with, or contaminated by, other agents or drugs (e.g. fentanyl), which in very small amounts can be harmful or fatal. Know your tolerance and always use a small amount of a drug first to check the strength.
The HRPS will not be providing further details on the occurrence in which the drug was seized.
 By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
This is what society is up against.
 A 14 year old boy has been charged with the following offences related to a series of bank robberies.
On February 26, 2020, police executed a search warrant at a residence in Kitchener and arrested a 14 year old male from Toronto. He has been charged with the following (25) offences:
-Robbery with Firearm x 3
-Robbery x 1
-Disguise with Intent x 4
-Fail to Comply with Youth Sentence Order x 4
-Fail to Comply with Release Order x 3
-Fail to Comply with Probation Order X 2
-Point Firearm x 3
-Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 2
-Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000 x 1
-Utter Threats x 2
The robbery charges stem from the following robberies:
December 28, 2019 – Private residence in Halton Hills
December 30, 2019 – Bank of Montreal (Maple Avenue, Milton)
January 7, 2020 – Scotiabank (3rd Line, Oakville)
January 28, 2020 – Royal Bank (Guelph Street, Georgetown)
The accused has been remanded in custody until February 27, 2020.
Emma Cassidy (21) of Kitchener, was also arrested during the search warrant. She has been charged with:
-Uttering Forged Document
Cassidy was released on an undertaking.
These arrests have been made after an investigation into a series of armed robberies throughout the Greater Toronto Area. GTA Police agencies analyzed the incidents and noted an increase in armed robberies beginning in October of 2019. The robberies typically involved at least two armed suspects entering banks and retail locations and demanding cash, with a noted increase in violence by the culprits.
The investigation into bank robberies in Halton and the GTA is ongoing. Police would ask residents in the community remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity in the area of local banks or retail outlets. If residents witness a crime in progress, they are asked to call 911.
 Any tips or questions on this task force can be directed to Detective Sergeant Ellie Bale, Case Manager, Regional Robbery Task Force at 905-825-4747 ext. 2415.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Pepper Parr
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
At the Standing Committee meeting that heard, in some detail, what had gone terribly wrong with the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiative, Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman did his best to get to see the Program Management Plan that was used to direct the creation and implementation of the CRM.
 Executive Director Sheila Jones, second from the right, telling Councillor Sharman that it would be inappropriate to give him what he wanted Executive Director Sheila Jones said it would be inappropriate to release that information. Sharman huffed and puffed and said he would meet with Jones privately.
The decision to stop the development for as long as 18 months until there was a Program Management Plan in place that could be delivered upon was quickly agreed upon at the Committee meeting. No blame was going to be put upon anyway. Whatever lessons there were to be learned would be taken up.
So – what came out of whatever meetings Sharman had?
A bit of context here: The city was working on the CRM program and at the same time ramping up for the Enterprise Resource Planning ( ERP) a much more ambitious and expensive ($10 million) initiative that impacts and involves every piece of technology used by the city.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. Sharman decided to move his focus, and displeasure, from CRM to ERP and brought several Staff Directions which were approved.
Council was looking at an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program update which they received and filed but not before adding the following Staff Directions:
Direct the City Manager to provide the Corporate Services Strategy Risk and Accountability Committee with an overview of governance and project management structures for corporate projects, including but not limited to, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Enterprise Asset Management System (EAMS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI); and
An initial review to be brought to Committee in May 2020; and
Direct the City Manager to provide the Corporate Services Strategy Risk and Accountability Committee with regular reporting on project status including key deliverables and timelines, risk assessments, change management plans, and readiness assessments.
Councillors Sharman and Kearns have a solid understanding of what the technology is all about – they will now be able to keep their “noses in and fingers out” of the work Staff is doing.
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte And well they should. When City Manager said that the city will be spending $35 million on technology in the next few years Councillor Shawna Stolte almost gasped – she was having difficulty with a $10 million spend.
By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Milton MP Adam van Koeverden Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) ran afoul of the Speaker of the House earlier this week.
