 By Ray Rivers
June 21st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
On Monday four federal by-elections were held and the results were much as anyone might have guessed. Nothing changed except that four new MPs will take their seats in Parliament.
Marc Garneau’s former riding in Montreal was retained by the Liberals as was that of the late Jim Carr, in Winnipeg. In that case Carr’s son kept the riding for the Grits. And the Tories retained their hold in rural Manitoba to replace Candice Bergen who threw in the towel. Ontario’s Oxford country also stayed Tory though former Conservative MP Dave MacKenzie, called his party on dirty tricks and ended up supporting the Liberal candidate.
 Dave McKenzie – Oxford in Ontario  Ben Carr, Winnipeg South, MB So what did we learn from these by-elections? Not much. These ridings were about as safe for their respective parties as any in the country. It was a test of tribal loyalty for the most part. National polling indicates that Canadians are getting tired of the Trudeau government, but that would probably be just as true for any federal government after 8 years in power. Tired or not the 51 year young Trudeau heir has promised to lead his party into the next general election, which could come at any time – despite his deal with Mr. Singh to keep him in power until 2025.
 Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre – they will face each other in the next federal eleection. When? That’s the big question. If the public is getting weary of the Liberals, that was not the message that anyone could take from the by-elections. If anything Mr. Trudeau’s party did better than expected, including a relatively close run in true blue Oxford. And recall that sitting governments normally suffer in mid-term elections as disgruntled voters are free to vent their dissatisfaction without upsetting the political apple cart. But that didn’t happen.
City folk generally prefer the Liberals while the Tories tend to dominate in farm country. It’s always been like that. The exceptions are when the public decides it’s time to kick the bums out as we did with the Mulroney crowd or Pierre eventually. And of course there are the times when some bright light inspires the masses to cross partisan lines, as was the case with both of the Trudeaus in their days.
 Anna Gainey in Quebec – Branden Leslie in Manitoba  In addition to the urban/rural divide there is the east/west split, which today has been spirited mostly by the Alberta political mafia. Of course it’s really only anti-Trudeau. But it can’t be smart to be underrepresented federally even if you hate the leader’s guts. So an ongoing Liberal presence in that Manitoba riding which they nailed should be looked at as just a blessing in disguise.
And that Winnipeg South riding for some reason had an incredible number of independent candidates, each getting little more than their own votes back. Talk about democracy gone berserk. Did these folks think they were running for mayor of Toronto?
The Tories are rejoicing that their almost leader only a little while ago, Maxime Bernier, suffered another set back in trying to get his so-called People’s Party of Canada into the hallowed halls of Parliament, finishing second against the real Conservative. But he had a pretty radical or reactionary or, some might just say rubbish, platform, so go figure.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – reaching for a fourth term? Don’t go looking at these four by-elections as some sort of prescription for the big one yet to come. There are no tea leaves here, no foreboding of fortune or failure for Mr. Trudeau or Mr. Poilievre as they prepare their cannons for the big fight yet to come. This is just what we get in a Canada divided, more than ever, and mostly along tribal lines.
Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly 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:
Election Results – Trudeau’s Next Election – An Interpretation –
 By Pepper Parr
June 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
There was an interesting comment made by a woman who attended the first of two community meetings on the creation of Heritage Designated areas.
A Burlington downtown resident who lives in one of the areas the city wants to designate a Heritage Cultural Area questions both the idea and the way the city is working with residents.
She made these comments on the differences between ZOOM (virtual) meetings that the bureaucrats seem to prefer. City meetings are webcast – it is not unusual to have close to half the members of Council working from their homes.
“If you’ve watched any of the Zoom meetings the City had regarding this matter, where they all blabbed away and at the end of it said “that went well thanks everyone “
 Citizens will show up for a meeting if you make it interesting enough and promote it effectively. This crowd was going through the city budget. Virtual or Zoom meetings are not popular to citizens. “The meeting last night was the equivalent of a Zoom meeting – the City and the consultant struggled so much and came across as ill prepared and uninformed because … they had to sit in a room face to face with real people, real business owners with real questions.
“Zoom meetings are not a substitute for real life – they really need to stop “working from home”
“When Zoom meeting participants have to confront real life… they can’t cope”
 The city and the consultant(s) were completely bewildered as to why everyone wasn’t going yeah – let’s do it and do it twice
Does she have a point?
 By Pepper Parr
June 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Heather Fenton wasn’t impressed. After a meeting that lasted an hour and a half, Fenton, along with about 12 other people including Dr. Michael Shih, realtor Michael O’Sullican and Downtown Burlington Business Association Executive Director Brian Dean listened to a presentation about an area that was labelled Foot of Brant – Village Square for the purposes of the meeting.
 One meeting participant called the map of the area under discussion an exercise in gerrymandering. City Heritage Planner John O’Reilly was the facilitator.
Fenton saw the plans that were put forward as an attempt to gerrymander that part of the city so that the planners could locate and identify 25% of the properties in the area that would be defined as a Heritage Cultural District. Burlington wants to create Heritage Cultural Districts which they can do if 25% of the properties in the HCD boundary if they meet two or more criteria in the regulation in order to be designated.
The fear that Fenton, and others have, is that the city is going to designate the properties and leave it to the owners to take the matter to the Ontario Land Tribunal (at the owners expense) and let them battle it out at that level.
 Village Square is included as a Heritage site. Bill 23 the Act under which all this is permitted was passed and effective January 1, 2023; it included an authority to set out processes to amend and repeal HCD bylaws in regulation; however, this regulation has not been developed yet
Those attending the meeting did not appear to have a document they could refer to when they got to the meeting.
The requirement for municipalities to make their municipal registers available on a publicly accessible website will not come into force until July 1, 2023 to provide municipalities with time to ensure compliance.
 Elsewhere in the Act there is a section that states: The ability to issue a Notice of Intention to Designate on a property subject to a prescribed event is limited to only those properties included on a municipal register.
It all appears to be a little messy – a second community consultation is scheduled for tomorrow; Heather Fenton expects to attend.
