Welcome to the Mayor’s Mailbag – July 2022 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 – July 2022 Roundup
- Now that the Millcroft Greens Corp. has filed an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal regarding its proposed redevelopment application for the Millcroft golf course, what are the next steps for the City of Burlington?
- Are City public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Burlington free or pay-per-use?
- When will public access to the Burlington Canal Piers be restored?
QUESTION:
“Now that the Millcroft Greens Corp. has filed an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal regarding its proposed redevelopment application for the Millcroft golf course, what are the next steps for the City of Burlington?”
ANSWER:
The City of Burlington has received an appeal filed by Millcroft Greens Corporation regarding its applications for Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments and a plan of subdivision on the Millcroft golf course. Please read the full release on the appeal here. While the appeal has been filed, staff will continue to review this application in order to bring a recommendation to Council.
Decision timeframe
The appeal has been made on the grounds of the City’s lack of decision within the statutory timeframes. As to why a decision was not made in the 120-day timeline, the application submitted by Millcroft Greens is complex and has been revised since originally submitted to respond to concerns that have been raised.
Multiple City departments, in addition to Community Planning, must provide input on the application as well, including Transportation, Engineering Services, Roads, Parks & Forestry, Legal, Transit and others. Beyond City staff, and due to the nature and location of the proposed redevelopment, other government agencies also have to review and provide feedback into the applications, including Halton Region, Conservation Halton and consultants — who have not completed their reviews of the revised Millcroft Greens applications.
We understand this news concerns residents, and many are wondering what the next steps are and what actions Council can take. Having staff complete their review of the application is extremely important, as Council does not publicly take a position on a matter until it has received the complete analysis and review from staff with their recommendation.
Given the complexity of this file, this step has not occurred yet. It is crucial that we have that recommendation before taking a position, even on applications that are being appealed to the OLT.
What’s next?
Next, we will need to prepare our case for the tribunal. Now that the file has been appealed to the OLT, the recommendation from staff, once available, will be first discussed in closed session, as it will inform our legal strategy.
To successfully make our case at the tribunal, we don’t disclose our legal strategy publicly in advance and that is why conversations with staff will occur in closed session.
The planning recommendation could be to reject the application in whole or in part, or to approve the application in whole or in part with or without conditions. Council can accept the staff recommendation as presented, reject it, or modify it.
Once Council receives a staff report and recommendation to take a position, Council can, at that time, vote to waive privilege over our position and release it publicly. A high-level staff overview of the project is expected this fall, and Council will be in a better position to know what can be released publicly without jeopardizing our legal strategy at the tribunal.
Joint Statement from the Mayor and Ward Councillor
We’re disappointed by the decision to appeal, as it takes decision-making out of the hands of the community and Council. We will work together with all of Council and staff to ensure the community perspective is heard at the tribunal. There are also opportunities for the community to be involved directly at the tribunal, and we encourage residents to review those. There are many more steps to come before any decision is made and we will ensure our community voice is heard and that every opportunity for public participation is provided.
You can access the City’s dedicated Millcroft Greens webpage here for any additional information about the appeal, including an FAQ about the OLT process for this application. You can also subscribe to alerts to be notified when any news about this application is posted.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mayor Meed Ward at mayor@burlington.ca and/or your Ward councillor at ward1@burlington.ca / ward2@burlington.ca / ward3@burlington.ca / ward4@burlington.ca / ward5@burlington.ca / ward6@burlington.ca
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QUESTION:
“Are City public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Burlington free or pay-per-use?”
ANSWER:
There are no fees to charge a vehicle at any of the current and coming (30 in total) City of Burlington public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
However, if there is a charge for parking applicable at a particular location, those rates will apply. Many of the locations are in lots where parking is free on weekdays after 6 p.m. and on weekends.
The City of Burlington recently announced that 8 new EV charging stations will be coming thanks to funding support through The Atmospheric Fund (TAF). Each station will have two charging plugs and the stations are expected to be operational by the end of 2022, located at:
- Appleby Ice Centre (2 stations), 1201 Appleby Line
- Haber Community Centre/Norton Park, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
- Mainway Ice Centre, 4015 Mainway
- Mountainside Community Centre, 2205 Mount Forest Dr.
- Nelson Recreation Centre, 4235 New St.
- Tansley Woods Community Centre (2 stations), 1996 Itabashi Dr.
The TAF funding is helping the City to expand our existing inventory of charging stations that are primarily located in the downtown core, many of which were also supported through funding programs, to other areas of the city.
For a list of all charging stations within the city, please visit burlington.ca/ev
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QUESTION:
“When will public access to the Burlington Canal Piers be restored?”
ANSWER:
On June 28, Transport Canada announced it is transferring management of the Burlington Canal Piers to the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority on July 2, 2022.
Transport Canada has been working closely with the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA), the City of Burlington and the City of Hamilton on the future of the Burlington Canal Piers. In managing the piers, HOPA will carry Transport Canada’s commitment for a marine system that is responsive to the needs of users and our local communities. In a Q-and-A with media after today’s announcement, HOPA noted it will be investing several million dollars in upgrades to make the surface safe, and they are aiming for reopening in spring 2023.
This is a great step forward in ensuring public access to the Burlington Canal Piers. Now that HOPA will be assuming management, they will be making safety improvements and ensuring the gates will be back open and public access will be restored.
Mayor Meed Ward thanked Minister of Transport, the Hon. Omar Alghabra; Burlington MP and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Hon. Karina Gould; Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner; Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Chad Collins (and former city councillor for the area); HOPA Ports President Ian Hamilton; City of Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger and City of Burlington Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith for all working together on this, adding:
“This was a true team effort with all of us committed to maintaining public access to these piers. The Burlington Canal Piers are well used in our communities for bird watching, fishing, hiking, cycling — and of course, boating! We are a waterfront community and we want to make sure our community members can access the waterfront in a multitude of ways.”
For more details and information, please click here for the news release from Transport Canada.
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RELATED LINKS:
- Mayor’s Mailbag – June 2022 Roundup – Central High School Site; 535-551 Brant St. Development; & Mountainside Pool Reopening
- Mayor’s Mailbag – May 2022 Roundup – Twin City Agreements; LaSalle Park Community Marina; & Hydro Companies Removing Vegetation
- Mayor’s Mailbag – April 2022 Roundup – Support for Ukrainian Refugees; Burlington Taking on Climate Change
- Mayor’s Mailbag – March 2022 Roundup – Private Tree Bylaw, Masks, & Accessible Parking in Older Buildings
- Mayor’s Mailbag – February 2022 Roundup – Virtual Meeting Participation, Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund, & Accommodating Growth in Halton
- Mayor’s Mailbag – January 2022 Roundup – Parks’ Upgrades, Windrows When Snow Clearing
