DECEMBER 2019 EDITION

Contents LETTER ...... 2 COMMUNITY EVENTS ...... 3 WARD 3 COMMUNITY MEETINGS ...... 4 STANDING COMMITTEE AGENDAS FOR DECEMBER 2019 ...... 4 REMINDER: 2020 BUDGET DATES ...... 5 CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ...... 6 DECEMBER MARKS THE START OF THE FREE P SEASON IN DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON ...... 6 PHONE SCAM USING HALTON COURT SERVICES NUMBER ...... 7 TRAFFIC CALMING – OVERTON DRIVE AND MOUNTAIN GROVE AVE ...... 7 LASALLE PARK COMMUNITY MARINA WAVE BREAK INSTALLATION ...... 8 AMHERST PARK – SHADE STRUCTURE ...... 8 STATEMENT FROM OUR MAYOR ON COOTES PARADISE SEWAGE SPILL ...... 9 CONTACT INFORMATION ...... 11 LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH ...... 11

Dear Resident,

I hope you are getting into the spirit of the season. We have been busy at city hall and I also was in representing you and the rest of Halton Region at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and to the federal government. While there I spoke with government ministers as well as members on the opposition benches.

We are now in the middle of budget discussions for 2020 at the city and the region. I hope you can have a look at www.burlington.ca/budget to see what is planned and send me any feedback you may have.

We are also dealing with challenging weather across the city, causing cancellation of the Leaf Collection Program. I have brought this issue to City Council, and secured approval from Council for a review of what happened to the program this year and how we can prevent it from happening again.

Finally, see below for details of my upcoming community meetings. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

All the best,

Rory Nisan Councillor, Ward 3

COMMUNITY EVENTS

The North Coal Christmas Market

Market Hours: Wednesday, December 4 - 4:00pm - 10:00pm Thursday, December 5 - 12:00pm - 10:00pm Friday, December 6 - 12:00pm - 11:00pm Saturday, December 7 - 11:00am - 11:00pm Sunday, December 8 - 11:00am - 9:00pm

The North Coal proudly presents The North Coal FREE Christmas Market, taking place in the historic Village Square in downtown Burlington. This outdoor European Style Christmas Market will host an array of local vendors, beverage lounges, and festive food huts allowing visitors to eat, drink, shop, and explore!

A Night at Ireland House

Date: Friday, December 6, 2019 Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Location: Ireland House Museum 2168 Line Register: www.museumsofburlington.ca

Join us for "A Night at Ireland House”! You will spend the evening sampling seasonal foods prepared on the hearth and woodstove while you tour the Museum, and sip local wine and craft beer along the way. Tickets are $45 and must be purchased in advance, 19 years +.

WARD 3 COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Urban Ward Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019 Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Location: Mountainside Recreation Centre, Community Room 2 2205 Mount Forest Drive Agenda: Amherst Heights Shade Structure Brant Hills Splash Pad 2020 Budget Your Issues

Rural Ward Meeting

Date: Thursday, January 9, 2020 Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Location: Conservation Halton, Grindstone Room 2596 Britannia Road West Agenda: Nelson Quarry 2020 Budget Your Issues STANDING COMMITTEE AGENDAS FOR DECEMBER 2019

The agendas for the meetings to be held the week of December 2, 2019 are now available online at www.burlington.ca/calendar.

Though some of these dates have now passed, the final decisions on these items will be made at Council on December 16, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Committee of the Whole • Monday, December 2 at 9:30 a.m., reconvening at 6:30 p.m. ➢ Audit and accountability fund consulting final report ➢ Climate Action Plan for Burlington ➢ Framework for community recreation ➢ Proposed changes to the leash-free area criteria ➢ Open air burn permit review ➢ Mundialization trip to Itabashi, Japan – Mayor’s Report ➢ Free Transit for students

➢ Council committees and Deputy Mayor assignments for 2020 ➢ Staff direction regarding leaf collection ➢ City-wide private tree by-law implementation Planning & Development Committee • Tuesday, December 3 at 9:30 a.m., reconvening at 6:30 p.m. ➢ Road Safety Lawn Sign Campaign update ➢ Downtown road safety review ➢ Building Permit By-law fee review ➢ Aldershot BIA’s new Strategic Plan 2019-2020 ➢ Burlington One Brand work plan ➢ Section 37 community benefits for 2421-2431 New Street ➢ Local input into the Region of Halton’s Integrated Growth Management Strategy ➢ Meridian Brick/Aldershot Quarry study review ➢ Development pre-application policy ➢ Enforcement safety on family farms ➢ Urban design and streetscape guidelines for Plains Road ➢ Aldershot GO station parking ➢ Kilbride Street community safety zone

