Regular Meeting of Council – June 8, 2026

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Heat. Heat. Okay, good morning everyone. My name is

00:25:11
Shauna Stolty, councelor for W 4 and I would like to call to order the committee the whole meeting for Monday, June 8th, 2026. Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Matei. From the Anesnab to the Hodnachoni and the Matei, our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Scarman are steeped in indigenous history.

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The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with one’s boom wampel covenant, an agreement between the Urkqua Confederacy, the Ajiway, and other allied nations to peaceibly share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the treaty lands and territories of the Missagas of the Credit.

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I’ll now read a safety notice for those present in council chambers. In the event of an emergency, please evacuate the council chambers by the nearest exit staircase, which is located through the doorway marked with the exit symbol. Once you’ve evacuated the building, please gather at Veteran Square outside of City Hall. I’d like to mention that Civic Square, as we all know, is under renovations, and apparently there’s some significant drilling happening this morning, and it’s they’re on a break at the moment. We’re not hearing it, but apparently we will be hearing it. So, I just want to let everyone around the horseshoe and everyone in chambers and delegates know that if the drilling starts and it’s too distracting for people to be able to focus, then I’ll stand the meeting down for a recess while we we will deal with it one way or the other. Okay? So, if it’s manageable, we’ll go ahead. If it’s not manageable, then we’ll stand down and and take care of it. So, please let me know anyone around the horseshoe or any delegates in particular because I know it’s hard to be at that podium in the first place, let alone if there’s distracting

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drilling. So, just let me know and we’ll sort it out. So, webcast information. All City of Burlington committee and council meetings are live webcast and archived on the city’s website. Today’s meeting is being captioned digitally through our agenda management software. I’ll remind everyone to slow down and speak clearly so your words can be captured by the software.

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I’d also ask everyone attending virtually to please use appropriate microphones so your words can be capt captured accurately by the software. We do have rules of engagement in committee meetings. We ask everyone to please be respectful while others are speaking and listen as you would want to be listened to.

00:27:21
A reminder to committee members to adhere to the procedure bylaw and limit your questions to two at a time. Further, a member may ask a question only for the purpose of obtaining facts relevant to the matter under discussion and necessary for a clear understanding. All questions will be stated succinctly and will not be used as a means of making statements or assertions.

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We’re not making decisions at this meeting, only recommendations that would go to city council for final consideration on June 23rd, 2026. The public is welcome to see when the final decision making happen decision-m happens by attending the meeting either in person or watching the live stream. Delegates are welcome to register to speak at council meeting as well.

00:27:59
By way of introduction of our members, our first order of business for today’s meeting is to conduct a roll call. So, I’d like to turn it over to the clerk who will take attendance of members present and confirm quarum. >> Thank you. Councelor Galbury >> present. >> Councelor Karns >> present. >> Councelor Nissan >> here.

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Councelor Charman >> here. >> Councelor Bentovena >> present. >> Mayor me ward >> present. >> Councelor Sult >> present. We have quorum. >> Thank you. >> Turn myself off. Staff joining today are chief administrative officer Kurt Benson and our committee clerk Suzanne Gillies. Other staff in attendance will be introduced as each item agenda item is discussed.

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So our schedule for today’s meeting will take short breaks midm morning and afternoon and lunch from 12 to 1. We’ll deal with confidential items after lunch at 1:00 p.m. This meeting is scheduled until 4:30 p.m. today and will continue tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Are there any requests to change the agenda at this time? Seeing none can ask for a member to move the approval of the agenda.

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Mayor, thank you. All those in favor? Any opposed? And that carries. Are there any declarations of peculiary interest? Seeing none. Okay, we’re going to move on to delegations. First off, a reminder to delegates that their delegates that their items will be discussed in order of the approved agenda, which may be later today.

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You may remain in the council chambers if you want to or you can watch the live mainstream if you’d like if you need to leave. Uh the link to the live stream is available at burlington.ca/meings. All public attendees must maintain order and not engage in behavior that may be considered disruptive. Each delegate will have 10 minutes to provide their comments.

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We’ll be using the time clock and council chambers to keep track of your time, which you’ll be able to view at the podium or on your screen if attending remotely. Once you’re done, please remain to answer any questions that committee members may have for you. And I’d like to remind committee members again that your questions should be for clarification only.

00:30:06
We have 11 registered delegations for today’s meeting. So, first up, Louis Frapport from Alenia Land Corporation who’s joining us in person to speak regarding facilities update and recommendations for 1200 King Road report CAO01-26. And you have a presentation, I understand. Is that right? I do. >> Thank you. Okay.

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There are a few slides. So, um, forgive me as we whip through these things within the 10 minutes. So, thank you, Madame Mayor, counselor, madam chair, the delegates who are in attendance here today for the opportunity to speak to the the Alenia Land Corporation’s proposed development and the event center elements of it on King Road.

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It’s been a journey. Uh when I was last here on this project, I alluded to what is now before you and referenced what I thought reflected our great greatest collective risk as a community, the risk of missed opportunity. Slide. As Jennifer Keysmat, As Jennifer Keysmat pointed out in Burlington, speaking to the public with the mayor and others around King Road and development in the community, opportunities tend not to be missed when there is tenacity, political alignment, engaged constituencies, engaged bureaucracy and partnerships. that stuck with me and all of our collective work to date and what is to come reflects those values in my view for which great thanks is owed to this council, your staff and the community as a whole. Before speaking to what is possible here, a brief reflection on the commencement of this journey is warranted. As everyone is aware, this is far from the beginning of the process. Today is the latest and most significant

00:31:44
milestone in a process that began years ago when it is worth remembering. Alia came to the city not simply asking what it could build, but asking a larger and more civic-minded question. What should be here? What would justify the development of one of the most important remaining parcels of land in this region? What you’re seeing here today and in the balance of the planning for King Road emerged through a long process of engagement with you and many others, including many here today.

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And the answer to that question is a community where housing, recreation, health, education, employment, and transit are combined. And it’s appropriate that the event center and related infrastructure represents this first critical public step in moving this development forward. And that this asset is not an accessory to that city building.

00:32:28
It is the catalyst. It is the piece that makes the rest of this ambitious plan tangible in this market during this time of housing and sports infrastructure need. And that is what the proposed event center and recreation district can do. And I say this as part of an Elenia team that is deeply invested literally in sports infrastructure and programming in its investment in the TD coliseum project in Hamilton as well of its as well as its ownership interest in the Ottawa Senator’s NHL franchise.

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And so embarking on so prior to embarking on the next stage of this process, I’d like to take a few moments to share our learning from places we have visited around the world in some places together where sport, education, recreation, and mixed use development have been leveraged to create remarkable communities.

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Slide first. As chair of the Hamilton 2030 Commonwealth Games bid, I spent years working with government, the private sector, and global sports organizations, curating sports and recreational infrastructure and programming planning. in that capacity I saw firsthand in Birmingham during the 22 Commonwealth Games.

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How sports infrastructure can be tied to regeneration, inclusion, housing, and long-term civic legacy. Indeed, as this council may recall, owing to that experience, our bid contemplated the inclusion of King Road as the home of gymnastics and the athletes village in homage to Bobby Robinson. Alas, it was not to be. slide. In my work with Elinia and in personal conversations with its original planner, Ron Saskolni, we saw how patient master planning, transit, employment, retail, and public space can transform vacant land into a global urban district at Canary Warf. Slide in Doha during the World Cup now four years ago. I can scarcely believe it, we saw how major event infrastructure, mobility, hospitality, and public realm can be integrated into a compelling urban vision. slide. And in the the Dockland’s development in Ireland, I saw how the artful combination of transit, housing, education, culture, and the integration of social and recreational

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infrastructure can elevate a community. Slide at the Moody Center in Austin, an asset created by the Oakview Group in partnership with the leading postsecondary institution, we saw how a modern arena can serve a university, a city, a private operator, and a community at the same time. Two more slide.

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in Tempe around Arizona State University. And you’ll recognize David Santi and Frank Castellion of Mohawk College. In that picture, we saw how sport, education, innovation, housing, and street life can create a dynamic district centered on young people. Slide at the University District in Calgary. Man, we’ve traveled, haven’t we? At the University District in Calgary, we Oh, I’ve missed a slide.

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We saw how a Canadian example of health, education, housing, retail, sustainability, and public space planned together from the outset can become a dynamic community. And lastly, another Oakview Group project, LA in Los Angeles. I saw how arenas, hotel, restaurants, entertainment, convention, and public spaces can reposition and elevate an entire district.

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And these examples matter because they remind us that the best communities aren’t accidental. They are carefully and ambitiously curated. They require civil civic leaders to see beyond the immediate planning file to a future aspirational community. And importantly because King Road can be the equal of the best elements of any of the communities I just referenced with sufficient resolve and the right partners.

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And that brings me to partners and the Oakview Group. As you’re aware, a key potential partner in our effort to transform Aldershot and Burlington into a nationally recognized hub of sport and recreation experiences is the Oakview Group, the world’s largest developer and operator of sport and recreational venues and a key anchor in a number of cities I mentioned and many, many more.

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Slide. They developed and operate the TD Coliseum in our neighboring community and having been a part of the team that brought OVG and Live Nation to Hamilton. And in my current work, leveraging the investment to revitalize the downtown core of the city, I’ve seen firsthand how a world-class venue operator can do more than manage a building.

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OVG has helped to restore confidence and major civic asset. It has brought credibility, market discipline, operational expertise, and renewed sense of possibility to Hamilton. And that work directly informed its interest in Burlington. And it’s also helped with the credibility necessary to engage other critical partners, most notably the Ontario Hockey League, with whom we have been in conversations for months around an expansion franchise in Burlington, if the facility can be built in a timely fashion. Slide. For those unaware, the OHL is a powerhouse, and who could be unaware, but for those that are unaware, the OL is a powerhouse of economic and community impact. Slide an institution that is geared towards the whole family and can slide again. can transform a community’s identity. Its economic impacts are profound. Slide and something I have seen from personal experience that can bring the entire family together in a civic asset that

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has enormous resonance and power. A notable additional partner of OBG is Basketball Canada, whose interest in a performance facility in this community supporting basketball league and tournament play year round presents yet another transformative opportunity this facility can unlock.

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beyond which and importantly in order to ensure a robust community programming we’re collaborating with the YMCA who you’ll hear from later today and a variety of other postsecondary and healthcare institutions who represent key stakeholders that can inform the creation of this ecosystem. There is a regional opportunity here which I’ll touch on briefly and that is with OVG’s involvement Hamilton and Burlington can align in a very innovative and powerful way.

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Should you secure OVG’s commitment, TD Coliseum can be the large format regional anchor programming synergistically with Burlington as a flexible midsized event, sport, and recreational platform. Slide. Together, connected by Go Rail, particularly between Aldershot and Hamilton’s downtown stations, these venues can create something larger than either city could create alone.

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A jointly programmed Hamilton Burlington corridor for sport, entertainment, recreation, culture, and event tourism. This is how communities compete for major events. now not municipality by municipality but as connected regions with complimentary assets and Burlington is uniquely positioned to be at the center of that regional opportunity.

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There are moments in the life of a city when the future is unusually visible. This is one of them. I’d like to conclude with a personal reflection. Most of you are aware of my long and deep connection to Hamilton and in recent years my passion for Burlington. Obviously a great deal of that work has to do with the line but that isn’t the only reason.

00:39:06
Uh, you can change the slide. I moved to this area in 1995 to open up the Gowing WLG office in Hamilton. But I didn’t move to Hamilton. I moved to Burlington. And not long after, my two sons were born at McMaster Children’s Hospital. And I helped raise them in a wonderful neighborhood in what is now what was then new, but what is now Milcraftoft Park.

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I spent countless hours traveling between these two cities enjoying the sport and recreational facilities in both communities. These two cities have given me a family, opportunity, and purpose. and having been a part of the success of the TD Coliseum, now presented with the opportunity to help realize the promise of King Road and to connect these two communities together so that generations of families can experience the best of both communities.

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I’m deeply aware of the potential and what we have before us and determined to help you realize it. And so on behalf of Elinia, I want to thank Andrew Scott, your CEO and staff, and all of you at council and those delegating who you’ll hear from shortly for your help and support. I respectfully urge council to advance the next steps remended recommended in the staff report and to move this project forward with the seriousness, urgency, and imagination it deserves. Thank you.

00:40:16

Okay, thank you very much. You must have practiced that and timed it well with 12 seconds to spare. Well done. Okay, you have a couple questions too coming first from councelor Galbreth. >> Thank you, chair, and thanks for the presentation today, Lou. Um just uh wondering what uh risks we might uh have if we don’t move this forward today.

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Thank you for the question counselor. I think I think there broadly three risks uh major categories of risk. Uh one is um in the absence of speed um capital moves uh corporate partners particularly highly valued corporate partners pursue other opportunities and that is the case with OBG and the OL they’ve made very clear that other communities are pursuing their investments and expansion f uh franchise and so on.

00:41:03
So the delivery of the asset and the speed with which we do that is important. Uh secondly, there is uh really uh an infrastructure risk in this sense. This is the catalyst of a very large project as I said a few moments ago, but we’re living in a housing crisis and investments of the magnitude that would constitute the full buildout of King Road will require an enormous amount of of energy and forward momentum.

00:41:25
The event center is an activator of absorption of um attention of investment. It brings serious corporate partners and it will be absolutely necessary in accelerating the density of real estate of residential real estate construction that’s necessary to activate the site. And then lastly, as it relates to the event center particularly, I think everyone has seen in the news um the federal government’s recent pronouncements around sports infrastructure is being a key priority.

00:41:56
The same messaging is coming from the province. We’ve been working with the province and federal government. I’ve been briefing both MP um Gould, sorry, >> and M PP Pierre uh uh uh and other uh government leaders on the opportunity and ensuring that we do this quickly enough so that government can pour senior funding into a shovel ready project is critical.

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Yeah. Which leads to my second question. And so shovel ready. Uh I keep getting the question how soon how if this was approved today uh to move forward uh you know how soon until someone’s skating on the rink. >> I’m I wouldn’t dare to answer that question here other than to say faster is better.

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Um there was some talk uh and I wouldn’t presume to speak for the OL, but wouldn’t the Memorial Cup here in 2030 be fantastic? >> It would. Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. Next question coming from councelor Bentovenia. >> Thank you, chair. Thanks for the uh presentation, Lou. Um pretty exciting stuff.

00:43:08
Um my question, I just want to um pick up on councelor uh Galbbert. The numbers I’m assuming are pretty staggering in terms of dollars and cents. Um, and my understanding just for the event center, we’re talking somewhere in the range of $300 million as as an item. I know you’ve talked about upper level government um support, but your experience uh with your other projects that you’ve done, what do you feel that the outcome will be in terms of the excitement that we have making sure that uh uh they understand what what you just presented and that it’s a winwinwin situation for all of us. Thank you. Thank you, councelor Benavvenia. So, a few ways to approach that question. Um, I I can let me start with this. First of

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all, projects of this magnitude, particularly as an activator for a site of this size, are not something that any one entity can do alone. Uh, everywhere they are developed and created around the world, and I’ve been to a bunch, have involved um very close cooperation between multiple levels of government and private sector partners.

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In fact, securing money from senior levels of government becomes much easier when the private sector has skin in the game and made and has made a seating investment which is on the table here. So these are necessary ingredients for scaling up investment and ensuring that the asset and programming delivers its potential.

00:44:40
Secondly, I think speaking directly to your question uh and this was very much an issue during the long conversation relating to the Commonwealth Games. There is of course because taxpayers are involved a necessary preoccupation with taxpayer money but it isn’t like with any business simply a question of what it costs.

00:44:58
It is a question of what it generates and what the value of the asset is. There is a as a part of the development package uh very comprehensive economic impact report that speaks to whether it’s with respect to development charges, property taxes, retail activity, employment, a whole host of verticals. the site as a whole is a massive propellant to the local economy.

00:45:18
This event center is a necessary seating investment to get that moving. And so this process will begin consultations and assessment by city staff and others around what the math looks like. And all sides of that balance sheet should I I respectfully suggest be investigated very carefully. What are the costs? Who is paying? Obviously, what are the returns? How can those returns be increased? But there’s enormous reason to be hopeful.

00:45:45
Thank you for that. My second question again just expanding on that shovel ready program in a perfect world. >> What is the timing from start to finish on a project like this? >> I again I I I would not presume to speak with definitessiveness about that uh councelor Bentovenia except I would I would say this time is of the essence.

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the event center project really will not move forward until planning approval for the site is secured. Uh and if that is delayed beyond the next couple of months, we will have a great deal of difficulty in the cascading sequence of dates that we cannot meet with partners like OBG and the OHL and losing that opportunity.

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So while I can’t say definitively what that looks like, I can say that faster is most decidedly better. >> Thank you for that. Thank you. >> You’re welcome. >> Thank you counselor. We have a question coming from councelor Charman. >> Well, it’s we don’t know how to play soccer on ice. You know, the Britain me is complaining of obviously lots of excitement there.

00:46:47
Listen, as I think about the development, the um where it is and the the congestion we had through Burlington today and the lack of infrastructure for decades by the province. Um I appreciate you also have potential risk with metro links and the highways. Um can you give us some insight as to how you see that unraveling terms of congestion and getting relief especially with the growth? >> Certainly I can make an observation of what I think this this opportunity presents.

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Um first of all this is exactly where density is intended to be placed on a go line with transportation major transportation corridor access. Um and we’ve as a consequence of provincial and municipal uh planning priorities have specifically curated the site to reflect that. Secondly, there’s a lot of vehicular traffic.

00:47:36
I’m part of that traffic on a daily basis. But but this particular asset and I’m talking here specifically about the event center presents a real opportunity around accessibility and transportation efficiency. And that is if we’re talking about the citizens of West Burlington, of Aldershot and the surrounding communities, they are almost without exception having to travel in their cars to take their children or to attend events.