The Milton riding includes parts of rural Burlington
Koeverden rose to speak in the House saying:
 Milton MP Adam van Koeverden chatting up people while on the campaign trail. “Madam Speaker, thank you very much to my colleague opposite for his eloquent remarks. I am impressed that he does as much as he does without ever reading. I am going to try to do the same.
“I have found that many of the Conservatives’ comments regarding this topic have expressed their undying willingness to support indigenous peoples, as long as it suits their political narrative and as long as people are okay with these big resource extraction projects going on. However, I was wondering if there was one example that you could find of Conservatives being willing to stand up for indigenous rights when it did not support your narrative.
“These changes are not about placating the Conservatives or making them feel okay about the oath. This is about consulting with indigenous peoples in Canada and asking them what they would like to see in this oath and responding in turn.”
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Carol Hughes had some concerns with the way Koeverden had wandered somewhat with his remarks and, scolding the MP said:
“The hon. member went from directly to indirectly to directly to indirectly. I just want to advise the member that he needs to address all of the content to the Chair.”
 By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Bullying in the school yard and the hallways of an elementary school has an impact that is life defining for some children.
How do parents handle the problem? What is the approach that will put a stop to the behaviour? What if your child is the bully?
 Lana Button, an award-winning creator of delightful stories to help young people learn, will be at The Different Drummer to introduce her new picture book, the playful, poignant and pointed story of a troubled student who overcomes her aggressions with the help of her concerned classmates.
Lana will present What If Bunny’s Not a Bully? with crafts, treats, and her inimitable storytelling in a fun-filled event this Sunday, March 1 at 11am.
Admission is free. Everyone is welcome. Please join us!
What If Bunny’s Not a Bully?
Sunday March 1, 11am
A Different Drummer Books
513 Locust Street Burlington
www.differentdrummerbooks.ca
 By Ray Rivers
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Justin Trudeau landed about right. After all, he couldn’t have ordered the RCMP to intervene in the non-violent blockades even if he’d wanted. Of course that won’t stop critics from attacking him. The NDP argued he should have met with the hereditary chiefs and further discouraged the police from moving in. And the Conservatives virtually demanded he invoke Canada’s emergency legislation and send in the army.
But after two weeks and with no sign of dialogue in the works, he told Canadians that enough is enough. He was careful to distinguish between the dispute over the gas pipeline, which had ignited this conflict, and the other protestors with other complaints, primarily in Ontario and Quebec.
These other complaints might be about historical aboriginal injustice. Or perhaps it’s just some folks looking for a diversion from reading about the imminent threat of coronavirus, or maybe just a chance to get out of the house and do some good old fashioned civil disobedience.
 The idea that Mohawks were defending the rights of the Wet’suwet’en all the way in B.C. is a stretch. Given the history of indigenous peoples in Canada, the idea that Mohawks were defending the rights of the Wet’suwet’en all the way in B.C. is a stretch. And who were they supporting anyway, since not all the hereditary chiefs are opposed to the construction? In fact, a majority of Wet’suwet’en leaders support and have signed on to the pipeline.
So why were the tracks at Belleville blocked when the prime responsibility to resolve land issues around this pipeline resides with the B.C. government, not the feds and certainly nothing to do with Ontario? And even the RCMP in B.C. operate under contract with the province. So there is little that some guy in Ottawa is going to achieve by sticking his nose in.
Still, it is easy to understand why this Coastal GasLink pipeline is an affront to some of the Wet’suwet’en. The land is ‘unceded’, meaning the title is still undetermined, even though they have lived on it for centuries and consider it theirs. Then another affront came when opposing chiefs suggested another route for the pipe, only to be ignored.
And, of course, first nations are all about natural conservation and this project is all about hazardous fossil fuel development.
 Gas pipe being laid. The natural gas, methane, in the pipe will be shipped to overseas markets – so one might think there would be little environmental consequence to Canada or B.C. But methane is not the clean fuel that used to be advertised. Methane gas is as much as 70 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2 depending on the time frame. And the production and transport of methane results in leaks, called fugitive emissions of the gas. The federal climate assessment puts fugitive gas emissions just under 10% of Canada’s total emissions.
