Latest news with #MarianneMeedWard
Hamilton Spectator
24-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington city staff given 2026 budget target
Burlington staff will draft a 2026 municipal budget aiming to cap the total property tax increase at 4.5 per cent. According to a city council motion passed July 15, councillors endorsed a mayoral decision that targets a 3.0 per cent increase in the city's portion of the tax bill, which also includes Halton Region and school board taxes, and a city budget increase of 5.8 per cent or less. Council also endorsed a second mayoral decision that removes the mayor's veto period, provided under provincial strong-mayor powers. The decision states Mayor Marianne Meed Ward will 'not exercise the power to veto' the 2026 budget, granted by Ontario's Municipal Act. Councillors also received for information staff's updated financial forecast outlining economic pressures and service needs that will shape next year's budget. Projections were updated based on a forecasted 4.6 per cent increase to Halton Region's share of property taxes, resulting in an overall tax increase of 4.49 per cent for Burlington property taxpayers. In a statement issued by the city's communications staff, Meed Ward said affordability is the top priority as the city begins shaping the 2026 budget. 'Every investment will be reviewed through that lens — finding savings where possible while protecting the services and quality of life residents rely on today and in the future,' Meed Ward said. Community consultation on the city's 2026 budget begins on Aug. 25 with an online survey on the city's Get Involved Burlington website's budget page . A Food for Feedback event is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Central Park ( 2331 New St. ) A total of six in-person town halls, one in each ward, will be held between Sept. 18 and Oct. 2. A telephone town hall is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. A proposed 2026 budget is expected to be released Oct. 24, ahead of its first presentation at the Nov. 3 committee of the whole meeting. City departments are scheduled to present to the city's budget committee on Nov. 13. The budget committee will review the proposed budget and any amendments from councillors on Nov. 24 and 25. Final review and approval of the budget by city council is scheduled Dec. 2. More information on the 2026 budget process, and feedback opportunities, is available at the Get Involved Burlington website . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
‘This is horrifying': Massive increase in reports of violence against Halton paramedics in Milton, Oakville, Halton Hills, Burlington
More than 500 incidents of violence against Halton's paramedics have been reported since 2022. The External Violence Against Paramedics report was presented to Halton Regional Council on July 9. The report detailed a massive increase in violent incidents reported against paramedics since 2022, the outline of a new campaign to combat those incidents, and an explanation of why officials believe this is happening. According to the report, it's common for paramedics to encounter incidents of violence, such as aggressive behaviour, verbal abuse — including racist and homophobic comments — physical assault and sexual harassment. 'This is horrifying. Nobody deserves to be treated this way,' said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. 'So sorry that you are experiencing this — it's absolutely unacceptable.' In 2022, there were a total of 10 incidents of violence reported against paramedics. In 2024, there were 254. A significant reason for that increase was a change in the way these incidents were reported. Prior to December 2022, if a paramedic experienced violence they needed to fill out a workplace injury report which officials described as cumbersome. The new External Violence Against Paramedics (EVAP) system, used to track incidents of violence, is far more streamlined and has resulted in much more reporting. Greg Sage, chief of paramedic services at Halton Region, said the numbers also reflect a societal change. 'I think the decline in civility certainly has something to do with what we're seeing. We all see it in our daily lives — people go from zero to 100 for no reason at all,' said Sage. The problem is not unique to Halton. The Paramedic Chiefs of Canada, an advocacy group for paramedics, released a position statement on the issue stating that 75 per cent of Canadian paramedics have experienced violence on the job. When paramedics encounter inappropriate behaviour, they have several actions they can take, including leaving the scene and calling for police assistance. Part of the problem in responding to these incidences is staff often don't wish to pursue police action. Sage said there is a persistent belief that this is just part of the job. In response to the violence, Halton paramedics will be put through new conflict avoidance strategy training this year. A communications campaign is also being launched to promote a message that violence towards paramedics will not be tolerated. Sage said reports of violence are so common he was reading one right before he presented at the regional council meeting. 'These are coming in on a daily basis, and I would expect that after this campaign and after we do the training, we'll probably see another uptick in reporting as awareness rises with our team,' said Sage. 'Then I hope that through our efforts, we can drive that number back down eventually.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
12-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington councillors hold closed-door meetings to discuss how pool time awarded for competitive youth swim clubs
Burlington city council is discussing with city staff how pool time is allotted to competitive youth swimming clubs. Councillors discussed the issue, and potential related litigation, during two in camera meetings this week, with closed sessions held on July 7 and 10. It was only afterwards, on both occasions, that it was stated council had provided instructions to staff. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said Thursday morning when there is an update for the public, the city will share it. The Burlington Aquatic Devilrays (BAD) group has paused its request for a judicial review of city staff's award of the new youth competitive swimming contract to Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club (GHAC), and requested the city provide a minimum of 40 hours a month to allow BAD to continue operating when its current contract ends this fall. BAD won the first request for proposals (RFP) process over GHAC in 2020. The two clubs were the only bidders this year for a new contract. Both clubs gave presentations to council on July 7, and GHAC delegated again before Thursday's special council meeting. Between meetings, Cody Bradt, GHAC associate head coach and chief operating officer, told the Burlington Post that when the club lost its bid in 2020, they 'were not provided any access to city-operated pool time, which was granted exclusively to the successful proponent (BAD) at that time.' Bradt said if council were to alter the results of this year's procurement process due to political pressure, it would be 'precedent-setting.' 