00:48:00
And when we develop the density at this site, there will be roughly 9,000 units, a community of potentially 14,000 people or more. it would be advisable to keep them at home walking to that event center and the amenities that a community can provide including we hope services of the type that the YMCA which you’ll hear uh from shortly can provide and so it’s critical I think to mitigate population growth which is inevitable by creating assets and amen amenities within the community that pe keep people at home and not having to get on the highway to travel. >> Certainly. Uh thank you. Can I just do a quick follow-up with respect to people coming to the arena? Sure. >> So that that also was going to add congestion potentially. >> Well, it certainly would add it would I hope it would add activation um and dynamism to the site by people coming to the community, many of them from the community, but a great many not from the community who are here spending money. And I’ll make a point as this process moves forward and something that I’ve endeavored to do in in speaking with

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leaders from the BAS within Burlington and I this was a part of the process in Hamilton. the ability to create activation and bridges between an asset like this and every part every ward of the city I think is very significant economically in terms and in terms of the benefit of the community.

00:49:15
So the magnitude of these partners is such that these are multi-day events whether it’s a hockey tournament or a basketball tournament or whatnot convention hotel the downtown will be activated because King Road is built out and activated and there will be traffic as a consequence of that there’s no doubt but there will be an enormous amount of economic activity and a good deal of investment in the community and amenities that the community desperately needs.

00:49:38

Perfect. Thank you. I have a second question. The uh second question is with respect to when you talk about amenities u and community needs uh with another 8,800 residential units that leads to questions around more than entertainment there is a significant aging population here um as well as you know everybody else who needs support and wellness mechanisms um are we going to have amenities in in in mind in in this very large development for that >> council sh thank you for that It’s it’s been an area of particular interest and focus for us at Alenia. And let me explain why. When you have this density of investment around sports and recreation uh planning, yes, it’s very attractive and exciting to have elite sports like the OHL in the community, but in reality, the facilities, and I’m excited for you to hear from those in the aquatics community, for example, these facilities are intended to serve people of every single age and ability. And the larger the investments with the better the better the partners gives us

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the capacity to create something that will help promote well-being in the community. That’s one. too. We’ve had the privilege and this has been part of my journey in Hamilton of um working with now and and introducing to this opportunity some of the leaders of the two biggest anchor institutions in Hamilton that have a significant bearing and impact on health and well-being and that is McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences who are very interested in synergies with respect to programming and infrastructure that this degree of investment around sports, recreation, health and well-being produce. So, one of the priorities for me in in in collaboration with city staff as this process moves forward is to explore with those regional institutions the ability to have them program and participate in creating a healthcare and education destination at King Road that surrounds all of the health infrastructure, recreation infrastructure, and housing. >> Excellent. Well, I’m looking forward to seeing that evolve. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. You have a question next coming from Councelor Nissan.

00:51:36

Uh good morning, Mr. Farti. appreciate you being here today. >> Good morning, Council >> and uh appreciate your passion for uh this uh this project and the partners that you have pulled together for it as well. >> And uh that’s actually my question. So there’s a lot of uh really impressive partners here.

00:51:52
Um obviously nothing is signed yet. So um I want to talk a bit about sequencing. You know the OL uplift, right? The economic uplift there uh is also very compelling. But what if some of these things don’t pan out and it becomes more of a more burden on the on the city? Um, how is this going to get sequenced so that we don’t uh we’re not the first or only ones to jump in with two feet and then uh having to hope that the other partners come on board? >> Well, I I think well, thank you for the question, Council Nissan, and I think the staff report that was put together artfully puts or creates a framework and process to ensure that those concerns are addressed. it is staged appropriately. There’s a due diligence process. Um there is of course further community engagement that’s required. There will be a good deal more discussion with these the partners that I mentioned and others over their interest. Um I think the city and senior levels of government ought not to make any commitment in the absence of

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commitments from the private sector and key partners that staging is critically important and something that everyone I’m sure will be concerned about before anybody makes a decision. least of all those private sector partners and you know we know that we’ll be working closely with city staff and ensuring that those concerns are reflected in the process as it unfolds but certainly acknowledge that that’s a key consideration in this.

00:53:13

Okay. Thank you very much. Uh I agree. Um secondly obviously uh and bear with me here but um you’re looking to do this as quickly as possible. We’ve made that clear that it’s a real lynch pin for the growth in the area and your economic um uh intentions um business intentions. So, uh would there be a problem if we restricted the construction hours on that site Monday to Monday to Friday or by say 15 or 20%.

00:53:42
This is on the agenda item as well, but I think it’s pertinent because this would be the number one construction project in the city. So, is that going to be an issue or Well, I know it’s probably tedious to hear, counselor, but it wouldn’t be something I would presume to speak definitively about. I will make this observation.

00:54:00
I I haven’t looked at the other uh agenda item that you have to contend with, but having experienced major infrastructure projects of a P3 type in other parts of the world, including the Hamilton project. Uh in this particular case, there is a degree of helpful isolation in the proximity to major transportation corridors that are themselves quite loud already.

00:54:19
uh this is not an infill project in in downtown Burlington. So I think that’s something that should be taken into consideration and then the critical timeline for delivery will be contingent on so many considerations including contractual obligations. The question of the pacing number of hours I think is something that city staff and all of the partners as they align will have to deal with.

00:54:37
I can speak to the Hamilton renovation experience. OBG I I think against all odds delivered that project on time and on budget. They did that in the last few months of of production by working some very extended hours downtown to ensure the completion of the site. So u to be discussed I’m I’m sure but all those considerations and others I’m sure will be part of the engagement process.

00:54:59

Yeah. Thank you for uh for taking that sort of out of left field. I just my only chance to ask. So thank you. >> I understand. You’re welcome. >> Okay. Thank you. First time question coming from councelor Karns. >> Thank you very much for joining us today Lou and through the chair. I just want to talk to you about uh milestones and timelines.

00:55:15
I find it difficult to reconcile what we’re being asked for today, which is to endorse the uses of the space from a recreational lens with the request that you’ve identified as an expedited permit process for the planning portion of the lands, which you just stated, you know, within if there’s a delay within a few months from today, it would compromise the project.

00:55:34
I think you said that. You can correct me. Um, but what we’re asking for today is a report back in almost one full year, Q2 2027, on the funding strategy, partnership model, and an implementation plan. Have you no way to get that to us sooner? >> Well, thank you for your question, counselor.

00:55:54
Um, so first of all, it’s not entirely within our hands. The the staff recommendation, what you’ll need to consider moving forward, um, is a process that the city is navigating and leading. we can go as fast as the city goes in relation to that process. Private sector tends to move faster than than than government generally.

00:56:13
I think in this particular case um as I alluded to at the beginning of my presentation, us moving with as much dispatch as possible in a coordinated fashion I think is going to be critical. Um I can’t my comment with reference to the planning application as a whole is that the realization of the events center as a necessary condition requires that we move forward with the planning application as quickly as we can.

00:56:36
What this council and staff do with the planning application is not a matter of my presentation here today. But I I concede the point that this is a big vision that has a variety of partners and speed is is absolutely necessary. the uh I will say in a hopeful tone uh of course we’ve been at this for almost 5 years uh with with city staff and getting to this particular point and in the last few months the work that city staff has done in collaboration with us on a team basis and on a daily basis gives me hope that we have the ability to get there if there’s sufficient political resolve. >> I’ll deliver one follow-up question then I’ll be complete. So the information that we would gather today which would essentially be on council approval of this item would not allow us to have the same decision-making authority because the information would be stale be by reporting back by Q2 2027. Um, we’re a board of governance, so it’s our role to make sure that we’re mitigating risk. And that would be a huge risk to come

00:57:36
back in 2027 with decisions around funding, financing, uh, implementation based on, uh, data from a whole year ago with a whole new group of people probably. So, what areas do you think council should focus on to help bring better alignment to the private sector uh, sequencing and pacing with our our roles here today? where do we need to focus to get that speed? >> Uh thank you uh for your questions.

00:58:03
First obviously um speed with respect to the planning approval process is critical otherwise it’s all for not as it relates to the event center. Secondly, as it as it relates to the event center, uh I wouldn’t presume to get ahead of the city’s due diligence in terms of the economic impacts of and and what it it’s prepared to commit, but given the tight funding window from senior levels of government and the need to create clarity around what the private sector partners are prepared to commit, uh creating a structure, and this is entirely the purview of of you and your fellow counselors, creating a structure that permits us to move forward to explore what the agreements would look like, what a funding structure would look like, so that everything is approval. ready as soon as possible in the new year would be critical. It’s not entirely with respect to year. We’re into July right now. We’re looking at roughly 6 months and I think if there’s clarity on those things um that six month time period um I think is quite manageable from a business risk perspective. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You’re welcome. >> Okay. You have a first time question

00:59:01
from Mayor Midward. >> Thank you so much for being here. Um and I recall how we in the past uh much smaller projects but we’ve worked with community groups uh ice users soccer players uh a whole range of gymnasts uh who have actually committed to funding uh partially the or in some cases uh quite significantly the facilities that we get and we know we can’t do it without community without private without other levels of government.

00:59:30
So, can you talk to us about some of the conversations that you’ve had with some of our community groups I know who are here and very supportive of what you’re doing? >> Thank you, Mayor Midwart, for the question. There have been a lot of conversations. Many of them have involved the business community, but we have also met with a wide range of sport and recreation partners um in the area of aquatics, for example, hockey, basketball um in wellness, health, recreation.

00:59:57
Generally speaking, first of all, as you’ll hear from them and many others in the community that aren’t able to delegate, there’s an enormous appetite and need from a family perspective for these amenities and resources. Um, and again, for people of all ages. Secondly, in the initial work that we’ve done, which we hope to deliver to the city and invited to move forward, I know that your consultant has been introduced to a variety of these groups.

01:00:19
the revenue proformas from these organizations and the programming they they bring whether it’s aquatics events hockey tournaments basketball uh and so on are very significant and the venue operator whether it’s OBG or the city in combination with OVG will as a function of it creating that business solution will look at all of those revenue streams assess them and make a decision about uh what that investment looks like.

01:00:44
I can say from the Hamilton experience what a massive difference it makes to have a world-class institution operated by a leading private sector partner. I’ve been there long enough to have experience with Cops Coliseum and how it was run before. It is activated an enormous percentage of the week. It generates a very significant amount of revenue for that private sector operator.

01:01:04
And this facility in this region at this size in this 7,000 seat arena is perfectly sized will be active the entire week. The facilities will be active the entire week in some cases 24/7 when it comes to fitness and recreation. So the work before us is significant, but it’s assembling the proformas engaging with all of these groups determining what revenue potential exists um and then making an informed business decision.

01:01:29
I’m enormously optimistic that the numbers will crunch and will make sense. Thank you. >> Okay, you have a second time question from councelor Bentovena. >> Thank you, chair. Well, I’m going to want to talk about some positive stuff here for a second. Um, you mentioned 9,000 units that are going to be part of this project.

01:01:53
You also mentioned obviously the event center, the businesses that are going to be involved, recreation centers, the economic impact. I understand that you had mentioned that it’s going to be very positive. If you don’t have this answer, I’ll ask staff later. What is the impact of 9,000 homes to our tax base? Would you do that home or I can ask staff that question? >> Thank you, councelor Benovven.

01:02:20
Let me just first remark that I went to law school because I was not great at math. So I I I I just with that stipulation uh you know comprehensive economic impact assessment I think was part of the planning file. Um and of course that doesn’t contemplate um an event center of the magnitude that we’re talking about.

01:02:39
So those numbers will increase significantly as we move forward with this process. But over 9,000 residential units uh has a variety of of revenue implications. Uh there are uh clearly development charges. uh there are a lotments and levies for school and education. There will be of course the property taxes that are created as a consequence of this density of development.

01:03:00
There will be an enormous amount of construction and development employment and retail tax generation as a consequence of a project that will take 10 years or so. The numbers um are in the billions. Um the tax revenue is in the many millions of course. um and the economic impacts not just I think to the community’s bottom line but to the bottom line of Burlingtononians who will live work and play in that area uh and whose employment will be significantly impacted as a consequence of that investment and I speak to my friends in the aldershot business community who you’ll hear from uh the value proposition of their businesses will meaningfully change as a consequence of all of this so it is a triple bottom line win for the community as a whole and I look forward to fleshing those numbers out with the city as we move forward Thank you very much. I will ask the staff that question later. Thank you. >> Thank you. Can I just say councelor Bentovenia, I share your pain in Italy missing its third World Cup in a row. I I I >> Okay, I think we’ve come to the end of

01:04:00
the question. So, thank you very much for your delegation. >> Thank you for your time and attention. Okay, our second delegate today is Andrea Dodd, director of Aldershot Village BIA, who’s joining us in person to speak regarding community facilities update and recommendations for 1200 King Road report CAO 01-26. Good morning.

01:04:18

Good morning. Tall like Lou. This was great. Uh good morning uh Mary me Ward, members of council and staff. My name is Andrea Dodd, executive director of the Aldershot Village BIA. I am here today on behalf of the Aldershot Village uh board of directors in support of the 1200 King Road and the Burlington Event Center at this site.

01:04:37
Aldershot is a community that continues to evolve and grow and this project represents an incredible opportunity not only for Aldershot but as for Burlington as a whole. As a business community, we see tremendous value in projects that do more than simply add density. We support projects that create complete communities, places where people can live, work, gather, connect, and thrive at every stage of life.

01:05:08
What is being proposed at 1200 King Road is ambitious, forwardinking, and community focused. This vision brings together housing, retail, recreation, entertainment, education, parks, trails, public gathering spaces in econom and economic opportunity in one master planned destination. To us, this represents the future of aldershot.

01:05:31
A future where residents from young families to seniors can access spaces, services, recreation, culture, and community close to home. A possible future where people can gather, enjoy events together, and root for the home team. and a future where Burlington embraces thoughtful intensification in a location that already benefits from strong transit connectivity through the aldershot go station and surrounding transportation network.

01:06:06
This project also presents an opportunity to correct a longstanding imbalance in our city. For many years, Aldershot and West Burlington have lacked some of the recreation and community infrastructure that exists elsewhere in Burlington, including access to city operated gymnasium and other major community amenities.

01:06:25
As council considers the future of this site, there is an opportunity to think bigger about what community building infrastructure could be delivered here. The scale of growth planned for 1200 King Road and the surrounding transit oriented areas will bring thousands of new residents to this part of the city and community infrastructure must grow alongside the housing.

01:06:49
Facilities such as recreation spaces, community gathering areas, and an event center would serve families, seniors, youth, newcomers, local organizations, and businesses. It would strengthen Alershot as a complete community while reducing the need for residents to travel elsewhere in Burlington to access amenities and services.

01:07:12
The event center investment is not simply a community benefit. It is an economic development tool. It can help accelerate housing delivery, create construction and permanent jobs, attract visitors, support tourism, and stimulate commercial activity throughout West Burlington. A destination scale facility would generate significant opportunities for local businesses.

01:07:33
Sports tournaments, recreational programming, conferences, cultural events, community gatherings bring people into neighborhoods where they shop, dine, stay, and spend. The businesses along Plains Road and throughout Aldershot would benefit from that increased activity. We recognize that projects of this scale come with a significant investment and important conversations around infrastructure and growth.

01:08:01
But while the cost may be high, the long-term value to our community is truly priceless. Projects like this help define communities for generations. The aldershot BIA alongside organizations such as partnering aldershot and many other community leaders has long advocated for a stronger more vibrant aldershot. We want council to hear clearly today that our business and community leadership supports advancing this opportunity with urgency, discipline, and ambition.

01:08:34
Specifically, we believe the event center and recreation district will be transformational for our community, spur economic development, accelerate housing, attract investments, and give partners confidence in the success of this project. The Aldershot BIA supports moving forward with this event center, and we encourage council and staff to continue working together to advance this important project.

01:08:58
By moving with urgency, the city has an opportunity to turn long-term planning into a practical public private partnership that can help accelerate housing delivery, build confidence amongst institutional and private sector party uh partners and address longstanding recreation and community amenity needs in West Burlington.

01:09:24
We believe this project represents a significant opportunity to deliver multiple benefits and create momentum for broader investment and growth in our area. This is a historic opportunity for our community, an opportunity to invest in the future of aldershot, an opportunity to build the infrastructure that supports growth and strengthens the quality of life for generations to come.

01:09:50
Let’s do it. Let’s start the serious due diligent work needed to turn a bold civic idea into a practical partnership model. One that can deliver housing faster, expand public amenities, attract investment, and create long-term economic and social value for Burlington. Let’s have council’s direction to move forward.

01:10:11
Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Thank you, Andrea. I’m looking around to see if there’s any questions. And there’s not. You were very clear. Fabulous. Thank you very much. Okay. Our next delegate today is Jim Young from Partnering Eldershot who’s joining us in person to speak also to report CAO-01-26, our community facilities update regarding 1200 King Road. Welcome, Jim.

01:10:40

Thank you. Good morning to the chair, Madame Mayor, members of committee, cler, members of staff, fellow Alder, and Burlington residents. As a local advocacy group, partnering alershot has appeared before council on a variety of local initiatives from community input on improving bus route number four alers linked to our hospital, art gallery, performing arts center, city hall and downtown core to residential develops in Alershaw where appropriate in support and some perceived at odds with the interest of the community in opposition. most recently been delegated in support of the Endwell supportive housing project on Waterl Road. In every case, planning alers position has aligned with the eventual council decision except one. We were unable to dissuade council from adopting the 2024 living play plan which

01:11:38
you will doubtless recall provided multi-year multi-million dollar investments in community facilities in every city ward except board one and alershot. At that time much of the city reasoning and justification for alershot’s exclusion centered on the prospect of great things to come at 1200 King Road.

