When the Mayor Smiles

Burlington MP leads the Way Reforming Parliament

2011-12-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

“So there you go.”

(Mike Wallace at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, December 13, 2011)

We talk primarily about municipal politics here.

But we ought to learn from all levels of government.

So when former Burlington and Halton Councillor Mike Wallace, now the Burlington MP, brings new procedural ideas to a democratic body such as the House of Commons we pay attention.

On December 13th at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) Wallace insisted that this committee go into camera to discuss future business of the committee. Not just at this meeting but at all future meetings.

There followed some procedural discussion. It appears that Wallace needs to put forward a notice of motion to be voted on before a final resolution of the matter. Since Wallace’s Conservatives (aka Harper Government) have a majority the outcome of that vote is inevitable – all discussions of “future business” of this committee will take place in camera.

The Globe and Mail reported on this last week. (http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/opposition-attacks-motion-to-make-commons-committee-debate-private/article2271681/?service=mobile)

Their story quoted Michael Behiels, a professor of political history at the University of Ottawa. Behiels said that in the past committees used discretion to decide when to go in camera.

“You do your best to make sure that as much of the committee’s business as possible is open to the public for scrutiny, and so members, in a sense, can be as accountable as required under the law and under the proceedings of Parliament and under democracy. Simply to shut all that off legally, I think, is sending a terrible signal to Canadians that much of the government’s business is in fact closed to them.”

Wallace is one of the Vice Chairs of the Committee. I was his wardmate from 1994-97 and in those days he believed in openness of government. Have his views changed or is Ottawa democracy just different from the local variety?

The mandate of the OGGO includes the study of the effectiveness of government operations, expenditure budgets of central departments and agencies and more. It oversees Privy Council Office/Prime Minister’s Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Crown Corporations like Canada Post and human resources matters in areas like the Public Service Commission.

It looks like OGGO does important work but most of it will be behind closed doors from now on.

Stupid Questions

2011-12-09T09:29:00.001-05:00

I spent a frustrating day this week attending aportion of the Hamilton City Council’s Emergency and Community ServicesCommittee this week.

I lasted three hours, which was about the time ittook to wrap up the couple of issues I was interested in.

Way back when in my councillor days I was told youshouldn’t ask a question unless you knew the answer to it.

I’m not sure that all Hamilton councillors gotthis lesson. Although, I suppose, you canask a stupid question and know the answer to it. Anyway there were a lot of stupid questionsasked at this meeting.

But Hamilton councillors would surely come up shortif there was an award for the stupid question of the week.That award would certainly go to Toronto Councillor DougFord, brother of the mayor.

Bruce Cox Executive Director of Greenpeace was adeputant on Wednesday addressing Toronto Council regarding the environmental impacts of cuts to urban forests and public transit.

Robyn Doolittle, a Toronto Star reporter was liveblogging at the meeting and I’ve copied her comments below:

Doug Ford does not disappoint. Asks Bruce Cox if Greenpeace staff areunionized. (Some are). Then he says he just had a great book dropped off at hisoffice "Confessions of a Green Peace Drop out" it's a "fabulousread" he says. When Cox asks if he's read it, Doug giggles and says no,clarifying he was "told it was a fabulous read." Room bursts outlaughing. There is an implied "oh snap!" tone. Sadly - Doug Ford hasnow handed the floor back to budget chief

For some reason the phrase “some mother’s do havethem” comes to mind.

Annual Ontario Environment Report Out Today

2011-11-29T18:54:00.001-05:00

Gord Miller, Ontario's Environmental Commissioner, came out with his annual report today.

I'll read it - haven't yet although I'm not looking forward to it as the media release that accompanies the report is disturbing.

Basically, Miller's argument is that the province has lost momentum on addressing the pressing environmental issues.

The report, Engaging Solutions, notes there has been "no shortage of talk about the problems such as climate change, waste diversion, and the loss of biodiversity. But when it comes to doing something there doesn’t seem to be a lot actually happening, says Miller.

For example:

On Waste: The MOE has written four different reports and discussion papers outlining options for increasing waste diversion in the province" but little action has resulted.
On Species at Risk: We are "not doing enough to protect and recover species at risk."
On Funding: Good legislation has not been accompanied by the additional resources needed "to oversee and monitor new legislation while also covering ...core responsibilities."
On the Great Lakes: Lengthy negotiations "threaten to paralyze progress towards further" clean-up. Meanwhile the Americans are making investments.

What most disturbs me is Miller's comment that the "lack of action is not accidental" and is rather "actually the goal of critics of environmental protection." We can't move forward when responding to people who say there are no problems “by going back to the research findings to debate and explain it all over again."

These delays open us up to the legitimate criticism that ours is "a culture of inaction and procrastination," the Commissioner concludes.

For the full report, visit http://www.eco.on.ca. It won't be the most uplifting read.

I'll have more to say later in the week.

YIMBY not NIMBY

2011-11-07T22:42:00.001-05:00

Not in my Backyard (NIMBY) is a term coined thirty or so years ago to refer (negatively) to residents’ opposition to development in their neighbourhood.

Usually it’s about housing – like stopping a group home or rallying neighbours concerned about apartment building heights.

There can be legitimate concerns about development, redevelopment or infill projects.
However, too often NIMBY comes out of narrow minded attitudes and uninformed opinions.

Over the years I’ve been developing a list of my favourite examples of NIMBYism.

Like the time when politicians in a neighbouring suburban community forced non-profit housing residents to install uniform and identical window blinds.

Or on another occasion when assertions from residents that the addition of a new city bus route would bring violent crime to the neighbourhood led to the route's cancellation.

Probably my most memorable NIMBY moment, though, occurred when a resident suggested that the addition of a painted centre line to a local street (recommended for safety reasons) would bring down property values.

It is good, then, to see that the lesser known movement YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) is coming to the fore in Vancouver.

The driving force for YIMBY in this city is the Pivot Legal Society. Pivot uses the law to address the root causes of poverty and social exclusion. To deal with NIMBY they have put together a YIMBY toolkit.

According to a news release this kit “is intended for people who understand the value of addressing homelessness, addictions, and mental illness in a proactive and positive way...” The toolkit will help people “who want to say “Yes in my backyard!” to projects that help people get off the streets.”

The 44 page guide explains the right to housing, offers useful myth busting information and includes some exercises as well. The Cringe Test, for example, challenges you to ask some basic questions in order to tell the difference between discrimination and a legitimate objection to supportive housing.

“If it sounds wrong when you say the same thing about a racial, ethnic or religious minority, then you know you’ve heard a discriminatory statement.” And that kind of statement goes against basic human rights.

The kit also details the human rights and legal framework supporting the YIMBY position, case studies such as the UBC Hospice and success stories like the Rain City Housing and Support Society’s development in Vancouver.

This excellent community building resource can be downloaded at http://www.pivotlegal.org/

(This article was originally published in North End Breezes - (http://www.northendbreezes.com/)

Reforming Social Assistance - Evidence Based Rates

2011-10-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

In the mid-ninetiesMike Harris’ government reduced social assistance rates in Ontario by 22%.

There was noeconomic rationale for this move – just a stupid, mean spirited, ill informed attemptto make social assistance rates unattractive and presumably to make people findjobs that didn’t exist or that they weren’t qualified to do.
In addition, gettingon to social assistance was made much more difficult as people were forced toreduce their assets before qualifying. What kind of reductions? Well,today asingle person applying for Ontario Works is permitted to have a maximum of $592in assets in order to qualify so that they can receive a maximum of $7,104annually.

The issue ofinadequacy of social assistance rates must be addressed. At theHamilton Community Legal Clinic, where I work, we believe that socialassistance rates need to have some relation to the actual cost of rent, foodand other basic necessities in communities across Ontario.

A few years agothe Clinic, with the leadership of staff lawyer Craig Foye, drafted legislationthat proposed the idea of setting up an expert panel that each year wouldrecommend evidence-based social assistance rates to the Provincial Government.“An Act to Establish the Ontario Social Assistance Rates Board” (Bill 235) wasintroduced for first reading as a private member’s bill in the OntarioLegislature by MPP Ted McMeekin on June 4, 2007. Unfortunately, the Legislaturewas then prorogued the next day in anticipation of a fall election, meaning theBill was effectively discontinued. The Bill has not yet been reintroduced. Sincethat time the Clinic and others have continued to advocate with government toimplement a process for determining evidence-based social assistance rates. You can read the proposed legislation at http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=1681&isCurrent=false&ParlSessionID=

Recently theClinic prepared a submission to the Commission for the Review of SocialAssistance in Ontario submission. In that submission we made the followingrecommendation:

That theGovernment of Ontario establish an arm’s length body to recommend evidence-basedsocial assistance rates on an annual basis. Those rates should be based on ananalysis of the actual costs of rent, a healthy food basket, and other basicnecessities in communities across Ontario, and should provide a level ofassistance that will allow individuals and families to live with dignity. Anexample of such a body is the Ontario Social Assistance Rates Board as proposedin the former Bill 235 introduced on June 4, 2007.

Nextmonth the Commissioners are coming back with a report on Options for reformingthe system. Hopefully, the rates boardwill be among the options on the table.

Youcan keep up to date on this matter by checking the clinic website at www.hamiltonjustice.ca

Mississauga Inquiry

2011-10-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

"I really believe the citizens of Mississauga have confidence that I've always put Mississauga first in all negotiations during my time over past 33 years," McCallion said during a news conference. "If any citizen feels that I was in conflict, I think the commissioner has clearly indicated that I was not in conflict within the (act)." from CP 24

That’s Mayor McCallion’s opinion. Not all would agree.

Hopefully, though, we can steer clear of a lengthy wrangle on Mayor McCallion's shortcomings and use the report to make necessary reforms to our municipal systems.

Recommendations in Updating the Ethical Infrastructure would take conflict issues out of the realm of individual opinion and make city council’s work more transparent. That’s at the crux of the report.
In the Executive Summary of the 400 page document Justice J. Douglas Cunningham comments on a Mayor’s duties specific to the issues before him:

Re the Mayor’s Obligation to make Reasonable Inquiries

If the Mayor has reason to believe that a relative’s involvement may put her/him in a real or apparent conflict position they need to make reasonable inquiries. In this case “even if Mayor McCallion did not understand” the extent of her son’s interest “she knew her son stood to benefit financially if the World Class Development (WCD) transaction was successfully completed.”

Conclusion: “She should have made further inquiries.”

Re the Responsibility to keep Council informed.

A mayor has an obligation to keep Council up to speed on matters. In this case Council “does not appear to have been aware of the Mayor’s private interventions.”

Conclusion: “She should have identified and disclosed to council the nature and extent of her son’s involvement in WCD.

Re: Duty to Refrain from Official Action where Conflict Exists

A municipal politician should refuse involvement in a file when she/he becomes aware of a real or apparent conflict of interest. Justice Cunningham distinguishes between the Mayor’s legislative and executive roles. Mayor McCallion essentially declared a conflict of interest re her legislative role but not for her executive function.

Conclusion:

“It is no answer ...to say that her actions were done for the benefit of the City Of Mississauga when her son stood to make millions of dollars if the deal was concluded.” She should have refrained from further involvement...and not simply withdrawn from her legislative role.”

Recommendations

Cunninghams’s analysis leads to sound recommendations which, if put in place, will prevent such situations from occurring in Mississauga and other jurisdictions. Specifically, the term “pecuniary interest” should be replaced with “private interest,” guidelines for lobbyists will be prescribed and a strengthened role for integrity commissioners should be put in place. These are just a few of the recommendations that jump out from a quick read of the Executive Summary.

The general thrust of the recommendations is that overall greater transparency “will serve to protect the public interest by removing possibilities for members of council to discharge their public offices in the pursuit of private interests.”

We need to move on this and not get bogged down with Hazel McCallion’s particular and unique situation.

Scamming Cities #2

2011-10-01T10:54:00.000-04:00

You are probably wondering what is happening with the Edmonton Oilers since we last reported in August.

Will beleaguered owner Daryl Katz be able to save the franchise for the City of Champions?

Well he’s working on it but the clock is running –his clock anyway - as he has given the City until Halloween to approve his plan.

Even after two and a half years of discussion, as the Edmonton Journal reported last week, council might have to vote on the deal before all the details are worked out. Incroyable!!

The new rink will cost $450 million. The Katz Group will come up with $100 million, $125 million will come from a ticket tax, and $125 million will come from the city through a levy and “other reassigned funds.”

In addition, if the arena deal goes ahead, the city would probably also need to budget between $57 million and $72 million to buy the land and build an LRT station and a pedestrian bridge, the Journal reports.

The two details not yet worked out:

#A gap in the funding of $100 million.

#The fact that Northlands who own the rink where the Oilers now play has yet to agree to not compete with Katz’s new subsidized facility.

Today the Alberta Conservatives choose a new leader. That individual will have a lot to say on the $100 million gap although some local pols claim it is a done deal.

On the non compete aspect of the deal I can offer now advice. Unfortunately, I believe, well known non-compete experts David Radler and Conrad Black will not be available to provide their wise counsel.

Northlands runs about 2,500 events each year. Going back to 1879 it was created for the purpose of “bringing together farmers and agriculturalists.” It has, what it calls, a ‘time honoured tradition of dedication to community service.” Over time Northlands’ focus has broadened so that they now work with partners” to attract and produce world class events.” But its facility (Rexall place) needs $200 – 250 million in retrofits.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation chimed in yesterday calling the idea of the Oilers leaving “an empty threat.” A media release said:

"We know that Edmonton is one of the best markets in the whole NHL right now to have a team. Their claim of making this big investment and they're willing to stay here, is all worth nothing and is just a bunch of spin to make people scared that they might pull out and run away. That's not going to happen."

Have you seen this picture before? I’ll take some inspiration from Oliver Hardy – just “another fine mess.”

Giorgio Mammoliti - Municipal Politician

2011-09-20T12:54:00.000-04:00

We are sensitive at When the Mayor Smiles.

From the grave we hear former U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew calling out those “nattering nabobs of negativism” and we know of whom he speaks.

So today we’ll take the high road and recognize someone who stands out from the norm in the world of local government.

That would be Giorgio Mammoliti. Today is his 50th birthday.

For those of you from a planet other than Toronto you need to know that Councillor Mammoliti represents Ward 7 (York West) in the centre of the universe.

He’s been in politics pretty much consistently since he was 28. Following a time as a union leader Mammoliti began his political career as part of the Ontario NDP government of Bob Rae.

Mammoliti now recognizes that unsuccessful attempts were made to “try to brainwash me in my early career by communists.” He mentions no names but it is clear from recent comments that there remain, even now, many “well-bodied able to work” types who make a career of “asking for money from the taxpayers” who are still operating. He can smell them.

Back in those formative days the member for Yorkview was not intimidated into toeing the “party line” likely leading to his defeat in 1995. Some will argue, wrongly I believe, that his vocal opposition to same sex marriage was a contributing factor in his loss to Liberal Mario Sergio in the 95 provincial election.

Not one to be discouraged though Mammoliti was successful soon after in a by-election run for North York Council. There he replaced the man who knocked him off as MPP (Sergio) by beating the man (Claudio Polsinelli) he had defeated in 1990.

Immediately the rookie Councillor got to work in trying to attract an NHL franchise to North York. The ideas just keep coming; grand ideas; big picture stuff. Here are a few:

** Transforming the Gardiner Expressway into a park featuring a privately operated Light Rail Transit line running from the CNE to the DVP.

** Building a floating casino in Ontario Place Harbour.

** Bringing in the army to crack down on drug dealers in his ward.

**Making the ward safer through the creation of special zone for legal brothels on the Toronto Islands some distance from his ward.

**Tolling the Lakeshore.

**Giving guns to by-law officers thereby making parking regulations easier to enforce and additionally making taxpayers’ days by rubbing out Toronto’s horrendous graffiti problem as well.

** Filling the lottery void we have in this country by starting a municipal one.

**Hanging a 40 metre wide vinyl Canadian flag from a 125 metre flagpole at the corner of Highway #400 and Finch Avenue West. Oh Canada!

It is comforting to know that such long term thinkers still function in the local realm that is so often dominated by short sighted, pothole obsessed ward politicians.

Scamming Cities #1

2011-08-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

Edmonton Oiler owner Daryl Katz is working on shaking down the good residents in the City of Champions out there in Wildrose country in order to get support (i.e., dollars) for a new arena for his hockey team.

Last summer I wrote that Katz was playing footsie with City of Hamilton, dangling the possibility of moving the Oilers to the oft rejected/NHL deprived Ambitious City.

That didn’t work to extract more money out of either the City of Edmonton or the Province of Alberta.

So, still $100 million light to replace the aging (?) thirty nine year old Northlands Coliseum, Katz has a new idea.

Why not build the arena on the nearby Enoch Cree Reserve?

It is only 3 km west of Edmonton and contains a 4 ½ star 260 room Marriott hotel where Randy Travis, Joan Rivers, Conan O’Brien and Brent Butt have performed. There is also a casino with over 1,000 slot machines, a 18 hole golf course and 2 NHL size ice surfaces, part of a “favoured practice facility for the Oilers.”

New Chief Ron Morin, who heads the community of 2075, is interested according to the Edmonton Sun and “prepared to look at all kinds of options.”

Meanwhile a worried Edmonton Councillor Don Iveson told the Sun that the Enoch location is a “tax haven since economic activity on the reserve “may not be subject to provincial taxation.”

The Oilers' season doesn’t begin until October 8^thso this is giving Edmonton hockey fans something to talk about in the summer doldrum period.

I’m thinking that it is a good bet that the pro-free enterprise/anti-tax Conservative government of outgoing Premier Ed Stelmach will come up with the necessary $100 million. The Municipal Sustainability Funds seems a likely source. The fact that the fund’s purpose - assisting municipalities in capacity building – doesn’t seem to justify support for a private special interest group like Katz’s hockey team - likely won’t be an issue at the end of the day.

Oh, did I mention that the city has already committed $225 million?

A website (http://www.fieldofschemes.com/) does a great job of documenting how North American pro sport franchises are working on similar shakedowns just about every day of the year.

Homelessness and Soccer/Football - A Book Review

2011-07-28T10:13:00.000-04:00

HOME AND AWAY

In Search of Dreams at THE HOMELESS WORLD CUP OF SOCCER

by Dave Bidini

Greystone Books, 2010

174 pages

Dave Bidini, a musician (the Rheostatics) and author of a number of popular books on hockey takes on the issue of homelessness as it presents itself at the Homeless World Cup of Soccer in his latest book.

Bidini is invited to cover the 2009 event in Australia and, even though he hasn’t heard of it, accepts.

Dreamed up by Mel Young, a Scotsman, and Harald Schmied, an Austrian, while attending a conference dealing with the future of street newspapers in Austria in 2003, it is a different game than the one we know. Played four players a side on 16 metre x 22 metre court, the game lasts 14 minutes (two seven minute halves.) A three-on-two rule intended to promote scoring has evolved so that only two players are allowed in their own defensive end.

The Australian event featured about 600 players from 54 nations and would have been even larger except individuals from some countries were refused entry because of criminal records - just one barrier that organizers have to cope with in organizing the World Cup.

A Canadian team that included 18 year old “runaway” Krystal Bell and 45 year old Billy Pagonis is Bidini’s focus. Billy is a former soccer pro once played for Canada’s national team.

In addition to these two the author weaves in stories of players from around the world and their unique encounters with homelessness. In India, for example, the development of the sport, called slum soccer, is inhibited by regional divides and the caste system. While the Cambodia squad, made up of three players who were born and still lived in the dumps of Phnom Penh, had to cope with interference from government officials who wanted players selected to the team in return for favours from well-to-do citizens.

What’s great about this thoughtful book is the author’s ability to challenge our stereotypes of homelessness. Yes, there are those suffering “the ravages of addiction” and needing anger management courses.

But there are also “21st century homeless figures” like Canadian player Jerry, a seat cushion salesman “(m)entally sound, with no addiction issues, but he’d been thrown to the mat after making the wrong choices in a capitalist society that encourages risk.”

Beating homelessness through Football is the mantra of this year’s tournament which runs from August 21 - 28th in Paris. (http://www.homelessworldcup.org/paris-2011)

originally published at http://www.hamiltonjustice.ca/blog/

More on GHG Emission Reductions

2011-06-09T15:16:00.013-04:00

There are ways to reduce GHG emissions. Most of the ideas have been around for a while. We just haven’t acted on them.

Gord Miller looks at some of these in his annual Greenhouse Gas Progress Report (http://www.eco.on.ca/uploads/Reports%20-%20GHG/2011/11GHG.pdf)

High Speed Rail

High Speed Rail (HSR) is one example.

In January 2008 the Ontario and Quebec governments started a one year study on the feasibility of a HSR system linking Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. A year later the feds joined in to expand the survey to include a Windsor to Quebec city route.

In November 2010 the government said the report would be released in “a timely manner.”

We haven’t seen it yet. Does this sound familiar? You might remember a similar survey in 1995. It reported that a significant reduction (24% by 2025) in transport-related CO2 emissions could result.

I don’t want to suggest that this stuff is simple or that the projections are bang on accurate but 16 years have elapsed, can’t we get moving. The ECO “strongly encourages” the government “to expedite release of the study.”

Low-carbon Fuel Standard

From Miller’s report I understand that there are “technologically feasible low carbon fuels” which if more widely used could reduce GHG emissions.” This is, in fact, a policy tool which, if put in place, would require suppliers to reduce average fuel carbon densities to meet benchmarks. Suppliers who reduce below the standard would get credits that they could sell to other suppliers. This is like a cap- and-trade system except it is within a single sector. Independent analysis shows that such a system could result in a 6.4 Megatonne reduction by 2025. Other jurisdictions are already doing this but Ontario seems to have given up on the idea. Why?

Electrification of GO Trains

Earlier this year Metrolinx recommended electrifying portions of the GO Rail network. Significant GHG emission reductions would result from this move off diesel.

Perhaps any or all of these initiatives will be further advanced in the lead up to the provincial election. The Green Party Platform seems to hint at these kinds of strategies.

But I’m trying to remember when environmental issues were front in centre in an election campaign.

Maybe this will change this fall.

More Greenhouse Gas

2011-06-02T15:44:00.008-04:00

It has become a bit of a habit for me. Each year around this time I find myself drawn to the Annual Greenhouse Gas Progress Report put out by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.
(http://www.eco.on.ca/uploads/Reports%20-%20GHG/2011/11GHG.pdf)

Why do I do this? Am I looking for encouragement or trouble?

This is Commissioner Gord Miller’s third annual report.

The context is that as Ontario is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions it is imperative that progress is measured regularly.

Specifically, emissions (calculated in megatonnes) must be reduced relative to 1990 levels by:
*6% by 2014
*15% by 2020
*80% by 2050

In 1990 the level of GHG emissions was 177 megatonnes (Mt.) per year. By 2009 it had, in fact, dropped by more than the target (i.e., 6.5% to 165 Mt.) Not bad, but because of reduced industrial activity this result is somewhat misleading.