Planning & Development Committee • Thursday, December 5 at 9:30 a.m., reconvening at 6:30 p.m. ➢ Taking a Closer Look at the Downtown – Concept Discussion ➢ At the meeting, City staff will: • provide a project overview • present the themes, principles and land-use concepts report • share a preliminary review of the public feedback received to date and preliminary directions. REMINDER: 2020 BUDGET DATES

Through the budget process, choices are made to ensure the city services provided to residents align with the priorities in Burlington’s 2018-2022 strategic work plan, From Vision to Focus.

December 10 and 12, 2019 - Committee of the Whole - Budget Review and Approval December 16, 2019 - City Council – Budget Approval

For more information on the budget, visit Burlington.ca/budget.

CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Throughout the city, there are many development projects taking place. Current development projects are organized by city wards; select a ward link to view the development applications in your area. https://www.burlington.ca/en/services-for-you/Current-Development-Projects.asp

Subscribe to our Get Involved Calendar to receive notifications about upcoming Development Application public meetings. https://calendar.burlington.ca/Subscription

DECEMBER MARKS THE START OF THE FREE P SEASON IN DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON

The City of Burlington is celebrating the arrival of the holiday season with free parking (Free P) in downtown Burlington parking lots and on-street spaces throughout the month of December.

Now in its seventh year, the Free P program allows visitors to park in on-street parking spaces at no cost for up to three hours and, in municipal parking lots or the parking garage at 414 Locust St. with no maximum time limit. Free parking overnight in municipal lots is also permitted.

Motorists with downtown parking permits are reminded to continue to park in their assigned parking lot throughout the month of December to maximize the number of parking spaces available for visitors and holiday shoppers.

CITY OF BURLINGTON WARNING RESIDENTS OF PHONE SCAM USING HALTON COURT SERVICES NUMBER

The City of Burlington is receiving reports of fraudulent phone calls being received by residents in Burlington and across Canada from the Halton POA Court’s general number, 905- 637-1274. The message asks residents to call the Halton POA courthouse or press 2 as they are going to be arrested for unpaid fines and fraud. A live person then advises them that they are from Revenue Canada or the police and the resident will be arrested shortly for non- payment.

If you get one of these calls, please ignore the message. Halton POA Court is not working with Revenue Canada to collect unpaid fines and does not issue warrants for arrest for unpaid fines.

The fraud unit at Halton Regional Police Service has been notified. The City is also posting information on its websites and social media platforms about the fraudulent calls. TRAFFIC CALMING – OVERTON DRIVE AND MOUNTAIN GROVE AVE

The City has completed a further traffic calming warrant review for the installation of traffic calming measures on Overton Drive. Based on the results, Overton Drive did not warrant the installation of traffic calming measures at this time. This can be revisited every three years.

The City has also completed a traffic calming warrant review for the installation of traffic calming measures on Mountain Grove Avenue between Mount Forest Drive and Parkway Drive. Based on the results, Mountain Grove Avenue between Mount Forest Drive and Parkway Drive does not warrant the installation of traffic calming measures, at this time. However, to help reduce the high-end vehicle speeds, staff will be installing flexible delineator treatments at three locations in the spring of 2020.

The City of Burlington in partnership with the Halton Regional Police Service offers other programs to help address speeding and aggressive driving concerns. Information on these programs can be found on the City of Burlington’s website at www.burlington.ca/speeding.

LASALLE PARK COMMUNITY MARINA WAVE BREAK INSTALLATION

The City of Burlington is beginning the installation of the new floating wave break at the LaSalle Park Community Marina. The new wave break will provide better protection for the boats, docks and public who use the marina. The current wave break is at its structural end of life and does not provide adequate protection against larger waves from storms.

Construction will begin December 2, 2019.

During the installation, the marina parking lot will be used for housing the construction equipment and materials. Parking at the marina will be limited. To ensure public safety, when the wave breaks and other materials are delivered to the area, there will be no public access to the parking lot during delivery. Visitors are advised to use the parking in the upper lots at LaSalle Park; the marina area is accessible from the park.

About the LaSalle Park Community Marina

The Marina is a beautiful location for residents and tourists to launch their boats and enjoy the crisp waters of Lake and Burlington’s breathtaking lakefront views. The Marina has 219 docking spaces and is protected by a floating wave break. The Burlington Sailing and Boating Club and the Able Sail program offer sailing programs at the Marina. In addition, the City has a public boat launch at the Marina that is protected by the floating wave break.

