Lisa Kearns l Councillor l Burlington.ca/Ward2 |
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February Update - Part 2
Ensuring the Ward 2 newsletter is in your inbox before decisions at Committee happen keeps you at the forefront of decision making at City Hall. You have the opportunity to review and comment on upcoming items ahead of Council's discussion and can make your position known.
This month bridged two Committee cycles and my newsletter was split into two February issues. Here is the Part 2 and also the second session of the City's Annual Budget.
Each year, the City of Burlington undergoes a process to finalize a budget that delivers services and investments to maintain the high quality of life we enjoy in our community.
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, Vision to Focus.
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The city’s 2021 capital budget of $72.1 million, with a 10-year program of $786.4 million, was approved by Burlington City Council on Jan. 19, 2021. Watch a short video covering some of the investments you'll see in Burlington's Ward 2.
Work to determine the City of Burlington’s 2021 budget will continue with a review of the proposed operating budget at a meeting of the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 9:30 a.m. and Thursday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 a.m. (if additional time is required).
The proposed tax rate is at 4.99% and we are working to bring this lower. I have heard this is not acceptable and couldn't agree more.
A livestream of the proposed operating budget review meetings on Feb. 23 and 25 (if additional time is required) will be available on the City’s website, along with a copy of the report being presented (F-04-21-1).
You are welcome to delegate at these meetings or certainly, e-mail me your thoughts on city spending; specifically what municipal services are important to you, what you feel should be the priorities. My role is to bring forward community driven budget requests, these will be incorporated or modified into the 2021 Operating Budget or deferred to a future budget.
The first week in March we return to our regular standing committee meetings - agendas are included below in the City Hall Council + Committee Meetings Section.
Thank you for your ongoing engagement.
Lisa
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COVID-19 Response
- Province - COVID-19 Framework
- What Does this Mean for Burlington?
- How Does this Apply to City Services?
- Halton Region - Public Health COVID-19 Update
- COVID-19 Vaccine
- Support for Businesses
- Stay Informed
City Hall Council + Committee Meetings
- Individual Committee Items Listed Below
- How Can You Communicate with Council?
- Watch Meetings Live
City Hall News
- Citizen Advisory & Board Appointments
- Community Improvement Plan - Brownfields
- COVID-19 Impacts
- Electric Vehicle Charging Update
- Parking Update
- Snow Removal
Ward 2 News
- Community Safety
- Elgin Promenade - 4th Phase
- Metrolinx Rail Layover Facility
- Outdoor Patios/Use of Tents
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Ward 2 Virtual Community Update - April 22
Planning + Development
- Official Plan - Next Steps
- Interim Control By-law
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2243, 2269 Fairview Street and 864 Drury Lane - April 21
- Ward 2 Current Projects
Community
In Closing
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Province - COVID-19 Framework
What does this mean for Burlington? (Halton Region)
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How does this apply to City Services?
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City Hall - Beginning Monday, Feb. 22, the Service Burlington counter at City Hall will be open to the public to offer in-person payments.
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Halton Court Services - Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way remain open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Friday.
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Recreation & Programming - Facilities and programs have started to safely reopen with a phased approach.
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Roads, Parks & Forestry (RPF) - Services will continue as needed. Residents with questions or issues can email [email protected] or call 905-333-6166.
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Transit - Burlington Transit continues to run as scheduled including specialized transit. The transit terminal at 430 John St. remains open to provide PRESTO services including SPLIT passes.
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Halton Region - Public Health COVID-19 Update
At the Feb. 17th Halton Region Council meeting, Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health, presented a Public Health COVID-19 Update providing information and statistics about (but not limited to) cases in Halton, patients in our hospitals, long-term care homes, planning for vaccine roll-out and clinics. View the presentation.
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COVID-19 Vaccine
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is an intergovernmental effort with clear roles and responsibilities:
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Halton Region - COVID-19 Vaccination Status - Halton is currently focused on vaccinating priority populations as identified by the Province, including recent Provincial direction to accelerate vaccinations for residents in long-term care and high-risk retirement homes and second doses for prioritized healthcare workers. Read more.
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City COVID-19 Vaccine Coordination Task Force
Council approved an internal City COVID-19 Vaccine Coordination Taskforce. This is a proactive measure should the City be called upon to provide City facilities for vaccine distribution. Meanwhile, the city continues to work in close collaboration with Halton Region and in support of the Province’s prioritized vaccine rollout across Ontario.
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Support for Businesses
COVID-19 has presented a number of unprecedented economic and operational challenges for our city’s business owners.
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City Hall - Council + Committee Meetings |
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What is Happening at City Council in February/March?