Now with the economy growing the Commissioner worries that there is “no plan, mechanism or tolls in place that would allow the 2020 targets to be met.”

Projecting a modest amount of economic growth (adds 23 Mt.) Factoring in the impact of the coal phase out in 2014 (reduction of 10 Mt.) means there will remain 13Mt “still on the table.”

The transportation sector is responsible for 56.8 Mts. Most of these emissions are produced by personal vehicles. So, it is surprising that apparently effective programs aimed at this sector have been dropped.

For example, the Green Commercial Vehicle Program was begun in 2008. It supported the purchase of low GHG emitting commercial vehicles. Planned for four years it was suspended after two.

Another good idea, the Ontario Bus Replacement program, was established in 2002. It resulted in an estimated 1.1Mt emission reduction. It was cancelled in the 2010 provincial budget. Now, when municipalities have to replace buses they will need to use the Gas Tax Fund which has been a source for other needs for the struggling municipal sector.

The government seems to know what to do. They just aren’t doing it.

Metrolinx’s Big Move, a much needed $50 billion Regional Transit Plan, was fully funded in its first phase. The 2010 budget (again) delayed monies for the second phase.

As far as another initiative, When The Mayor Smiles had put great faith in the intensification mandated by the Places to Grow Act. Miller points out, however, that 60% of new planned growth will still go to Greenfield areas and the density targets aren’t good enough to justify provision of an effective transit system in these areas.

I’ll come back to the report tomorrowish with some suggestions.

Hint: Don’t expect me to find inspiration from Ford Nation.

Bats, Wind Turbines and the Provincial Election

2011-05-28T16:24:00.004-04:00

An article I read on wind turbines last week says a significant number of bats are falling victim to turbine blades every night.

The article can be found in the online version of the Green Bay Press Gazette. (http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/greenbaypressgazette/access/2347468001.html?FMT=ABS&date=May+15%2C+2011)

Research shows about 50 bats are killed annually by each wind turbine. (Another piece of research referenced in the article comes up with a similar number.) The bats don’t actually hit the blades but rather perish because air in low-pressure areas near the tips of the blades ruptures their lungs and causes internal hemorrhaging.

Who cares about bats one might ask?

We all should.

For one reason insect–eating bats save the agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year according to said Tom Kunz, an ecology professor at Boston University and co-author of the study.

I’m not aware of similar research here in Ontario but I can tell you that the issue of where wind turbines should be permitted will figure in the Ontario provincial election campaign later this year. Will someone be standing up for bats?

A group called Wind Concerns Ontario (WCO) is in the midst of a tour of the province. Their mission is to protect the health, safety and quality of life of the people of Ontario from industrial wind turbines. (Their website makes mention of bats too.) WCO claims to comprise 57 grassroots citizens groups across 34 counties/districts in the province.

When the McGuinty Government brought in the Green Energy and Green Economy Act it seemed like a good idea that ultimate control for approvals of wind turbines was taken away from municipalities. At the time the Premier claimed that local governments were using by-laws and regulations to delay or stop proposed renewable energy projects. The municipal level of government may be the most responsive but it is also the most susceptible to NIMBY.

To stop a wind turbine now, rather than appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board, you must go to the Environmental Review Tribunal. Serious harm to human health or serious and irreversible harm to plant, life, animal life or the natural environment are grounds for appeals.

While human health concerns have yet to be attributed to wind turbines the bat research points to the need for politicians and scientists to come together and come out with solutions.

We need windpower.

Respect for Citizens Needed at Council Meetings

2011-05-25T17:00:00.005-04:00

Over the last ten years I’ve attended a couple of dozen meetings of Standing Committees of Hamilton City Council.

Usually I’ve been there to watch; occasionally I’ve been presenting. From time to time I‘ve gone home happy as the issue that had prompted my attendance had been resolved appropriately, from my perspective anyway.

But almost always I’ve headed out into the real world following these meetings out of sorts because of the lack of respect that Hamilton Council consistently shows for the public.

This lack of respect takes many forms.

First, meetings frequently start late, usually because of lack of quorum. Once I was there for a 9:30 meeting that was about to be postponed. Seconds short of 10:00 a Mountain Councillor raced into Chambers arriving just under the wire so the meeting could get started. (Not having a quorum within thirty minutes of the scheduled start means no meeting.) Let’s face it those who are there to present or listen have other responsibilities that need their time.

Second, Councillors, some more than others, feel the need to get up and leave the room a lot. To be fair it isn’t easy sitting for the hours that the job requires and some, OK most, of the dialogue is tedious but these pols knew what the job entailed when they put their names forward.

Third, and this is what really turns my crank, is the propensity some councillors have for talking with the media in the middle of meetings. Way back when we were toddlers we all learned that it was rude to talk when others are talking. And someone - staff, a member of the public or another Councillor - is always talking at a Committee meeting. In my experience most municipalities’ procedural by-laws cover such matters and committee chairs have the power to enforce.

In this context I found Andrew Dreschel’s column in today’s Hamilton Spectator interesting. (http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/537176--bratina-s-office-looks-at-tighter-media-rules)

Dreschel reports that Peggy Chapman from Mayor Bratina’s office wants to start “regulating interactions in the Council Chambers.”

That would include, apparently, not allowing reporters to talk with councillors during proceedings and restricting councillors from talking privately with reporters during meetings.

The columnist seems to think that the Mayor’s initiative may be more about “exercising control than good form.”

But if Dreschel and others took a look around they’d likely find that Hamilton is out of step with other cities who think that at the heart of good form is respect for citizens.

Thoughts on Delegating

2011-02-21T14:45:00.004-05:00

Sometime when you’ve got nothing better to do head down to your local Silly Hall or Regional Government (if you are lucky enough to have two municipal governments) and delegate. It is your civic duty.

In that spirit I combed my hair, put on the closest thing that I’ve got to church clothes, and headed off to the Region of Halton Canada recently to address the budget.

Delegating is always a learning experience. Here is what I learned.

First, when you are finished speaking don’t sit down. Once you sit down Councillors will ask staff questions and you will have no ability to respond. Staff can say anything like: Bob Wood has a point but he would have more credibility on poverty issues if he hadn’t got his Grade Eight diploma out of a vending machine.

Second, Councillors will not ask questions that you are expecting. I came prepared to answer in the negative as to whether I or members of my immediate family and/or committee colleagues had ever been members of the Communist Party. You can imagine my surprise when asked whether I thought water rates are regressive.

Third, expect to engage in philosophical first year university discussions when you believe the agenda is fairly focussed or alternatively expect to focus on the agenda when you would like to engage in airy fairy dialogue.

And finally, remember when you get the urge and feel like delegating that these issues are always too complicated for the public. That is why God created politicians, I guess.

Community Gardens, Horses and Cost Overruns

2011-02-05T11:52:00.011-05:00

Citizens at City Hall (CATCH) does a terrific job of reporting on goings on at Hamilton’s Silly Hall.

Today’s story documents concerns about the hiring of a Community Garden Co-ordinator. http://hamiltoncatch.org/view_article.php?id=885

Some Councillors are worried that this would open the door to all sorts of cost over runs. Councillor Ferguson’s insights (which follow) brought a smile to my face on this cold Saturday morning.

It is always impressive how Councillors can bring personal experience to their understanding of how to do public business.

Ferguson: "On that, you know I look at this and in theory it sounds wonderful. And just I’m a little bit with councillor Whitehead as to watch the cost. I know from personal experience. My daughter got into riding and she wanted … We had to buy her a horse, and buy her a trailer, and buy a truck to haul it, and build a barn. It was a hundred bucks every time you put her in a show and she was all excited when she won five bucks. I’m just worried this could be the same thing. I see this $65,000 for the staff person, plus the property, plus, plus, plus and to say grow $500 worth of vegetables. So I just want us to keep our eye on the ball on this thing to make sure it’s prudently spending taxpayers’ dollars, and not a whole bunch of money on a horse that doesn’t have great payback. And I understand people like to grow their own vegetables, that’s great, but when we start adding staff it starts a multiplier effect and in addition to the property, and the parks department’s got to go work it up with a rototillers and stuff. So I just want to make sure we always understand total cost, and understand the payback side as to whether or not we’re making the right investment. Then we can balance that against the whole theory of people having the opportunity to grow their own vegetables. Thank you."

And thank you Councillor Ferguson.

Poverty in Halton

2011-01-26T20:02:00.002-05:00

Across various municipalities in the GTA there seems to be an increasing realization that poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor are hurting our citizens and threatening the vitality of our communities.

In that context I was out to speak to the Region of Halton’s Budget Committee this past Monday.

I was there on behalf of Poverty Free Halton, a citizens group that educates and advocates for measures that will eliminate poverty in our communities.

GTA Pooling dollars are not being fully reinvested into services to support Halton residents who are struggling to make ends meet.

Our request was “straightforward and in-line with what we believe is a matter of fundamental fairness – money that has been diverted from supporting human services in Toronto should be dedicated to investments in human services for residents of Halton.”

Council wants to use these savings to reduce the 2011 Social Services budget and bring forward a modest tax decrease (0.1%) for Regional services.

But:

*more than 37,000 Halton residents are living in poverty below the Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-Off.

*social assistance caseloads remain high and have grown 43% since 2007.

*there are nearly 2,000 applications on the Halton social housing wait list.

*non-profit agencies across the Region face increasing demands for service but are hampered by flatlined revenues.

We wanted Council to consider putting resources back into food supplements for Halton residents who are in receipt of Ontario Works or at least to think of ways they might be able to do achieve something similar.

Nothing happened.

My sense was that Council was sympathetic to our point of view but don’t believe they have the flexibility and/or power to do anything.

A similar appeal to Hamilton Council last week got a more positive reception.

A Winter Nightmare

2011-01-21T13:42:00.005-05:00

Based on a Real Nightmare

It is deadline day for the Hamilton Tiger Cat/Ivor Wynne/Pan Am stadium decision.

The Cats are fed up with an inflexible City of Hamilton Council. A pro franchise can live with no highway visibility but how can a business be viable without 25,000 parking spots for the new refurbished stadium.

They’re pulling up stakes; leaving town. No more roar on Balsam Avenue they’re headed to Burlington.

But the deal must be done by the February 22nd deadline. It has been extended 9 times but this time it is final.

Burlington Council has scheduled an emergency meeting for 9 :15 a.m. Tuesday Feb. 22nd to consider a new proposal.

This is early for the hard working seven person team that worked late the previous night, Family Day, developing a traffic calming plan for the Mainway Arena parking lot.

But something is amiss in Burlington this morning. Mayor Goldring’s car is not in his driveway. Stolen? With a call to the Deputy Mayor he is shocked to hear that the cars of many prominent Burlington citizens have disappeared or been disabled.

Shockingly the city’s beloved Bur Bear has been taken hostage.

But there is no time to dwell on these bizarre events.

The Nearly-Unimaginable-Never-Before-Used-Take-The-Bus-To-Work-Back-up-Plan must be put into action.

Mayor Goldring unlocks the safe and takes out the protocols.

Walk 300 metres to New Street take the #10 bus westbound.

He's off and smiles as he boards the #10 fifteen minutes short of nine that morning and sees Councillor Paul Sharman in conversation with a clearly distracted driver.

Goldring disembarks at the downtown terminal just metres from City Hall. It is 8:59.

Sharman is still into it with the driver who has benefitted from input for the duration of the Councillor’s 26 minutes trip.

“C’mon Paul. Let’s go. We need to get quorum.”

The twosome sprint through the John Street Parking Lot spotting Councillor Taylor climbing off the #3 South clearly frazzled but glad to have survived his 26 minutes trip which had followed a wild 170 metre dash up Cavendish Drive.

That’s three.

Ward 2 rep Marianne Meed-Ward will make it on foot.

Two Councillors, Lancaster and Craven, will be forced to execute tricky transfers - Craven from Route #1 to #10 East and rookie Councillor Lancaster will actually have to hustle under the Fairview Go Station after her trip on the #12 South to make her connection.

Craven can be counted on but the on-line bus schedule he consults is not reliable today posting only westbound #1 route times. The Aldershotman must go east, though.
Craven calls in. Not to worry he got the east bound #1; has arrived at Mapleview Mall and pulled off the transfer and is making his way along the narrowed Lakeshore highway which, as always, is delayed.

But the Ward 4 guy, Councillor Jack, where is he?

The mayor needs everyone there – a unanimous vote is imperative.

There’s a problem. On receiving the call Dennison has raced from his Lakeshore digs but retraces his steps on realizing he needed cash fare. But how much? He knows it is expensive; that’s what advocates have said. He grabs a two dollar bill from the cookie jar.

Back to the Lakeshore. Jack waits near Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Where is the bus? Then it hits him.

There will be no bus that day or any day. He and most of his colleagues had voted to get rid of that route more than 15 years ago. He’d have to cycle.

Although the senior member of council, Jack is arguably the fittest and even without the aid of subsidized public transit he makes it to City hall ahead of the deadline and in time to hear Councillor Taylor presenting a long list of amendments designed to enhance the environmental features of the new Paletta Tiger Cat Park and Nature Reserve (including a water feature.)

The amended motion passes.

Only Mr. Paletta’s signature is needed before the deadline.

“He’s not here! Burlington Transit doesn’t run north of #5,” a panicked staffer yells.

Someone shouts out Oskee-Wee-Wee.

“Restrain Mayor Bratina,” Goldring shrieks.

My alarm clock rescues me.

Reporting on Traffic Safety

2011-01-12T16:18:00.005-05:00

Did you hear the one about the annual convention of transportation engineers?

I stole this one from Michael Ronkin, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager. Mr. Ronkin’s story:

"The Institute of Transportation Engineers is holding its annual convention in Cheyenne. The hotel is across the street from the convention center, so every morning they cross Main Street to get to their meeting.

On the first day, an extraordinary event occurs, one that hadn't been seen in over a hundred years: a herd of bison - 500 in all - stampede through town and a transportation engineer is killed. His peers lament his loss, and one of them proposes they put their collective minds together to come up with a solution. So the next day is spent in work sessions, and they devise a bison-proof pedestrian crossing.

They build it overnight and it's ready for use the next morning. Well, you guessed, against all statistical odds, another herd of bison comes stampeding through town, this time 1000 in all, and another engineer is killed crossing the street.

Lamentation, wailing, grief, sorrow and guilt are expressed, till one optimist gets the crowd to quiet down and declares cheerfully: "Hey, we succeeded; we cut the rate of transportation engineers killed by bison in half!"

Meanwhile in Our Town

This joke came to mind today when reading Burlington Council report TS-01-01 an annual report that purports to analyze traffic safety.

City staff, authors of the report, are pleased that collisions are down - 10% lower than in 2005, in fact. Using other indicators, like collisions per capita, things are good too, we’re told.

But dig around in Appendix A and you’ll find that pedestrians collided with cars far more in 2009 - up by more than 35 % since 2005 - but also significantly up over every year since 2005.

As far as cyclists, 2005 was a particularly bad year as these people contacted cars 44 times. It had started to go down (31 in 2007) but it is on the rise again.

What would it take to get transportation staff to treat the safety concerns of those not driving cars seriously?

In addition to burying the pedestrian info in an appendix, the report does not include roads under the Region of Halton's jurisdiction.

Roads that were transferred to the Region (intersections on Brant, Guelph, Appleby, Upper Middle, and Dundas) account for a large part of collisions, notes Doug Brown from the City’s Road Safety Committee. This transfer of arterial roads has created the illusion that Burlington collisions are on the decline.

It makes one wonder whether this particular annual report has outlived its usefulness.

Council Work

2011-01-10T19:43:00.003-05:00

If you read the local mainstream media you’ll understand that most of us in Burlington have moved past the great Junior Hockey calamity and are fixated now on how a professional football franchise might move to our town to keep us entertained nine and sometimes even ten times per year.

As for me I’ve got bigger worries.

A story on the CBC about Toronto Council got my attention.

No it is not Rob Ford; not this time.

Rather it is some new Councillors who clearly didn’t research the job before applying and are now exercised that certain departing Councillors didn’t leave any files for them.

New Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam was surprised after winning Kyle Rae’s old council seat “that there was nothing in the files.” According to the CBC “(s)he had no idea everything would be gone.”

To me this demonstrates a lack of understanding of the job although, truth to tell, I was similarly surprised when first elected to municipal office way back in the early nineties. The person I had defeated left only one small file made up of copies of thank you letters.

Nevertheless, it didn’t take me long to figure out that my job was about policy. Most of what I needed to know could be found in public documents. A large group of staff were eager, willing and obligated to provide elected officials with background on anything from the Official Plan to cat licensing. There was a lot of confidential information, too, as I remember it but that was stuff that couldn’t and shouldn’t be passed on in a filing cabinet.

It seems that Ms. Wong-Tam did get some help from departing Councillor Kyle Rae. He left of his own free will and was available to Wong-Tam to provide some orientation.

For new Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon it would be more difficult to envision cooperation. McMahon defeated incumbent Sandra Bussin in an acrimonious campaign.
McMahon’s concern seems to be more about having to start anew to build a constituency database. This is a legitimate concern but tricky as I found when "caretaker councilling" in 2006. Politicians being politicians sometimes mix constituency info with supporter info. Protocols would need to be put in place but maintaining a database is doable and necessary.

Councillor Wong-Tam will apparently put forward a motion to require Councillors to pass on files when they leave.

A better idea would be for this Councillor to develop her own files based on the platform she put forward in the election that was endorsed by voters.

Where's the Bakery?

2011-01-03T12:41:00.006-05:00

Local politics is mostly about land use planning. Height, density, setbacks, residents agitated about the potential of “low-rental” housing intruding on their lifestyles and impacting their property values and so on….

But I’ve mentioned this before, haven’t I?

When I was a Councillor I found this land use planning stuff kind of complicated though. The reports were rather like those instructions for putting together the kid’s Christmas presents in that, while the salient points were repeated so as even the thickest reader could understand them, they always seemed sort of back to front to this dim-witted decision maker.

I was at the Royal Bank at New Street and Walkers Line (Burlington Ontario) recently and I had a planning flashback. It went like this:

On a Tuesday night some time in the mid-nineties the Planning and Development Committee was looking at a rezoning for the north west corner of this intersection. I recall that a Sunoco station had occupied the site for many years prior. It was a long meeting and following in the time honoured tradition of municipal politicians I was asking dumb questions – really dumb questions.

What exactly is Neighbourhood Commercial, I wanted to know?

The Planner’s answer had to do with building something small scale that would be used by those living on the nearby streets. A small bakery was mentioned, with reference to the sweet smell of baking bread being carried on the breeze over Rothsay Place and other adjoining streets. And while the ward councillor had concerns about odours I had visions of Old Mr. Jones strolling down to the bakery to get a Danish to go with his morning coffee or perhaps some trifle for an after dinner treat. It seemed…well, quite neighbourly.

The approved uses also included drive throughs which seemed to run counter to the idyllic friendly neighbourhood use notion put forward by the planner.

My recollection is that I persuaded my colleagues to support a recommendation that staff develop some sort of policy for drive through approvals. I don’t remember what, if anything, came of that staff direction.

Here is a picture of what became of that site. One large bank office, with a drive though in the middle of an over sized parking lot.

No bakery, but RBC puts out cookies with coffee sometimes.

Big Night at City Hall? Bigger Idea for the Region

2010-12-16T14:30:00.010-05:00

Here at When the Mayor Smiles we are giving consideration to going on-location with a live twitter feed for this Monday’s (December 20th) Burlington City Council meeting.

This must be a big event because the Burlington Post is all over it. You better check them out for all the details.

Put simply, committee of Council by a vote of 4 - 3 has recommended a .8% increase (Read that as point eight percent increase) to the salaries of the Mayor and Councillors. Using our abacus we get this as a $3,365 annual impact to the city budget. We are incapable of reflecting this as a percentage of the annual budget.

In that Groundhog Day style unique to Burlington Council the same seven decision makers get to repeat their arguments and recast their votes at ``full`` council on Monday.

On second thought we’ll leave the on-location reporting to the Post. However, inspired by such hard hitting journalism we’ll take a look at another remuneration issue – this time over at the Region of Halton.

Here we have 20 Regional Councillors, including the seven aforementioned Burlington debaters, pulling down $43,000 a piece to make the big political decisions that affect us all across our world class municipality - Halton Canada.

Is it just me but we are hard pressed to recall any significant controversial political decision made over, say, the last five years by this body? (The best I can come up with is spending $300,000 to save the white oak tree that blocked the way when Council decided to pave over most of the adjacent property on Highway #25).

This is not to say that good work doesn’t happen at Halton Region. Planners plan planning projects, public health nurses hang out in local watering holes and hand out condoms and the Chair’s golf tournament always does a great job of raising dollars for good causes. But politics isn’t happening here at any higher level than in the two person unit I work in on my day job.

So my idea:

Get rid of those 20 Councillors. I know they are trying but there is nothing for them to do. We'll save close to a million dollars.

As for the Chair, Gary Carr, the former Commonsense Revolutionary has become a popular figure in recent years. I think he should stay. I imagine a role somewhat like Prince Philip`s where Carr could preside over various events like commemorations of grade separations, awards for developer of the year and that golf tournament.

That`s it - just a little December daydreaming.

Thoughts of a Departing Councillor

2010-11-09T13:48:00.006-05:00

As the terms of the first four-year Councillors in Ontario history wind down there is a changing of the guard in towns small and cities large across the province.

While eager newcomers join long time-experienced veterans many dedicated Councillors chose to pursue other interests or have had that choice made for them by voters.

I heard one of those who was volunteering to pursue new interests speak earlier this year and thought she had some interesting things to say.

Susan Eagle, was first elected to London (ON) Council in 1997. Ms. Eagle, who grew up in Toronto the daughter of a minister, didn’t have a clear career path to municipal politics. She started as a minister.

According to a story by Kenzie Love in the Internet paper The Reporter, Eagle wasn’t terribly interested in traditional ministry but did have a passion for feminist and liberation theology. Ordained in 1977 by 1984 she was quite involved in tenant issues through the outreach work she was engaged in with her London church. She saw a way that she could pursue this outreach work in municipal politics and was elected in 1997 as a Councillor on London’s southwest side.

When I heard Eagle earlier this year she was reflecting on 13 years at City Hall.

While municipalities don’t have the powers that she believed they had when she arrived at City Hall Eagle has determined that “you make change by being on the inside not outside.” So, it was worth the effort.

Achieving change though can be “frustrating, time consuming and glacial” but by building partnerships and “broadening the base of an issue” you can get results.

Ms. Eagle noted that general media indifference to a social justice agenda exists even as demand for services outstrips the capacities of cities.

The City has become a “safety net” for some citizens so municipalities (like hers) have moved into what she calls “soft services” such as transit subsidies and landlord licensing.

Ms. Eagle offered encouragement for social justice activists and other progressive types.