 By Pepper Parr
June 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Come Canada Day the Mayor of Burlington will have what are called Strong Mayor Powers.
Just in case you don’t understand what those powers are about, let me list them for you.
Strong mayor powers and duties include:
• Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer
• Hiring certain municipal department heads, and establishing and re-organizing departments
• Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process
• Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority
• Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Is this a problem for Mayor Marianne Meed Ward? Or is it an opportunity? Hard to tell – she has said she doesn’t need them and never wanted them. Her statement as Chair of the Big City Mayors Organization was not as resounding as I would have liked it to be – but she was speaking for an organization.
Meed Ward has not gotten into the habit of doing interviews with media so there hasn’t been an opportunity to ask questions directly. To the best of our knowledge Mayor Meed Ward has never held a media event. She uses social media extensively and once said she had 17 points from which she can communicate with the community. They are all one way channels.
There is a scenario that could have Meed Ward using some of those new powers.
The province has said it needs to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031. The province doesn’t build homes, nor does a municipality. Homes are built by developers.
The city sets out the rules that developers have to adhere to.
One of the rules is to comply with the Official Plan which the developers aren’t very pleased with. So they appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal – those appeals take a considerable amount of time and the city tends to lose most of the appeals.
What the city has undertaken to do is build 29,000 new homes by 2031 – they signed a pledge with the province to do just that.
 Application has been approved: Seven (7) residential towers on top of four (4) mixed use podiums. Overall heights ranging between 29 and 37 storeys. Podium heights ranging from 2, 5 and 6 storeys. A total of 2,494 residential units of mixed type and tenure. 3993 m2 of commercial space. 41, 821 m2 of shared amenity space. Five (5) levels of underground parking and a four (4) storey parking structure which will be integrated with the residential units. Pedestrian connections to the surrounding neighbourhood and Burlington GO Station. City Council was successful in getting the Urban Growth Centre boundary moved north which pushed a lot of development north of Caroline and along Fairview where a very large development is planned. But there are no shovels in the ground yet.
Experts seem to agree there is no joy for developers in the rental market – the big bucks are in high end condos – not what Burlington needs.
With Strong Mayor powers would Meed Ward be able to get some of the badly needed housing built? Go back and look at the power she will have come Canada Day
The fear is not what Meed Ward would do – it is about what a future Mayor could do. There are two members of this Council who have said to me directly that they would like to be Mayor – both made the statements before they were halfway through their first term of office.
In the last election we saw a candidate with no local history, a campaign committee that consisted of a close friend with his home phone number as his campaign number to call. Given what little effort was put into the campaign he did remarkably well – and is understood to be ready for another campaign.
It would not be difficult for special interests to find a person, work with that candidate to build a public profile and pump thousands of dollars into the campaign.
Burlington has two habits that make something like this possible.
 Voter turnout is traditionally low. In 2022, 27.6 per cent of eligible voters in Burlington voted in the municipal election; in the 2018 municipal election, 39.79 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
And, for the most part, most residents, are woefully ignorant at how important city hall is to the life they live.
Something to think about.
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 Staff
June 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Joyce Family Foundation has provided continuous support of YMCA Beyond the Bell™ for the past 14 years. The 2023 contribution amounted to $370,000 that will help vulnerable children get the help they need to reach their full potential.
Students in Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford, Six Nations and other Indigenous communities, will have better access to academic help through YMCA Beyond the Bell™ to provide programming at its current locations and will look to expand into other priority communities and neighbourhoods.
 YMCA Summer camp programs. Children from low-income backgrounds, family trauma and other social determinants of health, are faced with an academic disadvantage compared to their middle-class counterparts before even starting school. Reading at grade level by Grade 3 is a crucial milestone that predicts future school success.
Three quarters of children from low-income neighbourhoods fail to meet this milestone.
The pandemic had a considerable impact on the communities where YMCA Beyond the Bell™ delivers programs, while also changing the way the program traditionally operated. Between 2020 and 2022, the program was delivered through a hybrid model of virtual programming and in-class programming in fewer schools. Right now, the program is being offered virtually as well as in-person with the goal of returning to predominantly in-person delivery of YMCA Beyond the Bell™ at 10 schools by September 2023.
“Now more than ever, students need our help. The pandemic has caused significant disruptions in academic learning, but it has also hampered our children’s social development,” says Manny Figueiredo, President & CEO, YMCA of Hamilton|Burlington|Brantford.
“In YMCA Beyond the Bell™, we found an impactful program academically, that provides support and personal relationships in the lives of young people,” says Michele Thornley, Trustee of
“Mentors and role models are so important in the development of young people. It is transformative for a young person to have consistent support in their educational path.”
The Joyce Family Foundation is a private, family foundation created by Canadian entrepreneur Ronald V. Joyce. His philanthropy reflects a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to give back to his community. The Foundation’s primary focus is to provide access to education for children and youth with significant financial need or facing other socio-economic barriers to success.
 YMCA programs help break the cycle of poverty and closing the achievement gap. The YMCA of Hamilton|Burlington|Brantford has delivered the YMCA Beyond the Bell™ program for more than 20 years. The objective has been to help break the cycle of poverty and closing the achievement gap experienced by low-income children compared to their higher income peers through a highly unique after-school and summer program. YMCA Beyond the Bell™ features a unique blend of literacy, numeracy, nutrition and recreation elements.
The four key goals of the program are to realize academic achievement, improve health and wellness, explore culture and creativity and develop social skills.
By Pepper Parr
June 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The passenger airline industry has a unique way of welcoming a new airline to a destination.
In Hamilton, fire trucks, that are a part of every airfield, drive up to both sides of an arriving aircraft and spray an arc of water over the air craft – that’s how they get welcomed to Hamilton International Airport.
 Lynx inaugural flight being welcomed to Hamilton. Sometime today Play, yes that’s the name of the airline, will arrive in Hamilton on their inaugural flight celebration.
Play offers the following destinations: Iceland, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, London and Dublin via Iceland.
