Three Days of Free Jazz

🏡 What is your home actually worth today?

If you have ever typed your address into one of those online estimators, you already know the number can be a long way off. It has never seen your home, and it does not know what makes yours different from the next one down the street.

Let me give you a real valuation instead.

I am out helping people buy and sell across Burlington every week, so I know what homes like yours are going for right now. Tell me a bit about your place, and I will put together a short video that walks you through what it could sell for, and why.

This is totally free, with no pressure to list. See what your home is worth today, whether you are planning a move or just curious.

The plaza outside the Burlington Performing Arts Centre becomes an outdoor concert venue this weekend, and the whole thing is free. Jazz on the Plaza runs Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9, with 10 acts across the three days.

There's no ticket and nothing to reserve. Friday is a short evening, Saturday is the full day, and Sunday winds down through the afternoon. Bring a lawn chair, grab a spot, stay for one set or stay for all of them.

The bill is stacked with Canadian jazz talent. Grammy-nominated pianist and vocalist Laila Biali headlines Saturday night, JUNO winners Sammy Jackson and Kellylee Evans are both playing, and Toronto brass ensemble Big Smoke Brass brings the loudest set of the weekend. Irene Torres opens things Friday with a blend of jazz, soul, and Afro-Peruvian grooves.

BPAC has been putting this on for years, and last summer's edition packed the plaza.

Burlington is putting free sports equipment in 20 parks this month. Basketballs, soccer balls, frisbees, and more, kept in lockers you open with an app.

Each park gets three lockers with one item in each. You borrow something for up to an hour and put it back when you're done. No cost, no deposit, nothing to sign up for beyond the app itself.

Believe it or not, the city isn't paying for any of it. Canadian Tire Jumpstart funds the program, Sport Chek provides the gear, and a company called Equip Sport installs and looks after the lockers.

Central Park, Kiwanis Park and Norton Community Park are on the list along with 17 others, and everything should be running before the end of August.

Two Burlington parks are being rebuilt this month, and the bigger job is at Norton Community Park. The city is tearing out the playground there and putting in an obstacle course for teens and adults, part of an $800,000 renewal that also covers the basketball court, new swings and the splashpad. (Fothergill Woods Park is getting a $375,000 playground refresh on the same timeline.)

At Norton, the work runs August 17 to November 13. The playground and basketball court will be fenced off for those three months, but the skate park and washrooms stay open throughout.

The skate park is a different story. It isn't part of this year's work, but the city is designing repairs for it now and plans to carry them out in 2027, and that has Ontario Skateboarding worried.

Advocacy chair Scott Loyst calls Norton the best of Burlington's 10 skate parks, big enough to host camps and contests, and says pros travel in to ride it. Close it for repairs, he says, and skaters will end up on the streets or driving to another town.

🚪 GoFloat Burlington Closes After Exemption Denied

Capillary Wave Community for Men just landed $25,000 from the province to run a wellbeing program for men 55 and up across Halton Region.

Burlington founder Nelson Borges says the Connected & Well program will offer weekly wellness sessions, group fitness, health workshops and monthly social outings. The goal is to help older men stay active, build friendships and reduce isolation.

Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos announced the funding last week. Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre in Oakville also received $9,320 to expand its seniors programming. The two groups are planning an in-person celebration in September.

The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA is changing how it gets pet food to families who need it. As of August 1st, the Pet Pantry is switching to a community distribution model, scheduled pickup events at accessible locations across Hamilton and Burlington, rather than individual deliveries or a single pickup spot.

Families register in advance for a date and location that works for them, and the SPCA portions food based on how many pets are coming. It's the same model food banks use: built to reach more households, cut wait times, and distribute fairly.

Financial donations and pet food drop-offs at 245 Dartnall Road in Hamilton help keep the program running.

Monday, August 3
☁️ Overcast
High: 25°C | Low: 17°C

Tuesday, August 4
⛅ Partly cloudy
High: 25°C | Low: 15°C

Wednesday, August 5
🌦️ Light drizzle
High: 27°C | Low: 19°C

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

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~ Nick