Search results: Community Engagement

City lacks transparency on pier costs, tax increases

May 12, 2010 – 9:34 am

The cost of Burlington’s unfinished pier is escalating, the “total budget” is a moving target and city documents contain contradictory and misleading information that masks the scale of the increases. Those are the findings of my recent investigation into the cost of the pier.

More than 130 of you have written to me to add your name to a list of residents seeking transparency from the city on costs and options to finish the pier, now two years behind schedule with no completion date in sight. City officials claim they can’t provide those answers for confidential legal reasons, and yet all this information is readily available in public documents – if you know where to look.

We can’t let the city shirk its duty to be accountable and transparent to residents any longer.

A week ago, city council unanimously approved in principle the recommendations of the citizen’s report, Shape Burlington, which called for more transparency, and early public involvement in decision-making.

There’s no time like the present. Councillors can put their words into action by coming clean on the costs and options to finish the pier.

Transparency on taxes

They can also explain why our city taxes have increased at triple the rate of inflation – about 6% per year for the last 10 years. But you won’t know that from reading city press releases, which downplay the increases. Those details are below.

Other issues

You’ll also find a summary of other issues in our city, including details of two public meetings on Freeman Station (May 16 and 18), the first meeting of the new waterfront advisory committee (May 14), and an opportunity to speak out on accident victims being charged for fire truck calls (June 1).

As always, communication here is two-way – leave a comment below, or email me at mariannemeedward@bell.net to comment or add your name to the list of residents seeking transparency on the pier.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Community Engagement, Pier, Waterfront development, taxes | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Public shut out of decision-making: Shape Burlington report

April 22, 2010 – 9:29 am

City Hall isn’t listening and citizen confidence in local democracy is declining. City Hall has “a communications deficit.” Those are just some of the findings of the Shape Burlington report on civic engagement released yesterday.

Those findings (full report via the link) are no surprise to followers of A Better Burlington community website, and the Save Our Waterfront initiative. A Better Burlington was launched a year ago to tell residents what City Hall is doing, and to solicit feedback and participation on a range of issues.

One of the biggest has been waterfront development. Residents were not broadly and meaningfully consulted before current city council approved high-rise towers for the Old Lakeshore Road area of our downtown waterfront. Save Our Waterfront was formed as an initiative of A Better Burlington to press for community input before decisions about our waterfront are made. An update on our progress and next steps is below.

But we are not alone in raising concerns about public input. They have been echoed by many other individuals and groups, cutting across a variety of issues. The common refrain: there’s a “need for improvement” in public involvement, to quote Shape Burlington.


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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Community Engagement, Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (6)

Advisory committee approved – hold on development discussed Feb. 8.

February 5, 2010 – 6:17 am

Members and supporters of Burlington Save Our Waterfront achieved a major victory for community engagement Monday, as city council unanimously passed the Burlington Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee. As soon as we get information on how you can apply to serve on this committee, we’ll post it here.

Hold on development discussed Feb. 8, 6:30 pm

Burlington Save our Waterfront supporters

More than 20 Save Our Waterfront supporters attended Monday’s council meeting. Michelle Bennett, a dedicated member of our organizing team, stood beside me as I presented to council our support of the advisory committee (full text of my delegation is below). We also asked for a hold on development in the Old Lakeshore Road area while the advisory committee consults with residents on a better plan for this key area of our waterfront.

To my pleasant surprise, Councillor John Taylor asked that discussion on the possibilities of a hold on development be added to the agenda for the next Community Development Committee meeting, Mon. Feb. 8 at 6:30 pm.

So, we’ll be back in chambers next week to hear that discussion, and invite you to join us.

Thank you!

After months of waiting, things are now beginning to move along quickly – thanks to you speaking up for our waterfront. Congratulations, and thanks for your support. We wouldn’t have come this far without you.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Advisory committee clears first hurdle – final vote Feb. 1

January 25, 2010 – 12:15 pm

The advisory committee on the waterfront that you’ve been asking for since last fall has cleared its first hurdle: it received unanimous support at 10:45 pm on Jan. 18. That vote still needs to be ratified at council Feb. 1.