With Play serving Hamilton there will be six airlines using the airport.
 The corporate slogan is Come out and Play. The airline serves a number of prime European destinations – easier to get to than for Burlington residents than Pearson. While Pearson airport is the big player in the Toronto market many of the smaller airlines that want to provide service find that the costs at Pearson are just too high – they choose Hamilton instead.
Many business people and vacation travellers find that Hamilton is an easier destination to get to if they live west of the Toronto core.
The Burlington Chamber of Commerce calls the John C. Munro International Airport “Burlington’s Airport”.
The airport is also a major departure and arrival point for the commercial jet cargo business.
Hamilton International has been described . “As the largest domestic overnight express cargo airport and the third largest cargo freight airport in Canada, Hamilton International is a key economic driver and vital transportation hub for the Hamilton region and across Ontario.”
Hamilton International’s 2021 Economic Impact Study, completed by ICF International Incorporated, found that Hamilton International delivered 4,720 jobs and $1.5b in total economic output, with 2,770 jobs and $1b of that directly attributed to its cargo business.
Cargo operations at the Airport have experienced a 29 percent growth in all areas, including employment, labour income, value added and industry activity, over the past five years:
New warehousing space is being created for what is a growing niche in the supply chain: warehousing that can hold goods coming into the country to be sent to destinations across Canada.
By Pepper Parr
June 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Heritage homes have been an issue in Burlington for at least two decades.
The Real Estate industry seem, at times, to be doing everything they can to convince their clients to do everything they can to prevent a property from being put on a Registry.
The sell everyone short with this kind of behaviour and unfortunately the city has yet to see the kind of leadership from the Real Estate community that could show the upside to there being a significant number of homes that are deemed significant from a Heritage perspective.
Some feel that battle was lost when former Mayor “Rob” MacIsaac ticked off a lot of people with his approach. “The city as learned a lesson” said one of the residents that lives in a house that is part of the study group; “they aren’t going to get caught like that again.
The city is currently trying to carve out parts of the city that have significance from a heritage perspective.
Two and perhaps thee members of the current city council are strong property rights people who believe a property owner should be able to decide on their own if their property has heritage value.
In a recent council decision related to a property on Locust Avenue where the owner wanted to make some renovations and additions to a property they had purchased that would allow the extended family to live in the house they had purchased.
In a separate article the Gazette will take you through a rather disappointing resolution on the part of the city on that Locust Street property.
At the moment the city is in the process of having studies completed on what they refer to as “clusters” of properties in the downtown core.
 Parts of the downtown core that are the subject of Heritage Studies The Heritage Planner is holding private meetings with groups of people to discuss the options.
One resident sees the structure of the meetings is as a “divide and conquer” tactic because “they don’t want people to get together and organize against what the city is trying to do” was the way one resident put it.
On Monday John O’Reilly, the Heritage Planner, will be meeting with residents from the Foot of Brant Street; Village Square and Downtown East communities; later in the month – June 21st – he will meet with residents from Locust Street; and Burlington Avenue and Lakeshore Road.
Media are not permitted to attend.
 The city would like to see the facade of this 1830’s house built into the tower, shown on the left, that the developer wants to build. The house is the last structure of its kind left on Brant Street.  The current city Council is doing everything it can to retain at least some of the city heritage. There is just one building on Brant Street standing that was built in the 1830’s – the city would settle for keeping just the facade and have it built into the proposed 29 storey structure. The developer refuses to meet with the Heritage planners and has taken his case to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
There are small, very small collections of houses that are thought to have some heritage potential and efforts are being made to produce studies that will support what the city is trying to do.
There isn’t much a city can do – they can refuse to issue building or demolition permits but those refusals don’t last forever.
There doesn’t yet appear to be all that much demand for retaining houses with what planners see as significant heritage value.
Those who want heritage to be part of the city culture are not the people who own the houses.
As one resident put it – “the city wants to create streetscapes that will allow people to walk or drive by and comment on how nice the neighbourhood looks – we want to be the ones who determine what our homes look like.”
By Pepper Parr
June 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Jeff Hill is a Deputy Chief with the Halton Regional Police Service.
 Jeff Hill: Deputy Chief of Regional Operations Halton Regional Police Service where he oversees Regional Investigative Services (including Intimate Partner Violence, Frauds, Victim Services Unit, Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit, Intelligence, Forensic Identification, Drugs and Human Trafficking, Tech Crime, and Homicide) He was one of several people who delegated at City Council recently on the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) incidents in Burlington.
He reported that last year the police responded to 3500 calls, 1346 of them came from Burlington. 341 arrests were made.
As of last week the police attended on 544 incidents so far this year.
It was numbers like this that brought the problem to council where they passed a resolution declaring that Intimate Partner Violence had reached epidemic levels.
Deputy Chief took the issue several steps further.
He said “the police alone are not the solution to this issue and we will not arrest our way out of this epidemic. If we don’t do something different, the problem will continue to grow.
“Intimate partner violence cannot be a private issue. We cannot be silent about the violence that is occurring. The resolution before you is a start but we must do something to raise community awareness and education on the surveillance of the issue with the necessity for a holistic approach from the community as a whole; one entity cannot do this alone.”
Hill made an additional comment that was chilling. After saying he was not a big social media participant he then said that whenever he tweeted about IPV, the number of people tuning in dropped. “People don’t want to hear about the issue.”
Hill closed his delegation saying in “the last 40 years the Region alone has seen 22 women murdered at the hands of their partner, a woman was murdered every other year in our region alone. This absolutely has to stop.”
The Region has a 24 member intimate partner violence unit that responds to every call. The victims are supported and charges are laid. The police believe that they hear from about 30% of the women who are victims. The others live in fear believing that they will not be believed or supported.
The victims are one part of the issue – the men who beat their partners are the other side. Sending them to jail isn’t going to change the behaviour – that is not what jails do.
There has to be programs that work with men to change their behaviour. Having groups of men walk in women’s high heeled shoes does a little bit to bring the issue to public attention. I doubt very much that it changes behaviour.