Don’t give up. Turn up at public meetings.

“A full public gallery changes entrenched votes,” she asserted.

Susan Eagle is now moving to full time work as a Minister at Grace United Church in Barrie.

HOW I’M VOTING PART 3

2010-10-19T16:02:00.001-04:00

Today, as promised, I’m back to public transit as it ought to be at the top of our minds as we make our decisions on October 25th.

I was optimistic in the early months of the current 4-year term Burlington Council.
Back then Burlington Council had just created a Transit Advisory Committee that was going to provide input to Council and staff on initiatives and strategies affecting public transportation services.

At the time I noted that the “creation of this committee is one indication that municipal public transit and the environment is being taken more seriously these days.”

I was wrong.

Just a little over a year later along with fellow transit advocate Doug Brown I was back at City Hall. Ridership on Burlington Transit was up according to a staff report.

But this wasn’t stopping some members of Council from taking a knife to it.

“I won’t be swayed by a couple of good months,” noted one veteran Councillor who thought the City had to “look at a simplified system.”

Simplified? One can only imagine.

Empty Buses?

This idealized simplified system comes out of a simplified thinking that typically comes from people who have little direct exposure to transit and little appreciation of how important it is. Unfortunately, some of these simplified thinkers get elected.

It isn’t just here. If you follow local news in other communities you’ll see similar simplified thinking. Local politics is often captive of what I’ve labelled as RATS. Have you noticed those people who get hot and bothered about public transit vehicles; those who Rail Against Public Transit? They’re RATS. Get it?

Toronto Star’s Urban Affairs Reporter Carole Vyhnak reported a couple of years ago on Sandra Cassidy, an Ajax Ontario resident, who was railing against Durham Transit Route 222.

Like RATS everywhere Cassidy knows that:

*Buses are “mostly empty.”

*Buses roaring down her street are a “safety hazard.”

*Since “everyone in the area has at least two cars” we don’t really need public buses.

Ms. Cassidy was not successful in getting Route 222 pulled and I’m happy to report that the route has recently expanded.

More recently Mark Towhey, a policy advisor for Toronto mayoral Candidate Rob Ford, called for a stop to funding the TTC. He’d sell off its assets.

On his blog Towhey demonstrated a keen understanding of the issue:

“Well, life’s tough. Instead of being the only three people on a 60-passenger bus, perhaps these people will have to introduce themselves, get to know their neighbours and share a taxi.”

That same kind of thinking exists in Burlington where a Ward 5 Candidate did some fancy arithmetic and came up with the “fact” that the buses are empty 98.5% of the time. An incumbent used a similar figure earlier this year. They are just wrong, but like the little boy who yelled ‘fire’ in the theatre they get lots of attention.

I’ll be back with some more before Monday’s election.

How I'm going to Vote Part 2

2010-10-16T10:00:00.016-04:00

Many of you will be on the edge of your ergonomically perfect computer chairs wondering how my Internet voting project went.

It didn't. I got no response on the registration (see my previous post) and Internet voting is now closed. To be fair I may have pushed a wrong button or perhaps I was approved and inadvertently deleted the approval e-mail. Or maybe my PIN number was sent off to some poor disenfranchised Floridian Gore supporter still trying to make the 2000 Presidential election right.

Before I get back to transit I wanted to talk about something that isn't being talked about by candidates in the municipal election. That's poverty.

Twenty eight thousand (28,000) people in Halton live below the Low Income Cut Off (LICO). The LICO is one way, probably the best way, to measure poverty.

Community Development Halton and Poverty Free Halton just put together a video about what it is like to live in poverty in Halton. You can see Being Poor in Halton by going to the CD Halton website.

A questionnaire was sent out to candidates and you can see their
answers too at www.cdhalton.ca

One more thing in the interest of full disclosure a young Burlington filmmaker named Graham Wood made the video. I've known Graham 25 years.

HOW I’M GOING TO VOTE IN THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION

2010-10-03T09:25:00.001-04:00

I’ve decided to try Internet Voting just to see how it works.

To do this I needed to register (to internet vote) and it needs to be done from September 27th – October 11th

It took me about three minutes to get registered. The key thing I needed was my Voter Information Notice that includes a 13-digit EID number that I had to enter along with a number of simple questions.

I now have to wait until the Clerk approves me. And I’m a little worried. Perhaps the Clerk is screening this blog before giving approval. We were told at an information session that it would take 24 hours or more for the approval and I’ve been waiting for 3 ½ days. And while I’m eager to vote I can’t actually do it until October 5th. The voting period then lasts until October 13th. I didn’t understand this at first (Shouldn’t it go right up to election day? ) but the idea is that if someone tried to vote by Internet and for some reason was not able to make it work they would still have a chance on election day (October 25th).

So while I wait for the opening of the internet voting I’ve got some time to contemplate who I’ll vote for.

A lot of what is going into my decision has to do with this City’s traditionally poor support for public transit.

Good transit is a must for a good city. There are the environmental reasons for using transit as an option to gas spewing single occupant vehicles, of course. Then there is the equity issue. It just seems to me a given that all citizens should be able to get around the town where they live and use its services and amenities. For those who choose not to have a car, can’t afford one, or maybe have health issues meaning they can’t drive good public transit is a must.

In Burlington support for public transit has been crummy relative to other similar communities.

A survey of eight peer transit properties done in 2008 showed Burlington
way behind. We were last in number of revenue passengers; last in passengers per capita; and at the bottom in the revenue per cost ratio.

But our fares were the highest. The number of revenue hours of service per capita was 8th of 9 and the amount the local taxpayer was spending on a per capita basis was the second lowest of the nine cities studies.

My point: Council is not giving the support to the service they should.

I’ve attended numerous meetings on public transit matters over the years and can tell you that Burlington council just doesn’t get it.

My next posts will elaborate.

ISSUES #1

2010-07-07T12:40:00.002-04:00

In local politics issues can be grouped in three categories.

Potholes

First you’ve got “potholes.” Used euphemistically I’m talking about any kind of issue constituents may perceive when roused from the backyard pool/barbecue and forced to venture round front to see how their hard earned tax dollars are being spent. The extent to which havoc has been wrought in these mean suburban streets by various miscreants, reprobates and the slapdash work of public servants is a significant aspect of any pothole issue.

Experience has shown that the most prevalent pothole peeves include:

• Garbage - not well collected/not collected on time

• Traffic - too much/too fast

• Cars parked in violation of the three hour parking by-law

• Various concerns related to neighbours’ inadequate property and yard maintenance and deportment.

• Improper or tardy removal of snow in winter and leaves in fall.

Cities have engaged qualified staff (mostly well paid) to deal with these matters but, you should know, these issues are best handled by the ward politician. He/she is only too glad to be of service and will usually resolve these matters and in return you will remember him at election time. (Please note the municipal election is two weeks earlier this year.)

Neighbourhood

A second category, call them neighbourhood issues, are planning matters that deal with minor modifications or significant changes to land uses. This is tricky stuff complicated by the neighbourhood’s perception of whether it is, in fact, a minor or significant change (it is almost always significant) and a lack of understanding of the fact that property owners have legitimate expectations of their rights under planning regulations.

The way neighbourhood matters get resolved has an important long term impact on the kind of community we live in.

Neigbourhood issues are the purview of the ward councillor (although sometimes the mayor “helps out”) who works with appropriate city staff and with a proponent who wants to make change which is at odds with the neighbours who are typically happy with the status quo. An outbreak of NIMBY inevitably will ensue.

Community Priorities

A third category is issues of broad community interest. Or, at least, issues that ought to be of broad interest as their impacts will be long term to all residents both from a cost and benefit perspective.

In my town (Burlington) I can think of at least 4 such issues. I’ll come back to them later this week.

REPORTING FROM EDMONTON

2010-07-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

While Edmonton may be called the City of Champions local politicians are treated as much like chumps here as anywhere else.

We are talking about the surprising developments over the last ten days when Edmonton Oiler Owner Daryl Katz played “the good old Hamilton card.”

That is what Edmonton Sun reporter Terry Jones called it anyway. Those
NHL-Hockey-deprived Hamiltonians may not get it but your blogger understands this to refer to a tactic once used by former Oiler owner, Gretkzy trader and convicted fibber Peter Pocklington.

The story in the local media is that Edmonton Mayor Fred Mandel didn’t get a hint of Katz’s dalliance with the Ambitious City’s Mayor Fred until June 28th - just before it broke online.

As far as the rest of Council they are described by the Sun’s Clara Ho as “perplexed” – which your blogger would assert is the normal state of Councillors when such high level wheeling and dealing is in the works.

There is such consternation out here that a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new locker room to be enjoyed by the football playing Eskimos suddenly seemed of no consequence.

Oilers President Patrick Laforge – says the Hamilton developments have nothing to do with the Oilers. “It is purely a business strategy,” he told all who would listen.

But Journal Columnist Paula Simons thinks the Oilers are guilty of bad manners. “Blindsiding, perplexing, and alienating Edmonton’s mayor and city councillors isn’t merely rude. It’s weirdly self defeating.”

Apparently this is another in a series of recent blunders by Katz. Earlier Council misunderstood his $100 million pledge towards a new arena. It turned out to be a commitment to invest in the area around the arena. A recent application that would blanket zone 16 acres of that area came forward without plans or design.

Concerns?

“(T)here were all kinds of people who were fully own board with the arena two or three months ago, who are now asking all kinds of questions,” notes Councillor Ben Henderson.

The Sun’s Jones thinks Katz, like Pocklington before him, should be required to sign a location agreement.

That might help and it is an idea that might have legs.

We Need the OMB

2010-06-27T10:29:00.003-04:00

Getting back to my earlier blog on the Kitchener/Cedar Hill Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision (June 23rd) you’ll recall that I had more to say.

Here it is - for what it’s worth.

Remember I am not planner but… This case should give pause to those who question the value of the OMB.

What looked like good planning by the City Of Kitchener back in 2003 unravelled when the Interim Control By-Law was put in place without the additional study that was supposed to go along with it.

From where I blog it is hard to really get what happened. Reading the OMB Interim Decision, though, suggests that between the Council Committee meeting and the full Council meeting politicians changed their minds; or had their minds changed.

The “high priority” additional study was rejected at Council when elected officials voted to remove the clause that directed staff to do that work.

At the Regional level planning staff kept on expressing concern that the phase two analysis wasn’t happening. What happened?

City Planner Jeffrey Willmer gave this explanation as cited in the OMB documents:

{There was a} "shortage of leadership resources… Those efforts were not successful in having a new leader step up, and there were competing calls for resources.”

Got that?

No one appealed the laughably named Interim Control By-law. It continues in effect more than seven years after being put in place.

Human Rights Concerns

There’s a significant human rights issue here too.

Ontario Human Rights Commission Chief Barbara Hall notes:

“People with disabilities or on social assistance were the targets; they were told in effect ‘we don’t want more people like you in this neigbournood.’ The Human Rights Code says you can’t discriminate like that.”

Housing expert, Michael Shapcott, notes:

“Housing advocates have long argued that municipal restrictions that limit, or ban entirely, certain types of housing and services from certain neighbourhoods can amount to unfair discrimination and a violation of human rights laws."

The OMB has given the municipality 15 months to get it right. Let’s see what happens.

Unprecedented Case

2010-06-23T15:48:00.002-04:00

When I was a municipal politician I found that, as far as challenges went, understanding planning documents was right up there with my aspiration of swimming Lake Ontario while doing the butterfly stroke.

So earlier this year when Ontario Municipal Board ruling PL050611 came out I went looking for help to understand it.

Rani Khan, a lawyer and colleague at the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, read the 49 page ruling and provided comments that were helpful to me.

But this is my blog and what follows are my opinions.

The ruling involved a Kitchener Official Plan and Zoning by-law amendment that attempted to “clean up” a 10 block area in that city known as Cedar Hill. Cedar Hill apparently needs cleaning up as twenty percent of this area’s residents are persons with disabilities and/or persons in receipt of social assistance. Many live in shelters, group homes or rent-geared-to-income housing.

The City had decided that this situation represented an “over- concentration” resulting in “an unhealthy social environment.” The neighbourhood was on “a downward trajectory.” Scary stuff, indeed.

Some of the parties represented at the OMB hearing suggested that Kitchener was doing a little bit of “people zoning.” The important planning principle to keep in mind being that you zone for uses not for people.

This is an important and probably precedent setting case. Way back in 2003 the City had put an Interim Control By-law in place that banned any new “downward trajectory” promoting facilities. But, significantly, a commitment to do more study to promote the development of new....lodging houses and residential care facilities in all other appropriate areas of the city was made.

After four weeks of hearings last year the Board accepted the municipalities’ (Kitchener and Waterloo Region) arguments that there was, in fact, a concentration and that the City is entitled to develop initiatives to distribute facilities throughout the city. The Board, though, had a problem with the fact that the promised additional study never happened. As a result the Board ruled that the restrictive measures put in place were premature and gave the municipality 15 months to do the study it should have done five years ago.

In other words if a city is going to restrict opportunities for housing people with disabilities and/or those on assistance they’ll have to do appropriate preparation required by the Planning Act.

There is, of course, a lot more to this. I’ll have more to say later this week.

In the meantime you can view this interim decision on the OMB website (http://www.omb.gov.on.ca) by typing in PL050611.

Election Year

2010-06-21T15:02:00.003-04:00

(A version of this story originally appeared on the Hamilton Spectator poverty Blog.)

Here is a story about how municipal politicians can lose their way in an election year.

The Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) assists municipalities with their social program costs.

Recently OMPF reconciled the 2008 allocations against real expenditures and costs and as a result many municipalities received more money. Hamilton got about $3.1 million dollars; the Region of Niagara got $2.1 million.

I became aware of this late last month when reading a bulletin from CATCH (Citizens at City Hall). CATCH is a volunteer community group that encourages civic participation in Hamilton. The CATCH story focussed on the fact that Hamilton Councillors were all going to be getting about $250,000 each to spend in their wards on sidewalk repairs. "In a shift from normal practice" they apparently decided not to follow the usual priority setting process for allocating funds. This is indeed a shift but it is an election year and you'll see more shifts and other silliness before October 25th.

The CATCH story went on to note that $3.1 million of the $3.6 million fund being divvied up by the Councillors came from the OMPF reconciliation dollars. But shouldn't that money be going back into social services? That suggestion was rejected by Council.

I mentioned Niagara. They took their monies and put $600,000 into Emergency Medical Services and the remaining 1.5 million into an account to offset the Community Services net deficit. That makes sense; seems logical.

Up in Thunder Bay the city got $1.3 million back. Government member Michael Gravelle, the MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, was "absolutely delighted about this additional funding for social programs and other services."

Hamilton politicians seem to be marching to a different drummer here or am I missing something?

Cities Need New Revenue Sources

2010-06-19T11:21:00.006-04:00

Caught my eye recently:

Montreal has ideas to find more revenue.

Their Finance Committee spent 67 hours meeting with various city agencies working to cut their $400 million budget shortfall, reported the Toronto Star’s Andrew Chung.

Serendipitously, perhaps, while these meetings were going on, $300,000 in extra policing costs ensued when Montreal Canadien fans rioted in the streets. Then, in a moment of enlightenment some bright spark had an idea - make the hockey club play. Ah, pure genius.

Expect feeble excuses from the Hab’s front office like:

The individuals who broke store windows, looted stores and set police cars on fire were hooligans, not Canadien fans.

These hoolifans weren’t even at the game.

Les Canadiens pay more than $8 million in property taxes each year and bring many other economic benefits to the city.

Give me a break please.

Understand this: Municipalities are behind the eight ball. They need new revenue sources. My town, Burlington, got it right earlier this year when they decided to charge residents if firefighters had to attend their car accident. Unfortunately, council backed down.

But I’ve got a few other ideas.

Park Bench Fees

An elderly couple camps out for hours on the bench at my local park. Cute, you say? But this as an opportunity. After all it’s the city’s bench. Slap a fee on these folks. Use that bench in excess of 15 minutes you should pay appropriate user fees.

Street Hockey Permits

I like street hockey; hate it when residents want ball-hockey-playing kids off the road. But, if these kid’s parents had to pay for a street hockey permit the neighbours wouldn’t have grounds to complain and the fees would enrich city coffers. Call this a win win!

Excessive Constituent Calls

Some of you will know I was a councillor once. And, yes, I loved my constituents - all of them; well nearly all of them. But there were a few, a very few, who demanded a lot of my time. Of course, many other constituents never bothered me. Wouldn’t it be fair put in place a charge against constituents who call or e-mail you more than say once a week? All these contacts could be calculated and put on the bothersome constituent’s tax bill as a user fee.

These are but a few ideas. You’ll have some too. Like garage sales. There were 46 advertised in the Burlington Post last Friday. Can you imagine how many “underground” ones were going on? What an opportunity if the city could just get back some revenue….The possibilities are endless.

Shipwreck

2010-03-20T09:58:00.006-04:00

With my family I recently spent some time in the Galapagos - an amazing place.

I've been gathering my thoughts notes and photos as I think there are some lessons to be learned from "the enchanted islands" when this past week a ship sunk there with 16 Canadians on board. Everyone is OK. News reports indicate the passengers, who lost their passports in the mishap, will be returning to Toronto from Quito (tomorrow) Sunday.

The ship, the Alta, is a modern luxury motor sailor about 150 feet long. Hard to believe it could sink. A lighthouse malfunction may be to blame.

Here is a picture of the Alta that I took from my cabin. We were about to head by panga (Zodiac) to North Seymour, the island in the background, on this warm Wednesday February 24th.

Shipwrecks wouldn't normally enter into a blog on municipal politics but I thought this was interesting.

Last Call

2010-03-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

A group I'm involved with is showing a movie this Thursday that looks at
urban renewal and its impact on the poor.

The evening is entitled "Hamilton’s Last Call" and includes a panel discussion.

The movie tells what happened when aggressive developers buy a century-old, flophouse - Toronto's Gladstone Hotel. When the hotel is tarted up to become a hot spot for the arts long-time staff and residents begin a five-year struggle to survive.

“Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel” is an award winning film directed by Neil Graham, & Derreck Roemer.

We are showing it in Hamilton because the same thing is happening here with little public concern for the fact that the people who live in places like the Gladstone often end up on the street when "renewal" takes place.

Please consider attending this free event:

Thursday March 4th
7 pm - 9 pm
at the SKYDRAGON CENTRE
27 King William Street
Hamilton

If you can't make it but want to see the movie let me know and I'll make it available to you.

TERM LIMITS

2010-01-31T11:46:00.005-05:00

Case Ootes who has served the residents of East York for 21 years recently announced that he will not seek re-election. Somewhat surprisingly after all this time Ootes has decided that term limits are the way to go. That's one of the beauties of municipal politics. You just keep learning.

Locally three members of Burlington (Ontario) Council complete their first four year term this year. Of the veterans Councillor Rick Craven will have served ten years come the October election. Jack Dennison and Carol D'Amelio are coming up on 16 years. Councillor John Taylor arrived in November 1988 - the same municipal election year that voters sent Mr. Ootes to East York Council. One could argue that this Burlington Council has a good balance - experienced members and some rookies bringing new ideas.

Like other flavours of the month term limits was a hot topic in these parts 15 years ago. That’s when a movement to have smaller councils was in vogue. Burlington was the most successful shrinker in those “less government is better government days.” The head local shrinker, now proroguing MP, Mike Wallace led the charge to take council size from 17 to 7. My recollection is that Wallace also championed term limits (6 - 9 years) in those days. I'm not sure what his position was when he left for Ottawa after 12 years of local council duty. (Others remember that then rookie Dennison favoured two terms and out but I'm not sure. I wasn’t taking notes.)

I'd always thought that limiting Councillors to two or three terms was a bad idea ‘cause the electorate ought to decide when it is time for someone to go. If voters think a councillor has over stayed his welcome, is coasting or perhaps has become palsy walsy with the development community there’s a simple solution - vote for someone else.

I think I'm changing my mind, though. Perhaps I’m just following the crowd because I believe most voters, if asked, would say eight years (two terms) of municipal service is enough.

Long serving members can find something else to do. If they want to return they can try again next time.

What do you think?

P.S. I’m pleased that Walter Mulkewich has his blog up and running again (see frame the issues) I’m not sure where the 21 year Council veteran and former mayor stands on term limits.

Here We Go Again

2010-01-01T12:33:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the Environment Commissioner came out with his annual report on the province’s Action Plan to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions(www.eco.on.ca). It is clear from the analysis that the emission reduction targets that were set for 2014 and 2020 will not be met. Urban sprawl and private autos are the big culprits.

Thirty-one percent of all emissions are attributable to the transportation sector. Not only is that sector the biggest emitter but it is increasing the most relative to the other sectors identified (e.g. electricity/ heat generation and industry etc..)

The transportation sector has seen a huge increase in vehicle emissions from "light duty gasoline trucks" like SUV’s, vans and pickups – 123% since 1990.

The Commissioner thinks we have to seriously consider road pricing to address our frightful greenhouse gas problems. Road pricing would take into account the true cost of our transportation infrastructure and could reduce congestion and improve our environmental conditions. Properly implemented it would be an important reform towards a fairer tax system. But is road pricing on the political agenda today?

Take my town Burlington (Ontario). Their idea of pricing strategies runs about as deep as Sarah Palin’s grasp of foreign policy matters. It goes like this: If you don’t run buses then you save money. Using that logic today (Jan 1) Burlington is the only Lakeshore GTA community not running buses.

We are repeating ourselves in lamenting this lack of recognition of the damage that personal automobile use is doing to our environment. We won’t get into the equity issue as we’ve done that before (see archives 2/16/08.)

Any ideas?

HAPPINESS - IT MUST BE THE SEASON

2009-12-16T22:23:00.007-05:00

They were spending like the proverbial drunken sailor on the good ship Burlington Monday past.

Sixty million loonies for the hospital.

More money – perhaps $9 million – for the former General Brock school property.

Pan Am commitments toward City Park near Waterdown which will, history tells us, be way over cost estimates as is the norm with multi-event games.

But like that sailor our self-professed parsimonious pols were in seventh heaven over their spending spree or so it appeared to this channel surfing blogger who had earlier succumbed to too many Christmas specials and Tiger updates.

Councillor D’Amelio patiently explained to observers and your obviously misinformed correspondent that the media has it wrong because the big projects almost always come in under budget.

That and the season undoubtedly account for all the happiness and comes as a great relief as I had worried that nobody knew where all the money to pay for these projects would be found.

PAN AM GAMES

Taking the Sherwood Park location off the table means the Games site is narrowed down to one option - which is really no option, isn’t it?

City Park’s development needs approval from the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) who have designated the land for recreation uses and facilities.

The NEC Plan assumes that any development will have “minimal adverse effect on the environment” and “not exceed the carrying capacity of the site.”