Of course fugitive emissions, like any self respecting fugitive, tends to be a little hard to pin down, so we’re not sure how high they really are. It is estimated that between 1992 and 2012, fugitive methane emissions accounted for 7% of the world’s greenhouse gases. And it is estimated that the world annually loses $30 billion in fugitive gas emission value.
And the concern about the further development of fossil fuels is likely the reason why so many non-indigenous folks came out to join the protests and blockades. Their children will be thanking them when everyone reduces their carbon footprint. But it is a long way and a lot of burnt carbon to join the real blockade up in Wet’suwet’en country, so they need to protest here.
 Protesters blocking rail service But protesting railroads everywhere is a really dumb idea. The railroads and even the rail companies have even less to do with the gas pipeline than the Mohawks do with the Wet’suwet’en. And even with those diesel guzzling train engines, rail travel is the most efficient way of moving goods and people. And that means rail travel makes for a smaller footprint than other transportation, excepting a bicycle or electric vehicle. So, for all those protestors who are just there to support their ancestral brothers and sisters and hopefully help kill another fossil fuel project, they need to rethink what they are doing.
It’s not the protesting but how these fine folks are protesting. The pipeline at issue carries only natural gas. But instead of attacking natural gas and the companies behind it, these rail line protests are hurting commuters and tourists and those who rely on rail for goods and services – and that eventually is too many of us.
Canadian acceptance of some kind of new deal with our aboriginal folks has never been more positive and with a compliant federal government more than eager to act. One can only wonder how those attitudes might shift should these blockades continue for any length of time – or this minority government fall.
 The message from the Indigenous community – they want the land back. And if you really want to make your protest meaningful, instead of creating havoc for commuters and others reliant on our rail systems, why not make the punishment fit the crime. Protest the use of natural gas. Call your gas company today and cancel your gas contract. Buy an electric heater to get you through the season until you can replace your furnace with a 90% carbon free heat pump.
And if you really want to be heard, sign onto your favourite social media and ask all your friends and family to also eliminate their gas bills and get rid of gas. And seriously, isn’t it better to be sitting at your iPad in the comfort of your home tweeting, or whatever, rather than freezing in the cold Ontario winter in the midst of shivering crowds and in the season of coronavirus?
 Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Protests – Gas Emissions – Train Protests –
Reconciliation is Dead – Emissions –
By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Having your wallet stolen is bad enough – for a senior it is devastating.
During the past six month predators were stalking older people, usually women, and stealing their purses.
The Halton Regional Police have arrested and laid charges against one male and two females in relation to multiple identity fraud incidents which occurred during January and February of this year.
A total of six purse thefts occurred in the City of Burlington and Town of Oakville from grocery stores targeting older adult females. The victim’s financial cards were used following the thefts to purchase items from retail stores as well as gift cards from local merchants. The estimated total loss is over $2,500.
Investigation by the Burlington and Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau has led to the charges against the following individuals;
 Myriam Celis MUNOZ (female, 68 years old)
• Theft Under $5,000, two counts
• Fraud Under $5,000, five counts
• Personation with Intent, four counts
• Fraudulent Use of a credit card, four counts
• Possession of Property Obtained by crime, three counts
Luz Dary GARCIA CELIS (female, 51 years old)
• Theft Under $5,000, two counts
• Fraud Under $5,000, six counts
• Personation with Intent, five counts
• Fraudulent Use of a credit card, five counts
• Possession of Property Obtained by crime, four counts
Carlos Andres GUITERREZ BERNAL (male, 22 years old)
• One charge of: Fraud Under $5,000.
All three accused were held for a bail hearing on the 24th of February 2020.
Shoppers are reminded to pay close attention to their surroundings and keep a close eye on their valuables. Purses should be kept on your person at all times. Do not leave items such as purses and cell phones unattended in grocery carts while shopping.