01:12:01
That decision set part of the aldershaw on a two-pronged approach to bringing community programming and facilities to alershot PA seniors group set out to provide our own alershop programs and have done so so successfully that city culture and recreation department awakened to that local need now work with partnering alershot seniors to develop and implement more programming for alershot we’ve demonstrated the need but in doing so have only highlighted that older shot is still far behind the rest of our community in sports and fitness facilities. The second leg of our approach has been in alignment with the Alenia group and their transformational ideas at 1200 King Road. A proposal offering a once in a generation opportunity to redress those facility imbalances that other parts of the city enjoy over Aldershaw and the West End. Unfortunately, the downtown in the

01:12:59
housing market that has put most development projects on hold had dashed partnering alers shorts hopes for recreational facilities at 1200 King until now. Today, we find Elina preparing to move forward in many of the sports, entertainment, and community facilities proposed at 1200 King. Potentially an event center, major sports arena, community center, aquatics, basketball.

01:13:24
You’ve heard of them. All precisely the kind of community facilities partnering Aldershot has been advocating for some time. But perhaps of equal importance, the kind of anchor investment which will accelerate the broader residential and mixed use development at 1200 King, supporting the delivery of much needed new housing and associated construction employment in a sector of the economy that continues to struggle as well as the long-term permanent jobs that new businesses and commercial activity will bring.

01:13:59
Beyond the impact on Alershot, however, 1200 King opens up the potential for a major destination complex in West Burlington. A sports and entertainment hub bringing visitors, tourists into the area for sporting events, tournaments, conferences, bringing opportunity to local restaurant, retail, service, and hospitality industries.

01:14:21
As the destination features propel the broader 1200 King residential and business development forward, the city stands to benefit from the increased business activity, retail and hospitality spending, substantial residential and business assessment growth, property tax revenue, all supporting Burlington’s long-term fiscal health.

01:14:44
For all these reasons, we believe the city should consider financial involvement in this project not simply as a cost but as an investment in our future. And yes, the investment will be substantial. Staff estimate capital costs for the destination arena at 150 to $200 million. Adding multiple community facilities within that stretch that to 300 million.

01:15:10
Scary numbers. Substantial indeed, but not unheard of for an undertaking of this magnitude and potential positive impact. We recall that the eventual cost for the Baitman refurbishment was upwards of $100 million and 1,200 King is bigger and much more important than Baitment. No matter how important baitment was offsetting this city investment, a project of this regional, provincial, even national importance will doubtless attract funding from every level of government from the private sector, sports, entertainment, and hospitality industries. Partnering older’s understanding is that it’s precisely this kind of private investor interest in 1200 King that has rekindled forward movement on this project. We think forward movement on this project is very positive at a time when federal and provincial governments building Canada strong and

01:16:08
protect Ontario campaigns are catalyzing investment in nation building projects to build more housing to build it faster to improve infrastructure to create employment in the trades that will build it and in the economic revival that completed projects will bring. The time has probably never been better to seek financial partners in the upper tiers of government.

01:16:30
A decision today to move forward to the next phase of due diligence. The examination of capital cost, potential operating models, possible senior government funding and private partnership sector partnerships is essential. It will create the certainty and confidence that will backs stop public private partnership investment a project of this magnitude will need if it is to proceed and to succeed.

01:17:00
The scale and ambition of this 1200 K proposal will change all the shot in Burlington for generations to come and that could be scary for residents. So I would like to acknowledge the remarkable degree of community engagement undertaken by Alineia as they have introduced and updated this proposal from presentations with partnering Aldershaw Aldershop Business Improvement Area, Burlington Economic Development Council at Ward One Town Halls and even to a community walking tour of the site with environmental and historical commentary along the route. I had to do that walk just after my hip replacement. It was terrible. Every city developer should get so engaged. In closing, during PA discussions and many engagements with Alenia, it was hardly surprising that the Elder Shop business improvement and the business community would find a natural alignment with an

01:17:58
opportunity of this scale. What we did find surprising is the depth of interest and support among our seniors, among our faith groups, among our residents and civic groups for this project to proceed. Perhaps disappointed by past underinvestment in the West End. Perhaps concerned that planned intensification around the go MTSA will not be matched by social and community infrastructure.

01:18:26
Perhaps simply part of a national ground swell in the desire to build Canada in response to events south of the border. Whatever the reason, the older short community is genuinely enthused by the prospect of much needed community facilities offered at 1200 King. We urge council to move forward decisively and diligently with a linear on the next steps for this proposal because if King Road does not go forward, where else is there the land? Who else has a proposal like this under consideration? Where else will Alershort residents find the recreation and community facilities we feel we’ve been so long denied? 1200 King is probably Alder Short’s last best chance. Thank you for the opportunity to present these thoughts this morning. >> Okay, thank you very much Jim. You have a question coming to you from councelor Galbra.

01:19:26

Thank you chair and uh thanks Jim. Can hardly see you because you left the podium. You’re not as tall as the previous two delegates. >> Tall guys should raise that. >> You can you can lower it if you if you like. Can you stop associating with all the shop that’s improvement? >> Um, you’ve been a long advocate for more recreational facilities in the West End and uh, you know, this this would obviously provide some.

01:19:47
Can you can you talk about the limitations uh, you know, you’ve done a lot of work with the partnering aldershot and the seniors and um, you know, looking for space and moving them around. Can you talk about the limitations that we have currently in in Aldershot? Probably the biggest single limitation is the the absence of a gymnasium and the staff report points that out fairly clearly.

01:20:13
Limitations in terms even of local community rooms. There are two essentially one at the arena, one at the pool. They’re nice um but just not enough. If I look at the facilities even at Brent Hills, Tanley Woods, there’s multiple types of facilities um then you look at the development at the down in the east end with the the in the walking track.

01:20:42
Um a thing that’s huge at the moment is pickle ball apparently. I think I’m the only senior in Burlington who doesn’t play pickle ball. Um so generally that that’s the limitation. We have two con two community rooms small room at the library. There is the pool at the school but it’s a very old and fairly small pool.

01:21:03
If they’re talking about you know these 50 m um Olympic size swimming pools I would think he’d fill that with seniors very easily. >> Thanks Jim. Appreciate it. Y >> Okay. Uh you have a question coming from the mayor. >> Thank you, chair. Uh would you say that you’ve been involved partnering in aldershot, the BIA, the aldershot community has been involved uh from day one in this project and uh really as a model of community engagement.

01:21:39
I’m not sure about from day one but from at least two and a half maybe three years ago when we became aware of it and through the Abia and got in contact with the linear group yeah there’s been a tremendous amount of involvement whether it’s keeping alershot partnering alershot up to date whether it’s coming and listening to our thoughts they didn’t always agree we had one major argument about a grocery store believe it or not Um >> I’m sure that’s still coming.

01:22:11

But no, um I I’ve been involved in a whole load over the years of speaking for and against certain residential developments and there’s always this pretense of community involvement or we will involve the community, we will do this, we will and it never actually happens. they get the first involvement, the first engagement done and then they disappear.

01:22:34
Um the Alineia group has stayed very very involved. Um again meeting with partnering alershot inviting us along to the alershot business improvement area meetings where they’ve been involved um to the Burlington Economic Development Council meetings. Um I personally I’ve never seen that degree of involvement anywhere else and Is there any other residential land massive development? It will have its supporters and its opponents.

01:23:10
Um, and the best you can do is that these developments are probably going to go ahead anyway. So, at least get the community involved in trying to feel a part of it rather than something that’s imposed from above. >> So, the engagement has been pretty wonderful. That’s great. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Jim.

01:23:33
I’m seeing no other questions. Thank you very much for your delegation. >> Thank you very much. And both Scotland and Canada made the World Cup. Sorry to rub it in. >> Okay. Okay, our next delegate is Cody Brat from the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club who’s joining us in person to speak regarding the same report CAO01-26 regarding community facilities update and recommendations for 1200 King.

01:24:00
Welcome Cody. >> Good morning. >> I think this is the first time I’m up here where the podium’s at this height. This is nice. Uh good morning everyone. Member Mayor me, members of council and city staff. My name is Cody Brat and I’m the chief operating officer and associate head coach of the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club.

01:24:21
Joining me at the podium today is Gray Fairley, a regional aquatic leader who has dedicated his life to aquatics in this region. Gray began swimming at the age of five and progressed through the Canadian sports system to represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and on the World Cup circuit.

01:24:37
Today he serves as the head coach at McMaster University, swim team, pool manager at MAC, and chief executive officer of the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club. For more than three decades, he has worked with athletes ranging from learn to swim programs to Olympians. And he has seen firsthand the transformative impact aquatic facilities have on individuals, families, and communities.

01:25:00
But today, we are here advocating for something much bigger than one club, one sport, or one user group. We are here in support of adding meaningful aquatic infrastructure to the proposed development at 1200 King Road. Before I begin, I want to express my support for everything Delegate Lurporti shared before me.

01:25:19
His comments speak to the scale of opportunity in front of Burlington today and I’m here to reinforce the importance of sport and ensuring aquatic infrastructure is part of that vision. You will also continue to see the same passion from our friends in the aquatics community here in Burlington, including the Burlington Aquatic Devil Race, Burlington Masters Swim Club, and Ignite Artistic Swimming.

01:25:43
What has been so encouraging is that Burlington’s aquatic community is coming together because we all recognize how important this project could be for the future of our city and region. Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken about this time being a generational opportunity for nation building. When we hear that phrase, we often think about roads, energy, housing, trade corridors, and major public works.

01:26:10
But sport, health, recreation, and community infrastructure are nation building, too. A modern aquatic facility is simply not a pool. It is a preventative health in it is preventative health infrastructure. It is water safety infrastructure. It is accessibility infrastructure. It is economic infrastructure and a community anchor.

01:26:37
Aquatics is unique because it serves every age and every stage of life. Babies learning water confidence, children learning to swim, youth athletes, families seeking fitness, seniors needing low impact exercise. Individuals recovering from injury, people with disabilities, newcomers learning water safety, and high performance athletes all rely on aquatic facilities.

01:27:03
In an aging community, that matters. Water provides one of the safest and most accessible forms of low impact movement. Aquatic programming supports mobility, strength, balance, rehabilitation, social connection, mental health, and long-term independence. In many ways, pools and recreation centers are part of frontline preventative healthcare.

01:27:29
Burlington is also a waterfront community. Water safety should be part of who we are. Access to learn to swim, life-saving education, and aquatic programming is not a luxury. It is a sens essential community infrastructure. Right now, Burlington and Halton do not have an indoor 50-m long course pool.

01:27:48
The closest indoor 50- meter pool was built nearly 60 years ago and is nearing the end of its life. Jimmy Thompson Memorial Pool, the last games pool built in this region, is now closed for an indefinite period of time. It has served the community over a hundred years. That is the kind of impact these facilities can have when communities have the courage to build them.

01:28:11
Here in Burlington, families face long wait lists for aquatic programming. Existing facilities are aging, heavily used, and limited in capacity. Current facilities provide only minimal opportunity to host even small scale aquatic events. and they do not have the deck space, spectator seating, warm-up and cool down space, or competition infrastructure required for larger events to support the Burlington economy.

01:28:39
A recent study in the documents before you identified the Burlington, Oakville, and Missaga region as one of the largest gaps for access to 50 meter pool in the entire country. That gap is not theoretical. It is felt every day by families, athletes, coaches, seniors, schools, and community users.

01:28:57
This city is home to aldershot resident Paris parolympian Katie Katie Cosgriff who had to travel outside of her hometown to access the facilities required to train and develop at the highest level. Burlington has the talent, the passion, and the demand. What we are missing is the infrastructure.

01:29:18
The opportunity at 1200 King Road is exceptional. A combined facility with a 10-lane 50-m competition pool and a secondary warmer 10-lane 25 meter pool built alongside the proposed recreation space, event center, and hotel would serve both the community and regional needs. At the same time, the 50 m pool would support training, competition, parasport, artistic swimming, water polo, lifesaving, school programming, and major event hosting.

01:29:48
The warmer 25 m pool would support learn to swim, recreation, adaptive programming, seniors, rehabilitation style use, leisure programming, and warm up and cool down space during competition. That combination is what makes this so powerful. It is not only sport friendly, it is communityfriendly. The outpouring of support we have received so far has been incredible.

01:30:14
Hundreds of supporting documents have been submitted, including studies on the lack of aquatic infrastructure in the region, drowning and water safety reports, health benefit research, letters from families, athletes, coaches, officials, clubs, and community members, and letters of support from the two national uh largest governing bodies in aquatics, Swimming Canada and Canada Artistic Swimming, along with other provincial sport organizations.

01:30:40
This project has enormous economic potential. Aquatics is not a small niche. It is a major sport, recreation, health, tourism, and event sector worth hundreds of millions of dollars when you consider programming, competitions, facility use, travel, hotels, retail, and visitor spending across the country.

01:31:02
Communities with the right infrastructure are able to capture that activity year after year. Burlington has the location, the population, the demand, and the opportunity to become one of those communities. The recent Newport National Championship hosted in Markham by McMaster University generated in just three days over $1 million in economic impact to the city of Markham.

01:31:24
Just last night, clubs from across the region returned from Windsor where thousands of people attended a swim meet in their 10-lane 50 meter facility. Those visitors supported Windsor hotels, restaurants, and local economy. It is time for Burlington to do the same. With an event center and hotel as part of the broader proposal, Burlington could become a true regional, national, and international destination for aquatic sport, recreation, events, and tourism.

01:31:53
The location is almost impossible to replicate in the entire country. 1200 King Road is near the GO line, the 403, the QEW, and the 407. 25 minutes to Hamilton airport. Dare I say 45 minutes to Pearson, and within an hour of an international border, an aquatic powerhouse. There are no locations in the country better positioned for this type of regional facility.

01:32:22
This is not a local wish list item. It is a recognized regional need. This is a chance to build something that improves health, teaches water safety, supports an aging population, creates accessible recreation, develops athletes, attracts events, and drives this Burlington economy and serve this econ or this community every single day.

01:32:46
These facilities are more than pools. They are community acres as you’ve heard from the previous delegates to so today our ask is clear. We respectfully ask council to endorse the 50 meter competition pool and secondary warmer leisure and community pool as a prioritized component of the 1200 king road scope not as a secondary or optional add-on so that it fully advances through the Q2 2027 due diligence and funding work.

01:33:16
We also ask that council direct staff to work with the developer to explore all available options to make meaningful aquatic infrastructure part of this project. The aquatic community is ready to support this process however we can. We’re happy to provide additional data, letters, sports section, sports sector connections, facility input, event hosting context, community feedback, and anything that may help strengthen the case.

01:33:43
It has been nearly a hundred years since Burlington resident MM Robinson helped support the development of the last games pool built in the region. It is time for us as the next generation to do the same. Thank you. >> Thank you, Cody. Again, a very welltimed presentation. Thank you. You have a couple of questions on the board. I’m going to start with Councelor Nissan.

01:34:09

Thank you, uh, Cody. Thank you both for being here. I appreciate it and a very impassioned uh almost a speech. Thank you. Um with respect to the 50 meter pool and you mentioned the nearest facility is approaching end of life. Is that in Hamilton or where is that facility? >> Yeah, that’s uh located at McMaster University.

01:34:29

Do you have any uh followup? Do you have any intel on uh on what they’re planning to do? Are they planning to renew that facility or what’s their deal? >> I can speak to that. So as the pool manager for that very facility, I can tell you there are no plans to rehabilitate that uh that uh community or that pool at all because we are in a situation where the university um is treading water with all facilities especially with athletics and recreation.

01:34:57

Thank you for the brilliant uh analogy of treading water. That was awesome. Um, finally, uh, does that speak to a ability for Burlington to seek more partners around this facility? Um, if we’re going to be the only one in the region, certainly upper level government funding if it’s not going to be anywhere else, what about McMaster or Hamilton? Any thoughts on that? >> Absolutely.

01:35:20
uh this proposed opportunity at 1200 King as that P3 partnership is a really unique opportunity that we haven’t seen presented anywhere in the region and I think that having a private sector partner uh helps as a catalyst and and we listen to we had athletes at the sport Canada funding announcements with uh the honorable Adam Vancouver and they’re ready to act.

01:35:47
Uh, aquatics is a darth in this country. Uh, Ontario has aging facilities, 50 m pools. There’s only two that have been built in the last, well, I can’t even say decade now because they were built for the Panm Game. So beyond that uh so it’s a really unique opportunity here in this region and built in this combined way with both pools you can really maximize the opportunity uh for everyone uh including hosting events you’ll see as I said swim Canada and artistic uh Canada artistic swimming uh is on support life-saving society also has uh a letter of support in the documents before you today it’s a it’s an opportunity unlike any other. >> Thank you very much. >> You’re welcome. Thank you for the question. >> Thank you. Have a question next coming to you from councelor Charman. >> Thank you very much. Always a pleasure to see you there and you get more enthusiastic and confident as you come

01:36:47
back. Um thank you for that. Listen, the um the discussion the comments you made about winter and it was an event uh but could you tell me about the program they have in general throughout the year and how successful that is? >> Yeah, absolutely. Uh so that facility has been an anchor for that community and if we reflect just we came back yesterday as I said there were 700 families in Windsor a million and a half in economic impact over this past few days.

01:37:18
you go back five months, they’ve been hosting Canada Masters National Championship, World uh Diving Championship, uh Offsa High School Swimming Championship, Invitationals, like we’re talking millions upon millions of dollars that go to that city with direct spend in their hotels. um on a day-to-day basis that program is heavily used by a wide variety of constituents with lots of opportunities for learn to swim programming along with the other community partners.