So as I mentioned everyone was so happy with the site and excited about all the money to be spent on this and other projects. You’d have to be a real pessimist to imagine that approval for a stadium, two lit artificial turf fields, one additional field, and lots of bells and whistles adjacent to a Natural Environment area, an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) and 3,000 homes won’t be all wrapped up before the Seaway closes for the season.

Doing the Math

2009-12-08T13:45:00.003-05:00

While the Pan Am Games numbers didn’t compute for this blogger another “math’ exercise I participated in did add up.

Well, not really.

On November 18th a mixed group of 14 Burlington residents and service providers did some math at a breakfast meeting held at Community Development Halton.
Toronto’s The Stop Community Food Centre and the Campaign to Put Food in the Budget created this web based budget tool to promote understanding of poverty issues. Do the Math poses a simple question:

Does a single person on social assistance receive enough income to live with health and dignity?

A survey allows you to determine what you would need to make ends meet and to compare your results to what a single person on social assistance receives each month.

How often does one need a haircut? Dental care might not be a priority. But can you find a job with bad teeth? Do I really need that large double, double at $1.72?

These are but a few of the questions/issues the group considered.

When they added it was determined that it would cost $1,742 a month for a single person to get by with a bachelor apartment in Burlington.

Compare that to the maximum amount of:

*$572 per month a single Ontario Works recipient gets.
or
*1,020 a single individual on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) would receive.

Or consider the fact that a full- time minimum wage earner would have only $1429 in before tax income.

One participant noted that the gap was “astronomical.” Another questioned the sense of social assistance policies if the rates established clearly aren’t doing any good.
Over 3,000 people around the province have signed the online petition or a postcard that calls for government to ‘do the math’ too, and overhaul the system that sets rates, as well as for an immediate increase of $100 as a first step to meet basic needs. About half of provincial Members of Parliament have been involved in this project to date.

At long last the provincial government is beginning a promised review of social assistance. Hopefully, changes are on the way.

PAN AM GAMES #1

2009-12-06T21:13:00.002-05:00

City staff are recommending that a site at Highway #5 and Kerns Road known as
City Park be approved as the venue for the Pan Am Games soccer matches. Seven games in the preliminary round plus some contests in the Parapan Games following later in August 2015 would be held here.

We visited the site today.

The Community and Corporate Services Committee is considering the recommendation this Wednesday. Earlier this year it seemed like a good idea to have it at Sherwood Park in southeast Burlington. Then the neighbours got wind of the 1,500 permanent seat stadium and Councillors figured another location closer to where nobody lived – well nobody from Burlington anyway - would be a better idea.

There are issues. Here’s one:

The lands are under the jurisdiction of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC). I’m thinking the NEC plan didn’t anticipate international games with three soccer fields, one a permanent stadium with an artificial surface with lighting would be locating here.

Not to worry says Burlington staff. Their timetable anticipates approval in principle from the NEC this month – an interesting trick as the Commission isn’t meeting in December. But approval is required before year end or we’re going to look like we didn’t think this one through real well..

I’m struggling with the budget. Does $30 million sound like a lot of taxpayer money when many in our community are struggling?

Why don't we want the poor to own anything?

2009-11-26T12:52:00.003-05:00

Since the days of Mike Harris municipalities have been up against it having to deal with the so-called reform of the welfare system. Recently I read a report by John Stapleton, a well respected social policy expert. The report addresses one aspect of what social assistance applicants and recipients have to deal with.

The report that is called “Why don’t we want the poor to own anything? Our relentless social policy journey toward destitution for the 900,000 poorest people in Ontario.”

The title says a lot.

The report is about asset testing. I’m not sure whether many readers of this blog have direct experience with this cruel and foolish policy. Asset testing limits eligibility to welfare benefits when applicants have certain liquid assets above an established limit.

Asset testing used today is far more stringent than at any time since the post-war period.

Read Stapleton’s report at http://www.metcalffoundation.com/

Here is a Cole’s notes version.

*Most programs in Canada have abandoned asset testing.

* Seven per cent of Ontario’s population are subject to often stringent asset testing.

*Asset limits were dropped by a factor of five (single persons) and four (lone parent) by Mike Harris, a change which was in many ways had much more impact than the 21.6 per cent cuts to social assistance he put in place.

*The asset limit for lone parents in 1948 adjusted to inflation would be $10,900 today. In fact, the current asset limit is $1,550.

Since the McGuinty government came into power, many of the Harris implemented clampdowns have been relaxed or removed. And while the limits on assets have changed, the huge drops in asset limits “caused by linking asset accumulation to monthly rates have yet to be addressed.”

What to do

Stapleton wants to:

*Raise asset limits for social assistance and legal aid to $5,000 for singles and $10,000 for families with disabilities.

*Get in line with Alberta and Quebec by exempting portions or all of Tax Free Savings and RRSPs.

*Exempt, in the short term, all assets for the first six months of receipt of assistance.

*Eliminate the option to test subsidized housing under the Social Housing Reform Act.

Hopefully, decision makers will read this report.

What do you think?

YES YOU ARE GETTING OLDER DEAR

2009-11-14T18:42:00.002-05:00

Back in the day when I was a Councillor I worried that if there were no seniors in town I’d become redundant.

After all the majority of concerns directed my way came from those in their sunset years.

That man who picks up the garbage is an hour late today.

Those teenagers are loitering in the mall again.

The dandelions are out of control on the north side of New Street.

I’ve got squirrels in my backyard and it is my neighbour’s fault.

Please take care of this?

Yes sir. Yes ma’am.

Local government is closest to the people and your concerns are mine, as they say. So I took care of it - mostly.

I’m older now, pushing sixty. Wiser, I’m not sure?

But now I’ve got my own problems - GARAGE SALES.

You ask what could be wrong with these down-to earth community events?
They’re neighbourly, promote recycling and help people make a few bucks.

But the guy across the street is having five or six a year. So is someone further down the block. Patrons, if that is what they are called, wake me and my true love up early on Saturday mornings; they block our driveway; and frankly just annoy me.

My neighbour, the guy who used to gripe about my son playing ball hockey in the street, is the focus of my ire. I’m sure you’ve got neighbours like this too.

After his last garage sale he took off faster than a pick pocket being chased by Donovan Bailey and came back soon – it couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes later - with stuff, garage sale stuff, that he is going to offer up to the public at his next sale and that will probably be next weekend.

There must be a by-law on this. And if there isn’t there should be.

I’m calling my Councillor. I mean he works for me, doesn’t he? And if he won’t do something about it I’ll write a by-law myself.

And if he doesn’t support it, well he better be getting some job counselling soon because he’ll be looking for work after the next election.

When is the next election anyway?

Learnings form the Other Municipalities - Edmonton #2

2009-08-12T09:52:00.003-04:00

Editorial writers at the Edmonton Journal had their City of Champions shorts in a knot over public transit recently.

Seems that the creation of a new student transit pass has meant the system has "absorbed" five million more riders than expected.

This low blow to property taxpayers came about when college and university students took advantage of a annual pass that was offered at a bargain price.

The result was that student ridership averaged 40 trips per month instead of the anticipated 25. Clearly the pass price of $78.75 per year should be revisited.

But the Journal pontificators really jumped offside when they questioned the appropriateness of property taxes going to public transit. Then - a warning please move young children away from the screen - they used the S-Word (i.e., subsidy) while talking about public transit. No mention of the massive subsidies given to automobile users every day.

So Edmonton bureaucrats get the price right.

More people on public transit should be a good news story - especially in Alberta.

Learnings from Other Municipalities - Edmonton #1

2009-08-06T15:05:00.003-04:00

Hamilton (the City of Waterfalls) has 77 or so of them and one high level bridge.

Edmonton (the City of Champions) has but one waterfall and it flows off their high level bridge, or did until this summer.

According to the Edmonton Journal, the Great Divide Waterfall which usually "operates" about five times a year is turned off until 2010.

While it is speculated that tourists will be disappointed, they'll have to wait until the city has figured a way to get the chlorine out of the water as it is detrimental to fish and natural habitats in the North Saskatchewan River.

Thirty million litres of water cascades off the bridge each year adding 0.4% of chlorinated discharge into the river.

A "hired" consultant is going to sort out the options and the cost of dechlorinating the water and report back later this year.

Disappointed tourists can, hopefully, check out some of the areas more natural water features until the taps start to flow again.

Regulating Rental Housing

2009-05-27T12:38:00.000-04:00

Would it be a good idea for municipalities to establish “landlord registries.”

On June 1 Hamilton city staff are beginning consultation to assist in developing recommendations and an overview so that “City Council can make an informed decision on if or how rental housing should be regulated.”

Why this Review could make a Difference to Tenants

Since 2007 Ontario municipalities have had the ability to enhance existing licensing. Some municipalities are starting to take advantage of this new power in order to address health, safety, and property maintenance issues faced by tenants.
Typically, such a registry would require landlords to obtain a license and maintain their rental property and building in good condition.

New By-Law in London

Earlier this year London Ontario put in place an enforcement program focussing on addressing substandard housing conditions in areas of the city known for deficient housing conditions. A plan to cover the whole city is in the works.

Considerable opposition to the London initiative came from property mangers and landlords. They argued that the regulation was another tax; municipalities already have the tools to inspect buildings; and that the cost of licensing fees will be passed down to the tenant.

Other Places, Other Approaches

Other cities like Ottawa are moving ahead with the backing of tenants’ groups. Oshawa was the first out of the starting blocks, however, it designed its registry to cover a particular section of the city where students are housed. This presents human rights issues.

Toronto has gone in a different direction. Last year the Centre of the Universe launched a Multi-Residential Apartment Building Audit and enforcement program that will provide inspection and enforcement action on at least 176 of the City's rental buildings in the first year of a pilot project. Toronto is doing this audit with existing resources. A fee of $60 per hour will be charged to the building for each visit after the second inspection until an order is completed to meet bylaw or provincial requirements

There are different approaches possible. It’s important, though, that as municipalities begin to look at developing these polices tenant voices are heard.

You can be sure that landlords will represent their interests.

(This is an edited version of an article that appeared earlier on the Hamilton Spectator's Poverty blog - No Excuses)

Get out of My Ward

2009-05-10T11:20:00.002-04:00

We didn’t have e-mail back in the nineties so when I’d see the Ward 7 Councillor on my turf in Ward 8 I simply yell at him to get out of my ward.

This seemed very funny to both of us in those days. After all we were Councillors who served the whole city and ward boundaries were arbitrary and frequently adjusted as the city’s population shifted.

However, based on a small piece in the Toronto Star this past Friday such encroachments are now pretty serious stuff.

“Stop messing in my ward or there will be problems, Ward 18 Toronto Councillor Adam Giambrone e-mailed fellow Councillor Cesar Palacio of Ward 17.

Giambrone continued: “I generally ignore your actions, but I am going to start looking for ways to cause trouble for you and when I start you’re not going to appreciate it.”

Not surprisingly Palacio has complained to the City’s integrity commissioner.

My method from the nineties - just shouting - was probably as effective and didn’t leave a paper trail.

Making Burlington Prosperous

2009-04-03T13:12:00.001-04:00

During my lunch hour yesterday I had a terrific idea for boosting Burlington’s economic prospects.

It involves Oakville, polling and drive-thrus.

You see the Town of Oakville apparently has concerns about the negative impacts drive- thrus at banks and fast food locations might be having on their beautiful town.

So they decided to get input from the public.

I’ve made mine already – ban these environmental disasters - that’s what I say.

And if these out-of -touch Oakvillians – the fools – are taken in by a manipulated internet poll and really go ahead and regulate drive-thrus think what that could mean for our fine city.

Townies from the east will be flocking here in the thousands so they can bank on their backsides and roll up the rim without breaking a sweat.

It is called O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y. And with some innovative thinking we can really take this one to the bank. Think drive-thru funeral homes, weddings. The mind boggles.

Vote on the Oakville poll at www.oakville.ca. Vote early and often.

Police Budgets

2009-03-31T11:33:00.002-04:00

There was a day when, through a procedural quirk that I, a simple Ward Councillor, was poised to freeze the police budget.

This was when I was Regional Councillor and had for a year ascended to the lofty heights of budget committee member. (There were only four on the committee and that oddity presented the procedural opportunity, as I recall.)

Long story short: I had , of course, over rated my procedural prowess and the police got their money as they always do.

I was reminded of this today upon reading a report in the Stratford Beacon-Herald that notes that the small southwestern town of St. Mary’s is considering other policing arrangements after the police budget (for the OPP in this case) is expected to escalate by 82%. Mayor Jamie Hahn calls it “outrageous and unreasonable.” Other communities - Oxford County and Sarnia have similar issues according to the story by Laura Cudworth.

But the real story here should be:

POLICE EXPENDITURES OUT OF CONTROL

This has been the case for some time. For many reasons police budgets get measured by a different standard than other areas of the municipal budget.

Not to suggest there is a simple solution for municipal politicians. In fact, the escalating costs are probably beyond their control.

I drove like an undertaker for some time after my fifteen minutes of oppositional fame. To this day I bet there is no one who does the textbook perfect lane changes that I do.

Municipalities and Health Care

2009-03-19T12:16:00.002-04:00

Battles to preserve health care are being fought in many small Ontario municipalities.

Residents and Councils are fighting the closing and potential closing of emergency rooms in their local hospitals.

Seaforth Community Hospital was reduced to a 12 hour operation early this year.

“Cutting ER services is a direct response to the financial pressures on the health care system,” says Michael Hurley, President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions OCHU/CUPE.

Hurley’s union represented 40 workers who lost their jobs at the Huron County hospital.

But this is about more than jobs. It’s about keeping our communities healthy.

In Petrolia the ER was “saved” in February after a huge public outcry and a threat by six doctors to resign if it was closed.

Meanwhile, in the nearby southwestern town of Wallaceburg the sparring is just beginning to protect the Sydenham District Hospital ER. Two hundred residents attended a first meeting. A rally in a supermarket parking lot planned by Save Our Sydenham (SOS) Committee will certainly draw a bigger crowd.

Fort Erie and Port Colborne are in similar predicaments. A resolution by Fort Erie Council calls for public election of all hospital boards and
legislative protection for rural hospitals More than fifty-eight Ontario communities have supported it according to Port Colborne’s website.

Many blame Local Health Integration Networks (LINH’s) for this development.

Queen’s Park “essentially established the mandate the LHINs are now carrying out. I believe that health care in rural Ontario is being systematically withdrawn. This is not acceptable and is a direct reversal of Premier Dalton McGuinty's own promise to us to protect the small rural hospital and their ability to serve..,” charged Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey.

All of us should be paying attention to how this plays out.

Food

2009-02-19T14:10:00.002-05:00

Canada's first food bank opened in 1981.

Remember 1981? The U.S.S.R was the enemy, Exhibition Stadium the home of the Blue Jays and Eaton’s was a great place to shop.

The country, the stadium and the retailer are long gone. But the Edmonton food bank, billed at the time as a temporary solution, is still here and about 650 others have been added across our affluent land.

And it is getting worse.

A situation reported by the Belleville Intelligencer this week is illustrative.

The number of new clients at Gleaners Food bank (which serves the Quinte Region of South-Eastern Ontario) doubled this December over December 2007.

The number of food hampers issued this past January is up 43% over the previous January.

The Board is considering increasing the hours the food bank is open.

On Tuesday 240 dozen eggs came in. At closing there were only about thirty dozen left. There was fighting among clients.

On Wednesday a man and his son are alleged to have threatened staff. Police were involved.

Could this have been foreseen?

“We were afraid something was going to happen today because we had clients fighting yesterday,” Suzanne Quinlan, the Centre’s Director told the Intelligencer.

Now the Board, already struggling to meet client needs, has to consider adding security staff.

Carol Goar’s opinion piece in yesterday’s Toronto Star puts the food issue in context.

The average weekly food bill in Canada is $140 or 10.4% of income. If a mother of two on welfare:

“ spent 10.4% per cent of her income on food, as other parents do, her weekly grocery budget would be $25.14. She would have to buy a lot of bread, pasta, rice and other cheap starches and get whatever she could at the local food bank.”

Political Solution Needed

But food banks, a temporary solution, have reached their limits. I’m not stating anything new or profound when I say that people shouldn’t go hungry in this country; parents shouldn’t have to count on a food bank to feed their children.

There are political solutions to these matters. The Harperites aren’t interested. Their recent budget proved that. Let’s hope McGuinty’s government shows some leadership in their March budget.

Downtowns

2009-02-12T10:17:00.002-05:00

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go - downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know - downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

OK, Petula Clark wasn’t singing about Ontario cities when she scored a big hit in 1974 with Downtown.

But why did that song come to my mind reading Ontario papers this week?

First, let’s look at Sault Ste. Marie, the third largest city in Northern Ontario with a population of 75,000.

Tuesday the Sault Star reported that Council had voted 9 - 3 (one member absent) to approve 42,000 square feet of office space outside of the downtown area.

Who cares, you say?

Well this approval:

1. Insulted the Official Plan.
2. Was uncalled for when about 500,000 square feet of available commercial space currently exists.
3. Was contrary to the Planning Department’s recommendation.*

Writer Elaine Della-Matta noted that those voting for the office space had their reasons.

One said “he's been shut out of (downtown) businesses because he can't get in with his wheelchair.”

Another Councillor noted it is “difficult to find large accessible spaces in the downtown area.”

And, finally, it was argued the downtown shouldn’t be sold short but the rest of the town shouldn’t be forgotten.

I’m thinking Mayor Roswell (who opposed the change) got it right:

"Council's decision tonight is going to change things. This is a major shift in where our community is going."

Meanwhile, this week the Intelligencer in Belleville (population 50,000) talked about what happened to their downtown.

Apparently when the Quinte Mall opened in the early 1970s “merchants were skeptical that it would take away customers but they soon learned the truth.”

"That knocked the hell out if us. "It was difficult. Some people thought it wouldn't hurt us," Charlie Kammer, a downtown merchant for 42 years told the paper.

Kammer remembers seven hardware stores and eight drugstores operating in the core.

Consultants have addressed the downtown problems says reporter Brice McVicar.

A revitalization program, co-ordinating the resources of various departments was suggested by du Toit Associates Ltd in 1980.

An emphasis on waterfront recreation, free public transit and a the placement of a banner near the Quinte Mall that would say something like "Experience Shopping in Downtown Belleville" was recommended by Alexander V. Crate Consultants in a 1984 report.

And in 1992 (Loughheed and Associates) wanted to close streets and develop an Apr.-Oct./ pedestrian promenade.

Apparently things are slowly improving. Mayor Neil Ellis believes “that downtown merchants are carving their own niche, rather than competing against bigger rivals.”

Belleville consultants: Check your Blackberries, the Soo’ll be calling soon.

*This raises a larger question: Why do we really need planners with their big salaries, large offices and strange vocabularies when we have politicians who can do the job. We’ll save this one for another day.

Games People Play

2009-02-09T11:01:00.001-05:00

The Ontario Senior Games Winterfest 2009 kick off in Brockville this Wednesday. GTA types who promote the Pan Games should pay attention.

According to a story in the Brockville Recorder and Times by Michael Jiggins the local economy will be helped by the games.

Games general manager Laurence Bishop says that athletes will provide an $850,000 boost to the economy before they head home after Fridays’ closing ceremonies.

Jiggins quotes restaurant owner John Ackerman who believes the Games "are a great idea in these economic times.”

"Especially for the restaurants, January and February is your slow time of the year. ... And it will help all of the other businesses, too, people will be out shopping. I'm all for it."

Local hotels are fully booked. Occupancy rates typically run around 35 per cent in February. As well up to 70% of the 850 participants will stay an extra night after the games finish. Many participants will enjoy the town and come back.

GTA FANTASIES

Meanwhile in the GTA politicians and George F. Babbitt booster types like the Hamilton Spectator fantasize about the supposed benefits of the 2015 Pan Games. In fact, there is much evidence of the detrimental effects such mega events have on host cities. (see Helen Lenskyj’s “The Best Olympics Ever?)

The Pan Am games began in 1951. Popular in Central and South American. sadly, few North Americans – including many top athletes and TV networks - seem to care today..

I don’t always agree with Hamilton Councillor Sam Merulla. This time I do.
Last week Merulla argued unsuccessfully to strike the $235 million Pan Am Games bid from a list of city of Hamilton infrastructure projects. A big part of those dollars would build a new stadium as the current facility - once called Civic Stadium built for the 1930 British Empire Games track events.- can’t accommodate track and field. Is this the kind of “infrastructure” we need for our cities?

Back to Brockville

Longtime Brockville hotelier Bhagwant Parmar tells reporter Jiggins that the Games are about much more than dollars and cents. Winterfest encourages active, healthy lifestyles that improve people's quality of life.

The advantage of that type of tourism, he noted, is it doesn't require millions of dollars to build attractions (bolding mine).

As I said we could learn something from this week’s games in Brockville. These smaller community building events should be the way to go.

Cycling and Our Environment

2009-01-07T09:50:00.002-05:00

Gord Miller is Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner (ECO). Each year he takes a look at applications made by Ontario residents for government ministries to “review an existing policy, law, regulation or instrument if they feel the environment is not being protected or to review the need for a new law, regulation or policy.”

This one caught my attention.

Applications R2007005 and R2007006 requested that two ministries (the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) review the need for new legislation or amendments to the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005 (PPS) under the Planning Act for the protection of bicycle couriers and cyclists in general.

The applicants claimed that:

*cyclists’ civil rights of mobility, safety and health have been compromised and overlooked.
*all levels of government are responsible for the due care and protection of residents’ right to security and right to life.
*not implementing cycling transportation plans has contributed to thousands of bicycle collisions in the past decade.
* the road network can be considered an unhealthy work environment for bicycle couriers.

There were other valid points but the thrust of the argument was that since municipal governments (in this case Toronto) promote cycling they ought to be responsible for providing good cycling infrastructure. Further, it was contended that a new provincial law should be enacted, under MMAH jurisdiction, to enhance safety and reform the system of tort liability, and particularly the mechanism known as “contributory negligence.”

Torts?

I’m a blogger not a lawyer but this is how I understand the tort issue:

Municipalities should have liability since they are partly at fault for the damages or suffering of cyclists involved in a collision with a motor vehicle, for not providing reasonably safe cycling conditions.

Makes sense, right?

The Result

The MOE said the application was outside its mandate.

The MMAH denied the application but only looked at aspects related to the Provincial Policy Statement (i.e., not the liability issues.) The PPS was strong on cycling and had a lengthy consultation said the Ministry. Besides “creating and regulating cycling lanes” is a municipal matter. (Check out the Municipal Act, 2001 if you need clarification.)

The Commish’s Comments

The ECO agreed that MMAH had grounds for denying this application. However, he noted that 2,400 Ontario cyclists are injured and 10 to 15 killed each year on the roads. Many smaller incidents likely go unreported.

Miller questions how strong an environmental document the PPS is. A comment from his 04 - 05 annual report “that some land uses are given clear priority over others” and that the focus “of transportation planning in Ontario has traditionally been the expansion of the road network primarily for motor vehicles” captures his concerns.