Research has to be done to understand why men feel they can beat their partners. It is certainly an anger management problem – but I suspect there is much more than that to it.
Hill came close when he said there had to be “a holistic approach from the community”.
The shape and form that approach takes has yet to be determined. It can start with men saying to men: You cannot do that and then helping those that do get the help they need.
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.
Canada’s senate has passed a bill aimed at educating judges about the dangers of domestic violence and coercive control.
‘Keira’s Law,’ Bill C-233, was introduced by Anju Dhillon, member of Parliament for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle in 2022 on the second anniversary of Keira Kagan’s death in Milton, Ont.
The legislation focuses on protection for children of abusive ex-partners via amendments to the Judges Act.
It adds continuous education for decision-makers on the finer points of violence and control in family relationships.
Additionally, justices are now expected to consider whether a release order for an accused is in the interests of the safety and security. Electronic monitoring devices can now be a condition of release.
 Kiera Photo credit: Jennifer Viater Keira Kagan was reported missing on Feb. 9, 2020 while spending the weekend with her father, 35-year-old Robin Brown.
Halton Regional Police later found Keira and her father dead at the bottom of a steep escarpment in Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in Milton.
A coroner found the two had injuries consistent with a fall and referred the incident to the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee for a probe.
Jennifer Viater, Keira’s mother, believed it was a murder-suicide tied to court motions citing abusive behaviour. She was seeking to limit her ex-husband’s access to their daughter.
Despite finding evidence against Brown as “persuasive and compelling,” a judge said it was “not urgent” enough to prohibit contact with Keira.
“It means a lot to us that we you know that this has been successful and that … we’ve now solidified Keira’s legacy in Canada as a beacon of protection and safety for others,” Viater said in a presser on Wednesday hours after the bill passed.
 Dhillon said she was “grateful and pleased” for the support from Parliament, Senate and stakeholders across Canada for the legislation.
“The message is clear, we all agree that more needs to be done to protect women and their children who are also victims of domestic violence,” Dhillon remarked.
The bill will now seek royal assent and is expected to come into effect 30 days following the process.
 By Staff
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 A decisions that came out of an Inquest that took place in Renfrew County in September 22, 2015, is sen by many as the event that brought about a change in the public perception of violence against women by their intimate partners.
The County of Renfrew is a Municipal Government stretching west from Ottawa to the northern tip of historic Algonquin Park. Founded in 1861, Renfrew is the largest county in Ontario and is made up of 17 communities.
The facts the Inquest dealt with and the actions that came out of the Inquest are set out HERE
 By Pepper Parr
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
This is a story about delegations that were made at city council recently. It was about an epidemic – something the delegations referred to as IPV.
It is a long article – that was edited for brevity.
IPV is intimate partner violence – domestic abuse.
Halton Deputy Police Chief Jeff Hill told Council that police make an arrest a day in Burlington alone.
There were four delegations on the issue.
Jennifer Kagan, a physician and advocate against gender based violence in all its forms, delegated to council on the resolution that proposed Burlington declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in the city. .
 Jennifer Kagan, a physician and advocate against gender based violence. Kagan said “this recommendation stems from the 2022 Renfrew County inquest into the deaths of Carol Collington Anastasia Cusick and Nathalie Warmerdam. (A link to a seperate article on what happened in Renfrew Councty is included at the end of this article.)
“It is something I hear about from women in the Region every single day. Women who fear for their lives and their children’s lives. Women with nowhere to turn because systems that are supposed to protect them are failing. Women who are fearful to engage with many systems because this can often make things worse for them and their children. The numbers are staggering.
“We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the need for domestic violence related services. This has only been exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic; this dovetails with my perspective on the ground as an advocate for survivors of violence and with my own experience.
“I was a victim of domestic violence and coercive control in a previous relationship. While I was able to leave the relationship fleeing with only a few essential items, I sought protection for our nine month old daughter, Keira via the courts. Keira was failed by many judges, child protection services and was ultimately killed at the age of four by her father in February 2020.
Dr. Kagan’s experience resulted in the passing of Kiera’s Law
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, a woman is killed somewhere in Canada every other day on average; 30 to 40 children a year in Canada are killed by a violent parent.
“One is too many. Those who work with survivors of violence see the impact that lack of resources has on the lives of women and children fleeing violence. I commonly hear from colleagues looking to find shelter space for abused women; they cannot find it and that police cannot meet the unprecedented demand for services.
“By declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic it will ensure the city can better meet the needs of women and children fleeing violence. It will also raise awareness about the scourge of domestic violence so that survivors and children living with violence and escaping violence know that they are not alone. Passing this resolution will save many lives and I am in strong support of it.”
Councillor Nissan asked Dr. Kagan if she had anything “on a wish list for us at the municipal level? W hat are the next steps after this resolution comes forward?
Kagan: “Training is a very large focus of our advocacy. Educating the students and teachers as well would be two items if I could think just off the top of my head.”
 Halton Police Service Deputy Chief Jeff Hill Deputy Chief Jeff Hill of the Halton Police Service spoke virtually regarding the same item saying “I very much wanted to be a part of this discussion and humbly submit is of the utmost importance, and needed desperately to help combat and intimate partner violence.
“I’m going to be concise, and paint the picture from a policing perspective of the surveillance of intimate partner violence in the city of Burlington. Regionally speaking to the rise, in intimate partner violence in 2015 we responded to 2757 calls and laid 1145 charges.
“Last year we responded to 3500 calls and doubled our charges, laying 2141 charges.
“That’s effectively responding to 10 incidents of intimate partner violence a day. Specifically speaking to the city of Burlington, of those 3500 occurrences 1346 of them were in the city of Burlington. Stemming from those occurrences we made 341 arrests; that’s basically an arrest a day.
“As of last week, we have already attended 544 incidents of IPV in Burlington.
“I’ve seen the statistics and I’m aware that this largely an under reported crime. We believe that only 30% is actually reported to us.