Join us Feb. 1, 6:45, City Hall lobby

Members of Save Our Waterfront will be at council Feb. 1, and we invite you to join us in the City Hall lobby at 6:45 before proceeding up to chambers at 7 pm. We thank all of you who attended the January meeting, and regret the vote came so late in the evening that many of you couldn’t stay to see it.

Your victory

The establishment of the advisory committee is your victory – though others will take credit for it. Without you calling and emailing your councillors and mayor to ask for community input on a better vision for the entire waterfront, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.

Waterfront not saved yet

Though the advisory committee is a significant step forward, the waterfront has not been saved. The Old Lakeshore Road area remains at risk of highrise development because of changes this council made in 2007 to increase the allowed height of buildings.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

We got our committee (!) – almost. Attend City Hall Jan. 18, 6:30 pm

January 16, 2010 – 7:57 am

It’s another win for the people! We’ve just learned that our request for a waterfront advisory committee is coming before the city’s Community Development Committee Monday, Jan. 18. This was a last minute addition to the agenda, after much behind the scenes negotiations in the wake of Tim Hortons’ withdrawal of its appeal to the [...]

By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Waterfront advisory committee a go – with strings attached

December 19, 2009 – 12:01 pm

Save Our Waterfront got an early Christmas present, thanks to your many emails and phone calls to your elected representatives: agreement in principle to strike a Citizen’s Advisory Committee on the Waterfront. But it’s a present with significant strings attached.

You can read the details of the proposed committee below, developed after a series of meetings with two city councillors and two Save Our Waterfront representatives. We’ll need votes from two more councillors, but this is a step in the right direction. And, as always, we welcome your feedback (click to comment).

But a few days ago, we learned about the “strings” attached: when the councillors ran the proposed committee past the city’s lawyer, the advice was to delay its establishment until after a decision in the Ontario Municipal Board hearing on Tim Horton’s waterfront property. The councillors have elected to take this legal advice, and put the committee on hold.

You’ll know from our other posts that Tim Horton’s owns the vacant lot beside Emma’s Back Porch on Old Lakeshore Road and is challenging the city’s definition of a 10-storey building – they want to go higher.

We’ve been told the legal concern is that striking such an advisory committee on the waterfront could be seen as an admission that the city is uncomfortable with its own plans for the waterfront. The mere existence of the committee could be used against the city at the hearing.

That’s the argument, anyway. Save Our Waterfront, respectfully, disagrees. This turn of events represents an unnecessary – and potentially indefinite – delay in citizen consultation.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (9)

Towers on the lake? A train station in the park? We can do better

November 27, 2009 – 3:50 pm

A small turnout greeted the downtown councilor and city staff for a public meeting this week to discuss waterfront development and traffic issues. We know residents care about these issues – more than a 100 people have attended each of our last 2 meetings – so what gives? Two thoughts come to mind. First, the [...]

By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (16)

Towers on lake one step closer, but city prefers to shoot the messenger

October 15, 2009 – 12:53 pm

We’re one step closer to getting 10-storey buildings right along our shoreline, but instead of transparently presenting the facts about recent events and their own role in them, our elected representatives would prefer to shoot the messenger. You’re being “misled”, our downtown councilor, Peter Thoem, recently told one of our supporters, when she contacted him [...]

By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (16)

City’s waterfront info leaves you in the dark

August 26, 2009 – 9:22 am

Because you’ve made Burlington’s waterfront plan an issue, the campaign is starting to influence City Hall. The city issued a “Vision for Old Lakeshore Road” and a press release in which the downtown councillor calls highrise buildings that destroy heritage in the area – in exchange for a one-block waterfront path – “reasonable and careful” development.

But until they are more transparent about the plan’s details and implications, we have much to do.

By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (16)

“Extensive” waterfront consultation consists of 2 meetings + 62 people

August 4, 2009 – 4:23 pm

Those of us raising concerns about development on Old Lakeshore Road on our waterfront that would add highrises and take out heritage buildings, have been told the public was already “extensively consulted” – and that no consensus emerged. Consultation went “above and beyond” what the Planning Act requires, we have been told, although the Act [...]

By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (9)