As well, while the 2005 PPS says that streets “should be planned to meet the needs of cyclists (it) does not require municipalities to provide safer cycling networks.”

But if municipalities understood they could be liable for not doing enough for cyclists it would provide “sufficient incentive for municipalities to begin allocating appropriate amounts of road space to cyclists and installing protections to increase the safety of cyclists on city streets.”

This would require the action by another ministry - the Attorney General.

You’ll see the Summer Olympics in Milton before Environment, Municipal Affairs and your local government take any action on this one.

A Cup of Coffee and a Few Ideas

2008-12-17T17:47:00.004-05:00

We lose touch sometimes.

With friends. With ideas. And with certain realities that are just too easy to ignore.

Had coffee last week with a guy who I hadn’t seen in a over a year. He is a poverty advocate. He knows of what he speaks because he actually lives in poverty and has since suffering an injury on a job site many years ago.

He updated me on stuff I’d missed and suggested I read some reports as a lot of new ones had come out recently. I promised I would.

First up is Income Security for Working -Age Adults in Canada: Let’s consider the model under our nose.

Published last month, its author John Stapleton worked in government in the areas of social assistance policy and operations for 28 years. Now a Fellow at St. Christopher House Stapleton is connected with Massey College – U of T and was supported by the Metcalf Foundation.

In a few (164) words this is what Stapleton says:

*Beginning in 1929 an income security program for Canadian seniors evolved that has been pretty successful in alleviating poverty for this demographic group over the last forty years.

*A “program” for children (RESPs, Child Tax Benefits and now the Canada Learning Bond and Canada Education Savings Grant) is likewise evolving so that kids will be taken off welfare and we’ll be “on a hopeful course to ending child poverty”.

*By doing something like what has been done for seniors and kids a program for working age adults could be assembled that would have similar features – i.e., widely available federal benefits, extra help for people with low incomes, registered tax saving aspects and matching or separate contributions to reward individual savings.

*We ought to do it this way since restoring benefits to earlier levels is “politically unpopular” and a Guaranteed Annual Income - of which we hear more and more these days - is not “politically realistic” because of constitutional matters.

I'm getting caught up.

You can/should read this concise 19-page report at www.metcalffoundation.com

To Ottawa I Must Go

2008-12-11T12:36:00.004-05:00

Thank you for supporting my blog. I’m gratified that you can find the time to look at it.

Sometimes I go off on rants. I apologize for those occasions.

Today’s posting is particularly important because I need your help.

I have decided that I must go to Ottawa.

It is said that Steve Harper is about to appoint 18 new Senators. I think I should be one of these appointees and I’m sure you’ll agree.

Five Reasons to Send Your Blogger to Ottawa

I think like the Prime Minister. Like Mr. Harper I also once favoured abolition of the Senate. In fact I wrote, if I might say, an excellent paper in an undergrad political science class in 1969 arguing for abolition. This was long before young Stevie’s parents had taught him about our parliamentary system of government and the meaning of the word conciliatory.

2. I could use the money. Let’s face it I’m going nowhere with this blog. I have two still-at-home adult children victims of the policies of this terrible left wing government we have in have-not Ontario. My boys, Brian Martin and John George, would just be so happy if I could relocate to Ottawa so that they could have the house.

3. There needs to be significant opposition to this stupid coalition idea in that chamber of sober second thought. I’ll admit I was seduced - but only for a short time – by the idea of fighting the recession by stimulating the economy. But to be honest - and you know you can trust me - I only thought like that because the mainstream socialist inclined media (controlled, I suspect, by separatists like Jacques Parizeau and influenced by far out economic ideas like those put forth by disciples of ex-pat John Kenneth Galbraith) told us that Mr. Harper said such things when he was in Peru with those other world leaders. Such mendacity.

4. I will actually do something in the Senate. And that is this: I will spend every waking moment until April 2, 2025 fighting to abolish it. The Senate will be history on April 3rd, 2025. That will be my 75th birthday present to the nation.

5.. And finally it is an outrage that Burlington – a customer focused city recognized for excellence in government - has had no representation in the Senate since Liberal Isobel Finnerty retired in July of 2005.

I’m the guy.

Thanks again for your support.

Poverty Reduction Strategy

2008-12-05T14:03:00.005-05:00

Back in the early nineties – the Rae days – I sat in on some interviews social assistance caseworkers had with their clients.

It was an eye opener.

Demeaning is the way I’d characterize it. I’m not blaming the worker. The system was the problem.

Then along came Mike Harris and things got a lot worse.

Which brings me to the present and the much-awaited Poverty Reduction Strategy unveiled yesterday by the Provincial Government.

At this point there seems to be much satisfaction with this report.
For example, the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction (a multi-sectoral coalition of more than 350 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working to eliminate poverty) has a good and fairly positive analysis of it at www.25in5.ca/December4_Backgrounder.html)

Poverty is finally on the agenda and will remain there for several years.

I've Seen this Picture

However, the commitment to undertake a review of social assistance with the goal of reducing barriers and increasing opportunity seems like one of those proroguing dodges we've been reading about lately.

This same minister completed a similar review in December 2004. At that time she got it right. The Mathews’ Report, as it was known, documented an OW (welfare) system that was a mess.

For example:

Clients afraid of caseworkers. (p. 29)

Time and money wasted on job placements and training that didn’t assist in the move towards job readiness. (p. 21)

The requirement of applying 800 rules and regulations before eligibility could be determined and a cheque could be issued. (p. 25)

And this outrageous story:

The value of leftovers from a Sunday dinner at a parent’s house being deducted from the social assistance cheque. (p. 28)

Now four years later a commitment to a review.

What am I missing here?

I wonder how those with a first hand knowledge of social assistance feel about this.

Nimby In November

2008-11-25T13:57:00.003-05:00

Controversy continues to rage over a proposal to site wind turbines in Lake Ontario off the Scarborough Bluffs.

According to November 25th Toronto Star more than 1,000 people turned out for an ”information” meeting at Wilfrid Laurier School on the Guildwood Parkway last night. It is not clear whether much information was conveyed but it appears there was no shortage of opinions.

At this stage, as I understand it, Toronto Hydro Energy Services is merely asking to place a small weather station on a platform in the lake to see if wind turbines in this location would be feasible.

Meanwhile, according to the St. Thomas Times Journal, residents are unhappy about a proposed solar farm that OptiSolar Farms Canada wants to build just west of Belmont near London. When complete the project would provide 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply 3,000 homes.

“Already, some neighbours are grumbling about it, ” reports the paper.

OptiSolar vice-president Peter Carrie concedes is the project presents "a great challenge." No kidding!

A little closer to us in Nanticoke radiation specialist Doug Boreham has been hired by Bruce Power as “a key player” at open houses related to the proposed construction of two nuclear reactors. Open houses will be held in Simcoe, Jarvis, Port Dover and Cayuga.

The Simcoe Reformer quotes Power: "One of the biggest obstacles we have to overcome on these projects are people's fears of radiation." Indeed.

I could go on. The news is full of this stuff but, hey, I’m too busy getting my objections ready to a site plan application for the redevelopment of the Appleby Mall – a property in my back yard. There is a meeting tonight.

I’m not sure what this is all about, but it can’t be good.

Public Transit in America

2008-11-18T09:16:00.004-05:00

Jeff Gray writes a column in the Globe and Mail called Dr. Gridlock. Yesterday(November 17th) he talked about how in several state and local referendums on November 4th Americans actually voted to increase their taxes and put money into public transit.

The data was put together by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (go to www.artba.org and click on Economics and Research).

Thirty-two (32) ballot measures in seventeen (17) states asked for new or increased taxes. Twenty five (25) of these passed. That’s a 78% success rate. Interesting, isn’t it?

I was curious so I thought I’d look at this analysis to see what was going on south of the border.

A Look at the Data

By my count there were eight local initiatives to enhance public transit at taxpayer’s expense. (Many of the others were classified as “transportation” but I just looked at those that were clearly transit related.) Five of these passed. An example: Voters in the Puget Sound Washington area gave the thumbs up to a $17.9 billion to extend regional bus and light rail service in the communities of Lakewood, Tacoma and Seattle. The vote was 59% in favour.

There were also three statewide initiatives approved. Voters in California, Hawaii and Rhode Island supported projects that will cost taxpayers billions.

Jeff Gray quotes a former Toronto head planner who thinks we need to start playing catch up in Toronto and, I think, it is fair to say right across the GTA and Hamilton.

Paul Bedford says:

“I understand the politicians don’t want to touch any of those ideas in the current economic environment. All I’ve been saying is, let’s not wait five years to start talking about it.”

It looks like average Americans are beginning to appreciate the environmental and economic imperatives that compels us to invest in public transit. I’m thinking average Canadians probably feel the same way.

.

Other Places

2008-11-07T15:17:00.002-05:00

Someone once, I’ve forgotten whom, taught me about that there are really four “R’s” in the waste management hierarchy. Refuse actually trumps the better-known actions Reduce Reuse, and Recycle.

This seems to me now as one of those things we learned in life that is actually so basic that it is hard to believe that we really need to learn it in the first place. I could be wrong.

Take civic leaders in St. John’s Newfoundland who have decided, according to Canadian Press, that there’s not enough money in the coffers to start a curbside recycling program this year.

Yes, I said start.

The capital of Canada’s most easterly province (and a “have” province to boot) does not yet have a curbside recycling program. They are hoping to get started in 2010. For his part Danny Williams’ government is aspiring to have a curbside recycling in place across Newfoundland and Labrador by 2020, the year Sarah Palin completes her second term as President of the U.S.A. After 2020 when Newfoundlanders have mastered the least desirable “R” in the hierarchy perhaps they will move on to bigger things.

Maybe we’re not doing so badly here after all.

Making Our Community a Better Place to Live

2008-10-30T14:35:00.002-04:00

In Toronto they are addressing a serious problem through a partnership of the Toronto Police Service and Henry’s Cameras.

To help make neighbourhoods safe you can trade in your pistol, assault rifle, operational rifle or shotgun and get cameras and imaging cards valued from $250 to $360 in exchange. The program runs from October 22 – November 23rd.

I don’t suppose there are many guns to be exchanged out here in beautiful by-the-lake and the escarpment too Burlington, but we, too, have problems that need solving.

Could such a program would work here?

Maybe if:

Anyone willing to sign a pledge that they will try to think of the wider world (or even the wider town) beyond their own street will receive something appropriate.

For example, promise to stop complaining about so-called empty buses (and take a look at your own single occupant driving habits) and you’ll get a Burlington Transit bus pass good for a year.

Put an end to your constant caterwauling that traffic isn’t moving fast enough because of various city-initiated traffic calming measures and you’ll get to stop and smell the flowers with a coupon redeemable at Burlington’s popular tourist attraction, the Royal Botanical Gardens.

And a free snow shovel will be available to those who stop phoning City Hall to bellyache that the other guy’s street is always getting plowed first.

What do you think? A good concept, right? The specifics might need some work.

Blogger Returns from Leave of Absence

2008-10-09T14:41:00.003-04:00

Whither the blogger you may have wondered?

On a self-imposed leave of absence from When The Mayor Smiles engaged in partisan political activities your blogger is now recovering from a painful excursion into big league(?) politics characterized by potty mouths, pooping puffins and seemingly non-stop polling and analysis. Happily, we return today with the objective balanced blogging for which we are known. No partisanship here.

Today we are thinking about “sustainability” - a word the late Kent Gerecke, a professor of urban planning and editor of City Magazine, once said was used so much it had ceased to have any real meaning. He wrote this nearly 20 years ago but his insight is re-confirmed most every day.

Let’s take Sustainable Halton as an example. The Province’s Places to Grow Act forces Halton’s population to nearly double in the thirty years ending in 2031.

A plan is needed and Halton bureaucrats love to plan.

Staff and consultants are now engaged in what they call community consultation. But are they really consulting?

My friend Doug Brown, an informed and indefatigable community activist attended one of these consultations – a Public Information Centre - and described the session as “a disappointment.” Staff presented six scenarios that, according to Doug, are remarkably similar. Attendees then got to pick their favourite scenario. (There is probably a reality show that uses a similar format.)

The trouble that Doug and others like BurlingtonGreen Chair Kurt Koster see
is that there is no consideration of carrying capacity in this process. What amount of growth can the lands accommodate without being irreparably harmed?

To this blogger this planned greenfield sprawl doesn’t look any different than they way we’ve always done things.

Kent Gerecke edited a book called The Canadian City (Black Rose Books). It came out in 1991. I have a well-marked copy of it. In the book different authors talk about “green” cities, sustainable development and the trend in the eighties of dropping real community participation and substituting what Gerecke called “a charade of participation.”

We haven’t learned much, have we?

Go to www.halton.ca. for lots of colourful charts and graphics and to further enhance your appreciation of what is evolving into a preferred growth option for 2009.

Trust The People

2008-08-28T14:16:00.004-04:00

Today is the anniversary of the death of the first mayor of Toronto.
William Lyon Mackenzie died August 28, 1861. He was 66.

Remembered as an insurgent and a bit of a nutbar he was captured in Dennis Lee’s poem 1838:

“Mackenzie was a crazy man.
He wore his wig askew.
He donned three bulky overcoats
in case the bullets flew.”

But Mackenzie fought against the Family Compact and for people’s rights to have a say in government. I’ve written before about the way Mackenzie, a journalist, worked to put information into the hands of the people. (See my blog posting on Tuesday January 2/07 or better John Sewell has written Mackenzie, A Political Biography of William Lyon Mackenzie (James Lorimer and Company, 2002)

Mackenzie believed in trusting people to make the right decisions if they were given adequate information.

Ultimately Mackenzie felt the need to take up arms – not very effectively – as we know. Lee again:

"Mackenzie talked of fighting
While the fight went down the drain.
But who will speak for Canada?
Mackenzie, come again!”

An interesting thought. If Mackenzie were to come again what would you think of the state of local democracy in Toronto?

I imagine he’d be reconvening the boys at Montgomery’s Tavern over Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone comments recorded earlier this year in the Toronto Star.

On the issue of solid waste Pantalone said:

“You need to understand issues like that. They’re very complex. It would be better that we discuss these issues in private.”

Please Mackenzie, come again.

RATS

2008-08-21T15:51:00.001-04:00

There are RATS in Burlington. I know that for a fact.

And they have them in Ajax too. Ajax, located east of Toronto, is a town of about 90,000 and bills itself as a vibrant and caring community.

These Ajax and Burlington RATS differ from the despised rodent (rattus norvegicus.) Have you noticed those people who get hot and bothered about public transit vehicles; those who Rail Against Public Transit? They’re RATS. Get it?

RATS in Ajax are pained over Durham Transit Route 222 according to the Toronto Star’s Urban Affairs Reporter Carola Vyhnak.

Without boring you with all the details I am struck by the similarity to RATS in our community who rail against transit services in their neighbourhoods and most particularly on their streets.

Sandra Cassidy is quoted extensively in Vyhnak’s piece and I’ll share Ms Cassidy’s insights with you. Like all RATS she knows that:

*Buses are “mostly empty.”

*Buses roaring down her street are a “safety hazard.”

*Since “everyone in the area has at least two cars” we don’t really need public buses, do we?

If you have the misfortune of living on a bus route and even in you live in “the only custom built home in a very special subdivision” you’ll need to close your windows “because of the smell and the noise.” And don’t plan on picking up home improvement ideas from the Home and Garden Network. You “can ‘t even hear the TV” on these means streets. Oh, the horror.

RATS don’t like to sound like they’re bragging but typically “have more influence than the average person.” So let’s not fret but rather rest assured that the necessary reforms will be enacted and the bus pulled off the Ms. Cassidy’s street before inflicting further pain and suffering.

OR ALTERNATIVELY

In the unlikely event that Route 222 isn’t cancelled I’m thinking we ought to create gated communities for these RATS. These gated communities could lock from the outside and the RATS could live happily ever after without having to see a smelly old bus. And I’m sure they’ll be happy to live their lives free of other government services too.

Fantino #2

2008-07-30T16:07:00.003-04:00

More than one loyal reader - yes there is more than one - took issue with my last posting (Let’s Give Fantino the Break He Deserves)

What can I say? Don’t expect Jonathan Swiftian level of satire.
at When The Mayor Smiles.

As penance for the aforementioned perplexing prattle, I’ve compelled myself to read the entire 103 pages of Julian Fantino’s testimony from Shawn Brant’s preliminary hearing. That testimony (August 29, 2007) has just been made public.

The preliminary hearing looked at nine possible charges against Brant related to protests/blockades that took place in the Deseronto area in April and June of 2007.

Brant’s actions relate to the Culbertson Tract – land that the federal government acknowledges is Mohawk land; stolen from them in 1837. To address this injustice the feds have moved to provide redress with a sense of urgency that makes their response to the injustice of the Chinese Head Tax seem swift by comparison. Brant and others are, not surprisingly, becoming impatient. In the meantime developers and entrepreneurs do what developers do - scheme and dream. (1)

Did I mention that the Crown wants to put Brant away for twelve years?

TESTIMONY

Here are some highlights from Fantino’s testimony. I’ll let his words stand on their own and avoid editorializing. I’ll try anyway.

Fantino’s characterization of his first phone conversation with Shawn Brant on June 29/07

Fantino: “Well in essence there was a cordial conversation it was not a confrontational tone to it.”

On being told that senior OPP Officers who had dealt with Shawn Brant were on record as saying that Brant keeps his word.

Fantino: That’s not my impression although obviously other people have it.”

When asked if he understood that the Mohawk tradition of the need to achieve consensus meant that Brant could not offer commitments to Fantino until he spoke with others.

Fantino: “No, not at all…Mr. Brant was in charge … His rhetoric was merely a stalling tactic.

When asked if it was true that Mr. Brant was very respectful of Fantino in his dealings with him.

Fantino: “Yes he was and I of him.”

Demonstrating his notion of respect Fantino admits to this comment he directed to Shawn Brant.

Fantino: “You’re going to force me do everything I can within your community and everywhere else to destroy your reputation.”

An important issue in the Ipperwash Inquiry was how the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) was deployed. A member of the Tactical Response Unit team was convicted of killing Dudley George.

Fantino: “So the circumstances indicate, yes.”

And regarding the authorization of shady and possibly illegal wiretaps what can Commissioner Fantino add to address any concerns us bleeding heart, pinkos might have?

Fantino: “I believe that everything we did was in the greater good.”

What, me worry? See you later.

=====================================================================================
(1) The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to license a quarry on Tyendinaga land that removes 150,000 tons of gravel each year.

One more note: The Tyendinaga Mohawk Police Service has demonstrated excellent peacekeeping and negotiating skills at the quarry occupation site and at the railway blockade. Their Police Chief, Larry Hay, was fired earlier this year by Julian Fantino. Hay had spoken out about racism in the OPP. Imagine.

Let's Give Fantino The Break He Deserves

2008-07-22T15:00:00.003-04:00

The constant attacks on that loyal public servant Julian Fantino, OPP Commisioner, are starting to wear your blogger down.

Lately it is his handling of a highway blockade last summer that is in question.

As best as we can determine Fantino had taken time out of his day from personally arresting speeders on the 400 series of highways so as to deal with a voilitle situation in the Kingston area. Thank you Commissioner.

He took charge - personally relieving specially trained negotiaters from the Tyendinga Mohawk Police so that he could deal with Mohawk activist Shawn Brant mano a mano, as they say.

According to the OPP’s website Fantino was functioning “consistent with the recommendations from the Ipperwash Inquiry.”

Few of us will remember the details of Chief Justice Linden's thorough inquiry set up in response to the shooting death of Dudley George. But Fantino does.

One of the things Linden said about the police was this:

“The objective of the police during Aboriginal protests and occupations should be to minimize the potential for vilence and to facilitate constitutionally protected rights including treaty and aboriginal rights and the rights to peaceful assembly."

Fantino is “disappointed (and no wonder) with some in the media and the political arena” for his questioning his handling of events which are clearly so consistent with Linden's recommendations.

It is speculated here that the illegal wiretap info to which Fantino had access gave him cause to to threaten the Mohawk leader with "destroy(ing) his reputation and guaranteeing "your whole world is going to come crashing down."

The NDP's weak kneed, past his prime Sunshine boy Peter Kormos called this language "intemperate" and "bellicose." Say what?

And when did you Mr. Kormos negotiate anything more important than an extended summer recess for provincial polticians?

While some have called for Fantino's resignation, here at whenthemayorsmiles we say let's give the chief the break he deserves.

Bad Words

2008-07-04T10:54:00.003-04:00

Recently a news item out of the U.K. cited a report recommending 100 specific words that should be banned from government documents.

According to the Local Government Association local democracy “will be threatened with extinction” if words like “coterminosity” and phrases like “can- do-culture continue to muddle up reports.

This argument interested me. The point, which seemed to have been missed by many who proffered an analysis, is that government reports need to be written in a way that can be understood by all. We shouldn’t hide behind jargon and bafflegab.

We are “partnershipped” to death these days with “value added” and “proactive” service “facilitated” for us with a “single point of contact.”

Has the word “sustainable” overstayed its welcome? What is really meant by “best practice” and who is a “stakeholder” anyway?

The report inspired your blogger to “fast track” and use his “capacity” to find a “bottom up” but “holistic” way to put forward “value added” analysis and thereby find an “early win” through “evidence based” solutions and “process driven” output for you, my “customers.”

I’m Not Making this One Up

While inspired, alas, I can offer no new insights on how to better use language but, thankfully, OneNewsNow.com can.

The website provides “news from a Christian perspective” and has a policy to replace offensive words with, well, less offensive words.

Earlier this week when American sprinter Tyson Gay won the U.S. Olympic Trials the website dutifully altered the Associated Press recap of the event. Gay became Mr. Homosexual as in “Tyson Homosexual was a blur in blue, sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.”

Homosexual will be “someone to watch in Beijing next month.”

And how does the new champion feel. The website offered this: “It means a lot to me, the 25 year old Homosexual said.”

This Part I’m Making Up

We think that OneNewsNow.com is on to something.

Let’s get rid of those offensive names in politics.

Bad language is out. Burlington M.P. Mike Wallace becomes Mike Walldonkey.

Sexist terms are forbidden too. Mayor Cam Jackson will from now on be known as Cam Jacperchildren.

And let’s work on political images while we are at it. There is no room for cowards in politics. Ward One Councillor Rick Craven is now Richard Braveheart.

There you go. And you’re welcome.

Bus Bites #2

2008-06-26T16:24:00.003-04:00

A recent Wednesday morning found me on the #4 Pinedale West heading to a part time job at Wild Birds Unlimited on Fairview Street. As this route runs close to the homes of the Mayor and the Ward 5 Councillor, I wondered if the opportunity for an “on bus chinwag” on local affairs might present, but figured I probably be keeping my opinions to myself on this day.

This short trip had begun at Sheldon Park where a creek of the same name had once flowed before being relocated to accommodate development and create “ravine” lots.