“Halton police has a dedicated 24 members, intimate partner violence unit, that partners with such entities as Women’s Place and the mentoring members of the Halton Violence Prevention Council. We’re doing everything we can in the areas of risk intervention, incident response prevention and social disorder, social development. Our Victim Support Unit reaches out to every victim of intimate partner violence that is reported to us. Even with all those resources being dedicated, the number of incidents that we respond to has remained steady since 2020, with a number of arrests rising year after year.
“Let me be clear, however, that the police alone are not the solution to this issue and we will not arrest our way out of this epidemic. If we don’t do something different, the problem will continue to grow. Intimate partner violence cannot be a private issue. We cannot be silent about the violence that is occurring. The resolution before you is a start but we must do something to raise community awareness and education on the surveillance of the issue with the necessity for a holistic approach from the community as a whole; one entity cannot do this alone. As you heard from Dr. Kagan, every six days in Canada, a woman is murdered by her partner.
“I want to leave you with this final statistic, the last 40 years the Region alone has seen 22 women murdered at the hands of their partner, a woman murdered every other year in our region alone. This absolutely has to stop.”
 Councillor Bentivegna asked the Deputy Chief: “Is there something that you can share with residents throughout the region of things that as neighbours we could be doing. Are there signs out there that you can share that say hey, you know, this doesn’t look right. I don’t know whether we should approach the individual or maybe make a call to halt and say, you know, here’s what I’ve seen, or are there clues out there?
Deputy Chief Hill: “I think it’s just the awareness that this is happening around us. I think it’s the need for people to know, and not be willing to turn a blind eye to it. I’ve often made the comment, I’m not a social media person, but what ironically happens is what I even alone advocate for, you know, violence against women – to speak to it – I actually tend to lose followers. It’s like people don’t want to speak about it. And it’s something that we have to bring to the forefront, the entire community has to bring it to the forefront. We have to watch out for our neighbours.
“The reality is by the time a lot of these issues get to the police they are at the point of crisis in the cycle of violence. So we need people to intervene earlier – we need to help talk about it. We need funding for the people that we are going to speak to next. I think the very beginning of it is just a recognition that we’re all in this together. This is not a women’s issue. This is not an individual issue. This is a community issue.
Lori Hepburn Executive Director of Halton Women’s Place was one of the several delegations. Speaking about the intimate partner domestic abuse crisis in Burlington.
 Laurie Hepburn Executive Director of Halton Women’s Place She said the Halton Violence Prevention Council plays a leading role in supporting and empowering survivors of intimate partner violence and domestic violence. “I stand before you to discuss a pressing matter that requires our collective attention – declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic within our community to emphasize the urgency and significance of this declaration to examine the findings of the Renfrew County inquest, a recent and notable case that sheds light on the severity of the issue.
“The inquest was conducted following the tragic deaths of three women who were victims of domestic violence. Its findings revealed a series of system failures, missed opportunities and service provision gaps that could have saved these women’s lives. The number one recommendation of the inquest is for the province of Ontario to declare intimate partner violence as an epidemic. Women’s Place provides refuge and support for several hundreds of women and children each year who are escaping abusive situations.
“Last year in our community, Halton Woman’s Place supported 126 women and children through safe shelter, and over 6061 women through our community outreach programs, and we received over 2200 crisis calls to our support line, approximately 25% of the women who access our services identified coming from the City of Burlington.
“These are alarming statistics. And they aren’t just numbers, but they translate into the lives of real women and children whose lives are being derailed by intimate partner violence. The Renfrew County inquest serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of intimate partner violence and the need for comprehensive proactive measures to address this epidemic.
“IPv is no longer an issue that can be ignored, kept behind closed doors. Declaring intimate partner violence as an epidemic the City of Burlington can signal its commitment to implementing these measures that prevent similar tragedies from occurring within our community.
 Seating area just inside the doors of the Halton Women’s Place located in Burlington. “In March 2023, Mayor Mead Ward stated that the city of Burlington must stand by and be prepared to provide the services needed that reflect our community’s commitment. Stand by one another, come together in collaboration to ensure every single Burlington resident feels respected, safe and supportive, in alignment with the values upheld by the City of Burlington.
“Last year, the Halton Regional Police responded to over 3500 intimate partner violence calls, which translate to approximately 10 calls a day. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many survivors suffer in silence and do not seek assistance due to fear, stigma or lack of resources. It is the under reported violent crime that makes this problem an epidemic. The City of Burlington acknowledges the harsh reality faced by survivors in our community, recognizes that this issue extends beyond isolated incidents – it is deeply ingrained in our society.
“This declaration acts as a call to action demanding that we come together as a community to address the root causes of violence and support survivors and their journey towards protection, healing and safety. Furthermore, this declaration demonstrates our commitment to data driven decision making.
“By acknowledging the prevalence of intimate partner violence we can more effectively allocate resources and implement evidence based strategies to prevent further harm. By intentionally changing our actions, we shift the narrative of dismissiveness towards IPv and step into the messiness and say to the individuals facing intimate partner violence, we see you, we hear you and we are driven by the courage, resilience and bravery of our survivors to fight for change in our local community.
“For the City of Burlington to declare intimate partner violence as an epidemic within our community, together, we can break the cycle of violence, support survivors, foster community that prioritizes safety, respect and equality for all.”
Councillor Nissan asked: “Laurie do you have suggestions for how the city of Burlington can follow up on this declaration and work with both yourself as well as the Halton Violence Prevention Council ? I see Halton Region as one of the partners which is really important, but how can the City of Burlington fit in to the to the plans?”
Hepburn: “I think Burlington can fit into the plans – helping with community awareness. That’s part of the biggest piece that’s missing with domestic violence is it’s typically been something that has been hidden. There’s so much fear and stigma around speaking about domestic violence, and that’s part of the cycle of control. Having somebody who feels powerless and doesn’t feel that they can share what’s happening to them – there’s so much judgment out there. We need to make sure that we’re normalizing these conversations about domestic violence adding that Councillor Bentivegna shared a really great point – let us know the signs about domestic violence.