01:37:50
They have adequate uh facilities to be able to teach life-saving elements in the classroom and then uh in the facility itself. Um the one niche to it and the downside to that facility is it being a 10-lane 50 m pool with an additional dive tank that’s all attached in one body of water. It doesn’t serve the community seniors as well as it could.

01:38:14
And that’s why I think the proposed 10 lane 25 m pool alongside the 10 lane 50 m pool so they can be at different temperatures so that our seniors and our uh young people have a warmer body of water. It’s just really expensive if you want to talk about the bottom line to host to heat a body of water that that is that big and I think that that’s why diving hasn’t been proposed as well.

01:38:38
It’s just that additional depth that much more cost. So having separate tanks uh would have really complemented that facility and our colleagues in Windsor have said uh that that’s something that they wish even if they kept diving that they could keep the two tanks at uh different temperatures.

01:38:55
So, uh, has really high utilization, that’s for sure. >> Sounds like a pretty amazing opportunity. Now, let’s turn to the McMaster, um, event at, um, Markhamm. So, does that was that indicating that they are looking for options to get out of Hamilton and go elsewhere? >> Let me speak to that. So, McMaster is not looking to get out of Hamilton with their varsity swim team. Sorry.

01:39:18
uh with their varsity swim team or programming necessarily, but we are looking at a situation where we have to look at all options on the table. As we know these uh facilities are very expensive um and which is why the university is very hesitant. This is an opportunity where we have a P3 partnership with that we could also on every level of government access money.

01:39:46
the university does not have that access that they just and so it becomes there is no way that we would ask the city of Burlington to go two feet and that’s the same way with the the university so we can’t do that so 100% does that mean that we would take a bus as a varsity swim team or a varsity water polo team I played for both I I coached both we would take that bus because it’s not that far and uh those athletes as we know any athletes are very very dedicated So they would they would make that happen even though they are in engineering etc etc. So I hope that answers your question. >> It does. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Next question is from councelor Galbreth. >> Thank you chair and uh thank you for being here in the presentation today and you’ve answered some of my questions on the tourism which I agree is a is a is a big draw to the area with a pool of this size. Um you talked a bit before um when you were last delegating about investing

01:40:44
in a potential local pool facility. Are you prepared to be an investor partner in a facility like this today? >> I think uh absolutely we would be in support of the project and be a partner within it. as a local uh nonprofit nonfor-profit sport organization. Uh the opportunity for largecale funding wouldn’t be coming from us or our peers.

01:41:09
Uh but certainly can help support uh in partnership and filling the pools and getting events and uh being a great partner that way and offering any of the expertise that uh we can offer or our colleagues across the country can. >> Thanks for that. And then obviously you’d be uh an advocate to upper levels of government and participate in that that ask as you sort of pre-ment mentioned in your in your delegation.

01:41:34

Oh 100% uh happy to support in whatever way we can. The letters uh submitted today were also written in an address to the honorable Neil Lumston and Adam Vancouver so they can be used and that was the forwardthinking ask to the aquatics community so that it wasn’t just directed to city council as we know the the large amounts of funding are actually going to come from upper levels of government.

01:41:57
So those letters can be submitted to uh uh those upper levels of government. >> Yep. Okay. Thank you. >> You’re welcome. Thank you for the question. >> Okay, next question coming to you from councelor Karns. >> Thank you through the chair. This is a financing question. So, we’re starting to uh see a theme and a pattern of uh all the user groups asking for upper level government funding whether it’s construction for pool, etc.

01:42:21
Gymnasiums, hockey, event center, land, transit probably, etc. I’m worried that we’re going to exhaust that. So, since the next swim RFP won’t be issued as an RFP, um, one of the things that were done when we did the ICE uh, user groups previously is that they did put a capital levy onto all of their user fees.

01:42:45
And what I’m starting to hear from your delegation is that uh, with these great opportunities, it sounds like they could squeeze out more of our local Burlington swimmers. And, you know, we’re very sensitive about that. So the more national provincial competitions, the less pool time, which we know is is scarce.

01:43:02
What conversations have happened amongst the swim community around doing um sort of a user group sort of shared investment? So I get that you’re not for profofit, but uh what about those those types of funds coming right from the user groups? >> Yeah. Uh absolutely. with uh the user groups and the heavy demand that we’ve seen before us with the RFP in the previous times that I’ve uh spoke before council, the lack of aquatic infrastructure, we would be adding the biggest facility, the most amount of opportunity for Burlington residents to continue to swim in Burlington. um that 10 lane 50 meter pool. I’ll use the t a tangible example of the city of Markham uh at their Markham Panam Sports Center of their aquatic user groups that are utilizing the facilities side by side. And I’m sure uh my colleagues in the aquatics community would welcome the opportunity for us to work side along

01:44:02
alongside each other to be using shared lane space at the same time because none of us need all the pool time all the time. >> Okay. But would you look at this the second question. Would you look at entering into um like a user group arrangement where you would charge more to your um users, your tournaments, your swim meets, and then that would go directly back into funding the infrastructure needed to to develop that.

01:44:31
And the reason I’m asking is because I actually didn’t realize there were so few 50 meter lanes. Um and I have a feeling that, you know, there would be a high demand for it. And the faster we can get that paid off, the better. >> Yeah, absolutely. And I think that uh every event that’s hosted uh it’s a common practice to have a facility levy that goes back and helps support that aquatic infrastructure and having those largecale events and working with uh partners such as hotels to help fund those uh other opportunities. But absolutely within our organization and the hosting of events. Um and those events that you had mentioned bumping out Burlington residents are actually complimentary events to Burlington residents that are actually traveling outside of our region and spending money outside uh of this region proincially or uh nationally. Um so it’s an opportunity for athletes to stay here at home and have money generated here in this city.

01:45:31

Can I also add something? That’s why it’s actually really important to have the two separate pools. So, if we have that 10-lane competition pool that is driving events and driving people from outside the community to spend money in Burlington, we have that 25 m pool here as well that also allows us to continue to serve the Burlington community while that uh that um event is going on.

01:45:52
So, it’s we’re getting the best of both worlds. >> Okay. Um I’m going to go back into Q. Thanks. Okay, thank you councelor Curtains. I don’t see any other hands, so you’re welcome to continue. >> Okay, thanks for sharing more about the aquatic facilities. If there was an opportunity to So, this needs to be an above and beyond is my understanding.

01:46:16
Are there any other recommendations you want us to be aware of? We need to level load our funding because this King Road is going to be extremely expensive. Do we need to level load anything off of any other aquatic infrastructure that you are aware of like doming pools, anything like that in anyone’s imagination? Do we pause on what we’re doing on the pools on mass and just focus on trying to get funding towards this facility with its timing? >> Uh, absolutely.

01:46:44
That uh would be our recommendation to focus on this project. It’s the best opportunity for all Burlington residents that has been put before council um and out in public both private or public sector and doming uh I’ve spoke to the challenges with it uh previously um currently even if the idea of doming Nelson would be the facility that we could dome right now you can’t actually run Nelson Pool and the arena at the same time.

01:47:15
So then you’d be looking at closing another community asset to serve a population. Then you get into heating and all those additional elements and that uh facility for this to really make sense. You need to have the adequate deck space and uh spectator seating to be able to host the events to offset those expensive costs that you’re talking about in aquatic facilities.

01:47:40

Okay, end of my questions. Thanks. >> Thank you for the question. >> Thank you. We have another question coming to you for councelor Charman. >> Well, that opens Pandora’s box. Um, when you take a look at the cash flow appropriate opportunity coming from something that is going to drive significant competitive revenue um and and and also community population growth.

01:48:00
Um, should we not do those numbers and figure out what we should be investing in rather than not investing? So, what do we know about those numbers? So, we’ve run uh a number of the and you can speak to this as well, Gray. Uh the numbers on a facility like this and making the pool a costneutral asset.

01:48:21
Um helps offset and you do that through increased fees to your user groups. uh like uh councelor Karns alluded to, we do that through these events and our partners with uh the Aldershot BIA, the other partners in the city to get sponsorship and donations to help bring all those pieces together to make it one event center um and a hub for all sport.

01:48:46
Uh so the fees for that, a lot of those numbers have been presented. We can uh certainly share those uh with city staff as required. Um but it’s been proven in this province and in a close region in the city of Markham that the model works and it can have extensive impact uh on the community. So, just to go over this a little bit more, uh, Councelor Sherman, um, we when when this 50 meter complex, it’s actually around 40 events, 40 to 50 events per year that would be, uh, um, happening there.

01:49:25
And we’re talking somewhere between 500,000 to 1.52 million per event. Uh, that would be the economic impact to the region. So yes, when you do the math, it’s a large number, right? So we’re talking about high school meets that would happen and and deal with all of all of the local high schools coming in and just coming into that aldershot pool on a Tuesday, right? But then and that’s not impacting any of the user groups cuz that’s between 9 and 4.

01:49:54
And then also then on the weekends, that’s why that other 25 meter pool is so significant because then it’s not impacting the the the community. It’s only it is an event center. So we if we look at it like that then we’re talking about okay we need to drive hotel things. So it it dubtales very nicely with Alinia and what they’re trying to do with the arena.

01:50:16
So it very much matches that and the finances of that. >> Good. Well thank you for that. My in in really my second question relative to what you said is that we were in expecting to grow 70,000 people by 2050 but with the additional linear lands another 700 acres that could take us another 20 or 30,000 people or more.

01:50:37
Um and and we need to factor that growth in because these are long-term investments. Can you can have you done that sort of thinking also and the long length of the uh of the utility of such amenities? Absolutely. Uh so we look at the aldershot pool that is nearing um and don’t quote me on it but city staff can speak to the lifespan of it.

01:51:03
It would be on the second half of its lifespan uh for sure. So this pool um and McMaster as an example you use the Atobbico Olympium another regional asset in aquatic infrastructure have been around for 40 50 60 years so it’s not a one-time investment. Jimmy Thompson Memorial Pool a 100red years and uh I have strong hopes that it’ll continue to operate once they are able to fix the repairs. But that that’s the hope.

01:51:35
But 100 years is an impeccable legacy um and built with the right uh all all of the right aquatic infrastructure including uh appropriate bulkheads to be able to host events. All these pieces allow that revenue generation to be continued invested into that infrastructure so it lasts for generations to come.

01:51:58

Sorry, follow up. I think you actually missed my point. My point is you need to think more broadly about the entire city of all the all the uh capacity we need to have and then the financials around that plus the economic benefits of that particular center in 1200 king. Is that >> you could you could look at it another way um as well as this will generate the revenue like so it it will actually generate the revenue in order to facilitate whether it’s a renovation at Tinsley Woods, right? Um or rehabilitation at Centennial um facility. So if we look at it that way because we are talking about millions of dollars worth of revenue generation for the city because it is going to impact the hotels and it we know that in the city of Markham and in the city of Windsor and the economic models and you can speak to the BIA or direct your city staff to it. they are driving hotels being built, right? And that affects what our tax base is here in the city.

01:52:57
So I would suggest to you actually if you build it then the other facilities actually get better because they’re driving the the amount of money through. >> I agree. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much for a great discussion. I think that’s the end of the question. So thank you for your delegation today.

01:53:16

Thank you. >> Thank you everyone. So, it’s just going on 11. We’ve been working hard for about 90 minutes now. So, I’m going to suggest a bio break for it’s 10:58. So, 7 minutes. So, we’ll start again at 11:05. Okay, we’re back in. If I could get

02:02:06
people to settle down, please. We’re going to continue with our delegations at this time. I’d like to ask Manny Figuardo from the YMCA to please join us in person to speak regarding community facilities update and recommendations for 1200 King Road report CAO01-26. >> Good morning. >> Uh thanks for the opportunity um Mary Mayor me Ward, members of council and city staff.

02:02:35
Uh my name is Manny Figero and I’m privileged to be the president CEO of the YMCA of Hamilton uh Bernington Brford four plus years. Uh I’m here in behalf of the YMCA team to um to show our support for council to proceeding with the next phase of the due diligence regarding the community facilities opportunity at 1200 King Road and to offer the YMCA’s perspective as a longstanding community partner committed to Burlington’s future.

02:03:05
The YMCA connection to Burlington spans generations. Uh when the Burlington Family YMCA opened in 1970, it beca became home to Bernington’s first indoor swimming pool. The facility, later named the Ron Edwards Family YMCA, has served as a gathering place for generations of Burlington residents and remains an important part of the community today.

02:03:27
This year, the YMCA of Hamilton, Burlington, Brford celebrates its 170th annual general meeting, marking 170 years of strengthening communities across our region. As Burlington has grown and changed, so has the YMCA. The YMCA ecosystem is is a powerful one where people can remain for an entire lifespan or they can come, enter, and exit as their needs and interests evolve.

02:03:54
And what excited us about exploring this opportunity was around the opportunity around the regional impact and the impact in Burlington. Our programs uh support young people and seniors. They help people build skills, find meaningful work, and strengthen their connection to the community through our health and fitness, our aquatics, our youth intervention programs, our child care, our summer camps, our employment services, just to name a few.

02:04:24
This conversation is not new to the YMCA. Over the years, we have participated in community discussions and worked alongside partners to explore how community infrastructure can support growing communities. That work has included visits with city representatives to municipal partnership facilities in Calgary, Alberta, in addition to visits to our Laurier Brford Y, which is a unique partnership in the region.

02:04:47
Those experiences have reinforced the importance of thoughtful planning, partnerships, and shared commitment to community outcomes. Through decades of services service in Burlington, we have seen firsthand how community infrastructure strengthens lives and communities. That experience shapes the perspective we bring to this discussion and why we believe growth and community infrastructure should evolve together.

02:05:11
The report before council describes 1200 King Road as one of the last significant development opportunities within Burlington’s urban boundary and envisions a complete community that integrates housing, employment, recreation, culture, and transit connectivity. The vision aligns closely with Burlington’s horizon 2050 and its focus on building complete communities where people can thrive at every stage of life.

02:05:34
As Bington grows, the opportunity is not only to create new needed housing, but to reimagine how growth is supported by the infrastructure, services, and community spaces. The recommendation before council creates an opportunity to think beyond buildings alone, invites a broader conversation about the kind of community Bernington wants to create as it grows, and how recreation, child care, community spaces, and opportunities for connection can be part of that future.

02:06:02
We believe that it is a thoughtful and responsible step forward. At the YMCA, we often talk about creating spaces for belonging. We know that communities are strengthened when people have places to gather, learn, play, and connect. Housing, transportation, employment are certain certainly essential, but thriving communities also require social infrastructure.

02:06:26
Access to recreation, aquatic sport, and community space supports physical and mental well-being, social connection, and healthy aging. These benefits extend far beyond the facilities themselves. The report contemplates a development that could include approximately 8,800 residential units alongside many other community services.

02:06:48
As Burlington plans for the future growth, it is important that recreation, wellness, and community infrastructure be considered alongside housing, transit, and employment. The city’s own live and play identifies that there is currently no city operated gymnasium on the west side of Burlington.

02:07:05
This creates a unique opportunity to address existing community needs while planning for future growth. This is a rare opportunity to explore how public, private, and nonfor-profit partners can work together to ensure the growth is supported by the recreation, wellness, and community infrastructure, which is well, which is greatly needed.

02:07:27
As this project evolves, we encourage council to continue to keep the needs of families front and center. A development of this scale will bring increased demand for licensed child care before and after school programs, youth services, recreation opportunities, and community gathering spaces.

02:07:42
As council explores explores future facility options and partnership opportunities, we encourage consideration of how child care, youth services, and recreation and community spaces can be integrated to support families and strengthen neighborhoods. Through our work with children and families across Burlington, we see firsthand how these supports contribute to children’s development, help families participate in the workforce, and strengthen the broad and strengthen the broader community for long term.

02:08:14
As discussions continue regarding capital costs, operating models, and partnerships, partnership opportunities, we believe it is equally important to consider the community outcomes these investments can create. To give context, across our region, Hamilton, Burlington, Brford, and Hallebertton, where we offer um overnight camp in 2022, we served 55,000 people.

02:08:38
Last year, that number grew to 95,000 people that we served across our YMCA EO ecosystem in partnership with private and public partners. More than onethird participated through free subsidized or funded opportunities thank to the generosity of government grants and foundations and our private partners.

02:09:01
We continually on a quarterly basis measure impact and one of the greatest impacts we see that’s so important for our young people is measuring the impact of our ecosystem on their resiliency. These are the kinds of outcomes that community infrastructure can help create when it is planned alongside growth.

02:09:16
As Bington considers future opportunities at 1200 King Road, please continue to consider the important outcomes not only infrastructure buildings will have, but in terms of how the spaces and programs with the partners here today can have in our community. Binton has a strong history of partnerships and the YMCA has been proud to be part of that story.

02:09:38
The Ron Edwards Family YMCA demonstrates how municipalities and community organizations can work together, create shared assets, and deliver long-term community benefit. Our purpose today is to express our support for the process being proposed and our belief that community well-being, belonging, and opportunities for connection should remain important considerations as this work continues.

02:10:03
This week, the YMCA will gather here in Burlington for our annual community impact event to celebrate people, partnerships, and investments that continue to strengthen the community is a reminder that thoughtful community building creates impact across generations. Opportunities of this scale are uncommon.

02:10:19
They provide a chance to think not only about how city grows, but about how a community grows alongside of it. This is why we support council proceeding with the proposed due diligence phase and continuing to work necessarily and continuing to work and do the work necessary to move 1200 King Road forward.

