Mayor’s Mailbag – November 2021 Roundup – Rural Broadband Project, Housing Needs, Former Robert Bateman HS Site, OLT Approval, & Loose-Leaf Collection

Community News
Written By

Welcome to the Mayor’s Mailbag – November 2021 roundup.The Mayor’s Monday Mailbag is a weekly initiative Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor’s Office has launched to share answers to questions from the public we’ve received through our main email inbox at mayor@burlington.ca or the Mayor’s social media platforms.At the end of the month, we publish a roundup of those most pressing questions we’ve received in the weeks prior.Mayor’s Mailbag – November 2021 Roundup

BURLINGTON RURAL HIGH-SPEED INTERNETQUESTION:“What is the timeline for the Burlington Rural High-Speed Internet Project and what has been causing delays?”ANSWER:Highspeed, broadband Internet is a necessity for Burlington residents in the rural areas. The pandemic and many residents working from home has highlighted the need for improved services.A project with several stakeholders is underway to improve Internet access for Burlington’s rural residents.The following is an update given by Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna at the City’s Rural Advisory Committee on Nov. 17, 2021 regarding Internet Access Solutions’ project component:

  • A funding extension has been requested and conditionally approved to July 2022;
  • After a number of revisions, the City has received a complete application submission as of Nov. 4, 2021;
  • Over this whole process, the City was proactively reviewing plans and drawings in parallel to minimize future revisions;
  • The City has been assisting the Internet providers with other external agencies (Halton Region, Conservation Halton and the Niagara Escarpment Commission) to coordinate and expedite the processing of permits to be issued to allow this work to proceed**;
  • Based on those discussions with the land-use authorities, the City is expecting to receive permits early in 2022;
  • Work will start in the spring with hopes of a July completion; and
  • Forestry staff have been working with IASL to meet their timelines.

**Niagara Escarpment Commission policies do not apply to all areas of the project.

•                    •                    •

BURLINGTON HOUSING NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIESQUESTION:“Are there any updates to Burlington’s Housing Strategy and what the City is doing to address our housing needs and opportunities?”ANSWER:As the City of Burlington continues work on its Housing Strategy, it is looking to discuss the findings of its Housing Needs and Opportunities Report with the community. The Housing Needs and Opportunities Report gives a full picture of Burlington’s housing needs and opportunities. The report covers the technical background work and feedback from the second Housing Strategy survey, Housing Strategy Working Group, Housing Strategy Steering Committee as well as City and Regional staff. The report also identifies five themes that form the pillars for the development of the City’s Housing Strategy.IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:Nov. 29 – Burlington Housing Strategy Virtual Open HouseCity staff will share the findings of the Housing Needs and Opportunities Report and provide an update on the Housing Strategy at a virtual open house on Monday, Nov. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom. Stakeholders are encouraged to join the discussion, ask questions, share feedback and learn more about the Housing Strategy project.Dec. 7 – Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting (CPRM)Staff will present the Housing Needs and Opportunities Report at the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7.The public can see the staff report on the Housing Needs and Opportunities Report online starting Nov. 26, 2021. This report summarizes the work done to date on the Housing Strategy, including key findings, preliminary recommendations and next steps. The report will be available on the City’s website at burlington.ca/calendar once the agenda for the Dec. 7 Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee has been posted on Nov. 26. You can watch a livestream of the Dec. 7 Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee here on the day.Anyone who would like to speak to the Housing Needs and Opportunities Report should sign up to delegate before Dec. 6 at noon (12 p.m.).Quick Facts:

  • In January 2021, Burlington City Council endorsed the Housing Strategy Terms of Reference. Dillon Consulting Limited and SHS Consulting were hired by the City to carry out this work with the City’s Housing Strategy Project Team, Housing Strategy Working Group and Housing Strategy Steering Committee.
  • In March, the City kicked off the Housing Strategy with a virtual launch and the first Housing Strategy survey to share information about housing in Burlington, collect information about housing concerns and gather feedback on how stakeholders would like to be engaged throughout the project. This information was used to develop the Housing Strategy Project Engagement Plan.
  • Over the summer, technical background work was done by the consulting team. Staff also launched a second Housing Strategy survey to collect residents’ experiences with housing. This helped identify housing issues, gaps and needs.