“These things are happening to our neighbours, friends and families in the community. Hepburn added that “We’ve applied for a grant to have an educator getting the word out to the community; the goal is to have 20 presentations – lunch and learns – for businesses in North Halton because we know there’s a need out there. Creating awareness and making sure our communities are educated – we cannot do the work alone, we need our entire community to be talking about domestic violence and have a zero tolerance for domestic violence.
“We are looking at putting purple benches throughout the Region to signal to survivors of domestic violence that we see, we hear and we believe you and want you to know we are going to be here for you if you need support.”
 Kirk and Sonya Robinson sat in the public gallery of the Senate when Kiera’s Law was passed. Kirk and Sonya Robinson were the final delegation. It was not easy to hear what they had to say.
Kirk started by saying “my wife Sonia and I sat in the Senate public gallery and listened while Kiera’s Law was passed. It is now a federal and provincial law. Relatives of IPV played a significant part in this with along with the unwavering support of our mayor and council here in Burlington. Our family and most likely 1000s of families will benefit from your support. We’re thankful for the opportunity today to delegate and tell our story with the hope of increasing awareness of intimate partner of domestic abuse.
“In April we were in Ottawa for the final reading and vote in the Senate for Kiera’s Law. Sonya and I met many survivors of intimate partner domestic abuse. We shared stories back and forth. When I met and spoke with them, I was overcome with many emotions ranging from grief to guilt, thinking about how we as a society can sit back and allow this to happen. We have great respect for the courage of survivors to continue to fight for change.
“One of the survivors I met was beaten by her husband so many times that she feared she would die. If she did she feared he would take her baby. She devised a plan to make a hiding spot for the baby under the stairs and put a note in her pocket so the police could find her baby when they found her body.
“Another survivor I met was there with her daughter. I learned that her husband had attempted to put one of their daughters in human trafficking, and she fought to save her. I learned that some of her encounters with law enforcement tended to favour her husband.
“I sat next to the daughter while listening to the Senators debate the bill that was before them. I could not help but wonder what this girl had seen or had been exposed to or how sad it was that someone was not there to help her when she needed it most. I learned recently of a suicide attempt in her family and I have no idea if it was her sister.
“Another survivor of child exploitation, drug use and drug sales by the father told of being interviewed by Child Protective Services worker and told that she had to wait for clarification on some issues that would take weeks, if not months. In the meantime the mother had to answer her seven year old daughter’s question. ” I thought the lady was here to help me. Why didn’t she help me?
Kirk said he had many more stories adding “you get the point. It has been my experience that the police services do not have the resources they need to get ahead of this and save those that fall through the cracks. Burlington has led the resolution supporting Kiera’s Law – let’s be a leader again supporting our police services who work tirelessly to save us from intimate partner domestic abuse.”
Mayor Med Ward followed with: “It’s important for us to listen – it is very very hard to hear those things. Thank you for all that you do, on behalf of all my colleagues. We are deeply grateful for your efforts.
Background links:
The Renfrew County Inquest
Kiera’s Law
By Pepper Parr
June 17th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Residents have rights, at least that’s what Mohammed Kamal, a resident of Bluff’s Way in ward 3 thought when he called the city bylaw enforcement department about storage containers and cars bearing disgusting signs hung on the sides of cars that were on a flatbed in the backyard of a neighbour.
 The owner of this property has his house close to the road; the neighbour has his home at the back of the lot – his view coming out his door is the flatbed with cars and the foul banners  The view from one of the exit doors on the Kamal property. His Real Estate Lawyer has not been able to get a single offer on the property that has been on the market since February. Mr. Kamal, an Information Technology specialist, who has been in Canada since 1998, thought he would get a response from the bylaw enforcement people, which he did get.
The advised him to call the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) because part of the property in ward 3 came under their jurisdiction.
The city bylaw people are partly correct, the NEC does have jurisdiction over some matters. But nothing to do with the storage of 40 foot containers in the back of a residential property.
Kamal got passed back and forth between the city and the NEC and apparently the ward Councillor’s office.
Rory Nissan, Councillor for ward 3, who now lives in ward 2, was sent an email on March 23rd; Kamal who understands Information Technology keeps detailed records.
Included in those records is the notation of a threat from the neighbour on what could happen if the Kamal complaint was not withdrawn.
Kamal just wants to sell his home and move on. Based on the photographs included in this article we ask – would you buy the house ?
In addition to the cars with the disgusting signs on them there are three 40 foot containers on the property.
 The three 40 foot containers on private property are understood to be illegal based on the understanding Mr. Kamal has of the bylaw. He has no idea what is kept inside the containers.
By Pepper Parr
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Globe and Mail recently put out a statement on the use of artificial-intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT in their daily work.
I confess to not fully understanding just what AI actually is – other than that some people think it is the beginning of the end of the world.
Burlington has a city Councillor who has said she could use it to “bump” out statements. Scary.
 I will be at a BBQ with my grandson on the weekend. Western Ontario University gave him a doctorate that he earned – I’m hoping I can learn enough from his to at least sound as if I know what I am talking about.
Newspaper have had to deal with claims of publishing “fake media”.
Real news is people who do interviews, ask questions and take pictures and at the Gazette we work at putting the news in context. It isn’t enough to publish a statement an individual makes – that statement has to be related to previous statements the person made and looking at the policy context within which the statements were made. What we do rests on solid research, clear, intelligent writing, and maintaining a reputation for honesty, accuracy, fairness, balance and transparency.
We encourage public comment and follow the guidelines from the National Newsmedia Council that calls for responsible journalism and responsible readership.
Related new story:
Aldershot residents fail to hold their Councillor accountable.
By Staff
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 The City of Burlington is looking for resident feedback on City-run recreation programs.
Feedback is welcome from the community as a whole – past and current participants and those that haven’t registered in our programs. Feedback from everyone will help to understand the needs of the entire community.