- 2021 Operating Budget Review and Approval
- Continuation of 2021 Operating Budget Review and Approval
- Vision to Focus (V2F) Integrated Reporting Update
- Financial Status Report as at Dec. 31, 2020
- 2020 Retained Savings
- Operating Budget Performance as at Dec. 31, 2020
- 2021 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy for the Burlington Downtown Business Improvement Area
- 2021 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy for the Aldershot Village Business Improvement Area
- Remuneration and Expenses Paid to Council and Appointees for 2020
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Procurement Process Update
- Highlights from Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Virtual Conference
- Health, Safety, Wellness and Human Resources Staff Presentation
- COVID-19 Emergency Response Verbal Update
- Burlington Lands Partnership Verbal Update
- Corporate Project Status Updates
- Proposed Council Workshop Governance Sessions
- Public Tree Removal Report - 4417 Spruce Avenue, Plan of Subdivision
- Climate Adaptation Plan
- City Hall - One Window Design Update
- City of Burlington Cycling Plan - Delegations encouraged
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How can you communicate with Council?
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Watch Meetings Live
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all City meetings continue to be held virtually. Residents are encouraged to visit the City Calendar to:
- Watch a live web cast of all city meetings
- Find links to view a copy of the agenda items being discussed at city meetings
- View video recordings of previous meetings
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Citizen Advisory & Board Appointments
Congratulations to those appointed as community representatives in an Advisory or Board role. Approximately 70 voices will help shape our Council decisions by bringing the voice of the community forward. Thank you to all who applied.
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Community Improvement Plan - Brownfields
What is a CIP? A tool that allows municipalities to direct funds and implement initiatives towards a specifically defined project area. CIPs are intended to encourage revitalization initiatives and/or stimulate development and redevelopment.
What are Brownfields? Abandoned, idled or underutilized properties where past actions have caused known or suspected environmental contamination, but where there is an active potential for redevelopment. Brownfields are usually but not always former industrial or commercial properties.
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COVID-19 Impacts
Burlington Transit
- Dec. 2020: Ridership 67.5% of pre-COVID levels
- Jan. 2021: Ridership ~44% of pre-COVID levels
By-law Enforcement
- 2020: 1137 COVID-related Requests for Enforcement (RFE) + 3748 pro-active patrols, 46% increase
- Jan. 2021: 62 COVID-related RFE + 97 pro-active patrols (total 159), 63.9% increase
- Recruitment for two additional temporary officers currently underway
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Transportation Services / Traffic
- March 2020: Traffic volumes decreased 40-45%
- June to Dec. 2020: Traffic volumes steadily increased to approx. 95% of pre-COVID volumes
- Jan. 2021: Volumes decreased by 35–40%
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Staff recently presented an update and analysis on electric vehicle charging (Report EICS-01-21) and as directed by Council will be developing a policy to guide the expansion, operation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on City property.
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Parking
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5-hour Limit Reinstated - As the City of Burlington continues to monitor services during COVID-19, enforcement of the 5-hour parking limit was reinstated for on-street parking effective Feb. 11. Residents needing to park on-street past the 5-hour limit can apply for a parking permit or exemption.
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Downtown Parking - Pilot Project in Effect Pay $0.25 and get 90 minutes of parking on us! To encourage residents to visit Downtown Burlington retailers and restaurants, Council approved this Pilot Project which runs until April 20, 2021.
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Snow Event
What is a Snow Event? A Snow Event is declared by the City in order to allow snow removal equipment room to clear roads safely and quickly. During a Snow Event, all on-street parking is suspended until 24-hours after the event has been declared over.
During a snow event when accumulation is more than 5 cm, road clearing updates can be found by visiting burlington.ca/snow. Snow Control Update subscribers will receive emails at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. about the status of snow removal. To receive Snow Control Updates by email, visit Burlington.ca/enews to subscribe.
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Snow Clearing Service Levels
- Primary and Secondary roads begin to be cleared when snow reaches 5 cm of accumulation.
- Residential roads begin to be cleared when snow reaches 7.5 cm of accumulation. Residential roads are not maintained to bare pavement. They are plowed only after a snow accumulation of 7.5 cm has fallen in a single event. Sand is applied to enhance traction, as required.All sidewalks are plowed and salted and sanded, if icy within 48 hours of snow fall.
- All roads will be cleared 24-hours after the snowfall has ended.
- For all roads, sidewalks and select pathways, clearing may take longer if more than 12 cm has fallen. Please be patient as our crews work to clear the busiest streets first.
- The City is not responsible for clearing windrows left on driveways when the plow passes. If you think you will need help clearing the windrow, please make arrangements such as speaking with your neighbours, family members or hire a contractor.
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Street Parking & Snow Clearing
When a snow event is declared, there is no parking on any city streets until 24-hours after the snow event has been declared over. The City thanks residents for their cooperation to move their vehicles off city streets to help with snow clearing operations.