The bus moves me down Deerhurst past Mathewman Crescent. Named for Benjamin Matthewman, who had settled in the Burloak Upper Middle area around 1835, the street name was registered with one “t”.

Matthewman was active in the Appleby community that had taken its name from a small northwestern English town located in the historic county of Westmoreland. Just to the east, but off this route, Fothergill Boulevard was, in fact, named for an Appleby England family who farmed at Freeman.

Several other streets in this subdivision honour Burlington and Nelson township pioneer women:

#Amelia after Amelia (Cole) Fothergill who farmed on Appleby Line.
#Phoebe for Phoebe (Land) Lucas
#Hannah after Hannah Davidson who farmed on Walker’s Line.
#Amanda for Amanda (Kaitting) Baxter who lived at the historic Balsam Lodge at 2290 Queensway.*

Our bus goes west on New Street, up Wedgewood and turns toward Appleby Mall near Mullin Way. (Owen Mullin was Burlington’s youngest ever mayor, 32 years when elected in 1962.)

John Henry Walker Jr. House

After a quick stop at the Mall we meander along Longmoor eventually making it back to New Street at Eastway Plaza; then, west to Walkers Line and north past the John Henry Walker House Jr. (496 Walker’s Line. Heritage Burlington notes that this Edwardian vernacular Queen Anne Style house with adjoining barn are the sole surviving structures from the original Walker farm.

Built in either 1908 or 1913 John Henry Junior inherited 20 acres of farmland south of the existing Centennial Bike Path. (See www.burlington.ca/heritage for more on this property.)

Our bus turns left and I try to imagine the Hamilton Radial Electric line that ran through here from 1906 to 1925.

I get off at Woodview and walk up to work.

*Peggy and Les Armstrong’s 2001 book Burlington’s Streets – What’s Behind the Name? - is an interest resource on Burlington history

Tabuns in Burlington

2008-06-18T16:03:00.001-04:00

Peter Tabuns’ was once a municipal politician. From 1991 – 97 he represented an east Toronto ward.

He was defeated in 1997 when a candidate with a similar name – Larry Tabin - siphoned off Peter Tabuns votes.

According to Wikipedia, Tabin, who ran no real campaign, was put up to running by some of Tabuns’ constituents who were unhappy with his leadership in stopping smoking in restaurants and bars. These constituents, it is alleged, owned eateries and watering holes on the Danforth.

Today, Tabuns is the Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Danforth and Energy and Environment Critic for the Ontario NDP.

Burlington Presentation

This week he escaped from a Queen’s Park debate venturing out to suburbia to speak to a largely partisan group in Burlington. Interestingly, he drew on his experience as a local politician.

“Politicians are simple people. They respond to rewards. They respond to punishment.”

This was in answer to a question about engaging people in order to address our environmental problems.

As a Councillor Tabuns observed colleagues moving off positions when there was significant public pressure. Some would call this gutless, unprincipled even. Others, your blogger included, would call it representing the people.

Tabuns Argues for a Move Towards a New Energy Economy

In a nutshell Tabuns’ analysis is this:

*Our environmental problems are not new.

*People are tired of government inaction on the environment.

*The “do-nothing” duo of McGuinty and Harper aren’t making the necessary investments to move us to a new economy and new jobs.

*This new economy should emphasize renewable energy and replace excessive hydroelectric power with conservation measures, move to co-generation and eliminate waste of energy.

*Various estimates demonstrate that ‘renewable is doable.’

*We can solve the problems but we need to put pressure on governments who “don’t take these issues seriously.”

Tabuns cited examples from other jurisdictions (Pennsylvania, California, Denmark and others) that are taking these matters seriously and acting.

Iowa farmers, once skeptical of wind power, now see it as a “second harvest.” Portugal has no oil of its own so has made the installation of solar panels part of its building code. In California energy savings are increasing disposable income.

Back to the idea of taking action. Tabuns quoted American Steelworkers who believe that “ if you are not at the table then you’ll be on the menu.”

Peter Tabuns is challenging us to get to the table.

Kitchen Report #2

2008-06-15T10:37:00.002-04:00

In his report Kitchen explores seven different ways to help fund the restructured GTAH transit and transportation system.

1. Dedicated Municipal Fuel Tax

This would involve an additional tax at the pumps piggybacked onto the existing price of gas. Those who use the roads would pay. A rate of, for example, 6 cents a litre would be the equivalent of a 4.7% to 6.6% increase in property taxes. This year’s rising gas prices have left many commuters hot and bothered. Could such a tax be sold with a commitment to lower property taxes?

2. Tolls and Congestion Charges

Tolls and Congestion Charges “can be effective in controlling people’s behaviour” and are in place in many jurisdictions around the world. Kitchen recommends them for major highways but notes that some decisions are needed prior to putting these charges in place as to whether the existing public transit system offers an effective alternative. Perhaps Metrolinx provides a forum for this.

3. Tax on Non residential Parking Spaces

The City of Toronto already has the right to tax parking spaces and such a tax would likely have some impact on deterring auto use and increased transits.

4. Vehicle Registration Charges

Again Toronto is the only city that currently can levy such a tax. Taxes could be higher for higher emitting cars, heavier vehicles (as they do more damage to roads) or older cars.

5. Drivers License Charges

Municipalities could also take a chunk of an enhanced charge on licenses but Kitchen does not recommend this.

6. High Occupancy Toll Lanes

Apparently HOV lanes in the U.S. are not meeting their objectives. So in some cases these lanes are being turned into High Occupancy Toll Lanes where you can pay for the pleasure of getting a faster ride. Kitchen wants us to try this one out.

7. Value Capture Levies

If a property’s value is enhanced through spending on public infrastructure and zoning decisions it could be appropriate to capture some of the gains that the private sector has realized.

Kitchen feels this could apply in mega projects such as subway or rapid transit expansion.

Time for Action

Lots to think about in Financing Public Transit and Transportation in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Kitchen's final recommendation for a GTAH wide special purpose body made up of directly elected Councillors recalls similar governance discussions in the '90's. Nothing happened then. But something must be done on this file and soon.

Kitchen Report #1

2008-06-13T11:02:00.004-04:00

Earlier this year a report by Trent University Professor Harry Kitchen got some coverage in the mainstream media.

This report, Financing Public Transit and Transportation in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton: Future Initiatives*, includes among its recommendations a call for tolling roads.

This caused quite a stir as apparently our right to drive at no cost is enshrined in the Constitution somewhat like Americans right to bear arms. Here is my new slogan for Ontario license plates: “Drive Free or Die.”

In all seriousness though this is a good report that should promote serious discussion.

Let’s Get The Price Right

It is really a no-brainer to say it but we need an effective and efficient public transit and transportation system for economic and environmental reasons. Things are getting worse not better.

As Kitchen says “something must be done.”

An important aspect of what must be done is setting correct prices.

Kitchen notes:

“A more efficient and effective transportation system can only be achieved if users (businesses, individuals and governments) pay for the infrastructure and operational cost of services it provides – building, maintenance and repairs plus environmental damages."

He sets out some principles.

For example, those who benefit from local infrastructure and the services it provides should pay for it. (This is called the benefits based model.)

According to Kitchen, services such as public transit and highways “have a mix of private and public good characteristics” and, therefore, financing should be based on the theory of “second best.”

Principles of efficiency and fairness would suggest that car and truck drivers pay a charge that reflects the full cost (capital, operating plus congestion and environmental costs).

But car and truck drivers pay nothing to local governments for each trip taken while transit users are charged when they travel.

This logic justifies some subsidization of public transit but also provides rationale for the implementation of road charges that are designed to control road use.

So while subsidizing public transit makes sense Kitchen says that determining the exact subsidy (and what you’ll pay at the farebox) is a “tricky business” that really has more to do with politics than actual costs. And that is probably the way it should be until the competitive form of transportation i.e., roads is costed properly.

If there was a level playing field “public transit might not require a subsidy to be competitive: certainly it is unlikely that it would require the size of subsidy it often gets.”

Back to you Tomorrow

If you’re still with this argument I know you will be keen to find ways to put proper prices in place. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Here is a bit of a tease. It is complicated because while the problems that need solving are GTHA wide ones the responsibility for our transit and much of our roads is generally in local hands.

*You can find this report on the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario’s (RCCAO) website.

Bus Bites #1

2008-06-06T11:07:00.001-04:00

(First in a series of occasional short pieces on how our public transit system can reveal our local history.)

Regular readers will notice that we tend to go on about public transit at when the mayor smiles. Today we’ll take a break and get on the bus – Burlington’s route #5 to be specific.

You can see a lot from a bus but imagination helps.

The #5 BT leaves the John Street bus terminal and runs west on Ontario Street. Much history is evident.

At the corner of Locust and Ontario Street, for example, sits L’Eglise St. Philippe built in 1875. The Gothic Revival style building served as Calvary Baptist Church for many years. St. Luke’s Anglican Church (the Brant family’s Church) built in 1834 stands out further to the west.

Perhaps the historical highlight of #5 is "The Gingerbread House." Located at 1375 Ontario Street is often described as Burlington's best-known heritage landmark.

Heritage Burlington’s website ( www.burlington.ca/heritage/) calls it “(a) grand two-and-a-half-storey frame structure in Queen Anne Revival Style.” Originally part of Joseph Brant's Crown Grant, it was purchased for $450 by A. B. Coleman in 1893.

Some Imagination Required

Leaving Ontario Street the #5 turns south on Maple Avenue. You’ll need to close your eyes and open up your imagination to conjure up what the community has lost here on Maple Avenue. (But that is a story for another day.)

The Hotel Brant - built by the same A.B. Coleman in 1902, once dominated the southwest corner of Lakeshore/Northshore and Maple, where the museum and hospital now stand.

At a cost of $100,000 it was “ a capacious building with accommodation for over 250 guests. According to Burlington – An Illustrated History (Loverseed 1988):

“The hotel was equipped with all the modern conveniences, ample private and public baths on every floor, and lighted throughout with electricity. The dining room covered over 8,000 square feet. “

The Hotel Brant did not/could not serve liquor so Mr. Coleman opened an exclusive gentleman’s club across the street on the site that eventually became the Brant Inn.

Our bus continues on Northshore, Francis Road etc. winding its way back to the Terminal. Ten boardings (20 per hour) are counted on this May 14th mid-day route.

Buses on Dundas Street

2008-06-02T13:41:00.004-04:00

Tore myself from the computer last week to rush to Burlington's Silly Hall to add my two cents worth to “Metrolinx Update” a report under review at Committee.

Metrolinx, formerly the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, is charged with developing and implementing “an integrated multi-modal transportation plan” for the GTA and Hamilton.

Former Burlington mayor Rob MacIsaac is the chief multi-modal integrator.

We’re a Winner!!!

Metrolinx has taken immediate steps to address our congestion and environmental problems. Called “Quick Wins” an early win was the approval of $57.6 million to cover the capital costs of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along the Dundas Corridor (Highway #5) from Hamilton to Mississauga.

Good Idea but Cool Reception

This is an important initiative.

It is an intra-regional project that fits within the Metrolinx mission of implementing “an integrated transportation system for our region” (i.e., GTHA).

It offers the potential to enhance our existing Burlington Transit system.

The implementation of the BRT might delay planned widenings on Waterdown and King Road and take pressure off other north-south routes as well as freeing up resources for other priorities, I thought, although Councilors didn’t agree.

Typically, Council is lukewarm, at best, towards this project. Questions from the Mayor suggest that he sees the Dundas Corridor BRT benefiting Oakville much more than Burlington.

It is becoming apparent – to this blogger anyway – that Mayor Jackson would prefer that Burlington Transit be uploaded to the Region. Will this be good for Burlington riders and our air quality? Can we count on senior levels of government to address our congestion concerns? Stay tuned.

My Two Cents Worth

My simple request to involve Metrolinx and the City of Hamilton early in the design and implementation plan didn’t interest Councillors at the Community and Corporate Services Committee.

So, I’m back at the computer.

(Metrolinx consultation documents are available at www.metrolinx.com/. Report TT 16-08 which is heading to the June 9th meeting can be read at www.burlington.ca Contact me at timberline24@hotmail.com for a copy of my presentation.)

This Town Needs Some Decent Newspaper Coverage

2008-05-18T10:57:00.008-04:00

The Burlington Post* wants to know what their readers have to say regarding a story that they pretty much lifted from the Hamilton Spectator. *

On Monday of this week Spectator columnist Andrew Dreschel wrote a piece suggesting that Burlington’s Mayor Cam Jackson had improperly used his MPP’s office expenses in his bid to become mayor in 2006.

Dreschel’s source for this is a lawyer representing “a group of business people with substantial profile in Burlington.” While these individuals may posses substantial profile, they don’t want their names used.

The Post pretty much repeats the Spectator story in their Wednesday edition and then feigns outrage in a Friday editorial where they lash out at those “who would seem hell bent on soiling” Jackson’s reputation.

Our question: "Who is actually doing the “reputation soiling here?”

If there is evidence of Jackson misusing dollars it should be produced. The fact that both newspapers and our substantially profiled anonymous citizens can’t produce any facts would lead one to believe that there is no such evidence. After all this is an old story going back nearly two years.

Policy Issues not Innuendo Please

I’d rather see both papers concern themselves with policy matters. The Harris government, of which Mayor Jackson was a cabinet minister, caused a lot of grief for those running local governments. How are Jackson and his Council colleagues doing on cleaning up that mess?

Or what about the fact that one in eleven Burlington children live in a home affected by poverty? What are they doing to address the absurdity that in one of the most affluent communities in Canada 11,500 Burlington residents are living in poverty?

*The Burlington Post and the Hamilton Spectator are two papers that provide limited coverage of local government in Burlington. To its credit the Spectator has, over the last couple of years, put much energy into covering the impact of poverty on the lives of Hamilton citizens and the community in general. Also, columnist Joan Little provides insightful and thoughtful analysis on Burlington/Halton poltics but only on alternate weeks.

The Burlington Post publishes three times per week. The Friday May 16 edition referred to here had 36 flyers stuffed inside the otherwise thin edition.

The Metroland Media Group manages both papers.

Social Assistance Rates Must Reflect Real Cost of Living

2008-05-14T10:03:00.003-04:00

An advocate for the creation of a Social Assistance Rates Board caught up with me following my last post.

Hamilton poverty lawyer Craig Foye of McQuesten Legal notes that the new strategy is “is to try to convince the Government to introduce the proposed legislation as a government bill.”

A Private Member’s Bill that Foye and others had worked on had received first reading in June 2007 but died on the order paper when the government adjourned.

What is a Social Assistance Review Board?

This Board would produce an annual report that would propose social assistance rates that take into account the real cost of living in Ontario.

A recommended monthly basic needs rate would enable recipients to obtain nutritious food baskets, cover basic telephone and transportation costs, purchase personal need items and carry out modifications to rental units to accommodate disabilities and more.

The committee would be made up of six to nine members who’d have “expertise in poverty research.” At least two members would have experience with receiving social assistance and two members would possess expertise regarding the cost of living for persons with disabilities.

Next Steps

Foye hopes that groups and individuals will support the legislation by contacting their MPP and participating in the provincial poverty reduction consultations.

“It is important to tell the government that evidence-based social assistance rates must be part of any poverty reduction strategy,” Foye asserts.

Craig is working with researchers to project the economic/financial impacts on the Hamilton economy that would result from an increase in social assistance rates to subsistence levels.

This will be a useful number. In 1995 Halton Region staff estimated that social assistance costs took $12 – 14 million dollars out of the Burlington economy.

I’m not aware of any accounting done by government on the impact these cuts had on real people.

Consultation - McGuinty Syle

2008-05-11T11:12:00.005-04:00

The provincial government created Metrolinx to come up with a plan to address the transportation crisis across the GTAH.

Some think it is moving too slowly. However, they have put out five green and two white papers and encouraged public comment. Opportunities for consultation with regular folks are ongoing. I participated in one of these last weekend. And that is a story for another day.

Today’s story though is about non-consultation. OK, the limited consultation process that is being orchestrated by that same Liberal government as they ”tackle the issue of poverty.”

The lead tackler Minister Deb Matthews is doing a series of invitation only events across the province. The first one was in Peterborough. The road show hits Hamilton on May 12th.

Community Concerns

In Peterborough local politicians expressed concern over the lack of openness. They offered Matthews the opportunity to attend an open public meeting. She declined.

The invitation only event was staked out by protestors. According to the Peterborough Examiner there was some scuffling with police.

While there was unhappiness outside it seems that there were good vibes in this closed-door meeting. The Minister appears to be genuinely interested in issues facing people living in poverty.

Government Seeks to Avoid Embarrassment

But it is quite clear, from the government’s perspective, why the consultation must be so heavily orchestrated.

We could mention the fact that the Liberals promised a different kind of government from the Harris/Eves Conservatives they replaced. That would involve open consultation. We could also mention the 2003 promises to build 20,000 new affordable housing units or to give low-income tenants real protection by creating rent controls. Didn’t happen.

You could be sure that open consultation would be embarrassing to a government that hasn’t lived up to its promises. We’d hear about these unfilled promises. We’d hear more too, like how the government cut many of Ontario’s poorest people off the special needs diet allowance.

How about Something Concrete Now

I must admit that, although I can be critical of the lack of open consultation, another part of me just wants the government to get on and do something about poverty.

It is not that hard. You see people live in poverty cause they don’t have enough money.

Up until 1995 we had a social assistance system that was close to providing basic necessities to people who had fallen on hard times. Harris and his cronies changed all when they slashed assistance rates by nearly 22%. Since then there have been only two small increases to these rates - both from the McGuinty government.

A private members bill that would create a Social Assistance Rates Board died when the government adjourned prior to last year’s election. This Board would ensure an appropriate adjustment to these rates would occur each year.

This would seem only fair. It should be easy to put in place and it would make a difference.

“Rent Bank Runs out of Money”

2008-04-30T14:32:00.003-04:00

What’s this have to do with city politics, you ask?

A lot, I say. But it shouldn’t.

In the 2003 provincial election campaign Dalton "The Promiser" McGuinty’s said that he wouldn’t raise taxes. He was going to roll back highway 407 tolls and cancel P-3 hospitals. He wasn’t going to allow building on the Oak Ridges Moraine.

All these promises were broken … and more.

He actually did keep some - well, one that I can think of - and that was to create a provincial rent bank program. Good for him.

Ontario Rent Bank Program

The program, which rolled out within months of the election, provides money so that low-income tenants may apply to receive financial assistance to address short-term rent arrears. This small program was passed over to 42 service managers (municipalities ) to run which kept the provincial government somewhat immune to any criticism. (In some cases the municipalities contracted with agencies to actually operate the program.) Most of these local programs provide grants, but some operate by providing interest free loans.

According to today's Toronto Star the future of this program is in doubt.

The Future of Rent Banks

Up until last year I had many years direct involvement with housing emergency loan programs and with this particular program as well.

The province created an administrative nightmare for those operating rent banks. Fortunately, however, rent banks do help those they are intended to help - people with serious housing emergencies.

The whole concept is rather a stopgap approach to the serious issue of poverty. A parallel could be drawn with food banks. In 1983 the first was created in Edmonton as a temporary measure. Food banks are still with us. Here is hoping they will go away. Rent banks too.

In the meantime, while I hope that monies are made available to assist those with housing emergencies; the fact is the government can’t be let off the hook in addressing the big picture issue here:

Many of our fellow citizens do not have enough income to find and maintain adequate housing.

And that is something the province must take responsibility for and leadership on. Local government can be involved but the province must lead.

Rent banks do help but they are a very small part of the solution.

YOUR BLOGGER GOOFS

2008-04-27T09:53:00.003-04:00

There was an error in my last posting.

I said that a Burlington Transit bus - Route #2 Brant North - had an average weekday boarding rate of 11 riders per hour. That number was wrong. In fact, 21.5 people board the #2 buses every hour on a weekday.

While your blogger was never much good at math, the ability to offer sincere apologies is considered to be a strength.

So, I am truly sorry.

I imagine that many of you loyal readers use insights gained from this blog at various cocktail parties around town. We can only imagine because we don’t go to these cocktail parties. In fact, we don’t get invited to these parties.

However, as compensation for any embarrassment that you may have suffered here are nine more or lessinteresting facts that you can insert into any conversation about Burlington Transit at a cocktail party, in a bar, when talking to a loved one or over the backyard fence.

Burlington Transit (BT) by the Numbers

480 Number of hours BT runs each day
8639 Average daily boardings
17.9 Average boardings per hour
1/3 According to Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor the average # of riders per hour on BT buses.
12 Number of main BT routes
8 Number of routes carrying more than 10 people per/hr
70 grams of carbon dioxide emitted per kilometer by a bus carrying 18 passengers
220 grams of carbon dioxide emitted per km. by an automobile carrying one person (sourceSIKA, Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis, 2006)
25.5, 21.9 21.5 Weekday boardings per hour for #1 Fairview Plains, #10 New Maple, #2 Brant routes

STILL RIDING THOSE TWENTY THREE YEAR OLD BUSES

2008-04-23T08:11:00.004-04:00

I spoke at Burlington Council on April 7th. After hearing again - from one councillor anyway - that our buses are riding around empty - I thought I should really get my facts straight.

I’ve tried. I wrote to all members of Council on March 27th seeking clarification on “data” given by that same member of Council at a March 26th public meeting.

After the Council meeting I again sought clarification in writing from staff. No response yet, so nothing else to do, I guess, but get on the buses. Since they are apparently as empty as a city hall office between Christmas and New Years, I’m sure I’ll have no problem finding a seat.

Friday April 11

Hopping on yet another 23 year-old bus, #7005-85, (see previous posts) #2 Brant North bus departs the downtown terminal at 7:15 a.m.

The bus heads up Brant, meanders through north urban Burlington, over to Guelph Line, and then back on Cavendish to Upper Middle Road where it heads east. At MM Robinson the bus (which has now become the #3 Guelph Line South) turns right heading back down to the Lakeshore eventually to the Terminal.

In its one-hour circuit I’m joined by thirty-six (36) other riders. The nine passengers on the early part of the route are making connections to trains or other buses at the Fairview GO station. (Wonder when that new parking garage will be ready? Can’t ever really have enough parking spots?)

The bulk of the other passengers appear to be students heading to MMR, Rolling Meadows PS, or connections downtown.

After a full circuit I disembark, but the bus keeps running. In fact, the #2 Brant North leaves the terminal 48 times on any given weekday. The Brant South route does the same. The most recent statistics show 1,055 riders board over the course of the day - an average of 11 riders on each of the 96 runs – making the Councillor’s “one-third a rider per hour” projection about as accurate as George W. Bush’s pre-invasion assessment of Iraqi nuclear capabilities.

Other routes are similar and will be documented in an upcoming posting.

A Suburban Myth

It is a myth that empty buses ramble around our suburban streets.