'Such a move would raise serious questions about fairness and the integrity of municipal procurement, especially considering the impact on GHAC and other organizations stemming from the city's initial decision to pursue an exclusive-use RFP model in 2020,' Bradt said. He said while the two clubs coexisted prior to 2020, GHAC lost Burlington members after it lost time in municipal pools, despite finding some time in privately-operated pools in the city. In his July 10 delegation to council, Bradt said there is a critical shortage of 'aquatic infrastructure' in Burlington, suggesting the city needs a new 50-metre, 10-lane pool to support competitive training and swim meets. 'That needs to be part of the broader conversation,' Bradt said. BAD representatives said their submission for the September 2025 to August 2028 contract was not reviewed by staff and that the bid was disqualified on a technicality regarding the type of document submitted to validate the club's non-profit incorporation status. Katie Lebel, the parent of a BAD swimmer and assistant professor of sports business at University of Guelph, told council 'a better way forward is possible' and stated the RFP process 'is fundamentally not aligned with community sport delivery.' BAD president Kimberly Calderbank said the club would fold without access to city pools. Calderbank also asked councillors to call for a formal review on the use of RFP bidding for allocating sports time in city facilities. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington Skyway lane closures this weekend, starting tonight. Here's full summer schedule
Following a request by the City of Burlington, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has released a schedule of summer lane closures on the Burlington Skyway. Two Niagara-bound lanes are scheduled to close this weekend, from 10 p.m. Friday, July 4 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 7, for bridge deck replacement. Two Niagara-bound lanes will remain open. That's followed by another planned closure of two Niagara-bound lanes next weekend, then a break before the next scheduled closures July 25 to 28. Multiple weekends of lane closures have been planned by the ministry to rehabilitate QEW Niagara bound lanes on the Burlington Skyway bridge. Work includes asphalt and waterproofing replacement, and concrete repairs. 'This rehabilitation work is required to extend the condition and lifespan of the bridge, improve the pavement condition and lighting so motorists can continue to use it safely,' a ministry spokesperson said. All lane closures are weather dependent, which means scheduled construction dates can change. The ministry confirmed that as of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4, this weekend's scheduled work is proceeding. More details, and cancellation announcements, are available at Ontario 511 . The city also provides updates on its website . While planned lane closures for June 20-23 were postponed , the ministry has not said if additional closures will be required to make up for missed work. It's also not clear if further weekend lane closures are planned after Aug. 22-25. 'MTO works with the city and local stakeholders to plan dates and shares the information as early as possible to provide notice and mitigate traffic congestion,' a ministry spokesperson stated in an email. A spokesperson said there are two OPP officers deployed during lane closures, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, at two locations along Eastport Drive Southbound, between North Shore Boulevard and the Burlington Lift Bridge. 'These officers have the ability to be redeployed as needed throughout the construction area to ensure the safe and timely movement of vehicles Niagara bound,' a ministry spokesperson said. After a May 9-11 closure — over Mother's Day weekend — of two Niagara-bound Skyway lanes resulted in 'severe congestion' in Burlington, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward wrote to transportation minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria to request a public release of a list of planned closures, road closure signage at QEW/403 on-ramps, signage well in advance of the Skyway bridge and the securing and funding of police traffic patrols to manage backlogs through Burlington. Since her May 28 letter, the ministry has added signage and released the schedule. However, the Mayor's office confirmed Friday that no further action details from the ministry have been received. Two Niagara-bound lanes of the Burlington Skyway along the QEW are scheduled to be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday on these weekends: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington Skyway lane closures announced this weekend, starting tonight. Here's full summer schedule
Following a request by the City of Burlington, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has released a schedule of summer lane closures on the Burlington Skyway. Two Niagara-bound lanes are scheduled to close this weekend, from 10 p.m. Friday, July 4 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 7, for bridge deck replacement. Two Niagara-bound lanes will remain open. That's followed by another planned closure of two Niagara-bound lanes next weekend, then a break before the next scheduled closures July 25 to 28. Multiple weekends of lane closures have been planned by the ministry to rehabilitate QEW Niagara bound lanes on the Burlington Skyway bridge. Work includes asphalt and waterproofing replacement, and concrete repairs. 'This rehabilitation work is required to extend the condition and lifespan of the bridge, improve the pavement condition and lighting so motorists can continue to use it safely,' a ministry spokesperson said. All lane closures are weather dependent, which means scheduled construction dates can change. The ministry confirmed that as of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4, this weekend's scheduled work is proceeding. More details, and cancellation announcements, are available at Ontario 511 . The city also provides updates on its website . While planned lane closures for June 20-23 were postponed , the ministry has not said if additional closures will be required to make up for missed work. It's also not clear if further weekend lane closures are planned after Aug. 22-25. 'MTO works with the city and local stakeholders to plan dates and shares the information as early as possible to provide notice and mitigate traffic congestion,' a ministry spokesperson stated in an email. A spokesperson said there are two OPP officers deployed during lane closures, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, at two locations along Eastport Drive Southbound, between North Shore Boulevard and the Burlington Lift Bridge. 'These officers have the ability to be redeployed as needed throughout the construction area to ensure the safe and timely movement of vehicles Niagara bound,' a ministry spokesperson said. After a May 9-11 closure — over Mother's Day weekend — of two Niagara-bound Skyway lanes resulted in 'severe congestion' in Burlington, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward wrote to transportation minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria to request a public release of a list of planned closures, road closure signage at QEW/403 on-ramps, signage well in advance of the Skyway bridge and the securing and funding of police traffic patrols to manage backlogs through Burlington. Since her May 28 letter, the ministry has added signage and released the schedule. However, the Mayor's office confirmed Friday that no further action details from the ministry have been received. Two Niagara-bound lanes of the Burlington Skyway along the QEW are scheduled to be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday on these weekends: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