Any fraudulent activity on your financial cards should be reported immediately to your bank and to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Derek Gray of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Older Adult Abuse Investigator at 905-825-4747 ext. 2344.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
 By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
With their child sitters on duty and their cell phones almost on silent, comedic artists, best friends and supermoms Lisa and Shoshana are ready to party like it’s 1999.
Prepare to get totally out of control, but only until just past 10pm, the sitters have to be taken home.
Each cabaret will feature a Surprise Special Guest, specializing in musical theatre, stand-up, or drag – as well as Surprise Local Guests. So let’s take a deep breath, let our pelvic floors drop and Feel The Burl.
“Few people can make me pee my pants laughing like Shoshana Sperling.” – NOW Magazine
Hosts
 Shoshana Sperling and Lisa Brooke – headliners Shoshana and Lisa Brooke is an alumnus of the legendary Toronto and Chicago Second City and has worked in Canadian television for almost twenty years, but she’s really not as old as that sounds. Most recently Lisa was the show writer on CBC’s national daytime series ‘The Goods.’
Shoshana Sperling is a writer, voice talent, and JUNO-nominated musician who has opened for Jann Arden. She is a contributing writer for Today’s Parent and Chatelaine magazines. Her work as composer and lead singer of ‘The Monkey Bunch’ was rewarded with a JUNO nomination for Best Children’s Album.
Together Lisa and Shoshana have written on Just For Laughs, CBC’s Comics!, Jonovision, Smashalot (digital), and the Canadian Screen Award-nominated Just Like Mom And Dad which was taped in front of a live audience right here in Burlington.
Special Guests:
 Sandra Battaglini Sandra Battaglini is an award-winning stand-up comic, actor and writer. She is the 2013 Canadian Comedy Award winner for her solo show, Classy Lady, directed by Phil Luzi, that premiered in Toronto in 2012 and most recently was voted ‘Best Female Standup’ by NOW Magazine.
She was a semi-finalist in the She Devil Comedy Competition in NYC and has performed at Just for Laughs in Montreal and premiered her 7th solo show Baby Jeez and other Abreevs at in Toronto, directed by Phil Luzi. She spearheaded a grassroots movement to have stand-up comedy recognized as an art form and started The Canadian Association of Stand-up Comedians that lobbies for comedian’s rights.
 Heidi Lange Heidi Lange
Heidi is a Toronto-based singer, teacher, writer and actor. She has been teaching voice, piano and musical theatre to students of all ages for over 16 years. Born and raised in Burlington, Heidi studied musical theatre at the University of Windsor before returning home and graduating from the Mohawk College Applied Music program. She performs regularly in and around the GTA. Favourite musical theatre credits include: Ragtime (Sarah), The Last Five Years (Cathy), Rent (Joanne), and The Life (Queen). Heidi is very excited about the recent release of her second album, Let Your Honesty Shine, a collection of songs from the catalogue of Paul Simon.
 Selena Vyle Selena Vyle
Selena is a storyteller, comedian, singer and dancer, who is known for her political performances and social commentary. A Canadian Comedy Award winner for co-writing and co-starring in A Sketch Comedy Extravaganza Eleganza, she has headlined comedy festivals Just For Laughs (Montreal), We’re Funny That Way, and Toronto Sketchfest. She is a member of House of Lix, with whom she co-hosts the podcast Squirrel Talk. This Latinx/Arab drag queen is the producer of “Queens Of The World”, celebrating diversity in Toronto’s drag scene. A Top 4 finalist in Crews & Tangos Drag Race 2018, she brings you the unexpected, from emotional mixes to hilarious puppetry and she’s one of Toronto’s most well known musical improvisers. She’s So Vyle.
 Michelle Wagman Michelle Wagman
Michelle is a Burlington based singer, actor and educator. She is a proud graduate of Sheridan’s prestigious Music Theatre Performance Program, and has been performed on stages across the country. Michelle most recently appeared as Elle Woods in Drury Lane’s production of “Legally Blonde”. She also spent years as “best friends” with many beloved princesses! Matt is also a Burlington based singer/actor and married to Michelle! He will be appearing next in Drury Lane’s production of “The Last Resort”.
