Engaging our community

June 14, 2009 – 4:10 pm

Burlington is under tremendous pressure from population growth. Residents have seen schools, shops and parks disappear, replaced by houses and apartments.
Urban sprawl and highways are carving up farms and greenspace. Our waterfront is threatening to become tower alley. Our city has more traffic – and more air pollution. Our taxes are going up.
You wonder: What [...]

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Mall madness fires ‘em up

June 7, 2009 – 9:52 pm

(originally published in Toronto Sun)

There are ways to make people feel totally disengaged from community planning consultations, and intentionally or not, this happens too frequently.
Case in point: Last week Burlington city councillors approved plans to redevelop the aging Appleby Mall in the city’s east end into a series of standalone buildings. The mall is used [...]

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By marianne | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Citizens increasingly feel left out

April 5, 2009 – 10:28 pm

(originally published in the Toronto Sun)
Last week’s column on how community members often feel shut out of political decision-making hit a nerve. Many of you are telling me: “Been there; seen that.”
Heck, even some politicians are feeling shut out — witness the “raucous caucus” Premier Dalton McGuinty faced over his plans to harmonize the provincial [...]

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Whistler shows growth isn’t a downhill slope

January 11, 2009 – 10:44 pm

(originally published in the Toronto Sun)
When you think Whistler, you think skiing. But the British Columbia town is also positioning itself as a leader in managing growth.
Once a community of 500 people scattered along Whistler valley, the population of year-round dwellers is now 14,200, with at least that many more as seasonal residents and workers, [...]

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