02:10:38
Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment to Burlington’s future. Pleased to answer any questions. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, Manny. I am not seeing any questions on the board. Your delegation is very clear. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Okay, our next delegate is Zohair Khan from the Burlington Aquatic Devil Race who’s joining us in person to speak again, not to speak again, but speak also to CEO-01-26 regarding community facilities update and recommendations for 1200 King and I understand you have a presentation. >> Uh yes, if we could call that up. Perfect. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> Good morning. Uh good morning everyone, members of the committee, mayor. Uh thank you for your time uh this morning and for allowing us to speak. >> Sorry. Sorry. I don’t mean to. Yeah, I was going to say if you could speak more into the mic that would be great. Thank you. >> Uh my name is Zohar Khan for those don’t know me and I’m speaking on behalf of the Burlington Aquatic Devil Rays. Uh we’re Burlington’s longest serving competitive swim club with more than 40 years serving the community. Entirely

02:11:37
nonprofit and run by parents and volunteers. I’m joined today by Petra Hannibbury who leads the Burlington Masters Swim Club. We are delegating together for a simple reason. Between our two clubs, we cover swimming across a lifetime from a child’s first lent to adults to adults still racing in their 70s. And on item 8.

02:11:55
2, we speak with one voice. Uh we’re here today uh with a specific ask that the aquatics component of 1200 King Road be carried forward as a prioritized part of the scope and not set aside as a secondary one. Uh next slide, please. In addition to everything that our friends over at Ghack went through about the need for aquatic infrastructure, let me tell you why this matters and why it matters now.

02:12:22
We put out a call for support and received over 250 letters overnight and they continue to pour in. We’ve set up a web portal to publicly track and show this demand. They didn’t come in from one street or one team and about 63% were from parents and families, 28% from swimmers themselves, the rest from coaches and from over 10 clubs and organizations.

02:12:42
While over threequarters of these letters came from Burlington, we also received letters from Oakville, Milton, and Hamilton. The swimmers who signed RA signed range in age from 9 to 79. I want to pause I want to pause on that because it tells you this isn’t a children’s issue or a single club’s issue.

02:13:00
It’s a community issue and a regional one. Here’s the gap that those letters point to. Right now, Burlington and Halton don’t have an indoor 50 m long course pool. Uh the atobico Olympium close to an hour away in traffic uh is our best choice. So our swimmers and their families get in the car and drive out to the region out of the region just to compete in the kind of pool this region should have.

02:13:21
That’s a reality today. A 10 m 50 lane pool changes that. It means we can elevate our training here, compete here, host events here. Events we simply can’t hold in Burlington right now. and the warmer 25 meter pool. Beside it is the community engine as mentioned by many of the speakers before me.

02:13:39
Learn to swim, water safety programs for seniors, parasport and everyday recreation. The two pools aren’t competing ideas. They’re one facility that serves the whole range. The toddler and a swim lesson and the national level athlete all in the same building. And the timing is the whole point. Today, Burlington has roughly one indoor pool for every 48,500 residents.

02:14:01
The city’s own growth target doesn’t improve that ratio and at best it holds steady as we grow. Meanwhile, 8,800 new homes are coming to 12200 King Street as part of this proposal. If the pool isn’t built into the scope now, the people will arrive, but the water won’t, and we won’t get a second chance at a site like this.

02:14:19
I pass it over to Petra now. >> Thank you. Good morning, mayor and members of council. My name is Petra, and as O’Hare mentioned, I’m representing Burlington Masters. I’m going to take a bit of opportunity to educate uh on masters for everyone. I know I haven’t presented here before and I want to thank council for considering the role aquatics can play in Burlington’s future and express our support for including the 50 meter aquatic facility as a priority component of the 1200 King Road development.

02:14:50
Burlington Masters provides swimming opportunities for adults of all ages, all abilities. We support fitness, rehabilitation, healthy aging, and competition. Our members currently range from 19 to 81. We have had members as old as 92. And together with the Devil Rays, as Zohare mentioned, we provide a continuous pathway from youth swimming to lifelong participation.

02:15:11
As adults, we support residents at every stage of life. Like many aquatic facilities in Burlington, we are feeling the impact of limited pool capacity and aging facilities. Much of our training time ends up being late in the evening which is very difficult for some members to attend and it’s actually also very difficult for us to retain and attract good quality coaching.

02:15:33
We’re also unable to expand programming at this time. We have a wait list for all of our programs and the local meet that we run out of Centennial also at capacity bursting at the seams this year with a weight list running there as well. And that swim meet does attract uh swimmers from all over the province. We are one of Canada’s top mast’s clubs and we see an impact on athlete development.

02:15:57
Recently our team placed fourth at nationals which was in Windsor the pool that was mentioned previously and second at provincials which was hosted in Atobbico. What we could do if that we could host those competitions here we also had a number of record breakers Canadian uh records very close to one world record in fact.

02:16:15
Wouldn’t it be great to get a Burlington athlete on the map for a world record? I grew up in a community with a 50- meter pool, and I saw firsthand how valuable it was. It served competitive athletes, seniors, people recovering from injury, families, and recreational swimmers alike. That’s what actually excites me most about this proposal.

02:16:36
A 50 m pool is not just for elite athletes. It’s for the 75-year-old recovering from surgery, the 50-year-old just trying to stay healthy. the teenager training for a university spot and everyone in between. It’s an investment in health, recreation, inclusion, lifelong participation for generations to come.

02:16:57
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I’m going to turn it back over to Zo for closing. >> Thank you, Petra. Um, so to close, we’re asking the committee for three things um when moving forward with this report. First, as Cody from Gak mentioned, the 50 meter pool should definitely be a prioritized component of the development at 1200 King Road.

02:17:16
Secondly, a project of this size need partners at all levels, and the work to find them should be starting now. And as Lou mentioned, time is of the essence. Third, you can count on us. You have in this room a 40 plus year aquatic community that is ready to fill the lanes, host the events, and bring this facility to life from the day it happens.

02:17:35
I’ve been at similar crossroads during my time as the comm leading community engagement at Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University. Under the leadership of then President Sheldon Levy, we expedited the business case for the public private partnership that saw the shuttered Maple Leaf Gardens transform into the Madame Athletic Center.

02:17:53
The impact to the university and the local downtown Toronto community was immeasurable. It also shows that with enough innovation and out of the box thinking, these type of projects can become reality very quickly. Burlington has a once in a generation chance to build to become the region’s aquatic hub.

02:18:09
I hope the city can find it in itself to put the resources and the planning together to navigate through the public sector process and I’m confident the private sector will move as fast as the city is willing to. Thank you for your time today. >> Okay, thank you very much for your delegation. I’m checking to see for questions and you have one coming first from councelor Karns.

02:18:28

Thank you uh for being here today through the chair. My question is the same. would you support for your user groups a facility fee? >> Uh yeah, 100%. We’ve actually been talking about it at the board level and our end and thinking about ways that we can support both from prior doors opening to doors opening of this facility.

02:18:46

Okay, thank you. >> Okay, I’m not seeing any other questions. Thank you Zohar and thank you Petra. >> Thank you. Okay. Next, I’d like to invite Lawson Hunter to the podium who’s joining us in person to speak to Climate Resilient Burlington Plan 4-year progress update report PWS07-26. Welcome, Lawson.

02:19:06
And I understand you have a presentation. >> I’ll let everybody leave so that >> Okay, fair. >> Good morning. My name is Lawson Hunter. I’m resident of Burlington. Um, I’m going to set aside the w written remarks that I and I don’t need slides. Thank you. I’m going to set aside the uh written remarks that I handed in because uh I’ve changed focus and I’m getting a little tired of saying the same message that I have been for almost 7 years that the Burlington is not doing enough to address climate change. Instead, let’s talk about the climate resilient Burlington year four-year progress uh chart that that uh was just well that came out. I’m happy to see it. It it’s it answers one of the things that I have recommended that uh some sort of a dashboard similar to the one you have

02:20:04
for housing shows the community the progress that we’ve done in climate change. I’m a bit disappointed that it’s four months late. that has some data that’s incomplete and it references a couple of staff that are no longer here in the at city hall. So, um but uh as as it says, it’s a snapshot. So, we’ll take it as as it is.

02:20:29
One of the other things that I encourage this council to do is to uh engage the public even more than you have in the past and to educate them. So when I look at this uh these 32 different actions, I see similar words that pop up. Extend, expand, integrate, develop, enhance, enhance, enhance, develop, maintain, assess, um conduct an assessment to inform, which I’m not quite sure what that is.

02:21:02
Uh explore the feasibility, uh enhance, develop, uh etc., etc., etc. Um, out of the 32 action items that are listed here, 20 have fallen into the category of continuous improvement. And one could argue that all 32 actions could fall under the continuous improvement because climate change is not going to stop.

02:21:26
It’s not going to resolve because we checked off a box and we’ve completed one of the actions. It’s going to it’s going to continue. And at the same time with this snapshot, many of the continuous improvement action items end at Q4 2027. So I kind of wonder what happens after 2020 2027. It brings to mind that this is typical think thinking inside the box and I think that’s how the city of Burlington has approached climate change.

02:21:59
It’s a box. It’s something to identify, deal with, and then put aside. Uh the people around this table, not the counselors, but the the commissioners and the people that they represent and the city, they also are in separate boxes. City Hall is silo mentality extreme. And I don’t know that any one of those people in city except for the two people that are in uh sustainability really take climate change to heart.

02:22:36
I’m sure they think about it. They must have children. They must have grandchildren. But as their duty as a an employee at city hall, they do what they’re told to do in their particular category. And if it spills over to something else, then that’s good. But I think every person that works for city hall needs to think about climate change every day of their life.

02:23:07
I think every citizen needs to think about climate change every day of their life. This chart is about resilience. And to me, resilience is the psychological and physiological capacity to address stress, adversity, or trauma. And it’s often described as the ability to bounce back. Well, we can’t bounce back from climate change.

02:23:36
It’s going to keep going and going and going. It’s going to get hotter or colder or more more violent. So, there’s no bouncing back. I prefer the word and it used to be called um an adaptation. So you can mitigate and you can adapt. And a little while ago, a couple of weeks ago, you know, it was 10° one day and it was 28° the next day.

02:23:58
So I thought to myself, well, how do I adapt to that? Well, I pulled off the cover of my air conditioner, but I kept the winter coat in the closet. So I encourage city hall to use those kind of metrics, not the plans, not the reports, not what the international organizations I don’t I don’t need those things.

02:24:24
I look out the window and say this is what’s happening today and I deal with it. I’m sure you’re tired of listening and hearing the same excuses. It’s the federal government. It’s the province. Well, the federal government has abandoned climate change as far as I’m concerned. And I have no idea what the province is trying to do as far as the climate’s concerned.

02:24:51
Mark Carney thinks that we have to build the economy to save the environment. And the environment is not a subset of the economy. It’s the other way around. If we didn’t have the environment, if we didn’t have land, if we didn’t have water, if we didn’t have clean air, we would have no economy. And that’s the thinking.

02:25:11
That’s the approach that everyone needs to take. Doug Ford hates bicycles and bicycle lanes and speed cameras. Well, I remember the photo op where smiling faces all stood there. You were this far from installing speed cameras because you all said they save lives. So why would you reverse that decision? because the staff made a report and they said it’ll pay for itself.

02:25:39
It’ll cost, but you let a bully in the provincial capital come along and say you can’t do that. I challenge you to install those speed cameras and see what happens. Is he going to come in? Is he going to order the OP to cut them down? Is he going to fine you? Well, if he does, that’s going to be a massive PR problem for him.

02:26:05
But if the feds and the province are not going to do anything, then that leaves the municipalities to pick up the slack. But it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. The region of Wateroo, for example, has created a partnership, and we heard partnership mentioned quite a bit this morning, called Climate Action WR, that brings together three cities, four townships, local organizations, area businesses, and industry community members. And they share ideas.

02:26:33
They learn from each other and they work together as a team. And we heard a lot about how private and public can work together. So why not use that model on climate? Because you can talk to industry in this community and they you’re doing things to address climate change. You can talk to community groups and they are doing things to address climate change.

02:27:00
Involve them. Bring them in. create a larger group within the community and learn from what they’re doing. No amount of plans or consultants reports or how many climate organizations we’re part of will solve the problems if we don’t take action. And Burlington already has a shelf full of reports and plans.

02:27:25
Local decision makers, that’s you, have to make climate adaptation and mitigation a priority, not an also have. There’s an old saying, it’s the economy, stupid. Well, I think it’s the system stupid. We are so locked into the way we’ve done things that we don’t want to change. We can’t look beyond that.

02:27:46
We have to think about a systemic approach to climate change. Councilors need to get involved. They need to empower city staff to embed climate action into every decision. Climate mitigation and adaptation have to be baked in to every action, to every purchase, every activity the city undertakes. Now, we’re entering election time and you’re all going to be knocking on doors.

02:28:16
You’re going to be handing out flyers and you’re probably going to have a line or two about all the climate action that you have taken as a city councelor or a mayor. You know, the people at the door are going to talk about traffic. You know, they’re going to talk about affordability. You know, they might talk about housing.

02:28:35
They might talk about public safety. You already know that. Why not ask them the question, is climate change important to you and your family? The other three things I suggest, involve and engage the public and local industry in climate action strategies. >> Sorry, Lawson, I’m giving you a 20-minut warning or sorry, 20 second warning.

02:29:01

Allocate 1% of the city’s budget to climate change mitigation. think long term and create a robust education program to help support the community in its efforts to become net carbon neutral by 2050. Thank you. >> Okay, thank you very much. Like to see if there’s any questions on the board. You’re getting one for councelor Curtis.

02:29:22

Thank you very much, Lawson. And um I will be the first to admit I’m not the expert on uh the climate adaptation or the sustainability and uh I do appreciate those who are much more in tune with it. However, when I was looking at appendix C of the report, I did identify all of the investments that were made in 2025 uh with a rolling calendar like storm water master plan, uh Skyway being a lowcarbon design with a $1 million investment, the protected bike lanes on Prospect, um some beach work, more storm water, more trees, uh Tyandega Eco Trail updates, shade infrastructure on some of our new parks like Port Nelson. And um how can you help me understand if we’re doing an okay job between the things that seem very high level, I suppose, and the things that are practical solutions with the climate resiliency lens? >> Well,

02:30:21
that’s that’s a big question. I’m not saying that you haven’t done anything. I’m saying you haven’t done enough. And again even in this uh appendix it’s structured in a silo areas. Um you know you’d rely on conservation halton for flood plane mapping. Um, the trouble is the province is taking that away from them and and mushing them in with four other conservation authorities called the West Western Lake Ontario Conservation Authority.

02:31:03
So why are the people in Peele and the people in Hamilton going to care about the flood plane in Burlington? So we have to look at ourselves. We have to look at it from our point of view. I mean, enhanced creek flood protection. Sure, we’re doing things, but uh how’s the Tuck Creek new bridge replacement going? Uh we’re hearing about Robert Baitman and and 1,200 King Road and we’re hearing figures like a hundred million, 150 million, $300 million.

02:31:43
My question would be how much are you spending on climate adaptation and mitigation? And again, continuous improvement is is important, but there are still numbers in here that say, for example, the state of the infrastructure in this report says it’s good, and yet there’s $1.2 billion needed to fill the gap.

02:32:09
So, how can you have good infrastructure if you need to spend $1.2 billion? So, it’s in some of the details. It’s not it’s not the actions that you’ve been doing. It’s diving a little deeper. And also, I mean, as I said, I like this the fact that this is here and the public can look at it, but it’s hard to understand what they’re really talking about.

02:32:35
Again, you need to engage the public a bit more. You need an education program that explains what the all these numbers mean and why why is this completed and why isn’t this completed so that the public can understand and they can support you in your efforts. Not sure if I answered your question. >> No, that that’s helpful.

02:32:56
And uh uh would you say we should probably second question we should probably keep a closer eye on including uh the climate section in our reports with an example being the fact that there’s no climate section in the 1200 King Road report as an example. >> Well, there used to be in every staff report a paragraph saying climate implication. Okay.

02:33:23

And that disappeared. >> I mean that’s that’s one example of you know what’s happening here. >> Perfect. Thanks for your time. >> Okay, I don’t see any other questions. Thank you very much. >> Okay, thank you. >> I’m going to request now Denise Gray to join us to also speak to the climate resilient Burlington plan year for progress update PWS07-26.

02:33:49
Welcome Denise. >> Hi everyone. This is my very first time here. Very exciting. Um I appreciate the time. Good morning, Mayor Meidward, members of council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today regarding Burlington’s climate resilience strategy. First, I’d like to acknowledge the work that has gone into developing the plan.

02:34:08
It is clear a significant effort was made to understand climate related risks facing our community to establish a framework addressing them. I am speaking today both as a Burlington resident, a homeowner, and someone who professionally works focused on climate risk affecting homeowners across Canada at a major financial institution.

02:34:33
This is what I do. Wake up every day and this is what I focus on. In my professional role, I see the impacts of extreme weather events, flooding, infrastructure vulnerabilities, climate related risks on homeowners every day. I also see the projections of what is coming in the years ahead. Because of that experience, I can say with confidence that the question is no longer whether climate related impacts will affect Burlington residents.

02:35:08
We are already experiencing them. 2014, 2024, thousands of residents impacted here in Burlington. That is where I believe there is an opportunity to strengthen the strategy. The question is whether residents will be prepared for those impacts that are going to become more frequent and more severe.

02:35:32
Counselor Karns, this goes towards the question that you were just asking. What can we do more? When I read the plan, I see a comprehensive assessment of risks. I see important actions related to infrastructure, flood management, emergency preparedness, natural assets, and community resilience. What I do not see enough of is a strong focus on helping existing residents understand these risks mean for them personally and what actions they should be taking today.

02:36:10
Many homeowners do not know whether their property is at increased flood risk, what steps they should take to protect their homes, what grants, rebates, or support programs may be available, and not just at the municipal level, but at the provincial and the federal level. How to prepare for prolonged power outages or severe weather events.

02:36:36
We are going to experience one of the warmest summers this year, which is great. But for the underserved, for the elderly, this is going to cause some serious problems for our community. And most of the community does not know where to find reliable information to help them make informed decisions. As climate impacts become more frequent, homeowners are increasingly carrying financial risk through property damage, rising insurance costs, and investments required to protect their homes.