Residents who park their cars on streets blocking snow removal could be faced with a $120 parking ticket or be towed. All existing parking exemptions are also cancelled during snow events.
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Community Safety
Brant Street Pedestrian Crossings (PXOs) - Watch for surface enhancements (pavement markings) to be completed this spring as well as the installation of lane separators to help increase awareness of the PXOs.
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Richmond Road - Traffic Calming Plan with speed humps installed in Nov. 2020. White speed hump arrows to be installed this spring. (At time of writing I see the plows have likely torn the markers off and there are pylons temporarily placed).
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Speed Limit Installation - 40 km/hr
You want safer streets. It is valuable knowing there is community support for such an initiative.
In terms of the approach, a routine amendment to the Traffic By-law is required to establish a 40km/h speed limit on the identified roadways below. The City’s Speed Limit Policy can be updated to reflect the use of “speed limit areas” going forward. We're aiming to have a report prepared and on the April committee cycle.
Report coming forward for speed limit decrease to 40 km/hr for the following Ward 2 streets:
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Elgin Promenade – 4th Phase
Construction of the Elgin promenade Phase 4 (from Martha Street to Pearl Street) to be underway in 2021. Next steps: completing detailed design, permits, approvals and tendering (Jan/Feb 2021). There is an additional $150K in the Capital Budget for activation and water, there will be an open area for events.
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Metrolinx - Rail Layover Facility
Earlier this year, Motrlinx confirmed they will proceed with the Ward 4 Walkers Line site (check mark in red below), the Plains Road East/Maple Avenue area site in Ward 2 is no longer being considered. This has been an involved process and important file that my office has been keeping residents informed on.
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Outdoor Patios / Use of Tents
It's important to balance public safety with ensuring economic stability. Council recently passed a proposed zoning by-law amendment which:
- Eases regulations for patio tents larger than 60 m2
- Will change to allow tents to reach the building lot line
- Grant funding for permit fees has been increased to $10,000
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Ward 2 Virtual Community Update Meetings
Thank you to all who joined in the Ward 2 Community Update on Feb. 11th. Appreciate Finance presenting the Budget and the lively dialogue about what’s happening in our community.
Even though we can’t be together as usual, still many opportunities to connect on what’s important to you. Mark your calendar to attend the next Ward 2 Community Update Meeting:
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
As always, everyone welcome. More details to come.
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Official Plan - Next Steps
MTSA/UGC - Halton Region is working with the City to reconsider the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designation, and examine options to adjust the Urban Growth Centre (UGC) boundary to generally align with lands around the Burlington GO Station.
Notice of Decision from Halton Region - Halton Region’s Notice of Decision considers the new City of Burlington Official Plan conforms to, or does not conflict with, the Regional Official Plan, is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement 2020, and conforms to, or does not conflict with, the applicable Provincial Plans and policies.
48 Appeals - Halton Region advises 48 appeals received to the new Burlington Official Plan. LPAT has yet to determine the validity and effect of each appeal. At the first LPAT case management conference- for which a date has yet to be scheduled- City will request the Tribunal issue an Order confirming which portions of the Plan remain subject to appeal and which portions are in effect.
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Interim Control By-law (ICBL)
The ICBL remains in place. On Jan. 19, 2021, LPAT held the first Case Management Conference (CMC) regarding appeals to OPA 119 and ZBL 2020.418, the instruments arising out of the ICBL study of the downtown and lands around the Burlington GO station. The next CMC is set for Apr. 26, 2021. Official Plan Amendments and Zoning By-law Amendment reviews are being processed by staff up to the Statutory Public Meeting stage.
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2243, 2269 Fairview Street and 864 Drury Lane
CLV Group Developments
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Project:
- 7 residential towers on top of 4 mixed use podiums
- Heights ranging between 29 and 37 storeys
- Podium heights ranging from 2, 5 and 6 storeys
- Total of 2,494 residential units of mixed type and tenure
- 3993 m2 of commercial space
- 41, 821 m2 of shared amenity space
- 5 levels of underground parking
- 4 storey parking structure, will be integrated with residential units
- Pedestrian connections to surrounding neighbourhood, Burlington GO
- Publicly-accessible park connected to Fairview St offering various outdoor amenities
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Status:
- The Site Plan application is currently under review by various internal staff and external agencies.
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An Information Report was presented to the January 14, 2021 Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee.
- The subject property is within the Interim Control By-Law (ICBL) area. No planning decisions are being made until appeals associated with the ICBL are resolved.
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Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 21, 2021, whereby I'll be hosting a Public Information Meeting about this proposal. This will be an opportunity for the community to learn more about the proposal, share your comments and have your questions answered. Stay tuned.