For more information on the Housing Strategy, visit GetInvolvedBurlington.ca/HousingStrategy

•                    •                    •

FORMER ROBERT BATEMAN HIGH SCHOOL SITE UPDATEQUESTION:“What is happening with the site of the former Robert Bateman High School? I’m hearing rumours about its potential use.”ANSWER:Brock University and the City of Burlington continue to work on plans to relocate Brock’s current Hamilton campus to a new site in Burlington that forms part of our City’s goal to attract post-secondary education locally.The City of Burlington has expressed an interest in the former Robert Bateman High School site under the Burlington Lands Partnership structure, and Brock University has been identified as one potential user of the facility. At this time, space requirements for the university are being discussed, and the City is also looking to move the Burlington Library Appleby branch into the facility in our planning.The Halton District School board shared that they would want to hold on to a portion of the Bateman site as home to their adult learning programs, language instruction programs for newcomers, and other uses.Today, (Monday, Nov. 15), our Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services (EICS) Committee will receive a staff report to update Council on the Robert Bateman site, and we will hear from the project lead about the progress being made in regards to due diligence.

•                    •                    •

OLT APPROVAL OF 29-STOREY TOWER AT LAKESHORE/PEARLQUESTION: “I can’t believe the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) approved the 29-storey tower at Lakeshore and Pearl — how did this happen?”ANSWER:The Mayor’s Office has heard from many Burlington residents about how upset and discouraged you are about the recent Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) decision regarding a 29-storey tower at Lakeshore and Pearl. In its published ruling, the OLT made it clear it was choosing to give no weight to all the changes the community, council, and city and regional planning staff have brought forward in the last three years to better align downtown development, including this site, with our community’s vision.It is truly shocking and devastating to see our input set aside, which is why Council continues to discuss its options with Legal staff.This term of Council has done everything within its legal jurisdiction to fight overdevelopment on behalf of our community, including:

  • Revising the downtown OP to remove many of the most egregious heights (including a 17-storey building in the middle of Village Square);
  • Imposing an Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL) to pause the processing of development applications while the City studied the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designation downtown and at the Burlington GO station. The MTSA was the foundation for a previous OLT ruling against the City and used as justification for this most recent ruling as well. We were successful in getting Halton Region to commit to removing the MTSA from the downtown, and it now awaits approval from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing;
  • Working with the Province to agree to adjust the Urban Growth Centre (UGC) boundaries downtown towards Burlington GO. The UGC is also being used to justify overdevelopment, including in this recent OLT ruling. The Province announced this summer that it would commit to making the UGC adjustment — we are still awaiting final sign-off, expected this month.

We are in the process of righting this ship, but it will take some time — particularly with a ship of this size. We will continue to fight as a city for what our community believes in, even if there is no guarantee of success. We have lost some of the battles, but we’ve also had some major wins as described above. Setbacks sometimes happen, but we do not give up. This Council and City staff will continue to do all that we can to see our community’s vision through.

•                    •                    •

LOOSE-LEAF COLLECTION PROGRAMQUESTION:“When is the Loose-Leaf Collection Program starting and when will I need to have my leaves ready for collection?”ANSWER:The City of Burlington’s loose-leaf collection program starts on Monday, Nov. 8. Residents are encouraged to check the leaf collection schedule and zone map and rake leaves to the curb or edge of pavement if there are no curbs before their pickup date. Each collection zone will have only one pick-up.Click here for a copy of the collection zone map.Collection Schedule:

  • Zone 1: begins Nov. 8 (1 week)
  • Zone 2: begins Nov. 15 (1 week)
  • Zone 3: begins Nov. 22 (2 weeks)

Residents planning on using the service are reminded that this program is weather dependent. Freezing rain or snow can cause delays or even cancel the program. Always be prepared to bag your leaves for Halton Region’s Yard Waste Pick-up or mulch them to help your lawns and gardens grow.If the collection is delayed or cancelled due to weather or other circumstances, residents can call 905-335-7777 for updated information. Updates will also be posted on burlington.ca/leafcollection as well as the City’s social media channels.To ensure the safety of collection crews and avoid damaging equipment, please keep the loose-leaf piles free of debris and sticks. Leaves mixed with debris and waste will not be collected. Please help prevent flooding by keeping catch basins and ditches clear of leaves.To ensure a successful pick-up, residents can:

  • Rake leaves to the edge of the curb or roadway in a loose pile
  • Remove basketball nets, cars and other obstructions from the road during pick-up dates
  • Clear leaves from sidewalks and walkways
  • Avoid placing garbage bags, bins, blue boxes or green carts on top of loose-leaf piles
  • Give crews room to remove the leaves when driving

After the collection program is complete, any remaining leaves should be placed in yard-waste bags for curb side collection by Halton Region.As a greener alternative, residents can mulch their leaves with their lawn mower to help feed the soil for the spring.

•                    •                    •

RELATED LINKS:

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist

Previous

Burlington Council Votes Unanimously at Special Meeting for Temporary & Long-Term Solutions to Fill Taxi Service Gap
Next

Burlington COVID-19 Task Force Meeting 24