Two New Parks Coming to Burlington

Burlington is turning two vacant lots into neighbourhood parks and wants to know what residents think should go in them. The city bought both properties from developers for $2 each, one on Cooke Boulevard east of Waterdown Road, the other on Almonte Drive west of Brant Street.

Online surveys open September 15, and city staff will be on-site at both locations later in the month for pop-up feedback sessions. Design work is budgeted at $200,000, and construction could start next summer if council approves the $1.5 million build cost in the 2027 budget.

Both properties were set aside as park space when the surrounding housing went up.

A new poll shows incumbent mayor Marianne Meed Ward with a narrow lead over challenger Rory Nisan as Burlington heads into the October 26 election. The Liaison Strategies poll put Meed Ward at 38 per cent support and Nisan at 33 per cent, with Lisa Kearns at 23 per cent.

Both frontrunners are downplaying the numbers. Meed Ward says she doesn't rely on anonymous polls and prefers to hear from residents at their doors. Nisan calls it a two-candidate race and says the only poll that matters is election day.

The same poll asked whether Burlington is headed in the right direction. Half said wrong direction, 35 per cent said right direction, and 15 per cent were unsure. The survey included 515 residents polled from August 7 to 11.

The Royal Botanical Gardens just released 52 endangered Blanding's turtles into local wetlands, the most the organization has ever freed at once. The turtles spent several years growing at Scales Nature Park before heading out, boosting their odds of surviving predators in the wild.

Blanding's turtles used to be common here, but habitat loss and road deaths knocked the local population down to around 20 by 2017. With this week's release, Burlington's count is now close to 100.

"We've gone from essentially having no turtles to maybe seeing a future for Blanding's turtles in the area," Tys Theijsmeyjer, head of Natural Lands at the RBG, said. The organization is also working with Burlington and Hamilton on better roadside fencing to keep the turtles off busy streets.

What’s Open and Closed on Labour Day 🏪

The Burlington Community Foundation is opening applications for its annual Community Granting Program on Tuesday, September 8. Local charities and non-profits can apply for up to $15,000 in funding for new initiatives, pilot projects, or ongoing programs.

Last year, the foundation handed out $315,000 to 35 organizations, supporting everything from free math tutoring for kids to steelpan music education in Burlington schools to food security programs across the city.

The program runs entirely on donor contributions rather than government funding, meaning local residents and businesses are directly supporting the projects that get greenlit each year. Applications and details are available on the foundation's website starting Tuesday.

Healthy Planet's annual Good Food Drive is back through mid-September, giving Burlington shoppers a way to help stock local food banks while picking up groceries. Items marked with shelf tags at the chain's two Burlington locations, 3500 Fairview Street and 1510 North Service Road, automatically contribute to the campaign when purchased.

Last year's drive provided around 300,000 meals to children across Canada. This year's push runs until September 16, with donations going to Food Banks Canada and Daily Bread.

General manager Muhammad Mohamedy called the initiative a critical step in addressing food insecurity as more Canadian families rely on food banks. The campaign partners with organic brands to provide what the company calls clean, nutritious meals to those who need them most.

Friday, September 4
🌦️ Chance of showers
High: 24°C | Low: 13°C

Saturday, September 5
☀️ Sunny
High: 25°C | Low: 13°C

Sunday, September 6
☀️ Sunny
High: 24°C | Low: 14°C

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~ Nick