In fact, a lot of people currently ride these buses. Many of these riders have no other choice in getting on with day to day living than to take the bus. Besides our environmental imperatives dictate that we must find ways to get drivers out of their cars and onto public transit.

The cost containment exercise the city has embarked on needs to keep this in mind.

(My presentation to Council is available by e-mailing me at timberline24@hotmail.com)

Waiting for a Pardigm Shift?

2008-04-15T12:23:00.010-04:00

Last December Gord Miller, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, released his annual report. Entitled Reconciling our Priorities, it called for a “paradigm shift” in how we do planning in Ontario.

For those of you not inclined to do much shifting or have simply forgotten what a paradigm shift is, well it is a pretty big deal - a change from one way of thinking to another, a revolution, a transformation. Ptolemy’s view that everything orbited around the earth changing to Copernicus revelation that we orbited the sun is a good example.

When the report came out I was going to comment on it. With nothing encouraging to say, I thought I give it a few months and wait for the “paradigm shifters” to wade in.

Today I did an internet search (reconciling our priorities and gord miller) and, to my surprise, found my Feb 16th posting (observing that the report was too depressing, so I wasn’t commenting) near the top of the hit list.

Miller has been travelling the province but I wonder if any real dialogue is occurring.

Some Excerpts from the Report

*The Provincial strategy to manage growth (the GGH) actually “reverses the sustainable development process.” (p 26)

*“The lack of progress to date in shifting away from a car culture calls into question the efficacy of GGH Plan ‘s density targets in promoting the hoped for mobility changes in the future.” (p 32)

*There is no effective regulatory protection for wetlands and the province has actually “retreated” from earlier prohibitions on development by “changing the definition of ‘“development.’” (p 39)

*Significant changes have occurred in land use policies which mean that aggregate extraction is considered an interim land use. (p 45)

(See the full report at http://www.eco.on.ca/english/newsrel/2007/annual/)

Conflicts Everywhere

We have significant conflicts all over the place.

Provincial policy as reflected in the 2005 Provincial Policy statements (PPS) says “preserving wetlands, woodlands and agricultural lands are priorities but it also asserts that the construction of highways, the removal of aggregates, and the building of pipelines for water supply are priorities.”

There is nothing in place to “reconcile these conflicting land uses.”

Miller goes on to say that municipalities are required to dedicate increasing resources to resolve these irreconcilable priorities. His analysis notes that planning processes are now “weighted in favour of extractive and destructive uses of the land over those that conserve natural or agricultural use.”

These processes have become “intellectually dishonest” because no upfront “a priori” discussion of the real need for any project can happen.

Waiting

I am waiting for that paradigm shift. Some think such shifts in thinking are advanced by agents of change. We wonder if any such agents are out there?

OLD BLOGGER, OLD BUS, SAME OLD STORY PART TWO

2008-03-29T13:47:00.002-04:00

Ridership on Burlington Transit is up, particularly recently.

This won’t stop some members of Council from taking a knife to it.

“I won’t be swayed by a couple of good months,” Councillor John Taylor made clear at Community and Corporate Service Committee this past Wednesday.

Taylor thinks we may have to “look at a simplified system.”

Simplified? One can only imagine.

My mind flashed back some 15 years to an idea put forward by another councillor. That brainwave – and I’m not making this one up - was to take the buses back to the garage when they were empty. It would save money.
Presumably, potential riders waiting along abandoned routes could hail taxis or maybe just take the day off work.

I’m confident that the current cost containment exercise will come up with better ideas. But I worry.

Empty Buses?

Councillors and senior staff agonize over empty buses.

It is a fact that hard worker taxpayers, mostly men as I recall,
find time to phone city hall and complain about those empty buses observed, I am sure, while cruising around town as the sole occupant in their carbon spewing SUVs. No irony there, eh?

But the buses aren’t empty. Performance statistics show nearly 9,000 boardings every weekday.

Councillor Rick Goldring noted the number of people riding the buses is about the same as the number who frequent our libraries. No one is questioning the need for libraries. Transit ought to be the same.

Stay Tuned

The data we put forward at committee suggested Burlington is not putting the emphasis on transit that other communities have.

Councillors, not unreasonably, questioned this data and asked staff to look at the numbers.

Much of the discussion focused on the fact that our neighbouring town, Oakville, seemed to spend more dollars on transit and had better performance too.

There are challenges as Councillor Craven acknowledged but the future will see us “more dependent on transit.”

“We have to invest in our infrastructure.”

Old Blogger, Old Bus and the Same Old Story - Part One

2008-03-28T12:11:00.005-04:00

Off to City Hall this week to speak to the issue of public transit.

The City of Burlington has initiated a cost containment exercise. And while, like motherhood and apple pie, we all want costs contained, we also want to maintain a decent transit system.

Some would argue we don’t have a decent system in this community now. Some transit users get frustrated, give up on the buses and buy cars. I heard of four who had just this week.

Sadly, many in the community don’t support public transit. Sometimes these people get elected. But I digress.

The presentation Doug Brown and I prepared is available should you be interested. (e-mail me at timberline24@hotmail.com)

The essence of the presentation was that it is important for our environment and important to the quality of life in our town that we have good transit.

We’d like the cost containment exercise to keep that in mind.

New Street # 10 Bus

A surprising amount of the discussion at Committee focused on the 23 year old bus I rode to City Hall.

Does this seem old to you? Twenty years ago all municipal buses were pulled from service after 18 years. That has changed ("financial constraints") - and Burlington has been buying and repairing old buses.

Of the City’s 52 buses twenty (38%) are between 22 – 25 years old. Some Councillors seemed surprised at this revelation - surprising in itself as they approve the purchases and there are always lengthy discussions around the council table before purchases are made.

Be Ye Thankful

One Councillor noted that I should be "thankful” to be riding the 23 year old bus. He thought, I guess, that buses were better made then.

Yes, I am thankful because my health allows me to ride these old non-accessible buses. Many in our community can’t.

So here is the issue.

More people will use the system if it is accessible and provides quality service.

Does Council mow the parks with lawnmowers that are twenty three years old? Can you imagine how exercised our hockey players would get if 23 year old zambonis broke down and the ice couldn’t be cleared?.

We’ll have more on this meeting tomorrow.

Trust the Process

2008-03-18T09:13:00.004-04:00

“Trust the process.” Former Burlington mayor Walter Mulkewich brought this bit of advice to city Council last night.

This was in the context of trying to decide on a design option for the proposed Burlington Performing Arts Centre.

Good advice. But when is process finished, or started for that matter?

That was at the crux of the debate and, in fact, is at the centre of many city hall debates.

It is clear that there has been lots of process on this file. Meetings, reports, polling and public consultation go back at least six – some might even say nine - years.

Today’s politicians largely support “process.” But they are elected to make decisions. At the end of the day they have to raise their hands and vote yes or no. Opportunities can be missed and costs will escalate if decisions continually get put back.

A big part of yesterday’s debate was whether the proposed location of a studio theatre (front or back) best met the needs of potential user groups and the community.

It seemed early in the evening that most of those who supported and will use the Centre were satisfied with the “front” location.

Mayor Jackson didn’t see it that way. His reasonable view was that more process was needed, specifically around the studio theatre location. Toward the end of a sometimes acrimonious debate he moved an amendment:

“That the Project Management Team and the Performing Arts Advisory Committee must agree on the location of the studio theatre location before the design phase can commence.”

The motion was defeated four votes to three.

So, Councillors did indeed get to raise their hands and made a decision (on a 5 – 2 vote) to move a preferred option to the design development phase.

More To Come

There will still be lots of process. Concerns about escalating costs were mitigated only slightly by MP Mike Wallace’s commitment of $1.5 million additional federal support.

Those who see no value in such an important community project will be back. Neigbours will eventually have lots to say.

Parking as always is an issue on municipal projects – cost, accessibility and impacts on community.

Typically, those councillors who spoke about access to the facility talked of convenient car drop opportunities. Nary a thought that many users of the Centre would/could use public transit.

“WHAT YOU ARE TELLING ME IS A MATTER OF MAJOR INSIGNFICANCE”

2008-03-17T10:49:00.002-04:00

To paraphrase Art Linkletter; politicians say the darndest things. Case in point the pearl above from former Toronto Mayor Alan Lamport.

Although Lamport was good, or is it bad, Mel Lastman,Mayor of Toronto, (1997 – 2003) and North York (1972 -1997) would run a close second. Looking back at some of his best known lines oddly provides a bit of commentary on some of the municipal issues we have faced over the last twenty five years.

Mel was way ahead of his time.

“It would save energy. There are more car accidents at night. Everybody else is out of their heads if they don’t go along with this.”

Explaining why North York would introduce Daylight Saving time in March 1984, instead of in April. - 1984

Now that you he has some time on his hands Mel might be interested in season’s tickets for the new Burlington Performing Arts Centre?

“I can’t sit and listen to music. Opera would drive me out of my mind. Musicals I don’t enjoy. Or ballet. I’d go crazy. My nerves wouldn’t permit it.” - February 1986

Remember when the stores were closed on Sunday?

“It doesn’t make any sense that a consumer can drink or go the racetrack on Sunday but cannot buy a Bible or clothes. The law is discriminatory. There’s no two ways about it.”

In support of Sunday shopping - May 1995

Does the Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty understand this tugboat thing?

“Local governments are like tugboats – they’re manoeuvrable and get things done.”- August 1997

How does garbage pick up every two weeks grab you, Mel?

“I know if I walked out at night and saw a raccoon with those big eyes staring at me, I’d run… people are petrified to put the garbage out now.”

On his belief that raccoons, skunks and rats are drawn by garbage in once-a-week-pickup in Toronto. November 97

A lot of people are just figuring out what Mel knew all along.

“Everything (premier) Mike Harris touches turns to crap.”

During an attack on the premier over downloading costs dumped on the city - June 8, 2001

And speaking of crap

“Sometimes too much knowledge is a dangerous thing, almost, in some areas, in my view.

Words of wisdom from Mel’s friend Mike Harris.

As Alan Lamport once said: All this progress is marvelous… now if only it would stop.”

“I have decided that this will be may last year in office because, ladies and gentlemen, Toronto’s future is secure.” - April 2003

Sudbury Sunday Night

2008-02-29T22:06:00.005-05:00

The Mayor is missing Bingo to hear Sir Elton singo
Don’t let the sun go down on Sudbury Sunday night?
Councillors paid their due, so what’s the hullabaloo.
But will they feel the love next Sudbury election night?

(With apologies to Stompin Tom)

Today’s question:

If Elton John came to Burlington would it create a political controversy?

In Sudbury – yes, Sudbury - it’s the new Watergate.

Just last month Sir Elton’s upcoming appearance at the Sudbury Arena was trumpeted as “the biggest concert in the city’s history." No arguments here.

“(M)onumental and will generate tremendous excitement for everyone in our city," noted the Sudbury Arena manager, who next week returns to more mundane matters such as keeping the Zamboni running.

Not the kind of Excitement that was Expected

The "excitement" has to do with the fact that city councillors got first dibs on tickets for the March 2nd concert. Local leaders snared 120 ducats ($87.50 to $129.50) before the box office opened. When the tickets went on sale to the masses, they were gone in minutes. No surprise.

According to the CBC, “outrage among fans who saw no reason why (the Councillors) should be able to jump the line” ensued.

At first Councillors dug in. After all they had paid for the tickets.

Rumours followed - the man who gave us Don’t Shoot Me - I’m Only the Piano Player - would skip the Big Nickel due to the bad vibes.

Municipal officials pressured the Sudbury Star: (C)ontinue “to report on the ticket controversy, the Elton John concert conceivably could be cancelled.”

Now, at Mayor John Rodriguez’s request, seventy-one tickets have been returned to the promoter. Forty-nine tickets are still out there - sold to family or friends or given to charity.

Today, the local paper reported the City has spent $12,000 during the last few days to hire a private law firm, as well as a public relations company to help it “deal with the ticket fiasco.”

Live/Learn and Rest

Sudbury has come clean (more or less) and grudgingly provided information to the public on the ticket buying.

"While this matter has been a significant learning process for the city, we sincerely hope that the disclosure of this information will put this matter to rest," Mark Mieto, the city's chief administrative officer, told the Sudbury Star.

Could this happen in the City of Burlington?

Not likely.

First - ask yourself why would Elton John come here? Sure, we’d like him to sing Candle in the Wind at the grand opening of the new pier. But it ain’t going to happen.

Old timers will remember Guy Lombardo, Jayne Mansfield and other greats at the old Brant Inn. I myself heard Lawrence Gowan at Sound of Music a few years ago and saw - have I mentioned this before - PET in Central Park during the Trudeaumania days of 1968.

But Elton John is big. He is, to these aforementioned entertainers, as George Orwell is to this blogger.

Besides, I’m sure we have policies in our town guarding against the kind of abuse of power we’ve seen this month at Sudbury’s Silly Hall.

Actually, I should know this having been there. But, of such policies, I have no recollection, as they say.

I remain confident, nevertheless, that, if policies are needed Mayor Cam and the Gang of Six will, in their wisdom, attend to it.

Greetings on Family Day

2008-02-18T11:17:00.003-05:00

For a time I was a municipal councillor.

One of the really difficult things - and I took this seriously – was bringing greetings from the City. This was a frequent assignment for a Councillor acting as deputy when the mayor wasn’t available.

The required off the cuff comments were tough for me.

As today is Family Day I worry what I would have said if I were assigned “greetings” on this date.

So here it is.

On behalf of the City of Burlington I’d like to welcome you here on the first Family Day and tell you to “Take a Hike.”

I say “Take a Hike” not just because the exercise will do you good but also because if you don’t have a car (and many of you don’t) or you choose not to drive for environmental reasons you’ll have no choice as there is no Public Transit in Burlington today.

Take a Hike to our eastern and western borders and ride Oakville Transit or Hamilton Street Railway as they are running today.

Or take a longer hike to just about any other municipality in the area (e.g. Brampton, St. Catharines, Guelph, Mississauga, Niagara Falls, Oshawa etc.) and you can ride a bus today.

But Seriously

Perhaps I’m missing something but isn’t something terribly wrong here? Shouldn’t Burlington residents have the opportunity to visit family members at Joseph Brant or get to work (40% of us are working today) or recreational opportunities by public transit?

A 2006 consultant’s report, accepted by Council, recommended provision of holiday service. Why are we so different than other communities? (I’ve found two where transit isn't running today – Milton and Port Perry.)

Any ideas what can be done?

Something Positive for a Winter Day

2008-02-16T11:56:00.003-05:00

I was going to write something on Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller’s annual environmental report - Reconciling Our Priorities – but it is so depressing.

Basically, he says that our planning processes and mechanisms are outdated and loaded with conflicting priorities. We have no effective mechanisms in place to reconcile conflicting priorities.

Who needs such excessive negativity in the middle of February? We’ll come back to Gord’s report at a later day.

Happy Days

How about some good news?

I just read that RWDI Consultants in Guelph have proven that restaurants with a drive-through window are more environmentally friendly than those without.

This is indeed good news particularly as there seems to be one of these things at every corner.

Apparently RWDI found that a drive-through serving 150 vehicles in an hour is roughly equivalent to the emissions from one motorcycle operating at 50 km/h for an hour, or two home woodstoves operating for an hour, or about three six-horsepower lawnmowers operating for an hour.

Last March your blogger sent crack gonzo journalist Hunter R. Wilson to a New Street phone booth to research drive through activity (see Drive Throughs Need Restrictions(03/12/07). How could we have been so wrong as to not take into account all the pollution being caused by non drive through patrons driving their cars around parking lots looking for empty spaces like RWDI did?

Well, I wasn’t very good in science and these consultants are. Four hundred employees with doctorates and engineering and science degrees can't be wrong.

And they get paid for this stuff. Whereas, I with my an undergraduate arts degree, am just blowing smoke.

Proposed Change

So based on this research here is an idea.

Let’s close down these places that sell food but have been unable to adapt to our car culture. Every restaurant without a drive through should be illegal. That will just be a start.

Next step will be a requirement that all retail operations will be required to have a drive through.

It will be good for the environment. And it cheers me up just thinking about it. How about you?

Misleading Data?

2008-02-08T15:59:00.003-05:00

GTA residents pay an average of only 5% of their property taxes to run local transit systems, the Sustainable Urban Development Association (SUDA) has found.

Halton is the worst of the Regions at 2.1% and Burlington is worse than that at 2.06. Oakville taxpayers pay 38% more of their property tax dollars to transit.

But you can do anything with statistics. Everyone knows that.

This is a classic example. I'm pretty certain.

How come, you say?

Well because Burlington is committed to transit. It says so right there in their Strategic Plan.

One of the leading causes of smog and pollution is vehicle exhaust with single occupant vehicles being a major contributor. Burlington will provide transit services that offer a transportation alternative to single occupancy vehicles and that integrate with other transit services throughout the region.

And there is more:

Burlington will be a clean, green and environmentally healthy city where the city actively participates and encourages environmentally responsible programs, policies and actions that work to improve and restore our natural environment

So these statistics are misleading although I worry (it is my nature) because Burlington’s air quality is pretty bad. Recently I read we had the worst day in the province in 2006. But this is proably just another case of manipulating data.

Our Medical Officer of Health, Bob Nosal, reports that we have approximately 190 premature deaths in Halton each year because of poor air quality.

He also says that an important strategy in dealing with air pollution includes smarter planning of communities and a greater dependency on transit. We all know that, right?

In the meantime I’m sure someone can explain the fact that Ajax spends 3.4% of their property tax dollars on transit. They are probably neglecting their downtown.

And Markham at 5.38%. Well, that only makes sense because they have some many more transit riders than we do.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. Disraeli knew what he was talking about.

WHAT THIS CITY NEEDS IS MORE POLLING

2008-01-25T08:27:00.000-05:00

On Monday night Burlington City Council will consider spending up to $40,000 to get public input regarding the proposed Performing Arts Centre. You can find that report CC-241-07 on the City’s website.

Your blogger believes in public input. You can never have too much of it.

In this particular instance there hasn’t been an actual poll done on a Performing Arts Centre (PAC) in quite some time. Not since November 2004 actually.

Previous Poll

In that poll only 78% of Burlington respondents thought building a PAC was a "good" or "excellent" idea. When given detailed financial implications the support increased, but only slightly, to 83%. One of eleven respondents was strongly opposed to this idea and, it must be noted, with a margin of error in the survey of 4.9% this opposing figure could be as high as one in seven against. Artsy types will try to convince you that the margin of error could also indicate that only one in twenty is opposed. Well, that can certainly be clarified with another poll. Let’s get on with it, I say.

Next Steps

Doing a survey will add an additional cost of $400,000 in construction related cost escalation to the project (about $120,000 per month); but, as I said, you can never have too much public input.

It wouldn’t hurt to test public opinion on a few more important public issues at the same time. That would be a good use of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars.

Here are a few questions that could be asked.

Should Saskatchewan be required to have daylight-saving time like the rest of Canada?

Did the Leafs do the right thing in replacing General Manager John Ferguson Jr. earlier this week?

Would you be in favour of renting out the Council Chambers on Monday nights so that comedians could perform and raise money to pay for the additional costs to the Performing Arts Centre that will result from this survey?

I admit that I’m not a pollster. These questions could undoubtedly be better worded -but you can never have too much public input.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Sprawl - Cause and Impacts

2008-01-09T14:29:00.001-05:00

A different take on what ails local government today can be found in Lawrence Solomon ‘s book Toronto Sprawls - A History (U of T Press, 2007).

His theme is this:

Government did not take a supporting role in creating the mess of urban sprawl we have today but rather took “the lead role” and “also directed the show.”

The book, a lean 120 pages, puts forward a well-documented case that citizens wanted to live in more compact cities. Governments “acted not to satisfy the public’s desires but to frustrate them.”

For example, early 20th century local government was antagonistic to the idea of low rise apartment buildings as a dangerous social intervention that ”compromised child rearing, promoted sexual promiscuity and otherwise threatened family life.” Ever wondered how the term “Toronto the Good” originated?

Suburban growth was actively promoted by government throughout the century. First (around 1902) there was the garden suburb movement which addressed the “overcrowding” issue; then an unsuccessful attempt to enhance town life with indoor rural industries following WWI; then the Veterans Land Act that tried to entice veterans into becoming part time farmers.

All these policies were failures as they were not congruent with people’s desires.

The Fifties and On

With the establishment of Metro Toronto (1953) government moved to “partial amalgamation, full sprawl” the very purpose, Solomon argues, being to take taxes from the city (Toronto) “in order to fund services needed in the suburbs” (North York, Scarborough etc..).

This trend continued through the Robarts/Davis years with more partial amalgamations(Halton, Peel Durham and York.)

It has played out with the City of Toronto initially subsidizing the Metro suburbs through various levies and now Metro residents subsidizing the costs of the GTA suburbs through provincial taxes.

The author depends on research from the sixties (Clark - Suburban Society) to make the case that most people who left for the burbs moved there “half heartedly.” Apparently they would have preferred the superior lifestyle of the urban centre. Your blogger has some doubts on this point.

It is clear though that prior to “subsidized sprawl” the burbs were developing compactly along transportation corridors.

What Might Have Been?

The author believes that had governments the will sprawl could have been stopped years ago. The City of Toronto could have achieved densities similar to the desirable areas of the world’s great cities and accommodated the population of Metro and most of the GTA.

What Can be Done?

Solomon says sprawl can still be stopped. Congestion pricing, replacing market value assessment with user fees or other forms of taxation and by allowing widespread deregulation are some options.

Food for thought.

SPRAWL TRIVIA

**In spite of legislative restrictions 20,000 new apartment units were created from 1921 to 1931 typically in three and four storey walk ups.

**The four lane Toronto Bypass (the 401) was described as a “motorists dream” providing some of the most soothing scenery in Metro - “a long way from the big city” when completed in 1956.

**Latest density figures (people per acre)

Old City of Toronto 28.0
North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough 10.13
GTA Regions 6.8

Burlington Council Makeup

2008-01-01T14:56:00.000-05:00

Years ago I learned that one could be considered informed on local matters if one read the Burlington Post.

I strive to follow this sage advice but admit to slipping from time to time as I lose sight of the news under the cover of all those ads.

Anyway lately I noticed a front page story capturing the concerns of many of my neighbours. It seems that the leaf collection program has been vanquished by the earlier than usual arrival of winter. Indeed, emerging from my self-imposed winter hibernation I observed piles of last fall’s raked leaves appearing from under the melting snow. Global warming, I guess, but what can I do about it? Leave it to the Prime Minister.

This story though caught my eye as a matter I could sink my teeth into.

“Is city council too small?
DO WE NEED MORE POLITICIANS?”

Jason Misner, Burlington Post reporter says it is (too small) and we do need more politicians in a “My View” opinion piece (December 28th).

Misner an earnest, hard-working reporter who has covered Burlington Council for nearly two years makes a good case for this much needed reform. I’ll get back to Jason’s argument but first some historical perspective.