02:37:15
This is something that we always see in the news when we look to our neighbors to the south. The state of Florida no longer um their residents having issues acquiring home insurance. the state of California. It is happening in our own backyards. Dejardan in the in the province of Quebec in some flood areas is no longer offering new mortgages to residents.

02:37:44
They’re no longer offering housing insurance. This is an issue happening in our own country. Residents should not have to wait until after a flooded basement, a major storm, or an extended power outage to learn how to prepare. I believe Burlington has an opportunity to become a a leader in resident focused climate resilience by placing greater emphasis on education, communication, and practical support for homeowners.

02:38:19
The city has done important work identifying the risks. The next step should be ensuring residents understand those risks and know what actions they can take to reduce them. I would encourage the council to consider expanding homeowner education and awareness initiatives, making climate preparedness information easier to find and understand, promoting available grants, incentives, and retrofit programs more actively.

02:38:46
providing practical guidance for flood prevention, emergency preparedness, and property resilience, and measuring success not only through plans and studies, but through resident participation and preparedness. Infrastructure investments are essential, but resilience ultimately starts at home. A truly resilient Burlington is one where residents understand their risks, know how to prepare, and have access to the resources they need to protect themselves and their families.

02:39:20
My concern is not that Burlington lacks a climate resilience strategy. My concern is that many residents may not yet understand the role they play within it. If we want our community to be resilient, we must equip residents with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to take action before the crisis occurs.

02:39:42
I appreciate the work that has been done to develop this strategy, and I hope future implementation places a stronger emphasis on helping today’s residents prepare for the realities of tomorrow. Thank you for your time, and thank you for your commitment to building a resilient Burlington. Thank you, Denise.

02:40:01
You did a great job for your first time. >> Thank you. >> See any questions coming forward? Let me look at the board. I am not seeing any questions, which means you were very clear. Thank you so much. >> Okay. Next, I’d like to invite Amy Schneer. So Amy is from Burlington Green and she’s speaking on two items today.

02:40:22
First is PWS07-26. We’ll start the clock for that one for the climate resilient Burlington plan. And then I also understand Amy that you also want to speak to the analysis of bill 98. So we’ll reset the clock when the time comes for your second delegation. Okay. >> Oh, sorry. Just a point of clarification.

02:40:39
Chair, is it the other way around? Am I doing bill 98 first? >> That’s how I prepared. >> That’s fine if that’s Yeah, totally fine if you’re more comfortable with that. Okay. So Amy’s going to start with analysis of Bill 98, Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act report. CAF-06-26. >> Terrific. Thank you so much.

02:40:58
Good morning, Mayor Me Ward, chair, members of committee, city staff, and the Burlington community. Uh, as stated, I’d like to begin with just brief comments on behalf of Burlington Green, regarding the analysis of Bill 98, Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act 2026. Although this bill has now received royal ascent, it remains worthy of comment and continued advocacy to the province by the city for several important reasons.

02:41:31
As noted in the city staff report, this legislation signals a major shift in how Ontario manages growth. It directly impacts municipal authority, how development applications are approved, and how infrastructure planning is coordinated. That is why on behalf of Burlington Green, I submitted comments to council on April 17th.

02:41:54
Uh it is unfortunate that the input provided was not included in the staff report appendix O with other stakeholder feedback and that’s in part why I’m sharing it today so it can get on the record that Burlington Green certainly does acknowledge the significant scope of work that staff provided including the 13RO submissions associated with this legislation and we also very much appreciate the latest report that staff have provided for further analysis.

02:42:24
Overall, as stated in our April 17th input, respectfully, uh, we would suggest that the report as well as the ERO submissions do not go far enough in clearly identifying the full extent of the risks, particularly the impact on housing affordability and Burlington’s ability to meet its greenhouse gas emission targets.

02:42:50
The fact that the staff report does not cite climate as a key implication is concerning, as is the unchecked box for the bill’s strategic alignment to protecting and improving the natural environment and taking action on climate change. This is inaccurate, a missed opportunity, and it contradicts some of the points, the excellent points made by staff in their own eros submissions.

02:43:15
Um, and Burlington Green is concerned that while it has received royal ascent, there hopefully, I’m sure, are ongoing uh as ongoing dialogue between government relations staff and the province. And so we would hope that as well as the excellent content in the analysis and in the um ERRO submissions that we would not miss out on this opportunity to drive home the direct implications to Bill 98 to the city’s ability to move forward on one of the items I’ll be speaking to next, which is climate adaptation or climate resiliency. Bill 98 weakens or removes the very tools that you as the city of Burlington municipality relies on to ensure that new development is efficient, resilient, and affordable over the long term. Stripping municipalities of the ability to implement voluntary or mandatory green development standards will not make housing more affordable. It will simply shift the cost to onto residents through higher uh energy bills and onto

02:44:15
taxpayers through expensive retrofits and climate adaptation. This is not streamlining. It is offloading long-term costs and risks onto communities. It jeopardizes the advancement of the city’s official plan, integrative mobility plan, sustainable building and development guidelines, the urban forest management plan, asset management plan, and other core city strategies.

02:44:35
It risks locking in higher admissions, increased fossil fuel dependence, and greater long-term financial burden for residents. Equally concerning, it represents a clear erosion of local decision-making authority. Municipalities are best positioned to understand local infrastructure limits, environmental constraints, and community priorities.

02:45:00
Removing that authority weakens accountability and sidelines residents from decisions that directly affect their lives. The implications of Bill 98 are monumental and potentially irreversible. And thus, Burlington Green continues to urge council to do three things. One, publicly and unequivocally equivocally state the risks Bill 98 poses to Burlington’s climate targets, housing affordability, and ability to manage growth, sustainability.

02:45:31
Perhaps there was a media release with the city stating the position or highlighting those er the ERRO submissions stating this is really important. This is the implications. Residents deserve that transparency and accountability. Number two, clearly identify how this legislation undermines the city’s ability to achieve specific essential climate action objectives.

02:45:56
And thirdly, advocate strongly for the retention of municipal authority to enforce climate responsive planning and green development voluntary and potentially mandatory standards. And again, thank you very much to the city staff for their analysis and their eros submissions and we hope our comments are helpful to ongoing advocacy to the province of Ontario.

02:46:21

Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Amy. You have a question coming to you from councelor Karns. >> Thank you very much, Amy. And I’m just wondering um if you could help me uh when I read this report under the climate implication, it says again, it was on the consent agenda as a receive only. >> Yep.

02:46:39

Under the climate section, it just says that uh no direct climate implications arise from the recommendation itself, but future impacts will be considered at the time. Um is that accurate in your mind? I I would argue then why check the boxes for the other ones? You could apply the same the financial the other pieces, right? You could say, well, all of these will have future implications and leave them all unchecked.

02:47:03
So, absolutely, Bill 98 has direct strategic alignment to protecting the environment and taking action on climate change. Not potential, it actually does. >> Okay. And then my second question is this. in in this executive summary and again it’s just a receive and file. It doesn’t indicate anything around advocacy um that I can read.

02:47:26
I’ll read it again. I don’t see an advocacy piece here. Would you recommend that we undertake some additional advocacy to uh make a city statement on this proposed legislation? My understanding when I originally submitted uh comment on behalf of Burlington Green back in April, it was in response to the government relations city staff saying they were uh providing comments and then they did hear from various stakeholders and provided more in-depth comments which is what this receive and file is about and uh I did I could be wrong but did indicate that the government relations staff would continue to advocate on the various detailed items in a chart within that report of the concerns they had about Bill 98. >> Sorry, let me follow up with some better clarity. So, yes, there is a commenting element which is a a legislative or procedural focus, but then there’s another piece uh that would work in tandem what would be more like an

02:48:25
advocacy or statement from council that we would put out through our media relations. Is that what you’re asking for? >> Yes. >> The second part to let people know what’s going on and where the city stands. Yes. Okay. I’ll follow up with staff. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Um I’m just aware of the time.

02:48:49
I’m certainly going to let you finish Amy, so don’t be concerned about that. I’m going to give you a moment actually just to take your breath between delegations. I’m going to do a little bit of agenda management if that’s okay. >> Sure. >> Okay. So, just hold the fort for a second. So, after Amy has her second delegation, we have one more registered delegate.

02:49:06
And then we’ve also had a request um to for a motion to be put forward to suspend the rules to allow for a late delegation request. So, I’m wondering if we can do that. And I also wanted to kind of take a temperature with committee as far as what your appetite is for being able to finish delegations before we go for lunch.

02:49:21
Um given the fact we have Amy to finish, does anyone have an absolute hard stop and need to take the lunch from 12 to 1? Sorry. >> Is there a 1:00 legal? >> I checked with legal staff. We do We were going to start 1:00 confidential, but there’s no external legal counsel. So, we can extend that a little bit after 1.

02:49:44
So, we’ll still take our regular lunch break. So, if we finish at 12:20, we’ll take lunch till 1:20. So, wondering if that’s an option. >> Okay. I have thumbs up. Thumbs up. >> I have a something at 12:00. I’m going to try to move it, you know, for the next five minutes. >> Okay. good on this side. Yeah. Okay. Okay.

02:50:03
So, we’re going to go ahead and do that. Um I think what we’ll do now is we’ll continue with uh Amy’s second delegation and then I’ll go through the motions to get the uh last ones on the board. So, go ahead, Amy. Thank you for your patience and please go ahead. >> Okay. Thank you so much, Chair. Um yes, I’m pleased on behalf of Burlington Green to um provide brief comment on the climate resil resilient Burlington uh update.

02:50:27
I know this council truly does care about making civic engagement more accessible and I appreciate that this item therefore was pulled for discussion. Climate related ports reports should be front and center whenever possible and just constructively share that the expectation that residents uh know who their counselor is number one understand committee processes and know how to request an item be pulled can itself be a barrier to participation.

02:50:57
So I found it a little bit of challenge and I feel like I’ve been around here a little bit. So thought that might be helpful to point out in your process um piece. Uh but as Burlington Green noted when the climate action plan so the other plan was presented plans alone do not create change their success depends on implementation resources and sustained commitment.

02:51:21
The climate resilient Burlington plan contains many important recommendations but they will only have an impact if they are adequately resourced and prioritized. And Burlington Green wants to provide this opportunity to comment on the excellent work that Burlington um city of Burlington is fortunate to have through their sustainability staff who are very dedicated, thorough and proactive in their uh work on climate change and that is reflected in the progress report.

02:51:50
Burlington Green is already helping to advance several of the actions on the uh adaptation or resiliency plan through community engagement, tree planting, invasive species workshops, and environmental stewardship programs. However, the scale of the climate challenge requires a coordinated effort across the municipality, community organizations, businesses, and residents.

02:52:13
Plans don’t reduce emissions, people, and budgets do. When the city declared a climate emergency in 2019, council committed to increasing the priority of climate action across plans and budgets. Yet today, there is still not sufficient capacity within within city hall to implement this plan at the scale and pace required.

02:52:34
And yet, the work is becoming increasingly urgent. Some of you may be aware of the recent David Suzuki Foundation event that Burlington Green was proud to co-host with the Burlington Performing Arts Center. And some of you may not be aware that following that um we had a smaller stakeholder workshop up in Milton that Burlington Green helped to support.

02:52:54
A key message from those discussions that while climate mitigation remains essential, communities must also focus on adaptation and resilience. The reality is that municipalities cannot respond to every climate related emergency alone. And so this workshop series with uh David Suzuki and Terracololis um explored scenar scenario but it the series explores various scenarios including um extreme heat, flooding, prolonged power outages and other climate related disruptions and community participants stakeholders gathered to discuss are we prepared as a community um and what it looks like when municipal resources are stretched and residents need to rely on neighborhood networks and local organizations and community lead uh leadership. And my takeaway and that of everyone in the room I think and was that Burlington

02:53:52
like many communities would face significant challenges during a climate related emergency. So as some of the other delegates said we have a progress plan. We know what the risks are. Is the city prepared? But is the community prepared? Because it’s going to take all of us and there is a plan and the emergency prepar preparedness piece is in there.

02:54:10
But our uh our argument or suggestion was it needs to be amplified. We can’t wait till more emergencies. We have to test them out in real life and apply them sooner versus later. That is why the climate resilient Burlington plan and the uh update is so important. Climate resilience is not simply about infrastructure.

02:54:29
It is about people and ecosystems and neighborhoods and our collective capacity to respond to change. And that brings me to, you know, there’s 32 actions in there, but I just want to speak to one and a little bit on another. And one is that um action 2.5, which is the development of a biodiversity action plan.

02:54:47
And I think I delegated I want to say maybe five years ago on this and then three years ago at different times is that yes, we’re making tremendous progress on climate action, but there’s but I remember at the time uh um the council members saying, “Hang in there, Amy. Be patient down the road.

02:55:03
” So, I obviously wasn’t effective in getting my point across in that they’re interrelated. You can’t have one without the other, right? So, um we strongly support advancing and funding that biodiversity action plan into 2027. Um uh healthy ecosystems are the most one of the most cost-effective um forms of climate um infrastructure available to us.

02:55:29
It helps communities withstand heat waves, flooding, invasive species, extreme weather events. Wetlands absor absorb storm water. Trees cool neighborhoods. Naturalized areas support pollinators and improve ecosystem health. Diverse ecosystems are more resilient and better able to adapt to changing conditions. So a biodiversity action plan would provide that necessary roadmap for protecting and restoring habitat, improving ecological connectivity, expanding urban forest cover, managing invasive species, and supporting nature-based climate solutions. So we need that road map. You have three climate plans and then you have urban forest management plan. You have all these other pieces, but there’s a gap and that’s what will be filled with this biodiversity action plan. That’s why it’s identified as a key action in the climate resilient um report. So importantly, uh you don’t have to start from scratch. It’s always a it’s great thing when you’re late coming to

02:56:28
the party because somebody else has figured it out already. So municipalities uh such as Hamilton, they already have developed a comprehensive biodiversity action plan. So Burlington can build on those best practices and adapt them to local needs. And certainly Burlington Green, we’ve offered before, we continue to offer.

02:56:45
We would welcome the opportunity to help support this boots on the ground customized work for Burlington. And finally, uh, one other comment. I would encourage council to consider how the city’s current property maintenance standards align with the city’s climate resilient goals. The city’s property maintenance standards create tension between traditional landscaping expectations and the naturebased approaches increasingly recognized as essential for climate adaptation.

02:57:16
Climate resilience, as I said, requires biodiversity. We need that habitat for pollinators. We need those native plants. We need naturalized areas and healthy urban forest. So when residents who are trying to contribute to those objectives to do their part encounter barriers or confusion or uncertainty or inconsistency, it can raise legitimate questions of whether the city’s bylaws and policies are on in alignment and actually support some of your goals.

02:57:42
So as Burlington advances climate resilient Burlington, there’s an opportunity to review those property maintenance standards through a biodiversity and climate adaptation lens to ensure that they support rather than inadvertently discourage nature-based climate solutions. Thank you so much for your attention for the work that’s been done and Burlington Green looks forward to seeing our suggested recommendations potentially translated into meaningful action.

02:58:15
Okay, thank you very much, Amy. Your delegations are always very thoughtprovoking. Uh, we have a question coming to you from the mayor. >> Thank you very much, uh, chair, and thank you as always for being here. Uh, I wanted to pick up on, um, a little bit of what you said in your and the previous delegation around, uh, the biodiversity p piece and how we can help, uh, residents with that.

02:58:37
uh but also more broadly how we can uh help residents know what actions they can take and you’ve you’ve done incredible work. I get your newsletter. Uh you do uh let people know what they can do, simple actions they can take all year round, including around bio diversity. >> Do you have any additional uh suggestions for us around how we can help uh people understand uh what steps they can take, how we can support the efforts that uh that you’re making? We’re you’re great partners with the with the city on all of that. >> Yes. Excellent. Thank you for the question. In short, I would say what I said, you know, earlier, which is people people just generally don’t connect the dots to action on climate and some of the initiatives the city are taking or some of the opportunities they can do. So I think it’s really important in the city communications that they be user friendly, they be broad and they be

02:59:36
applied and through lived experience and examples. So for example, this is great the report and all these submissions to the er ero and how the biggest threat to the environment climate change is urban growth and yet the average person doesn’t understand what this bill means or the climate they’re not going to read the climate resilient report.

02:59:55
So number one is the mayor and everyone sharing in their newsletters and understandable language. This is why this is important and here’s what you can do. Take action Burlington. The city is already doing but it doesn’t hit not everyone subscribes to that. Burlington Green has a huge following but not everybody in Burlington.

03:00:14
So we’ve also suggested that there be opportunities at every turn where out in the community there is signage labeling opportunities to connect the dot to folks to how uh whether it’s transit tree pro um forestation naturalization and community gardens nobody understands that those are actually helping with climate adaptation and resiliency.

03:00:38
So one small thing we have suggested is without oversigning the city you could take your take action earth logo your brand put that on any every bus shelter put it at your planting of your gardens make those connections for people and then also like I said in my previous delegation a few months ago you shouldn’t have to search for climate on the city website which you do right now and so it should be front and center so I think by just broad communicating like crazy, making it really accessible, speaking to the um community. That’s when we’re communicating Burlington Green. That’s where our area’s expertise is. Nine times out of the 10, people just don’t know where to find the information and that’s where we come in. And so when we direct them and point out some of the things they’re doing, we often have to direct them to city reports, which they’re not going to read. So we send them to Take Action Burlington. But again, there’s a lot there. So I think

03:01:36
if I think a delegate comment delegation comment earlier if there’s a userfriendly high-profile here’s how you can take action and support the city um in Burlington dashboard on the city website easy to find and also link that directly to are you prepared because people think environmentalists are going to solve the climate crisis but as another delegate said this is all about how it’s going to affect their personal lives.