The survey will ask questions about what City-run recreation programs you have participated in, what programs you would be interested in and, would like to see offered. This review will help the City understand the recreation needs of our growing community.
It will also help align the programs the City offers to serve all residents and visitors for aquatics, skating, inclusion, sport, camps, adults, older adults 55+ and programming in general for years to come.
The results of the survey will be shared in a report to Council in Fall 2023.
The survey is open until Sept. 1, 2023. You can access the survey HERE
Today, the Province of Ontario announced it will be extending strong mayor powers, effective July 1, 2023, to every municipality that has adopted a housing pledge, including Burlington – City Council unanimously endorsed the pledge to build 29,000 homes by 2031 and we currently have 23,000 units under review.
Each mayor will need to decide what is best for their community in meeting their housing pledge targets, and whether to use some, all, or none of these new tools. The Province announced months ago these would be rolled out to additional municipalities and they have done that today.
These tools are not something I have requested. My focus has always been on building a strong city and a strong collaborative Council. One way has been through giving each Burlington Councillor a Deputy Mayor with Portfolio role to provide leadership on specific files that incorporate their interests and strengths from previous experiences. I will be working very closely with all the Deputy Mayors for – Housing; the Environment; Business & Red Tape Reduction; Recreation & Community Services; Community Engagement & Partnerships; and Strategy & Budgets – to meet our housing pledge and deliver complete communities for our residents.
I believe the best decisions are made in collaboration with Council, City staff and the community – and that will not change. Burlington Council is already very cohesive and collaborative, with more than 90% of our votes being unanimous, and the balance of votes with strong consensus around options.
We have always taken a “made-in Burlington” approach to changes that affect municipalities. Burlington Council works well together, and I know we will continue to do so.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward City of Burlington
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By Staff
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario government is expanding strong mayor powers to the mayors of 26 large and fast-growing municipalities that have committed to a housing pledge as part of the province’s work to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.
The announcement was made by Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, during today’s meeting of the Ontario Big City Mayors. Strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa took effect in the Fall of 2022 and will be expanded to mayors in the 26 additional municipalities on July 1, 2023.
“Municipalities are critical partners for our government as we help communities get shovels in the ground faster and work to build more homes,” said Minister Clark. “By adopting ambitious and absolutely necessary housing pledges, these 26 municipalities have demonstrated they understand the importance of that target, and we are ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed. We welcome housing pledges from other municipalities to help reach our goal of 1.5 million homes by 2031.”
Strong mayor powers offer tools to help heads of council cut red tape and speed up the delivery of key shared municipal-provincial priorities such as housing, transit and infrastructure in their municipalities. These enhanced powers will also bring increased accountability for local leaders, while checks and balances maintain the important oversight role of councillors. For example, council may override the mayor’s veto of by-laws or budget amendments with a two-thirds majority vote.
 Will the Escarpment be at risk if new Strong Mayor Powers were put to use? Strong mayor powers and duties include:
• Choosing to appoint the municipality’s chief administrative officer
• Hiring certain municipal department heads, and establishing and re-organizing departments
• Creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of committees of council
• Proposing the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a separate head of council veto and council override process
• Vetoing certain by-laws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the by-law could potentially interfere with a provincial priority
• Bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the matter could potentially advance a provincial priority
“Ontario’s Big City Mayors back the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031, and all of our members have accepted their housing pledge in support of that target,” said Marianne Meed Ward, Chair of OBCM and Mayor of Burlington. “Different communities require different tools and approaches to address local housing needs, and strong mayor powers are one such tool that can help mayors and municipalities meet their housing targets. We’re committed to continue working with the province to build the homes our residents need.”
In the past Mayor Meed Ward has said that she sees no need for such power in Burlington.
 Each red dot represents a development that is somewhere in the Planning department or at the Ontario Land Tribunal. “Today’s announcement by the provincial government providing strong mayor powers for Ontario’s largest and fastest-growing cities comes at a time when mayors need every tool to advance work on housing pledges and meet new challenges,” said Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph and past chair of OBCM. “Although strong mayor powers may not be required in all contexts to reach our collective housing goals, our citizens expect results – and tools such as this can help us achieve them.”
These measures will support municipalities as they work to meet their commitments and support the construction of the new homes their residents need and deserve.
Quick Facts
Ontario has made significant progress in tackling the housing supply crisis with a range of innovative actions to increase housing supply. In 2022, housing starts in the province surpassed 96,000 – the second-highest number since 1988 and 30 per cent higher than the annual average for the past 20 years.
That is a fact – another fact is that the province did not meet the target they had in place for 2022.
Rental housing construction improved as well, with 2022 setting a new record of nearly 15,000 starts.
The 26 additional municipalities that would be designated as part of the strong mayor framework are single- or lower-tier municipalities with a population over 100,000, or growing to 100,000 by 2031, that have submitted a housing pledge to the province.
The 28 municipalities that will have strong mayor powers as of July 1, 2023, have collectively pledged to build 1,217,000 units by 2031 – more than 81 per cent of the provincial target of 1.5 million homes.
The strong mayor by-law powers could only be used to support prescribed provincial priorities: Building 1.5 million new homes by 2031 to address the housing supply crisis, and the construction and maintenance of infrastructure, such as transit and roads, to support new and existing housing development.
Existing municipal accountability frameworks continue to apply to heads of council with strong mayor powers, including conflict of interest rules.
 By Staff
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Sport Alliance 2023 award winners.
Junior Athlete of the Year – Andrea Cabio (tennis)
Athletes of the Year – Michael Gligic (golf), Emma Maltais (hockey)
Master Athletes of the Year – Tom Adams (swimming), Suzanne Ruginis (swimming)
Special Olympians of the Year – Nicholas Rodriguez (multi-sport athlete), Katie Veitch
Parasport Athletes of the Year – Shayne Sharkey (wheelchair basketball), Katie Cosgriffe (swimming)
Coach of the Year – Mariya Kovtun (rhythmic gymnastics)
Volunteer Sport Builder – Nick Manz (rugby)
AJ Dunn Sport Builder – Don McMillan (posthumously) – BIG Executive Director, Baseball Coach, Broadcaster
Official of the Year – Ivy Callaghan (swimming)
Team of the Year – Nexxice Junior Synchronized Skating Team
The achievements of these incredible members of our sporting community will be recognized at an awards ceremony to take place at the Polish Hall at 2316 Fairview, on Tuesday June 20th. at 6:00pm.