History

Burlington functioned pretty well with a 17-member Council - two per ward (one who covered Regional and city duties, one who was strictly a city representative) until 1997. Our current MP Mike Wallace caught up in the Mike Harris Commonsense thinking in vogue in 1996 saw it differently. Less government was the order of the day and fewer politicians were part and parcel of that now largely discredited and simplistic attack on local democracy.

Wallace took the lead and with the support of then Mayor Mulkewich convinced a majority of Council in a 9 -8 vote to downsize to its current six ward reps and a Mayor. Did any other Council in Ontario downsized itself to this extent?

Back to the Post Story

Misner argues that Council has a heavy workload and handles millions of dollars. He is worried that overworked Councillors may make hasty decisions because they could be tired at the end of a long day. He thinks “that issues that shouldn’t have been pursued” such as fighting Wal Mart would have had a different outcome with more than seven councillors.

More importantly in this blogger’s view is the fact that with the potential of Councillor member absences or conflicts of interest important decisions can be made for a community of 155,000 by as few as three people. (Joan Little has spoken strongly to this point in her Spectator column on more than one occasion.)

Options

Raising the number of Councillors to nine or eleven has merit. However, such a change would impact Halton Region Council where Burlington with about a third of the Regional population has one third of the representatives (7 of 21). Increasing the size of Halton Council isn’t on. Some sort of division of duties so that some Burlington Councillors serve at the Region and others just serve at the City might work.

Or we could just get rid of the Region as a political body. While the services it provides are important and typically well run the Halton politicians spend most of their time debating what to put in letters to senior levels of government all saying variations of the same theme - we need more money.

I’m not holding my breath waiting for the Region to go. Hopefully though, Jason Misner’s column will inspire some dialogue on reforming Burlington Council.

Mellowing on Mulroney

2007-12-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

The festive season has mellowed me. It is time to cut Brian Mulroney some slack.

Consider this: He has accepted responsibility for his dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber.

"I realize I made a serious error in judgment...” "That mistake in judgment was mine alone,” he told the Commons Ethics Committee.

Like Frank Sinatra he has some regrets. He regrets taking cash payments in brown envelopes, regrets stashing them in safety deposit boxes and mostly he regrets knowing Schreiber.

We all make mistakes. And as my MP, Mike Wallace (Burlington) said of Martin Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada:

“(H)e wasn’t really thinking that well at that particular moment.”

Like Wallace I want to focus on the good this man has done.

The Legacy

There is the Free Trade Agreement, of course, and the Acid Rain Treaty, the Goods and Services Tax, Ben Mulroney, and more.

Significant accomplishments all but it says here there are even positives in his dealings with Schreiber. In time these will be better understood and become part of his splendid legacy.

Take those light armoured peacekeeping vehicles. I’m for peace and so is Brian Mulroney. Along with the two hundred and twenty five thousand dollar bills (or was it three hundred bills?) came a “mandate” to move these vehicles. Not surprisingly Mr. Mulroney took his responsibilities seriously. If Yeltsin and the Russians hadn’t been a little short of cash, is there any doubt that the peacekeeping vehicles would have helped with the “problems” in Chechyna?

We eagerly await more details on that other project the former Prime Minister was assigned by Schreiber so as to further “the international dimension of the mandate.” That would be the anti-obesity pasta project where Mulroney was to seek help from his amigo Bill Gates. Schreiber speculated it could lead to Nobel Peace Prize. Pasta for peace - once again Mulroney on the international stage.

The Point

So what does all this have to do with municipal politics?

American politician Tip O’Neil once said: “All politics is (sic) local politics.”

Mulroney, a most successful practitioner of the second oldest profession knows that. I too, as a recovering local politician should know that.

And yet many years ago at a committee dealing with the Official Plan how could I not have understood? The lobbyist who repeatedly fibbed in response to my questions was kind enough to contact me the next day to say that “I can’t tell the truth in that sort of public forum.” If we could just get together for a beer, he suggested, he could explain.

Silly me. I should have taken the beer. It might have contributed to world peace.

Pinball May Not be Next Mayor of Toronto

2007-12-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

For some time the media – the jock media at least – has suggested that Michael “Pinball” Clemons is destined to be the next Mayor of Toronto.

It “ain’t” going to happen.

Pinball, Toronto Argo Coach until yesterday, is the new CEO of the Boatmen. So he is too busy to be mayor, right?

Well that’s part of it. Yesterday on the Fan 590 Prime Time Sports Clemons spoke passionately and sincerely, I believe, about his commitment to the Argo anti-violence campaign. That will be a big part of his new job.

Will he coach again? He wouldn’t rule it out nor would he rule out municipal politics.

In the interview “Pinner” recounted an apparently serious approach to him to run for the top job in last year’s Toronto elections. An influential person was going to help him with his citizenship.

Citizenship?

Pinball, Florida native, long-time Argo, is not a Canadian.

Not a problem noted know-it-all talk show host Bob McCown. You don’t need to be a citizen to run for mayor. Pinball now has one less worry.

But hold on McGown is wrong, of course. Section 17 of the Municipal Elections Act (1996) is quite clear. You’ve got to be a Canadian citizen. You must live in the town where you wish to be a candidate as well - another qualification that the gridiron great may lack. (And at the risk of be labelled a wet blanket I'll bet I can find a few people out there who may think that experience in municipal politics is another necessary qualification.)

Here’s hoping Pinball sticks to fighting violence and steering the Argo ship.

And let’s hope McCown sticks to what he does best.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT

2007-12-04T16:03:00.000-05:00

Last week’s brouhaha over the province’s mis-management of its program for approving vanity license plates points out that such a job would be best be handled by someone other than government.

If you missed it a retired United Church Minister wanted to replace her nineteen-year-old plates with the exact same plate. “REV JO” was deemed inappropriate by the powers that be as it could incite road rage. Get it. I think I do. Read that plate and you’re sure to put the pedal to the metal i.e., rev(ing) it.

Proposed variations which apparently promoted Christianity were also no-no's.

Incidentally, these plates were given to Rev Jo by a friend as a gift to commemorate her call to the Ministry.

We think it is time to privatize this particular government service. Whenthemayorsmiles is prepared to help out, saving the oppressed taxpayer hard -earned dollars and eliminating this particular costly and clearly ineffective bureaucratic body. Our area of so-called expertise is local politics. We’ll assign the plates from now on. Here goes.

Hazel McCallion, Mississauga Mayor PAVEDIT

Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair CHAIRSCAR

Rob MacIsaac, Chair, GTTA IM4TOLLS

Jack Dennison, Burlington Councillor TAXMAN

Cameron Jackson, Burlington Mayor TEAMLDR

Sam Merulla, Hamilton Councillor IM4ME

Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister LIONBRYN
(recently seen in these parts flogging his book)

Rob MacIsaac, former Mayor of Burlington SLOMUNDY*

David Miller, Mayor of Toronto NOMUNDYS

*Given the uprising he faced over the imposition of downtown parking rates on the citizens of Burlington when MacIsaac was that city's mayor your Blogger is certain that his former worship would be more comfortable cruising his hometown with the name of his well known (locally, at least) band than promoting something as heinous as road tolls. After all it could cause road rage.

Never mind. We’ll get back to work now.

SPENDING TAXPAYERS’ DOLLARS IN THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE

2007-11-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner has ruled that Councillor Rob Ford is violating City policy by not revealing his expenses.

Official records indicate he spent none ($0.00) of his permitted $53,100 in annual office expenses. Ford, “a principal of a successful Etobicoke business" who claims to bring “a bottom line and customer focus” to city hall, is well off and covers expenses out of his own pocket. A December 12th meeting will look at what can be done to Councillors like Ford who ignore policy. Sanctions, including loss of salary, are permitted under the new City of Toronto Act.

I suspect this will get sorted out. Meanwhile Ford has posted each Councillor’s expenses on his website robford.ca

My Favourites

I’ll allow that context is important but…here are some of my favourite Toronto Councillor expenses:

$$$ 1 meal, 2 coffees, 2 glasses of wine and two martinis at the Crush Wine Bar. The bill came to $112.12.

$$$ 10,000 magnets for only $2,904.27.

$$$ $34.19 for a blue case for a Blackberry.

$$$ Twenty dollars and one cent ($20.01) of gas from a Shell station.

$$$ More than thirteen hundred dollars in annual kilometrage for one Councillor who bills from his own doorstep. Didn’t you always pay your own way to get to the office?

$$$ Consumption of one chicken quesdellia, two lbs. of wings and 1 - 20 ounce beer (Keith’s), 1 - 13.5 ounce beer (Keith’s), 3- 20 ounce beer (Stellas) and one small Stella at a meeting with constituents. (Call me cheap but I never treated my constituents so well. Not with public dollars. )

$$$ Purchase of books – like the Undercover Economist whose first chapter is titled (ironically?) “Who pays for your Coffee?”

$$$ Subscriptions to the Star, Globe and Mail, Sun, National Post and MacLeans and a $35.00 for a subscription to Toronto Life magazine.

$$$ French language training at a cost of $1,576.80. Incroyable.

Look it up for yourself. You're guaranteed to find some expenses that will amaze.

OK, Some Context

Above the office expenses Toronto Councillors earn $95,000 annually, get three office staff with nearly $200,000 in salaries, receive a month severance for each year they serve when they leave and an additional $3,500 in adjustment expenses.

A case can be made for transparency and the need to report all expenses but surely an equally strong case can be made for tightening up on what a legitimate expense is.

A Poet at City Hall

2007-11-26T16:34:00.000-05:00

Did you catch Jim Flaherty’s cheap shots at municipal politicians? The Federal Finance Minister called them “whiners.” And as far as his surplus helping out the locals the Honourable Minister notes that he is not in the “pothole business.” We’ll assume that this statement reflects Flaherty’s interest in bigger issues such as denying global warming and ignoring the alarming levels of child poverty in Canada.

Perhaps the former Harrisite should read URBAN MELTDOWN - Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual by City of Ottawa politician and poet Clive Doucet.

Disconnections

Doucet talks a lot about “disconnections” in the book. Flaherty, I suppose, could be the poster boy to illustrate the disconnect between city governments and national politics and the gap between government and the people. We can’t continue sailing when there is a fundamental disconnection between “those on the bridge and those in the engine room.”

The Problem

That disconnection has a lot to do with what Doucet perceives the public wants - which isn’t what they are getting from governments. Governments have created global warming by “treating the planet’s biosphere like a vast sewer.”

Doucet argues that we have the knowledge to address the issues. The problem is our politics.

For example, the trend to “just in time delivery” has lead us to building warehouse districts rather than cities. Road construction and maintenance needed to accommodate cars and the kind of new development that gets approved now takes up one quarter to one half of municipal budgets. Municipal candidates get financial support from the development community. See the connections?

We are in big trouble.

“The Rise of Cities and Decline of the Planet”

Eighty percent (80%) of greenhouse gases that are “cooking the planet” are created by cities.

Doucet goes back to ancient Rome to draw a parallel of the collapse of that advanced civilization to what could face us today. Rome came down not by military defeat or economic problems but political problems “like rotten stitching coming out of an old baseball.”

We’ll suffer the same fate unless we develop the political capacity to respond to our environmental and social challenges.

Solutions

In a general way Doucet sees the reclamation of our citizenship as a key. We have to begin to see ourselves as a “sharer” of our planet rather than an occupier.

He advances some fairly specific ideas that assume political reform is a priority. Local government “by default” will be “the key to braking global warming.

We need more Clive Doucets on municipal councils before that happens. And we’ll need to reform campaign funding to keep development money out of city halls.

Go to http://capitalward.typepad.com/urban_meltdown/ for more on Doucet's ideas.

Mac Announcement Catches City by Surprise

2007-10-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Only a year ago McMaster University and the City of Burlington signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a new campus on a site in downtown Burlington.

Today, in a letter to the City, the Hamilton school says it has changed its mind. While it is making “progress” it will be pursuing new sites within the City i.e., not downtown.

Only last year (October 6, 2006) McMaster President Peter George said:

"Burlington's downtown will be an exciting place for our students, faculty and staff to be. "This location in particular allows our students and faculty close connections with the business community, while enjoying close proximity to the many support services they require."

“Any More Surprises”

At Community and Corporate Services Committee of Burlington council on Tuesday(October 30) one Councillor said the City has been “spurned.” Another Councillor interpreted it differently - McMaster is merely going back a “half step” to their previous position of wanting a campus in Burlington not just a 120,000 square foot downtown site.

No matter what your interpretation “hundreds and hundreds of hours of work” by city staff appear to have been wasted.

A motion to ask senior McMaster staff to come to the table with Burlington politicians ASAP was passed. In spite of two teams working on the project (joint negotiating and joint project teams) we still got surprised noted Councillor Rick Craven. “Will there be more surprises?”

A Short Leash

Councillor John Taylor noted that “everything was wonderful” from the University’s perspective when they met with Council last February. Then there were no plans for a campus. Now it appears Mac is trying to put the City on a “short leash for a December decision” that will apparently be made by the University’s Board of Governors.

"McMaster is anxious to finalize its plans in Burlington. This project has been evolving since its inception and we continue to look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor, council and city staff," says University Vice President IleneVP Busch-Vishniac in their letter.

Back To School

Working in partnership, eh? I’m going to have to go back to school to get a better understanding of what partnerships are about. This one seems rather one-sided.

At the end of the day though I don’t think the City will be pushed around.

Orwell Would Worry

2007-10-30T16:29:00.000-04:00

Through his writings George Orwell raised many serious concerns regarding how we use or misuse language. In 1984, he introduced readers to “doublethink” and “newspeak.” The concept of doublespeak came after his death.

I’m not sure what concept the following story illustrates but I imagine Mr. Orwell would have a word or two on how we manipulate language should he come across recent Burlington reports.

A Committee is Born

In the year 1984 the City of Burlington (Ontario) formed a citizen committee called the Mundialization Committee. Its stated mandate was/is to promote the city as “a World Community” dedicated to the UN philosophy of peaceful co-operation among the peoples of the world.

Responsibilities and Objectives of the Local Committee

According to a recent report (October 4/07) the committee is involved with numerous programs that promote Burlington as a global community. Programs include celebrating United Nations Day, maintaining Twin-City relationships with Itabashi (Japan) and Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) and acting as a catalyst between the twinned cities and within Burlington so as to involve citizens in activities that “share our differences.”

Many hard working and dedicated volunteers have toiled on this committee but is what they are doing mundialization?

Mundialization is …

The concept of mundialization stresses awareness of global problems, a sense of shared responsibility and a commitment to solving problems through a just democratic world law rather than force. Cahoors France was the first mundialized city in 1949. Many other communities particularly in France and Japan have followed suit. Dundas (1969) was the first Canadian municipality to go this route. (see Wikipedia for more.)

A Proposal

Burlington resident Peter Hubner’s recent suggestion that our community develop a partnership with a “third world” country failed to find favour at the Mundialization Committee or with city staff. A committee report (CC 187 – 1) dismisses the idea as it doesn’t “match the current assessment criteria used for evaluating inter-municipal relationships.”

"Criteria." Are you ready for this? Those criteria include:

# Adding value to the city’s strategic plan.

# Consideration of lifestyles.

# Level of interest in the business community.

Is this doublethink, double speak or something else? Let’s call it Burlspeak and acknowledge that we really can’t allow ourselves to call this work mundialization anymore.

In the meantime, I hope Council will take another look at Mr. Hubner’s idea – one that is more in harmony with the original intent of mundialization .

LET'S MOVE BEFORE THEY RAISE THE PARKING RATES!

2007-10-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

(from the 70’s hit song All Right Now by A. Fraser / P. Rodgers)

Today’s question:

Can Municipal Councillors find more important things to work on then parking rates?

Answer:

Probably not, judging by the recent kafuffle at Burlington City Council ably reported on by Spectator columnist Joan Little.

I confess to flashing back a year when as a caretaker Councillor I had to deal with the same issue.

Calls and e-mails poured in like seawater through a New Orleans levee after staff recommended implementing a fifty cent per hour (I think) parking rate on downtown meters. The recommendation followed a year of dialogue with downtown businesses, focus groups and work of a paid consultant.

After all of that well … let’s just say in the annals of taxing injustices this one ranked right up there with that tea party in Boston when Sam Adams and wealthy American smugglers rallied against British imperialism.

Your humble blogger/former caretaker Councillor got caught up in this and (worse perhaps) another later debate over the necessity to purchase “historic looking” parking meters that could better fit into a heritage neighbourhood.

Let’s face it, it is hard for any Councillor who claims to be responsive to public input to ignore constituent concerns.

But there are more important issues.

How about the fact that all Ontario Great Lakes municipalities including ours aren’t meeting legislated reporting requirements on the health of public beaches? (see www.waterkeeper.ca for more)

That might be worth some consideration and debate.

ALGAE AND THE LAKES

2007-09-30T17:59:00.000-04:00

Since 2002 a Halton Region advisory committee has been quietly working on the nuisance algae problem.

I’m a member that committee - the Lake Ontario Shoreline Algae Action Advisory Committee (LOSAAC. The group is putting the finishing touches to a report going to Council.

This “nuisance” problem is primarily an odour. A stink this summer lasted 8 or 9 weeks - longer than in recent memory. Caused by an aquatic plant called Cladaphora the smell won’t kill us – but we should be concerned.

I am not a Scientist but.....

The science to the smell is this:

· Wastewater treatment and other human activities put phosphorous into the lake.

· An invasive species, zebra mussels, clean the water, ingest large quantities of phosphorous, and then poop it out on the lake bottom where it sits ready to help the algae grow.

· Population growth means we are putting more phosphorus into the lake. Conservation Halton, using actual flow measurements and water sampling, has calculated that we dump 13,611 kilograms of phosphorus into the lake each year. A scientific team working with LOSAAC says when we are built out we’ll be loading 23,192 more kilograms into the lake each year making it a more attractive place for cladaphora growth and smellier too.

Invasive species, phosphorous, hardening of the shoreline and population growth all contribute to the algae problem but there is a bigger picture.

Beware of Invasive Species

In 2005 several scientists put out a paper called Prescription for Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection and Restoration. They claim that we are at a ”tipping point of irreversible changes.” Areas of the lakes are experiencing ecosystem breakdown. Stresses have overwhelmed natural processes “that normally stabilize and buffer the system from permanent change.”

There is some improvement (e.g. contaminant trends going down, the return of bald eagles and cormorants) but the overall trend is disturbing.

“The near-shore aquatic system has lost its ability to adapt to changes, loss of shoreline, the destruction of wetlands, and urban and agricultural run off. These trends are accelerating.”

In one of several workshops organized by the province’s Environmental Commissioner and Pollution Probe held about a year ago one participant noted:

“The problem isn’t invasive aquatic species, toxics, climate change, or any
other of the many issues we face. The Problem is us. Our lifestyle has to adapt to the environment. Until we humble ourselves, and understand that we are the invasive species, we won’t get it.” (A Public Dialogue on the Future of the Great Lakes.)

I’ll return to algae and the Great Lakes in future postings.

Cosmetic Pesticide Use

2007-09-23T14:25:00.000-04:00

A special meeting of the Community Development Committee (CDC) of Burlington Council will be held this Tuesday.

The lone agenda item will be a look at restricting the cosmetic use of pesticides.

Procedural tomfoolery at last week’s CDC saw staff sent away to check on whether Council has already dealt with the matter this year (they hadn’t) and to revise their report.

The new report takes out the recommendation that actually authorizes staff to proceed with developing a by-law. (Certainly wouldn’t want staff dashing off headlong and doing something that two-dozen municipalities in Ontario have already done.) A final Council approved recommendation could change this.

An Old Issue But Some New Views

Burlington Council has dealt with this one before. In fact, four of the current group of seven approved some outreach and an awareness campaign in 2002. Pressure from the professional lawn spraying lobby and lack of support from the head Halton health honcho, Dr. Bob Nosal, has meant nothing has happened since then.

However, the good doctor has changed his mind. He writes:

“…Given the limitations of current provincial and federal regulations, the Medical Officer of Health supports initiatives and measures taken by municipalities to reduce the use of pesticides for lawn care including by-laws that restrict pesticide use on private property.”

Watch what you drink

Nineteen year Council veteran, John Taylor, believes “there is no proven causal relationship between pesticides and disease when pesticides are properly used.”

According to Taylor, council’s only known chemist, it is “just a case of dosage and exposure.” Taylor notes that there are even two documented cases of drinking excessive amounts of pure water leading to death. I doubt that Taylor will be swayed by arguments from the delegations this week.

Councillor Rick Craven might though. His vote to support moving to a by-law will leave Cam Jackson to break a three-three deadlock.

Here’s hoping that the Mayor sees his way to supporting a by-law without the need for excessive and costly consultation.

With our increased awareness of the damage we are doing to our environment this really shouldn’t be this difficult.

AN AGENDA FOR INACTION #2

2007-03-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Perhaps your blogger was too harsh in criticizing the staff report on carbon dioxide reductions in a previous posting. And after all Burlington Council, not staff, call the shots.

So off to the Council debate at March 27th's committee to be enlightened on the corporation's action plan to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

First, the Sustainable Development Committee delivers a passionate, well researched presentation pleading for a 25% reduction in carbon emissions over 1994 levels by 2012. After all more than 400 other North American communities are already doing this.

Councillor Rick Goldring (Ward 5) won't go quite that far but argues strongly for a 20% reduction by 2010. Polls show climate change is the public's top concern ahead of health care and education, Goldring notes.

"We can analyze to death but we must take action," says Goldring.

Similarly Councillor Rick Craven (Ward 1) calls for "real action" and the need to "translate our intentions" if we expect citizens and the broader community to act on climate change as well.

Veteran Councillor John Taylor (Ward 3) believes support for Goldring's views would be the equivalent of signing a blank cheque - something he has never done in eighteen years on Council. Taylor wants the issue to go to Strategic Planning but tips his hand on his position in a rant about empty buses and how we have been "throwing money" at public transit for years. News of such spending will surprise riders of squeaky braked 24 year old buses.

Councillor Jack Dennsion (Ward 4) agrees with Taylor. It is a strategic planning issue.

Mayor Cam Jackson acts "mayoral" and says both Goldring and Taylor are right. Your blogger double checks his notes. How can this be?

Jackson thinks there is a bigger picture and wants to get all council onside through the Strategic Planning process. Good luck to you, Mayor Jackson. Achieiving a Buzz Hargrove/Jack Layton reconciliation would be an easier task.

Councillor Peter Thoem (Ward 2) is glad that we are finally talking about this critical issue which he is happy to deal with at strategic planning.

Committee Chair Carol D'Amelio, in earlier questions, seems to indicate that our expectations shouldn't be too high. We are a growing community and so emissions can be expected to go up.

Here's hoping that Council will get its act together on to this critical issue.

Strategic Planning (Future Focus) starts April 2nd. The process could use some input. Give your Councillor a call. Ask them to live up to the previous 2002 committment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Tell them this matters.