905 Round Up – Division at Burlington City Hall
Over the last few weeks, observers of Burlington city politics have noticed a growing rift in council. So much that when Joan Little of the Spectator commented on it in one of her columns, the Mayor decided a rebuttal was in order. What is going on in Burlington City Hall? Joel and Roland discuss what we know and what it means.
Flavio Volpe targets the future of the Auto Industry with Project Arrow
We are joined by Flavio Volpe, President of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, who talks to us about Project Arrow, and how it has the potential to change the auto industry in Canada, internationally, and be part of the electric future of transportation.
Flavio was a wonderfully engaging guest, and you won’t want to miss hearing him speak about the innovation and discovery that is happening in one of Canada’s most economically crucial sectors, as it faces the the challenge of moving from an oil-based to sustainable energy-based industry.
10,000 Reasons For Better Cities
We have another milestone to celebrate, and two stories that remind us why the news in the 905 Region needs more coverage, because they are issues that you are unlikely too see receiving much coverage in legacy media.
In the dock this week … Hamilton and Brampton duke it out for the ‘most dubious council behaviour’ award.
Why There Is No Episode This Canada Day
Please see above for our reasons why we decided not to the post an episode this Canada Day. We invite you to read up on the Truth and Reconciliation report here to learn about the recommendations put forward by the commission here: http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf For more information on Reconciliation please visit: https://reconciliationcanada.ca/ If you seek counselling in relation to your experiences with the residential school system, we suggest you reach out to the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line. They can be reached at: 1-866-925-4419
Mariam Manaa Chosen as Burlington’s Ontario Liberal Candidate
The members of Burlington’s Ontario Liberal riding association selected Mariam Manaa to be their candidate for the 2022 election last night.
The contest was between Manaa and Andrea Grebenc, Chair of the Halton District School Board, and the result may be considered an upset with the little-known Manaa emerging the winner against an opponent with an established local profile who had won two previous elections.
Mayor’s Spending, ‘Performative’ Actions Criticized by Kearns, Stolte, Sharman
Three of Burlington’s seven member council have issued a strongly worded rebuttal that appears to be a response to a message sent at 6:40am this morning by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward via her Twitter account. The tweet tacitly stated that three unnamed councillors, who could be deduced to be Councillors Lisa Kearns (Ward 2), Shawn Stolte (Ward 4) and Paul Sharman (Ward 5), had voted against additional Rainbow Crosswalks in Burlington.
We’re not Erasing History; We’re Learning It
Statues are not history, and few things are more boring to historians than statutes of Victorian worthies … right until the moment they are pulled down.
Among the hysteria about “cancelling Canada’s history”, millions are learning important facts about Canada’s past. So is it history the statue-defenders want to protect? Or a mythological past that hides the brutal truths?
Halton Catholic Board May Have Violated Human Rights
The Halton Catholic District School Board is facing some serious repercussions from it’s decision not to fly the pride flag this June. On June 1st the Ontario Human Rights Commission sent a letter to the board, addressed to Chair Patrick Murphy as well as Education Director Pat Daly. In the letter the Commission took specific issue with the debate and ultimate refusal of the Board to fly the flag at its schools. While praising the Halton Catholic Board for taking action to promote safe spaces within schools, and to implement LGBTQ2S+ awareness for it’s staff, it stated “Nonetheless, the OHRC
Bargain-priced corruption? How donation limits & public apathy have inflated corporate influence.
What might cost thousands or even millions in the US costs at most a couple of hundred bucks here in Canada.
Donor limits don’t take the impression of ‘cash for influence’ out of politics, they just make it much cheaper.
So how can we fund parties in a way that makes political finances above suspicion?