03:02:01
So if they don’t know that by taking down a tree they might be implicating their ability to have shade and storm water runoff, how how will they know that? So we want to make it easy for them to connect the dots. Yeah. So use every opportunity to make it as understandable and accessible for the community and we’ll help you do that.

03:02:20

That’s terrific. Yeah. We have a great resource with our staff on take action Burlington and sending that out in bite-sized pieces. Uh and I know many of us put that in our newsletters or promote that uh as well. So uh are are you um advising that we should uh be more explicit in labeling certain actions as climate friendly? So our tree planting or transit, you you’ve mentioned all of that and then you can just search it and find it as if you’re looking for climate initiatives.

03:02:49

Yeah. I mean I think even when I attended a transit forum and I made a comment, it’s no judgment, but people just I said, “Thank you so much for taking transit.” And they’re like, “What do you mean?” I’m like, “It’s good for the environment.” and they’re like, “Oh, that’s not why I take transit.

03:03:00
” That’s a missed opportunity, right, to say, “Well, that actually is a connection.” And so, it’s just people are smart, but they’re busy and they don’t necessarily make the connections. And I think that’s a missed opportunity. And, uh, we just hear it all the time when we’re encouraging people to cycle or the multi-use path.

03:03:17
They don’t think that that’s helping the environment. So why not brand that collectively and shine a brighter light on the things are happening and then people will make those connections for what they can do at home personally um I think is would be terrific step in the right direction. >> Thank you. >> You’re welcome. >> Okay, great conversation.

03:03:36
Thank you very much Amy. I don’t see any other questions. >> Okay, thanks so much. >> Thanks. >> Okay, so we have two remaining delegations. uh both want to speak on item CO16-26 which is re reviewing options over to restrict construction hours. Uh first we will have Cynthia just hold the fort for a second Cynthia.

03:03:56
Um we also have had I need a I have two motions to deal with quickly. So first I’m going to ask councelor Nissan if he will thank you forward the motion to add an item to the agenda. Uh we were made aware of a late registration so I need a motion for that. Um all those in favor? Okay. And that carries. Thank you. And then to make sure that can happen, I need also a motion. Councelor Nissan.

03:04:21
Good. Thank you. To suspend the rules 4.6 46.1 of the procedure bylaw 59-2024 to allow a late delegation request for Mike Collins Williams to speak to item 8.4 motion memo regarding a review of options to restrict construction hours. All those in favor? And that carries. Okay. So, we’ll finish our last two.

03:04:40
I’d like to ask Cynthia Shanahan, please. Welcome and thank you for joining us to speak in person regarding the motion memo for review of options to restrict construction hours report CO-16-26. >> Well, that’s a mouthful. Thank you. Um, I was going to say good morning, but it’s good afternoon to the mayor, council, and staff.

03:04:58
My name is Cynthia Shanahan, a lifelong Burlingtonian and executive with the residential group Milcraftoft Against Bad Development. My husband and I have been residents of Milcraftoft for 30 years. I am here today representing not only my family but the 10,000 residents MAD supports across Milcraftoft and the 20,000 supporters across Burlington.

03:05:24
We purchased our home in Milcraftoft because of the properties, the green space, the trees, and its welldesigned community including a golf course. Over the last p over the past six years, we have all witnessed the consequences of development. The cutting of more than 425 trees, excuse my voice, each over 40 years old, the loss of valuable green space, construction on storm water management lands, and the destruction of a 40-year-old community.

03:06:01
I’m not here to speak about those issues today. I am here to support the motion to review and report back on the process and considerations needed to regulate construction and its impacts on residents. The current city currently allows construction Monday through Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 700 p.m. with no construction on Sundays or statutory holidays.

03:06:30
But where there is construction, there is noise, heavy equipment, increased traffic and dust. Many streets will have constructions on both sides simultaneously. There is no escaping it. We might as well all move out for the duration of construction for both our mental and physical health. The mental health of our residents has taken a toll.

03:06:56
We know the well doumented health benefits of green space and that green space is now gone. Residents who landscape their property properties to enjoy the outdoors are now left wide open to dust noise and the relentless dru disruptions of construction. We are asking you to support this motion and to consider limiting construction to Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.

03:07:28
to 5:00 p.m. with no construction on Saturdays, Sundays, or statutory holidays. I’ll share a personal example. Our house burned down in 2012. Our contractor cho chose not to build on Saturdays or Sundays or after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays out of respect for our neighbors and his own subcontractors. He was so considerate that he refused to place a portable toilet on the property and instead have an emergency hookup installed inside the remaining house.

03:08:07
We are asking for that same level of respect from developers across Burlington. When I pull friends, family, neighbors, Milcraftoft residents, they all support this motion regardless of where they live in the city. It simply makes sense. Multi-year construction projects can plan accordingly with this advanced notice.

03:08:34
Curtailing construction hours will allow all Burlingtononians and the developer zone employees and contractors to enjoy the outdoors and maintain a healthy balance. Current practice already supports the suggested revised hours. So, let’s have the current practices supported by bylaws so all parties can plan, host backyard weddings, enjoy their weekends without disruption, etc.

03:09:06
This is a win for residents. This is a win for workers. This is a win for Burlington. Thank you for allowing me to delegate this morning. >> Thank you, Cynthia. Good job. >> I’ve got a number of questions on the board. We’ll start with the mayor. Okay, >> thank you so much. Um, so we’re here trying to to get information and our role is to try to balance all of the interests in the community.

03:09:36
So I know as a downtown resident uh some of the super structures that have been built >> uh require for example a continuous pour over a weekend. So there have been times when uh they have asked the city and there’s a process that they go through. There’s notification to the community for additional uh hours.

03:09:55
So if they can do a continuous pour over a weekend into a Sunday a stat holiday, sometimes they need lighting. >> In those cases, they have to ask, they come, they the residents are notified and it’s a period of time. Do you think that that is a helpful that is >> very reasonable? I know we hosted two backyard weddings.

03:10:18
I would hate to think what it would be over the next 5 to 10 years if we planned a wedding and then all of a sudden there’s bulldozers, heavy equipment in my backyard. So if there’s advanced notice and timing is taken into account and adhered to, >> I think that’s reasonable. So that there could be some construction allowed on those days uh with with community consultation >> for concrete.

03:10:45
We all know that a pore is a pour and it’s got to happen. But there are definitely parts of construction that is um planned well in advance. The only construction I see right now are in parts of cities which are not infills. Milcraftoft and other parts of the city, most of them except the one we heard about this morning, which is excellent, um, are infills and so we need to take that into account in this city.

03:11:14

Great. Thanks, Cynthia. >> Thank you. >> Okay, thank you. Have a question coming from councelor Karns. >> Uh, thank you very much for your delegation. You’ve shared some specifics around hours and days. Those are not contained within the uh, rationale or outcome that is before us. This is a report back motion.

03:11:30
Um, I took a brief opportunity to connect in with municipal affairs and housing and uh some other minister’s offices and it is confirmed that this is squarely an authority of the Burlington City Council and we make our own bylaws and I’m just wondering um because of what I’m hearing I don’t see any type of an engagement section within here there’s just a report uh to request the city solicitor and commissioner of developing growth management to review and report back because the sentiment and I respect ffect the situation that Milcraftoft is in. Uh but the sentiment in downtown is especially for the larger structures is get them done as quickly as possible and move along to the me to the next. And so uh those Saturdays and extended hours are are kind of woven into the urban landscape. And um I’m just wondering what level of engagement should we undertake across the city? I would be engaging not only residents

03:12:28
within the downtown but the developers but subcontractors. There are not many subcontractors that are willing to work six days a week. We are in a new world where life balance is important. So I think if there was engagement for all walks of construction including the residents I think we’ll find that it is a very much uh it would be much appre appreciated to limit construction hours even during summer months.

03:12:58
It would be a different thing in the winter when you’re not sitting on the patios on Lakeshore or Branch Street versus not having patios in the winter. >> Okay. So just to clarify um this is my last question. So some of the things that need to be considered is seasonality. >> Yeah. >> An economic development comment around what trades are looking for uh which we may hear from some people about.

03:13:24
Um location geography within the city and then exceptions outside of the fact that the city has the authority. So there shouldn’t be any question about that. It is the city’s authority to regulate their noise related to construction bylaw. >> I agree. >> Okay. >> And when we talk geographic areas, I think the question has to be is this infill or is this like what we heard this morning or um >> so geography and built form.

03:13:53

Yes. Thank you. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Thank you, counselor. Have a question coming to you from councelor Bena. >> Thank you for being here, Cynthia. I appreciate it. Um just to follow up on on both my colleagues question here. So in your particular case, how do you think for example Burlington is different in this particular situation? >> We’re pretty boundary bound.

03:14:17
Is that a I’m not even sure that’s a term. But we cannot develop much more. So what we do develop is infill. and we need to take into account the residents, their families, the health and safety of those residents during construction. >> So, more specifically, we talked about exceptions and whatnot, which will come up from time to time.

03:14:50
What would you expect from a report back based on what we’re here for today and what is in the report and the motion? >> I’d like to know what the standards are, day of the week, hours, but also what the notice period is and that it’s a reasonable notice period if there is an exception.

03:15:11
I’d also like to know what the city standards, service standards are back to the residents. If those um those bylaws, if there’s multiple, are not adhered to, we don’t want to have to place a call on a Saturday or Sunday and get back to on a Monday or Tuesday. We would want to be able to deal with it in the moment and hopefully city standards could accommodate that.

03:15:38

Thank you for that. My two questions right now. Thank you. Okay, I have a question from councelor Nissan. >> Thank you Cynthia for being here. It’s great to see you. >> Um given the um the a big topic duour is a couple big developments that are coming down the pike for Burlington. One at 1200 King Road and >> another one a little closer to Milcraftoft um at uh around uh Burllo and Upper Middle Bronny Creek Meadows uh Bronny Meadows project.

03:16:05
Is this uh are you suggesting because you mentioned you represent more than just Milcraftoft. >> So would this be a citywide uh request? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Um >> I’m sure those residents north of Upper Middle would like to know the guidelines for developing south of Upper Middle. >> Okay. >> Just like we would.

03:16:31

Okay. Um, not know the guidelines, but you mean >> know the hours? >> No. And limit the hours >> and limit the hour. Sorry. Know the bylaws, the hours, the days of the week. Yes. >> And have them limited. >> Yes. Yes. >> To to what you’re proposing. Okay. Um, what about uh I I obviously the residences, the new uh housing is is a primary concern.

03:16:56
What about uh roads as well? If I recall correctly, there’s a new there must be a new road going through Uh also so does this this is covering all construction right? >> Yes. Well the roads that would be built in Milcraftoft are private roads. So they would be have to follow the same guidelines. New roads I’m trying to think if there’s a new road.

03:17:16
All I know is the roads we have are causing huge traffic um issues. Uh with br with burllo being under construction right now. I can’t think of a new road in Burlington other than these private roads that would be built in Milcraftoft. >> That’s exactly the road I was thinking of in that context. >> Yeah. >> Um to access the new homes.

03:17:42

So you would want to see that limited as well. >> It’s still construction and we’re very close our family to construction. My husband’s in construction. We know the work and the time needed for construction. Uh, one of my children is in construction. So, I respect construction.

03:18:00
Our bread and butter is construction. And we know that there is very little construction done on Saturdays and Sundays. Um, especially Sundays and statutory because that’s the rules. But we’re asking that the practice of having no construction on Saturdays actually be reflected in the bylaws. >> Thank you.

03:18:23
And I can certainly understand your position. Thank you. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh there’s still a couple of hands on the board. Okay. >> Um I’m going to take an opportunity for a first- time question uh before we go to second time. >> Sure. >> So my question is and it’s kind of a following up to what councelor Nissan was just getting at and that is while we don’t have any new roads necessarily going and we do certainly have road construction projects and in W 4 the Tuck Bridge that has overtaken New Street for a considerable amount of time. I had advocated for a intense timeline for that project that would have for that timeline been a little bit more disruptive to the community but would have had the project finished quick more quickly and be over with. So my question to you is um quick math says that the Monday to Saturday from 7 to 7 is construction hours of about 72 hours a week. Monday to Friday from 7 to 5 is 50 hours a week. So that’s a reduction of 30% of time every week for those construction opportunities. Do you think

03:19:22
the community because what I’ve experienced in W 4 is that the community is struggling now with the length of time the project’s taking. So do you think the community would be open to understanding that construction projects are going to take a lot longer to achieve if we’re reducing the amount of time by 30% each week that the construction can happen? >> That’s excuse me that specific project.

03:19:45
Um, I’m assuming there’s incentives there for the road builder to get their work done on time. Um, I’m assuming the residents were well aware of what that timeline is and the city is project managing so that that timeline is adhered to or maybe there’s a penalty if we’re allowed to use the word penalty.

03:20:05
If you shortened those hours and extended the time fra time frame, as long as it’s properly managed, the way I think you’re already doing that construction today, like I’m I drive down that road quite a bit and I’m amazed how the traffic flow is still very well along New Street. We’re talking New Street, right? I use as an example, but I’m more curious about the Milcraftoft development as far as whether you think the residents will be open to a 30% extension of time it’s going to take the project to get done. >> You bet. You bet. Because we all have those properties and we don’t want to be dealing with construction 7 at night, 7:00 in the morning to 7 at night, 6 days a week. It’s unreasonable. It’s um the dust, the noise. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy your backyards. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy your house. So I I and my friends and family would absolutely say extend the project. Do I think it would need to be extended

03:21:04
by shortening those hours? Absolutely not. I think the reality is the hours I’m suggesting are the current hours. We just need the bylaws to reflect current practice and set an example for other municipalities of what best practices are. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, you’ve got a couple second time questions.

03:21:24
I’m going to go first to councelor Ben Devena. >> Okay. >> Thank you, chair. And I’m glad um we’ve also focusing on the the full the city as a whole. >> Yes. >> Um I did confirm with the clerk earlier that there were uh I was away for a conference uh for about 4 days. So, I got phone calls um that there were two um delegations to come that didn’t make it which will come for council meeting.

03:21:50
So, um, how would you suggest from an employment standpoint? Because now we’re talking residential. Uh, should this also apply for employment construction um in areas like Alton Village, say Palladium Way that face homes? Um, >> I believe so. And if you drive those construction projects, how much is being done on a Saturday, right? We just you can’t plan anything with the current hours that are there today.

03:22:22
So if it’s not happening, at least set the rules that it can’t happen so you can plan accordingly or give notice if there’s an emergency situation. The way it is today, you can’t plan anything because it is possible that they’re going to show up. And my last question is, have you done and then I will get a report from staff as well, but have you done any background check or with respect to other municipalities? >> Yes.

03:22:55

Who may or may not be in a situation like this? >> And there are other municipalities that have the same hours as Burlington, >> but the I have family members in Toronto, their contractors won’t work Saturdays. So for home building. So I’m going then let’s make the rules fit reflect the situation and then people can plan their lives.

03:23:20

Thank you for that. >> Thank you. >> Okay. And you’ve got one more question coming from councelor Kurts. >> Okay. >> I just wanted to be clear that I understood. So, I’ll be looking to um enhance this with some additional engagement since it’s clarified now that it’s citywide and that there has been discussion about specific hours which again are not included in this report.

03:23:43
It’s just a report back. Um and it would be to undertake some engagement and I just wanted to be clear on where you think additional information is required from. So, it’s geographic location, built form, >> yeah, >> hours, and is it specific to the type of development or neighborhoods or anything like that? >> Um, I think infill or and or infill that is neighboring on an existing neighborhood like I’m thinking of the burlo, not the south of upper middle.

03:24:17

Okay. >> Backing on to Thanks. And just to follow up last question and then the uh groups would be resident groups, housing advocates, skilled trades, municipal agencies like I worked with Metro Links to uh bypass the hours to get the uh bridge built quicker uh economic development.

03:24:35
Any other stakeholders you think should be engaged? >> I think the region because some of those roads I think burl agencies okay >> like any I’m trying to think of other stakeholders. Um, >> okay. I’ll start with that and you can reach out if you have anything else. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> That’s great. You did a wonderful job.

03:24:56
Thank you so much, >> Cynthia. Thank you. >> Okay. And our final delegation, I’d like to invite Mike Collins Williams. Also speaking on item 8.4 motion memo regarding a review of options to restrict construction hours. Report CO626. Go ahead, Mike. Good afternoon, Mayor Meet Ward, members of the committee.

03:25:16
I appreciate you uh being able to get me on at the last moment. Uh my name is Mike Collins Williams and I’m the chief executive of the West End Homebuilders Association. We HBA represents more than 300 member companies involved in residential construction, land development, renovation, and professional services throughout Burlington, Hamilton, and the surrounding area.

03:25:36
I’m uh here today to express our strong opposition to the proposed study examining additional restrictions on construction working hours. Let me begin by acknowledging that construction activity can be pretty disruptive. Nobody enjoys walk waking up to the sound of construction equipment outside their window.

03:25:53
We understand that residents can experience temporary inconvenience when development occurs nearby. However, construction is also how we build homes, schools, hospitals, roads, parks, and community infrastructure. The question before council today is whether further restricting construction activity would create more benefits than costs.

03:26:14
From our perspective, the answer is no. Residential construction industry is currently experiencing one of the most challenging periods in decades. Across Ontario, housing starts have slowed, new home sales remain depressed, and thousands of construction workers have lost their jobs. Governments at all levels are actively searching for ways to reduce costs, eliminate barriers, and accelerate housing delivery.

03:26:38
In Burlington, specifically, council has spent considerable time discussing housing at affordability, economic competitiveness, development charge approval times, and ways to encourage investment and protect jobs. Restricting construction hours would move us in the opposite direction. Construction projects are highly coordinated operations involving dozens of trades, suppliers, consultants, inspectors, and subcontractors.