For tickets please contact Jillsutherlandbsa@outlook.com.
 By Pepper Parr
June 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We have heard about the scams that rob decent people of their hard earned money.
 Thousands of people are being robbed of their hard earned money by people who are basically crooks. Pay close attention to any email you get that even looks suspicious – deal with people you know. We have reported on many of these in the past.
One of the more common, and very treacherous ones is the request from someone who has a name similar to a name of someone you know.
Here is an example of what we are talking about.
Start reading from the bottom.
The name the writer uses is almost identical to someone I know very well. I trust that person – so when I saw the name I responded.
Thanks for your response, I need to get an APPLE GIFT CARD for a friend of mine who is diagnosed with stage 4 mesothelioma cancer, She lost her only daughter to the disease (COVID-19).it’s her birthday but I can’t do this now because I’m currently out of town.I tried purchasing it online but unfortunately I got no luck on that. Wondering if you could get it from any store around you I’ll pay back when I get back. Kindly let me know if you can handle this.
Thank you
On Thu, Jun 15, 2023 at 11:43 PM Pepper publisher <publisher@bgzt.ca> wrote:
Who are you and what do you want?
Publisher
From: STAN STAINTON [mailto:sbstainton@sympatico.ca]
Sent: June 15, 2023 5:37 PM
Subject: Checking on you
Hi,
How are you ? Hope you are keeping safe?
Are you available via email? I need your help.
Thanks
STAN STAINTON
There are news reports of people who have lost significant amount of money – thousands of dollars – because they were duped. Pay close attention – if you find you are in doubt – don’t.
Report the scam or fraud to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
By Pepper Parr
June 15th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Terry Caddo, President of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce sent out an announcement saying: The Burlington Chamber of Commerce wants to hear from you!
He is getting a response – not quite what he was is expecting was the view we got after looking at some of the social media that is floating around out there.
The current kafuffle has to do with what the Chamber did and didn’t do with the recent Walk a Mile in their Shoes event; a fund raiser for the Halton Women’s Shelter.
Peter van Dyke said in a tweet that “the Chamber should have made a donation before they published a picture of the event”.
 Terry Caddo was given the option of wearing high heels or runners – he took what he saw as the safer choice. Caddo explains that the Chamber has 58 not for profit members and that his organization cannot raise funds for every one of them. Cadoo said “we paid our registration fee”.
What Caddo is not hearing are comments like” “enough is enough” – “the man is a misogynist”, “gave himself an award at a recent Chamber event”; “know nothing about diversity”
No one wants to go on the record with their comments other than to say that the Chamber Board of Directors will do nothing to rein Caddo in.
Caddo adds that the Burlington Chamber brought in 137 new members last year and is on track to recruit 175 this year. The Burlington Chamber is reported to be the fastest growing Chamber in Canada
Those with complaints that sound serious enough and say they have reached out to the board with very little in the way of positive responses.
Randy Smallbone, Chair of the Chamber Board, told the Gazette that there is a small group that is not happy with the direction the Chamber is taking and some of its practices. He said he is looking for a way to reach out to those people and work at repairing relationships. He has his work cut out for himself.
One of the biggest complaints is that the Chamber removes any comment people leave on their web site and or Facebook page that is less than complimentary. Smallbone said that if a comment is not factual it will not remain on their website.
The people who lead the organizations that benefit everyone in Burlington should all be singing from the same hymn book.
At this point it doesn’t look is as if they have hymn books.
By Staff
June 15th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington needs approximately 10 writers and 10 visual artists to submit their creations to be displayed on temporary signs along the Beachway’s multi-use path during Culture Days.
This call is open to Burlington-based writers and artists. The public art program is accepting all art forms that can be presented in a sign format. This includes, but is not limited to: visual art, graphic art, photography, poetry, short story, non-fiction, etc. Submissions are due July 14 and may be from existing or newly created work.
About Culture Days
This year, Culture Days will feature three weeks of arts and culture experiences outdoors, indoors and online from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15, 2023. Culture Days is an annual celebration of arts, culture and heritage across the province. Each year, they work with organizers to host programs throughout Ontario and invite the public to participate for free.
About the location
The artwork will be installed along the Beachway’s multi-use path. The two km trail runs along Lake Ontario from Spencer Smith Park to the canal in Burlington. Beachway Park also features a natural sandy beach, an outdoor pavilion, playground and seasonal concessions. The public art signs will be located near the playground, pumphouse and pavilion.
There is an application process: Link to that is HERE
 The Beachway Trail, once the land that was used for two railway lines that went into the city at a time when it was a town. Nestled closely to the rail lines was the Pump House that drew water from the lake for the city and a small community of homes that were torn down – they were then land rented from the railway. Lot of history along that pathway – frequently used for groups celebrating an event. Deadline Activity
July 14 Submissions due
by Aug. 4 Successful artists selected; enter into a contract with the City of Burlington
Aug. 25 Final artwork files due
Sept. 22 – Oct. 15 Culture Days – Artwork on display
Angela Paparizo, Manager of Arts and Culture: “I am so proud of our local artist and community groups who come together for Culture Days every year. They drive the success of Burlington Culture Days year after year. The Arts and Culture team has started planning this year’s event and we are excited to invite local writers and artists to submit their work for the Beachway installation. Residents and visitors to the Beachway will be able to enjoy these pieces during the 14th annual Culture Days celebration from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15. I invite everyone to view them along the Beachway path as part of this national initiative. The City of Burlington is pleased to be a part of this project that aims to raise awareness, provide accessibility and encourage participation Burlington’s vibrant arts and culture scene.”
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