For information on becoming a member of LaSalle Park Marina Association, visit burlbay.com. AMHERST PARK – SHADE STRUCTURE

The City will be replacing the shade structure at Amherst Park in the summer of 2020. Before we do, the City wants to hear from those who use the park to tell them what features you would like to see on the new shade structure.

An online survey is available at GetInvolvedBurlington.ca/amherstshade until December 16, 2019. Results from the survey will be used to pick the type and style of shade structure to be installed. Those who live near the park should receive a postcard with this information, inviting you to participate in the survey.

If you did not receive the postcard, you are still welcome to participate by visiting the website listed above. If you need more information and would like to speak to anyone, please contact Rebecca Holmes, Recreation Planner at 905-335-7600, ext. 7351.

STATEMENT FROM OUR MAYOR MARIANNE MEED WARD ON COOTES PARADISE SEWAGE SPILL

Note: The Mayor’s statement below was the result of discussions with Burlington members of the Greater Bay Area Committee, including myself. I support the statement below.

“Like residents of Burlington, Hamilton and neighbouring municipalities, I am shocked and disturbed to hear of the massive sewage spill into the Cootes Paradise watershed. Like many, we are left asking how such a thing could have happened over such a long period of time, what the impact is to the environment and our residents, and why the public, and partnering municipalities and agencies were not notified.

We are aware that the Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks is investigating, and we look forward to a full understanding and public reporting of what occurred. However, we shouldn’t have to wait to hear about sewage spills at the conclusion of a Ministry of Environment investigation; this is an environmental and public health issue that needs to be addressed collectively right away.

There are more questions than answers at this point, and Burlington will be requesting a full response to these questions on behalf of all residents impacted in our area communities including:

1. What is the human health impact to residents living around the Bay, or who have enjoyed recreation at the Bay? What is the impact to the ecology of the Bay, and plants, wildlife? How will the impacts of the spill be remediated?

In this endeavour, Burlington stands ready to assist, as we have in the past on the Randle Reef cleanup ($2 million contribution) and Cootes to Escarpment eco-park initiatives.

We need these answers immediately.

2. How can we ensure this never happens again? How did this happen over a long period of time without being detected and immediately addressed? Do we have appropriate monitoring protocols in place to test water, raise red flags and prompt investigations when contaminant levels are elevated?

3. Is there provincially mandated public reporting of any spills that affect air, land or water, and if not, why not?

We will be seeking that the province implement immediate mandatory public reporting of any spill that has the potential to contaminate land, air or water. In the meantime, I commit to voluntary reporting and to look into whistleblower policy protections; I will encourage area municipalities and regions to do the same.

Had this been in place, Burlington and agencies with a role and stake in Cootes Paradise would have been immediately notified of the spill, along with the public. We should not have to learn about contamination of our shared water from media reports.

As we go forward, looking for answers, preventative action and remediation, Burlington stands ready to help.

The City of Burlington and the City of Hamilton are neighbours and our friendship and history of working collaboratively together goes back many years. We are also partners in many formal areas, such as the cleanup and remediation of Randle Reef, our shared work of traffic management in the Waterdown Area, and as part of the Bay Area Climate Change Office, to name just a few. Given this relationship, along with our shared watershed and potential impact to residents, it is unacceptable that we (and the public) were not been notified of this spill in a timely and direct manner.

We are focused on getting answers, making sure something like this doesn’t happen again and doing what is necessary to cleanup the mess in our shared watershed.

I’ve had an opportunity to speak with Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, Chair of the Public Works committee and member of the Royal Botanical Gardens and Hamilton Conservation Authority Boards, as well as Maureen Wilson, Deputy Mayor, to share our concerns and questions and formally ask for the release of all documents to the public and ourselves.

I have a scheduled called with Mayor to share the same information and request.

As we did before with the clean up of Randle Reef, the City of Burlington is ready to help our neighbour and partner for the greater good. The environment, clean water and clean air are not confined to narrow municipal boundaries and the impact and resolution of this issue isn’t either.”

CONTACT INFORMATION

Rory Nisan City/Regional Councillor Ward 3, City of Burlington email: [email protected] phone: 905-335-7600 x 7459

@RoryNisan

RoryNisanWard3

Rory_Nisan

Sheri Wainman Councillor’s Assistant email: [email protected] phone: 905-335-7600 x 7565 LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH

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