Musical Director
 Bryce Kulak Bryce Kulak
Bryce is a Toronto-based composer, pianist, singer, and actor. Award-winning projects include the musical Nami Namersson, the short musical La Casati, and the movie-musical The Man That Got Away, in which Bryce also starred.
Bryce co-created and tours with Tom Allen’s chamber-musicals Bohemians in Brooklyn, The Judgment of Paris, From Weimar to Vaudeville, and The Missing Pages. His albums Welcome, Tin Can Telephone, and The Man That Got Away are on iTunes.
Dates & Times
Friday FEB 28, 2020 – 7:30pm
Venue: Community Studio Theatre
Ticket Prices
Regular: $39.00 (All in)
Member: $34.00 (All in)
 By Staff
February 26th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Parking screening office – located on ground floor The Parking Screening Office will be closed on
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This means you don’t get a chance to tell your story.
The office is scheduled to re-open on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020
To pay a parking ticket online, visit www.burlington.ca/parking go to the Service Burlington counter, first floor, City Hall 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
 By Staff
Feb 25th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
There was an item in a recent Regional Council agenda.
It was the passing of a bylaw that would let finance staff negotiate a $17 million plus debenture which was to meet some of the financial needs of the four municipalities in the Region.
Of the $17,100,000 debenture $10 million of the proceeds goes to Burlington.
 The graphic was a bit of a stunner for Burlingtonians.
In the comments included in the report that went to Regional Council was the following:
Consistent with the current growth environment, measures of inflation are expected to remain around 2 percent. With interest rates presently at low levels and current market conditions favourable the Regional Chair and Commissioner of Finance and Regional Treasurer were authorized to engage the services of CIBC World Markets Inc., RBC Dominion Securities Inc., BMO Nesbit Burns Inc., and/or Scotia Capital Inc. as fiscal agents and enter into all agreements and ancillary documents necessary to secure the terms and issuance of a market debenture issue for all or part of the $17,100,000.
We learned as well that the Region has maintained its bond rating. Regional Chair Carr takes great pride is telling people that the Region has a better bond rating than the American government.
By Staff
February 25th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
It is billed as the Report of the Volunteer Members of the Citizen Advisory Committee Review Team.
It is a lengthy report that, in the words of the authors: “Our recommendations are based, wherever possible, on the feedback received from the public, advisory committee members and staff collected during 2019.
 Jim Young  Roland Tanner The Review Team is comprised of volunteer residents of Burlington: Michael Budd, Perla Lopez, Jason Manayathu, Roland Tanner and Jim Young
As far as possible, they have only made recommendations where there was either a clearly expressed desire for a solution or a clearly identified problem that existed for which a solution needed to be identified.
“The engagement data we had available, however, did not include any evidence on several key elements on which we were tasked by council to provide recommendations. In those cases, we have inevitably provided our own conclusions on the best route forward based on our own knowledge of the city, advisory committees and background research we conducted.
“The report and its recommendations represent the fourth occasion on which citizens have been asked to provide advice to council on Advisory Committee reform, beginning in 1997.
 “On each occasion, while the recommendations have differed since 1997, the initial conclusions were similar. Advisory committees far too often did not work as intended and were not properly integrated into the decision-making process.
Poor structure, poor terms of reference, misunderstandings, lack of relevant training, and selection methods open to influence all worked to undermine the role advisory committees should have in establishing citizen voices with appropriate input at the centre of City Hall.”
That is from the first page of content. We will report in detail on what comes out of the Workshop.
Much of what was learned was set out in the Shape Burlington report.
By Staff
February 25th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
What will you do when you look at the rear view mirror and spot the police cruiser with a satellite dish mounted on top behind you?
Pull over.
The cruiser is part of a Public Safety Broadcast Network that the Halton Regional Police were leaders in getting off the ground.
More on just what is involved and the difference this is going to make.