03:27:03
Schedules are carefully planned around labor availability, equipment bookings, material deliveries, unfortunately, weather conditions, and inspection windows. Reducing available construction hours does not eliminate the work that needs to be done. It simply means the same work takes longer and costs more.

03:27:22
Longer timelines increase labor costs. Longer timelines increase financing costs. Longer timelines create scheduling conflicts for skilled trades. Longer timelines increase risk and uncertainty. Ultimately, these costs are passed on to future homeowners, renters, businesses, institutions. At the time when every level of government is looking for ways to make housing more affordable, we should be very cautious about implementing policies that add costs without creating any additional housing supply or community benefit. I would note that Burlington already has a balanced framework in place, construction activities currently permitted during reasonable daytime hours, and there are mechanisms available for exemptions when circumstances warrant flexibility. In our view, the existing framework appropriately balances neighborhood considerations with the practical realities of construction. While we appreciate the concerns raised by some residents, it’s important that public policy reflect the broader public

03:28:22
interests. The overwhelming majority of Burlington residents want housing to be more affordable. They want infrastructure to be built efficiently, and they want people employed in good paying construction and skilled trades jobs. and they want government focused on reducing costs, not increasing them.

03:28:39
For those reasons, WHBA respectfully urges the committee not to pursue additional restrictions on construction working hours. Thank you for your time uh especially bringing me on at the last moment and I’d be pleased to answer any questions. >> Thank you, Mike. You have a first question from councelor Nissan.

03:28:56

Thank you, chair. Uh thank you, Mike, for being here. U your arguments are to not further restrict it. um as an exercise, those same arguments could be to expand it even further, which of course we’re not going to do. But um could you explain why you think that the current um number of hours is the correct number of hours and why we shouldn’t just take Saturday off for example? I think we have a fairly through the chair.

03:29:24
I think we have a fairly balanced system. It’s it’s pretty similar to what most other municipalities uh have across Ontario. Um there was some commentary earlier about um you know extenduating circumstances whether it’s a continuous concrete pour. Um we do have a system where um people can come in and apply for additional hours if necessary.

03:29:43
Um you know Canada has two seasons. We’ve got winter and construction. And um the summer is for better or for worse when we are most efficiently able to um more rapidly go through the construction process. um winter. There are often days where we can’t construction’s literally canceled on sites because it’s so cold.

03:30:07
Uh concrete cures better in the summer than it does in the winter. Um and and this isn’t just for housing. This is across infrastructure projects, etc. So, um for better, for worse, understand that people are trying to enjoy their summer, but the summer is also when construction is um most efficiently, we’re actually able to move forward on projects.

03:30:28
And uh towards the end of your comments, you talked about how there could be uh costs uh to this costs presumably to the developer shared with the buyer to some extent. Um could you provide more detail on what you would expect this to cost? Um in that respect since it is potentially citywide, we have some projects planned.

03:30:50
Uh not all of them are luxury homes in Milcraftoft, obviously. So uh what do you uh how’s this how does this translate into increased cost of devel of uh of you know housing increased cost of housing >> through the chair? It’s it’s a good question. It’s a complicated question to ask because usually at that point the the revenue is baked in because the homes have been sold.

03:31:11
So, um, additional unforeseen cost with potential delays and unforeseen, um, timeline extensions, uh, are going to hit back at the builder or developer, um, which then increases risks. Um, it’s it’s it’s hard to pin an exact number on it because I don’t actually have a proposal before me in terms of, um, construction timelines.

03:31:33
Um, coordinating the trades is always difficult. Um, you know, there are late deliveries. Having that little bit of a buffer in terms of the 7:00 p.m. is certainly uh helpful and and frankly during the summer hours it’s lighter out. Um you know it’s pitch black by 6:00 in October and pitch black by 4:30 in December.

03:31:52
So um again empathetic but that the summer really is when we’re running most efficiently. I I’d make one other comment. Um I think there’s an equity question here. Um, you know, a lot of the commentary, uh, and the discussion so far has sort of been around, um, projects occurring in suburban neighborhoods that are, uh, impacting the residents there versus, um, downtown perhaps in W 2 or in in some of the, um, busier areas of the city.

03:32:21
Um I I don’t quite understand why those residents in a higher socioeconomic class potentially living in single detached suburban neighborhoods would be entitled to a different set of rules than um you know folks like myself at one point who lived in a high-rise condo that woke up at 7:30 in the morning to uh the construction across the road.

03:32:39
Um, you know, whether you’re a renter, a homeowner, whether you live in a single detached home or a small one-bedroom condo, um, I think it’s important to consider, uh, the equity in terms of how rules apply across the city. >> Okay. Thank you. Next question from councelor Bentovena. >> Thank you, chair, and uh, thanks, Mike, for uh, for being here and and bringing your um, industries point of view.

03:33:10
uh around this horseshoe, we typically ask staff uh give motions and so on when things are not going well. And typically speaking, bylaws um get reviewed when the program becomes disruptive and it doesn’t matter whether it’s building industry or or air BNBs or or so on. So this is the situation that we have at hand here and I want to continue to emphasize this is citywide.

03:33:47
Uh we I have like I mentioned earlier there are situations out there that that are not just the first time not just the second time but this is a con a constant I’ll call it overreach like oh it’s Sunday morning. Sorry, councelor Bena. I just wanted >> Sorry. My question is what would you suggest we do other than this particular motion? Other than you don’t want it on I get that >> through the chair.

03:34:18
I think that having uh an established framework in place is important, but if there are those that violate the existing framework, there certainly should be a process for uh the city to come down on those violations. So, um I prefer or and I think the industry prefers to have um the current framework in terms of the hours, but if there are concerns, you do have noise bylaws in place.

03:34:42
And if there are concerns about activity occurring outside of those established framework and established bylaws, there certainly should be um a process by which the city can come down on those that violate that process. I mean, we have rules in place and and people on both sides of the ledger should expect compliance with those rules and if there’s violations or folks are not compliant, then there needs to be a process by the which the city can come down on them.

03:35:12

And thank you for that and that’s why we’re here. Thank you. >> Okay, next question from councelor Galbreth. >> Thank you, chair, and thanks for your delegation today, Mike. Um I I’m assuming that most most of your members build with financing and adding 30% of a longer timeline to that uh would essentially be a cost that would be borne by the purchaser of a of a unit >> through the chair.

03:35:38
The vast majority would be through financing and uh extended timelines isn’t just the additional interest paid on the timelines. It’s also uh an additional lag period by which um folks can actually close and the money comes in on the other side. So you also have to consider the timelines for those future purchasers.

03:35:56
Um we also have the um the new home regulator in the province, the Terrion Warranty Corporation. There are timelines built into contracts in terms of when homeowners um receive uh the keys and um there are penalties uh for violations there as well. Um potentially chargeable consiliations, etc. So, I mean, you’d have to be pretty delayed to end up in that situation.

03:36:20
But if we’re hypothetically talking 20 25% 30% longer con construction time frames, we may be butdding up into some homeowner home warranty issues with the Terrion Warranty Corporation. >> Great. Thanks for that. >> Okay, you have a question for councelor Karns. >> Uh, thank you very much, Mike. This is a question related to engagement again.

03:36:44
So in the previous delegation I asked about the types of stakeholders that should be engaged in identifying uh some additional feedback pro particularly and hopefully within the empower level because we are looking to enact a bylaw which is very serious. Um did I miss any uh groups and would you recommend any others? And I’ll just repeat I have resident groups, housing advocates, skilled trades, municipal agencies, economic development.

03:37:11
Would you say maybe like the CHC or anything like that? >> Uh through the chair, I’d agree mostly with the the previous presenter in terms of uh a broad cross-section of engagements. Um I think a jurisdictional uh scan uh certainly would be helpful throughout the broader greater Golden Horseshoe and I think that you would find that your current hours are broadly what is implemented elsewhere um and certainly the development community.

03:37:38
But uh I I’m in agreement with um the list that you provided earlier. >> Okay. And then my second question is related to um sort of partnerships and negotiations. So I know there are some things that that can and cannot work. So, I’ve had to uh negotiate my fair share of noise related to construction with with the downtown high residential and you know, even though something like Remembrance Day isn’t effectively a statutory holiday, still have been able to deliver the respect that’s needed for some of our downtown activations. um are you aware of any other um opportunities that can be used outside of a bylaw when it comes to balancing the sort of asks of a community and with the needs of the construction >> through the chair there are different tools. Um the bylaw sort of sets the broader framework. Um there are often projects especially large projects and

03:38:35
and yes construction um can be a nuisance. It’s it’s it’s definitely a difficult um situation for existing community residents. Um typically there’s a construction management plan. Um so just as a as a broad example, if there is a a new condo tower going up somewhere uh in the city. Um typically best practices would be for that uh proponent, that builder developer to engage the uh immediately adjacent property owners.

03:39:03
And it’s everything from dust suppression, noise, working hours. Um sometimes I’m even having a schedule that you know in two weeks we’re going to have that continuous uh pour, in 3 weeks we’re going to have to close this lane for a few hours. So there are typical best practices in terms of um dealing with um with some of the complications with development.

03:39:26
Um and obviously the larger the project is the the more construction management and dialogue would be best practices with um immediately surrounding businesses, neighbors, etc. I mean most most builders and developers try to be good neighbors and I recognize that there are always cases in which things don’t work out as well as they should.

03:39:46
And then if I could just ask a followup, do you have any experience where those construction management plans, which I’m glad you brought up as a tool, um have been negotiated uh with a lens around some of those external factors. So in this discussion, the one I’m most worried about is the affordable housing at 409 Brandt Street and if the timelines are adjusted as a response to this um potential bylaw.

03:40:10
Are you aware of how um those construction management plants have been used best? >> I don’t want to get through the chair too far into specifics about that that project. Um we could follow up offline. I I’m thinking um off the top of my head perhaps CHC or Urban Land Institute that there may be some different um organizations that may have best practices in terms of um construction management plans.

03:40:39
And again, um, you know, if you’ve got a small scale missing middle infill project, a a construction management plan’s certainly going to be very different than, um, you know, a large scale project near a ghost station with multiple towers. Um, so there’s there’s scaling. Um, but it’s not just about the days of the week or the hours.

03:40:59
Um, those typically include a wide variety of different impacts uh on the community and and a lot of it’s just really comes down to communication. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay, you have a question coming to from councelor Charman. >> Thanks for broadening the discussion, Mike. Um, as I as I listened to you at the outset, you said you’re opposed to what was the motion memo and the recommendation here.

03:41:24
Um, but but is that actually correct? Are you opposed to us getting asking the questions if they’re and getting the a properly informed answer >> through the chair? not necessarily opposed to questions and study. I think uh as an industry broadly speaking um uncertainty is our enemy. Uh risk is always something that the industry is very concerned about.

03:41:50
So um you know some of the commentary I’ve heard from members is is frankly concern as to where this may end once you start um down a path. often there are um regulatory bylaw changes that may result in uh additional costs timelines etc. And in the current market environments I’ll just be very blunt people are fairly jumpy about any um any perceived additional risks costs etc.

03:42:20
So um that’s that is where the concern is coming from. >> Thank you for that. So my second question is then given what you’ve just said and what you said previously um if we would you be involved with you would get your colleagues and your industry to participate and make sure we do get a properly informed uh um process and it’s not rushed >> through the chair.

03:42:47
Uh should council choose to move forward with such a study, we would be pleased to be engaged. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh first time question from the mayor. Uh thank you. So uh just to pick up on that uh and I I’m sure your members know but we’re not making you know that we’re not making any decision about any hours or restrictions or anything like that and I I hope uh I guess this is a question.

03:43:13
Uh do folks know that this is really just about getting information at this stage >> through the chair. I think the motion is clear that it is about information. Um, I’m sure all members of council can be somewhat empathetic or understand that um, this is an industry that um, has had a very very challenging few years. And um, we’re working with all levels of government to try to um, streamline, improve processes, and reduce costs.

03:43:43
And um when this motion came forward, I received a lot of phone calls and uh there is certainly concern as to where this may end up. Um certainly um certainly there there there are concerns as to where this may end up, but should there be a consultation or opportunity for engagement, we will be pleased to be engaged.

03:44:08

Great. Yeah, I think that’s uh the idea behind a process is is that would be part of the process to engage broadly. Um and my second question is around uh just that that balancing act that we are trying to strike and uh we certainly hear you on the uncertainty in the industry and that would be one of the considerations we would need to think about um instead of uh sort of an automatic you can uh do your construction the way that uh previously it’s been handled when it’s outside of the current hours uh Sundays holidays is by um by request. So showing that there’s a a need uh providing um notice we heard from our residents that if it’s just an automatic assumption that you can you know construct on certain days it’s really hard to plan but if if you have to come forward and ask for an extension of those hours. Uh I don’t think the city’s ever turned it down,

03:45:05
but um that would that provide the kind of balance uh to allow the industry to continue to work as much as they need, but also then uh do the community engagement let residents know what’s coming >> through the chair. Uh excellent observation and questions. I I think our primary concern is around the um the hours themselves in terms of the flexibility to uh maintain construction uh schedules and and keep cost down.

03:45:33
But I think there is uh room for conversation around legitimate resident concerns whether it’s noise, traffic, dust, site management and that can certainly be targeted through investment mitigation measures rather than reducing productive construction time um by utilizing some of the tools that are already in place.

03:45:53
I think noise bylaws were mentioned, traffic and road occupancy controls, dust and debris management requirements, um sight specific approval conditions and and happy to have further dialogue with members of council on um construction management plans um where where a lot of these issues can be addressed including scheduling.

03:46:18

Okay, you have second time question from councelor Benia. >> Thank you chair. Thanks Mike uh for the comment. Um help me understand you you mentioned schedule. I’ve been in the business world for 40 years. When the business world gets busy and their time frame is this, they add more people.

03:46:40
So the example is if it’s 7 to seven hours and you need eight people to build one home. I’m just using a number. and you now have seven till five and take that 30% now you need 11 people nothing’s changed through the chair I appreciate your example um it’s typically not just say eight people on a site you have different trades coming through to do different types of work um so the scheduling is often stacked in a way where um you have the framers come in you have the drywaller, you know, the electricians come in, the drywallers. So, there is a sequence of events um and and losing the two hours a day isn’t necessarily about 8 versus 11 people being more productive. It might mean um a scheduled job that somebody has to

03:47:39
come in for a number of hours, doesn’t occur that day, and then gets bumped. So, there there’s a sequence here. The other item I would add, um, and I don’t know if this helps my case or not, but I think one of the challenges with construction is it is not happening in a factory where everything’s automated on assembly line and everything’s perfect.

03:48:00
Like we’re we’re essentially manufacturing or assembling a product outdoors in Canada. So there are weather events um that throw everything off. Um, so that is the other challenge with scheduling that in one ways it’s precise sequencing and in other ways we’re often thrown off. I appreciate and I respect that uh comment.

03:48:28
Uh my second um question is you mentioned you have many many calls um probably over the weekend or whenever you did. >> It was a fun >> um I spend my whole life talking to residents and reacting to their conversations as you know. So, um, I appreciate you doing it and thank you for that. And, uh, we’re just doing what we need to do to make sure that the people we represent are listening and are being taken care of. Thank you.

03:49:02

Thank you. >> Would you agree? >> Yeah. I was just about to call you out, sir. >> Yes. >> Okay. On that note, I think we’re finished with questions. Thank you, Mike. Thank you for the opportunity. Sorry for delaying lunch. >> That’s okay. Yes, I think maybe people get a little hangry now.

03:49:22
Okay, that does conclude our delegations for today. I do really appreciate um committee being and staff being willing to hang in so that we can get through the delegations and not have them wait until 2:00. So, that was great. Just before we break for lunch, I’m going to do a very quick scan so that we can do um some agenda management and and know what staff need to come forward for our closed meeting items.

03:49:44
Um, so I’m going to look at our closed meetings items and just get a sense about who would like to go into close. We we will be going to close for item 9.8, which is a confidential verbal update regarding a human resource matter. Um, I’d like to ask about item 9.1, confidential appendices A and B regarding community facilities update for 1200 King Road.

03:50:02
Is there anyone need wanting to go in to close for that? Yes. Okay. So yes to 9.1. 9.2 2 is a confidential update on a labor relations matter HRS03-26. Would anyone like to go into closed for that? Yes. Okay. 9.2. 9.3 is a confidential insurance renewal LLS11-26. Anyone for that one? That’s a no. Okay. So, no. 9.

03:50:27

3. 9.4 Confidential triannual litigation update LLS 1526. That’s a yes. 9.5 Confidential Real Estate Matter Strategic Land Acquisition LLS23-26. Anyone? >> Oh, I’m talking like an auctioneer. >> Okay, I’ll speak slower. Confidential real estate matter. LLS 2326 ate 9.5. I’ll tell you >> going once. It’s going twice. >> Yes, Angelo.

03:51:14

I have a new close. >> Okay. How about 9.5? 9. No. >> Just hang on a second. Yes to 9.5. Great. Thank you. Uh 9.6 confidential real estate matter. Yes. >> Yes. Okay. 9.7 update on labor relations matter. HRS0426 anyone? >> No. Okay. So, no to 9.7. So, all of them except 9.3 and except 9.7

03:52:12
then. >> Okay. I am not aware councelor Bentovenia of a process where we can add onto the agenda at this point in time for a confidential matter. You have no agenda. >> You taking an >> Oh, yeah. >> Okay. So, I’m understanding that you believe that your matter that you want to speak to will be dealt with under one of the presenting items already. Okay.

03:52:57
Okay, that’s great. Thank you very much for everyone’s patience. It is 12:58. We’re going to recess for lunch and come back to start our confidential items at 2 p.m. Thank you everyone.