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Ward 2 Current Projects
To find out more about Planning applications and development projects underway in Ward 2, visit Ward 2 Current Projects. Project pages include details, timelines and contact information.
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Late Fall 2020 I had a great site visit at the Pearle Hotel at the Bridgewater Project on Lakeshore Road and am including two photos here. This project is definitely coming along for opening in spring 2021, the hotel portion is well underway inside and out. Passion and attention to detail is evident across every inch. Amazing to see the skilled trades hard at work bringing this vision to life.
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Around the Kitchen Table:
Discussing Climate Change with Others
The Bay Area Climate Forum is hosting this free virtual event on Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 6:30 p.m. This annual event is focused on climate action in the Hamilton-Burlington Bay Area. Hear updates on progress to our region’s climate goals and join the discussion on having better climate conversations. Read more.
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Taste of Burlington
Taste of Burlington is back February 18 to March 21. With 55 restaurants offering great take out specials (and some dine in offers), you don’t want to miss out!
Taste of Burlington is giving away weekly gift card prizes plus a GRAND prize of a $500 gift card to the Taste restaurant of your choice. All for just getting Take Out!
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Get out and Have Some Fun!
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Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond - Open for skating most days from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Skating is free; however, online, pre-registration is required and can be booked no more than 25-hours in advance.
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Play Equipment Lending Library - Did you know the City has a Play Equipment Lending Library which includes winter-theme play equipment? Residents may borrow a wide range of fun and unique play equipment, free of charge!
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City of Burlington facilities and recreation programming will start to re-open with a phased approached. Attendance numbers will be adjusted based on the regulations and the activity. View and register for programs at burlington.ca/recreation.
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Halton Garden Week - February 20 to 27, 2021
- This free online event celebrates gardening across Halton Region focusing on sustainable, local practices and products.
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There will be over 300 seeds / starter pot kit giveaways. The gardening kits are available thanks to funding through the Community Support Fund. Register here for one, all-access pass to all webinars, workshops, speakers, resources, games and trivia.
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Museums of Burlington
An Evening at the Brant Inn - March 12th
In the 1940s and ‘50s, Burlington’s very own Brant Inn was host to some of the most famous entertainers in the world. Tickets are now available for “An Evening at the Brant Inn” - a joyful glimpse into our past.
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Art Gallery Burlington - Reopening March 2
AGB looks forward to welcoming back the community and is currently in the process of installing new exhibitions, re-merchandising the shop, and ramping up cleaning as they plan their return to the gallery. Curbside pick-up and shopping via telephone continue and virtual learning and programming is still being offered.
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Burlington Public Library
With Halton Region now back in the Red Zone, Burlington Public Library is delighted to restart a few in-branch services and move one step closer to the next stage of safely reopening our community. Visit the Library's services update web page and social media for the latest reopening news as our Library continues to make changes to serve you in a safe way.
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Canada Post New Location
Effective Feb. 1, 2021 the Brant Street post office and postal outlet have been moved to 2060 Lakeshore Road, Unit 107. View the notice.
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Halton Region - Curbside Collection Reminders
During inclement weather, Halton Region advises that waste collection may take place later in the day. Here are some helpful reminders:
- Make sure your Blue Box, Green Cart and garbage materials are visible to collection crews.
- Place your Green Cart, Blue Box or garbage bins back from the road to allow snowplows to clear the streets safely.
- Do not place your Green Cart, Blue Box or garbage on top of snow banks. This helps keep collection crews safe and prevents bins from getting stuck or frozen.
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HRPS - Alert for Fraudulent Phone Calls
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is warning residents about a scam that is occurring in the region. The victim will receive a phone call from an unknown number where the caller claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and advises the victim they owe money. The victim may also receive a phone call from 905-825-4777 (the telephone number assigned to the HRPS). Read the News Release.
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Support Local
It’s more important now than ever to support our local small businesses! Now that our City is in the red control zone, most of our small businesses Downtown Burlington have partially reopened their doors for in-person shopping, indoor dining and service appointments with limited capacity.
Please think local before making a purchase and look to our Downtown Burlington small business owners for essential products and services … and for those fun-essentials like chocolates, hand-knit mittens and scarves, fresh rolled pastas or a new houseplant in a fancy new pot to adorn your home office.
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My office continues to work at full capacity.
I can be reached through e-mail at [email protected]. If you or someone you know is struggling as a result of COVID-19, please contact me.
Thank you to everyone for staying in this together, taking this seriously and above all for being kind and respectful of one another.
Lisa Kearns
Ward 2 Councillor
City of Burlington & Region of Halton
DIRECT CELL PHONE: 289-962-2679
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Links & Resources:
Please check these frequently. Information changes quickly so these trusted online sources are the best ways to get the most up-to-date information:
Mental Health Support:
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