Proclamations at March 2024 Burlington City Council Meeting
Proclamations are read at the beginning of every regularly-scheduled Burlington City Council meeting.A proclamation is an official announcement issued by the Mayor to recognize exceptional events, groups, people, or achievements in the City of Burlington. The goal of a proclamation is to recognize and celebrate achievements, and to raise public awareness of important issues in Burlington.For more information on how to submit a request for a proclamation, please visit the City’s dedicated Proclamations webpage. You can also view copies of proclamations presented at Council meetings on the City's website.
Here are the proclamations that were read during the March 19 Council meeting. Click the links to see a digital copy of the proclamation signed by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.March 2024World Down Syndrome Day: March 21, 2024Halton Down Syndrome Association’s (HDSA's) World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) promotes awareness to represent the tripling of the 21st chromosome found in those individuals with Down syndrome through educational campaigns, activities and events held across the Halton community. HDSA's World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) encourages everyone to share the joy ofDown syndrome - to advocate and take action to improve the quality of life for people with Down syndrome and their families. Increased awareness and understanding of Down syndrome will promote the increase of services and supports and ensure people with Down syndrome are afforded equitable opportunity to reach their full potential through all stages of life. The Halton Down Syndrome Association actively supports and encourages meaningful participation of people with Down syndrome in all spaces in society, during World Down Syndrome Day and throughout the year.
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April 2024Daffodil Month: April 2024The Canadian Cancer Society is proud to be a champion and voice for Canadians who care about cancer and is committed to uniting and inspiring Canadians to take control of cancer. Through Daffodil Month, funds are raised to invest in research that will change the future of cancer and a support system that makes life better for those affected by cancer. Many Canadian Cancer Society volunteers in Burlington, Ont. and local donors are part of a collective of people united by the same goals, helping people live longer and improving the lives and experiences of those affected by cancer. The daffodil is the symbol of strength, courage, and life for those living with cancer and for local people to rally around by donating, proudly wearing a daffodil pin, buying a digital daffodil in honour or memory of a loved one, or volunteering.
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Dig Safe Month: April 2024Annual damages to Ontario’s underground infrastructure caused by excavation events number in excess of 4,500 per year. These events cause negative impacts to the Ontariopublic and our province’s economy. The Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA), formed in 2003, whose purpose is to enhance public safety and utility infrastructure reliability through a unified approach to effective and efficient damage prevention, has approximately 500 members dedicated to this purpose, including Ontario1Call. The Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA) and the ORCGA have worked collaboratively to produce the “Underground Infrastructure Damage Prevention – Best Practices” handbook to assist in reducing infrastructure damage associated with excavations. The ORCGA annually promotes many education events across its thirteen (13) Geographic Councils which cover all of Ontario, including the Dig Safe Kick-offs in April and “April is Dig Safe Month”, to raise awareness of the importance of proper excavation practices.
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Dalit History Month: April 2024April is a significant month for Dalit communities, and this special month includes birth and death anniversaries of important Dalit leaders and social reformers in the movement against systemic discrimination based on caste, such as Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, Mangu Ram Mugowalia and Sant Ram Udasi. The City of Burlington acknowledges the strength and resiliency of the Dalit community in overcoming hardships and advocating for social justice and equality for all. Dalit History Month is an opportunity to honour, celebrate and reflect on the history, experiences and accomplishments of the Dalit community.
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World Autism Day: April 2, 2024World Autism Day will be recognized on April 2nd, 2024, in Canada thanks to Senator Jim Munson’s Bill S-206, An Act Respecting World Autism Awareness Day. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects more than 135,000 Ontarians. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in every 66 Canadian children, as well as their friends, family, and community; and approximately 1 - 2% of the Canadian population is on the autism spectrum. ASD is a spectrum disorder, which means it not only manifests itself differently in everyindividual in whom it appears, but its characteristics will change over the life of each person as well. A child on the autism spectrum will become an adult on the autism spectrum.Autism Ontario is the leading source of information and referral on autism and one of the largest collective voices representing the autism community. Since 1973, Autism Ontario hasbeen providing support, information, and opportunities for thousands of families and individuals across the province. Autism Ontario is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families, and the professionals with whom they interact. The association and its Regions share common goals of providing information and education, supporting research, and advocating for programs and services for the autism community.
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Green Shirt Day: April 7, 2024After the devastating events of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash that took the lives of sixteen passengers, Humboldt Broncos defenseman Logan Boulet succumbed to hisinjuries April 7th. Logan’s parents Bernadine and Toby Boulet offered to donate his organs so that six lives could live on. Logan had registered as an organ donor, after being inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt who was also an organ donor and saved six lives when he passed in 2017. As news spread of the organ donation by this young hockey player, it is estimatedthat almost 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the days and weeks that followed. To date this is the largest number of Canadians registering to become organ donors in Canadian history due to one event.Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families of the fatal crash and to continue Logan’s legacy by inspiring Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors.
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World Parkinson's Day: April 11, 2024More than 100,000 Canadians live with Parkinson’s disease - a disorder of the central nervous system that results in a person gradually losing the ability to control body movements. Symptoms can vary and can include tremors, slowness of movement, difficulty with balance, swallowing, chewing, and speaking, and a variety of other non-motor symptoms. Each day, 25 Canadians are diagnosed this degenerative neurological disease that currently has no cure. World Parkinson’s Day aims to raise awareness and share available resources with those with this debilitating disease and their loved ones.
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Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Day of Equity (Ambedkar Jayanti): April 14, 2024Born in India on April 14, 1891, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was an Indian politician, economist and social reformer known as the “Father of the Constitution of India” who advocated for the rights of Dalit communities and led the movement against systemic discrimination based on caste. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Day for Equity is an opportunity to remember and honour his legacy of dedication to equity and social justice, which continues to inspire people in Burlington and across the world.
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