Smoky Skies Continue

Small backyard projects can make a big difference.

Refresh your outdoor space this summer with five practical project ideas, from creating a clean garden border and building a simple path to extending your patio, refreshing paver joints, or adding a cozy outdoor fireplace area.

Van Beek’s Landscape Supply has the materials to help you get started, including pavers, decorative stone, landscape fabric, aggregates, polymeric sand, cleaners, sealers, wall products, and more.

Shop online and use our convenient pickup or delivery options to get the materials you need for your next project.

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Shop in-store or visit us online at www.vanbeeks.com
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Going outside this week has felt like stepping straight into a video game, as an orange-yellow haze settled over Burlington from wildfires in northwestern Ontario.

Air quality warnings have been urging people to stay indoors, or to wear a mask rather than inhaling the smoky air. Earlier reports predicted everything to clear up by this morning, but they are now saying the bad air quality will continue into Saturday and possibly beyond.

The smoke comes on top of a heat warning already in effect, with temperatures hitting 31°C but feeling closer to 35°C with humidity. Not the greatest conditions for enjoying the outdoors, unfortunately.

Take some time to check in on the older adults, young children, pregnant people, and anyone with chronic health conditions in your life to make sure they are doing ok.

The proposed Burlington data centre that we covered on Wednesday is drawing plenty of pushback, and residents may get just one chance to weigh in. The two-storey facility is planned for 3110 South Service Road, the old Tucker's Marketplace site.

Because Burlington's rules don't even mention data centres, it can technically move ahead on staff approval alone, with no council vote.

That's part of why people are worried. These centres run hot, loud and power-hungry, and one new Meta facility in Alberta is expected to use about as much electricity as three-quarters of Edmonton.

The public reaction has been hard to miss. Mayoral candidate Rory Nisan posted a video explaining the details, this Reddit thread has filled with debate, and the city has now launched its own FAQ page to keep up with the questions.

Residents normally can't speak on site plan approvals, so a motion that councillor Lisa Kearns is bringing next Tuesday may be the public's only chance to speak up.

Burlington Centre is throwing a free Summer Fun Fest next Saturday, July 25, and the headline act is K-pop. Two live performance blocks are booked for the day, the first at 11am and the second at 2pm, each followed by a meet and greet with the performers.

There's plenty going on around the shows too: face painting, airbrush tattoos, and the Cogeco Fun Zone, plus a chance to win a K-pop fan experience for six. No tickets are needed, and it runs rain or shine in the parking lot at Guelph Line and Fairview Street.

A quieter, sensory-friendly tent will be set up for anyone who needs a break from the crowd.

🎸 Reminder: Burlington Waterfront Festival this Weekend

🛣 Burlington Skyway Lane Closures Expected This Weekend

We have a cool history lesson for you today.

For over 40 years, Burlington hosted a huge, international sporting event where all participants had one unique thing in common...

The Burlington International Games, or B.I.G., started in 1968 as a goodwill exchange between Burlington, Ontario and Burlington, Vermont, with the first games held in Vermont in 1969.

Every summer the two cities traded off hosting, billeting young athletes with local families for a week of soccer, baseball, swimming, tennis and more, with Burlington kids aged 10 to 17. Burlington, Iowa later joined in, and by the late 1990s cities as far away as Japan and the Netherlands were sending teams! (unfortunately from cities no longer named Burlington).

The games celebrated their 40th anniversary here in 2009 before winding down in 2010 due to a variety of reasons, including decline in interest, funding, volunteers, and more.

A backyard yoga session has grown into one of Burlington's feel-good fundraisers. Last weekend, more than 200 residents rolled out mats at LaSalle Park for Yoga for Wishes, raising $72,500 for Make-A-Wish Canada, more than seven times the original $10,000 goal.

Organizers Lisa Pisano and Pina Starnino started the event three years ago and kept bumping the target upward as donations poured in before the class even began. Make-A-Wish CEO and Burlington local Meaghan Stovel McKnight called it a hometown moment.

The morning also heard from Domenico Meleca, a local cancer survivor whose own wish, a family trip to Cancun, followed his treatment. The charity has granted wishes for six Burlington kids, with 14 more still waiting.

Friday, July 17
⛅ Sun and clouds
High: 27°C | Low: 19°C

Saturday, July 18
🌦️ Showers, chance of thunder
High: 28°C | Low: 18°C

Sunday, July 19
☀️ Mostly sunny
High: 24°C | Low: 14°C

Burlington Digest is 100% free to read, independently owned, and locally operated (written by me).

Your contributions go directly towards keeping this newsletter going so we can have more fun and build more community.

Thank you for your support!
~ Nick