 That satellite dish is the working end of the Public Safety Broadcasting Network that the Halton Regional Police were leaders in getting off the ground.
 By Pepper Parr
February 25th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
At a Standing Committee earlier in the month we thought we heard Mayor Marianne Meed Ward say that she was taking a course on governance. It was a passing comment.
We follow up with a note to the Mayors communications aide and asked where she was taking the course and who was paying for the course – they aren’t cheap.
 The Mayor is studying for the designation of Chartered Director. Monday evening the Mayor said that she was studying for a Chartered Director designation. She made no other comment.
The Mayor’s communications aide told the Gazette earlier this month that: “This is being paid for privately and will have zero impact on the taxpayers of Burlington.”
Who is privately? If the Mayor is receiving a benefit for something directly related to her work the public has a right to know where the money for the benefit is coming from.
This is not to suggest that there is anything untoward going on.
Our view is that first: Congratulations to the Mayor for deciding to take the course – it is not an easy course – there are a lot of people who register, attend the classes but find that they haven’t don’t the work needed to be able to pass the examination.
Before being accepted into the course an assessment based on five key areas which are central to organizational direction and governance.
- Vision, Purpose, Values and Ethics
- Strategic Thinking and Stakeholder Management
- Delegation to Management
- Discharging your Duties as a Director and as a Competent Member of a Collective and Responsible Body
- Exercising Effective and Accountable Leadership
This is not an easy undertaking.
The Mayor may have been given a scholarship, who gave it to her?
Burlington is going to be better off with a Mayor who has the designation.
It would have been better for the city to have paid the fees. Sure a lot of people would have howled. Meed Ward will be a much better Mayor – she already is – due to what she has learned.
This is all a little awkward – being a public person means you are always in the public eye – usually because that is what successful politicians do for a living.
For the time being the public is going to have to accept that the Mayor is getting some valuable training that will benefit all of us which is paid for by – we don’t know who.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
February 24th 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The weather certainly co-operated.
There was some really good snow which helped make the December, January and February, 30/60 Winter Play Challenge the success the city believes it was
Residents were challenged to participate in the 30/60 Winter Play Challenge where individuals, families or groups had to complete 30 activities in 60 days. The team that completed the most activities and had the most points won a grand prize.
The challenge encouraged the community to get outside and play.
 That is an impressive snow fort – word on who the family is or what part of the city they are located in. Kudos to them for participating. There were 101 activities that teams could complete. Activities included things like building a snowman, hiking, making an indoor fort and making a meal together. One team completed all 101 activities. In total 34, teams of 2-6 members participated.
One of the activities was “write City Hall”. One family took them up on it.
“Firstly, we would love to thank you for the opportunity to enjoy such a fun game. We are truly blessed to live in such a great city.”
“I love the variety of things that I’ve done during this challenge that never would have occurred to me to do! I also really love that it kept me thinking “what can I do today” every day which really helps to stay active in the winter months.”
 That looks like a conga line – before the heavy snow hit the ground. “You have also inspired us to explore further! We got a map of Burlington which shares all the parks and our goal for 2020 is to visit and explore each one at least once!”
Terry Milewski, Supervisor of Marketing and Sponsorship said: “This was our first year running this program in the winter and we are overwhelmed with the success of it. We even had to add more activities because the participants loved it so much, they breezed through all 30 original activities. We’re so happy people found this such a worthwhile and fun event. We are looking forward to starting up another challenge this summer.”
Overwhelmed with just 34 teams is a bit of a stretch but it is a good start and certainly worth building upon.
By Pepper Parr
February 21st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Sometime during Mayor Goldring’s second term he said that the intensification that was going to take place would not change the character of the city.
Guess what – intensification is smacking Burlington where it hurts – in the middle of those upper middle income communities that have made Burlington the city it is.
Residents of the Millcroft community learned this week that the owners of the property are going to apply for permission to add as many as 100 homes to the community by re-arranging the golf course that was the reason for the creation of the community in the first place – back in the mid 1980’s.
A meeting took place recently – it was “private” only for invited Millcroft home owners affected by the changes. The developer is Argo.
 The alphabet letters indicate where the developments would be located. A Millcroft resident reports that “The letter sent to us was cryptic and the meeting scripted.”
Every household in Millcroft got a hand delivered letter inviting them to the meeting.
“When we got there we were met by security guards” which resident Louise Taylor, a retired nurse said she and her neighbours found “kind of scary”. “Our names were checked off on a list.”
“After a presentation, that really didn’t say very much, we were broken up into five groups – each group was one of the areas that were going to be developed.
“During the presentation we were told that safety was an issue and then shown a graphic showing how many window complaints there had been. One woman stood up and asked the people in the room if anyone had had a window damaged by a golf ball. No one stood up.
 The red dots indicate where the operators of the golf course maintain there were complaints of golf ball damage. “When the group presentations were done there wasn’t an opportunity to gather as a large group again and ask questions.”
The audience was told that the ward Councillor was “on side”. Councillor Angelo Bentivegna has said he had not formed an opinion on the development. The Gazette has reached out to him for comment.
Bentivegna won the ward seat by a slim 41 votes in 2018. The challenge for him will be to shore up his support for the people in Millcroft.
We could find nothing on either the Bentivegna Facebook page or his Twitter account.
 Councillor Bentivegna was asked if he had any comment. We could find nothing on either his Facebook page or his Twitter account on the development. The Gazette is hearing that “There are a lot of very angry residents”, angry over the “butchering of our beautiful neighbourhood. We paid a premium for our home to back onto a golf course – and we won’t even be on the course if this plan goes through.”
 An aerial rendition of where 33 homes are planned. This is block A “Hole number 6 and 7 are getting wiped off the map (behind Country Club, Hadfield and Parklane) .
The feeling in the community is that the “value of our houses lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in one night.”
Residents believe this “this has all been couched as a safety issue by the course owners when it is truly a plan to jam many more homes into green space area with huge profits for the company – all on the backs of all of the present homeowners.”
There is talk about forming a homeowners association to work together to stop this plan.
 An aerial rendition of Block B – where 42 homes are planned.  A rendition of Block B where the 42 homes would be located. The community meeting takes place March 23rd at the Burlington Convention Centre on Burloak. We assume the Mayor has been invited to this one.
The development was done by Monarch Group in the mid 80’s; they who were bought by the Mattamy Group in 2015.
The Mattamy interests were apparently sold to Argo who are 50% partners with the people who own the golf club – which we assume means the golf course itself. It is golf course land that is being used for the development of the the 100 additional homes.
That creates some serious hurdles for the developer. Land that is zoned for recreation doesn’t just get changed to land that is zoned for housing without approval from city council.
Burlington is currently working with an Official Plan that is more than a decade old while they complete the revision of an Official Plan that was approved but not adopted by the previous city council.
This development proposal looks as if it will have to get cleared by the Conservation Halton authority as well.
Related news story:
Integrity of the Millcroft community threatened.
 By Pepper Parr
February 20th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan finally got to meet the people doing the pre-development work for the proposed enlargement of the Nelson Aggregate quarry on Guelph Line.
 Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan Councillor Nisan had been quite studious and deliberate in making a point of not communicating with the promoters of the project that would, in a couple of decades, have the quarry rehabilitated and turned over to the city and developed into a very large park.
Nisan had said he didn’t want to be influenced by the promoters of the project.
The pre-development application meeting took place at the Cedar Springs Golf Club, which is on the western side of the existing quarry and will eventually, if the application is approved, become part of the current quarry operation.
Nelson Aggregates acquired some property to the south of the existing quarry that will be mined and also be turned over to the public.
That south side of the existing quarry land has a large portion of the property set aside for the at risk Jefferson Salamander.
The development application process is complex and will involve the City of Burlington, the Region of Halton, the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources that will meet as a Joint Tribunal Review team
The next step is for Nelson Aggregate to complete their application and present it to all four levels of government. At that point the Region will form the Joint Tribunal, figure out who will represent who on the Tribunal team and the hearings, which will be public, will take place.
None of this is going to move all that fast.
 Councillors Bentivegna and Nisan – both share the norther part of the city. What the community did see at the Pre-Consult meeting on Tuesday was Mayor Marianne Meed Ward along with Councillors Nisan and Bentivegna in the room. The quarry is in Nisan’s ward 3.
There was a city planner in the room who didn’t want to make any comment on the time line that would emerge. Most of the people working on this at this point will probably be retired well before there is a public park in place.
This development is a classic case of long term development. The time line will stretch out for 30 years, perhaps more.
At this point there isn’t a lot of support for the idea of additional quarry development north of Dundas. The people in that part of the city like what they have; they don’t want to see changes.
 A computer generated drawing of what Brant Street could look like at some point in the future. Aggregate from the Nelson quarry would be used when it comes time to build. The development industry needs aggregate for the high rise structures that are going to be built in Burlington. There will be some development south of Caroline in the downtown core but there will be many more high rise towers built around the GO stations.
Burlington’s population is going to grow – that is a given – even if there were to be a change in government.
The growth in population will put some pressure on Spencer Smith Park – there has been no recent word on when the public is going to see anything in the way of a public park in the Beachway. At this point all the Region is doing is picking off the properties that are left one by one.
What the public appears to be missing with the Nelson situation is the time, effort and energy that is put into listening to what the public has to say.
Nelson Aggregate has held 36 hours of public meetings and tours in an effort to keep the public informed. Up to this point the quarry people have been very open and transparent.
The development plans:
 Once the existing quarry has been mined out- it will be flooded and turned into a park. The above is a rendering of what the park might look like.  The light grey area is the existing quarry. The dark grey on the left is the golf club property that will be quarried and then turned into a park. The dark grey at the bottom is on the south side of the Second Line. It will be quarried and then turned into a lake. The land to the right if the southern piece is home to the Jefferson Salamander and is to be left in its natural state.
 This is an enlargement of the land on the south side of Second Line. The grey area is where the man made lake will be. The area to the right is Jefferson Salamander territory and will be left in its natural state.
 This drawing shows the full extent of the quarry property. The blue is the existing quarry that is reaching the end of its life cycle as a quarry. The green borders are property Nelson Aggregates either owns or is in the process of acquiring. The red ii where new quarrying will take place once all the applications have been approved.
 Rehabilitation has already started on that portion of the main quarry that is mined out. That dark brown area in the top centre is where fill has been poured over the side of the quarry so that grass can be grown. .
 By Staff
February 20th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Community Development Halton is holding an introductory workshop to basic human rights principles as it relates to volunteers in the Nonprofit Voluntary Sector.
 Key learnings:
1) Introduction to basic human rights principles
2) Human rights as it relates to volunteers in the workplace
3) Harassment/ Sexual Harassment – avoiding the pitfalls
4) Duty to Accommodation and Duty to Investigate
 Wade Poziomka, Partner at Ross & McBride LLP is a Partner at Ross & McBride LLP, representing both employees and employers in human rights matters. Wade currently sits as one of three Applicant-side representatives to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s Practice Advisory Committee, is the Vice-Chair of ARCH Disability Centre’s Board of Directors and is the Past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section Executive.
Wade’s law degrees are from the University of Toronto (J.D.) and Cornell University Law School (LL.M.). Wade speaks regularly at major conferences on human rights and has been recognized for his commitment to human rights, having been recognized by Best Lawyers Canada in 2020 for Employment and Labour Law and been awarded the Top 40 Under 40 Achievement Award.
Registration: cdhalton.ca/events
Fee: $75 Community Associate (CDH member)
$95 Non Community Associate (non-member)
Contact for more information: 1-855-395-8807 or Rose Marie at office@cdhalton.ca
Tuesday
March 24, 2020
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Check-in starts at 8:30 am
Community Development Halton 3350 South Service Road
Burlington, ON
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