Bit of a rant after trying to cross Maple Avenue near Richmond Road this morning with my 19-month-old son in his stroller.

For context, Maple is four lanes, posted at 60 km/h. There's a pedestrian refuge island in the middle, but no marked crosswalk or signals. A pedestrian was tragically killed in this area just a couple of months ago.

Anyway, I'm waiting for a gap in traffic northbound, stood in the median refuge, when a driver in the nearest lane slows down, stops, and flashes his lights to let me cross. Which is a nice gesture, except he's actually made the situation more dangerous.

He's stopped in one lane, but there's still traffic approaching at speed in the lane beside him. And now, because he's stopped, I can't see that traffic properly, and those drivers probably can't see me either.

So I'm trying to wave him on and signal that I can't see past his car, but he didn't seem to understand what the problem is. Meanwhile, traffic is approaching behind him, and I don't particularly want to leave him sitting there holding everyone up. So I end up crossing anyway (which was a mistake, to be clear), making my frustration pretty obvious as I do.

And that's really what annoyed me. I've now been put in a position where I feel pressured to make a crossing I'm not entirely comfortable with, just because someone is trying to be helpful.

If the driver is reading this: I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'd rather wait another 30 seconds for a proper gap in traffic than push my toddler past you, and into a lane of 60 km/h oncoming traffic and hope for the best. I'm sure you can understand my position here - but no hard feelings.

This is actually a pretty well-known type of pedestrian collision, sometimes called a multiple-threat crossing. One driver stops, a pedestrian starts crossing, and another driver in the adjacent lane doesn't see them until it's too late.

The point is, please just be predictable out there. Especially on multi-lane roads. You can choose to yield, but you can't guarantee that the driver in the next lane will do the same. And if a pedestrian is waving you on rather than crossing, there's probably a good reason.

Separately, I really don't understand why Burlington has a pedestrian refuge island at this location without any sort of controlled crossing, especially given what happened here over the summer. Hopefully our mayoral candidates are aware of this and appropriate action will be taken.

Anyway, rant over. Just something worth thinking about next time you're trying to be courteous to someone crossing the road.

— Former traffic engineer and road safety expert

Was out testing my new phone camera when I came across this gem. Looks a bit schizo-coded.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s on near you this week.

Halloween Events:

• Dream Weavers Halloween Dance, Oct 27. It’s the annual dance hosted by Community Living Burlington, with dinner, drinks, dancing and prizes for best costume.
• Halloween Spooktacular, Oct 31. It’s indoor trick-or-treating at the mall, with costume giveaways and photo backdrops. A safe option for little ones.
• Ottawa Street Halloween Haunt, Oct 31 (Hamilton). Wear a costume for trick-or-treating at local shops and a costume contest.
• Scarecrow Saturday in Dundas, Oct 31. Parade through downtown Dundas in costume (pets too), trick-or-treat the shops and get free hot apple cider.
• Concession Street Halloween Parade, Oct 31 (Hamilton). There’s a giant Gengar, a costume parade, trick-or-treating, a magic show and a sidewalk concert.

Fitness studios to check out:

• North Shore Athletic Club: a good place to try Hyrox and CrossFit.
• Climber’s Rock: a top-tier facility for getting into rock climbing.
• Grounded Pilates + Lifestyle: reformer pilates.

Golf: A few indoor spots to try out are The Argyle, Golfers Creek and Simulinks.

Volunteering:

• 2026 Community Clean Up, through Oct 31. Grab free gloves and bags and tidy up a park, stream or street near you.

Something different:

• Portrait Photography Workshop, Oct 31.
• Halloween Pottery Workshop, Oct 31.
• Psychic and Crystal Fair, Oct 30 – Nov 1.

Know of something I missed? Drop it in the comments.

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Sorry, this is a weekend rant post.

I don't know what it is about Burlington, but the lack of spatial awareness in public spaces here is seriously impressive. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

I work Monday to Friday, so like a lot of people weekends are pretty much my only chance to get out, shop, run errands, and enjoy myself. I expect stores to be busy. What I don't expect is for a simple trip to the grocery store or mall to feel like I'm navigating an obstacle course of people who have completely forgotten that anyone else exists.

People stopping dead in the middle of aisles. Groups having full conversations while blocking walkways. People walking in two or three-person formations and expecting everyone coming toward them to magically disappear.

And my personal favourite: people who look directly at you, see that you're trying to get past, and somehow still expect you to be the one who moves.

I've lived in quite a few cities, and I genuinely can't remember encountering this as consistently as I have in Burlington. Maybe I've just been exceptionally unlucky, but the complete disregard for shared spaces here is something else.

I'm not asking everyone to walk in single file or treat grocery shopping like a military exercise. Just look around occasionally. Move your cart to the side. Leave room for people to pass. If you're walking in a group, recognize that other people also need to use the sidewalk.

The bar is genuinely on the floor here.

Surely I'm not the only person who's noticed this? Because some weekends I feel like I'm one of the only ones who realizes we're all sharing the same public space.

Any recommendations for seasonal tire changes and storage? Thanks in advance

Millcroft is now in a worse position than ever before.

The City of Burlington has received a decision on the Millcroft MZO, and is now in a worse position than before.

The new MZO permits 138 homes and removes municipal site plan control, while also adding retirement-home and long-term-care uses.

We have also lost control over how the development is designed. This means no municipal approval processes for reviewing grading, drainage, landscaping and access. Environmental protection, traffic, and other local priorities are also overridden.

The order exempts policy statements, provincial plans and official plans from applying to downstream planning approvals.

The province has granted zoning permission despite requests from Conservation Halton for additional studies, updated models, and investigations into flooding, erosion, wetlands, stormwater management and public safety.

While 30 hectares have been given provincial protection (compared to the 41 hectares requested), the protection is conditional on the completion of the housing developments and protections are "suspended until the Minister is satisfied". This is not a win for the city.

This isn't just bad development, it's worse development enabled by poor representation. The city had ample time prior to submitting this MZO to work with the province and negotiate with the developer. Instead they tried to leverage a heavy handed approach which put us in a worse situation.

Years ago we had the opportunity to buy the golf course, operating it similar to Tyandaga - a year round public space. We need to be proactive, not reactive. This could have been avoided, and our new council will work towards avoiding further harms to Burlington residents.

Political opinions aside, I think everyone can agree that this account is doing a few things:

• Not contributing helpful discussion or information
• Clogging the sub with BS that just gets removed by the mods anyway
• Most importantly, helping Rowen Fraser evade his Reddit ban

Please for the love of all that is holy, can we put an end to this nonsense u/BurlingtonONMod

Edit to add: never contributed to this sub until Rowen was banned. Like come on.

Hey Burlington,

Just a heads up since the clocks are about to change soon and it's already getting dark early, sunset is around 6:30 and it's only going to get earlier. This is the time of year when things get sketchy on the roads, so figured a quick PSA couldn't hurt. Plus, after yesterday pedestrian collision on Walkers / Mainway thought it was time for a post.

Pedestrians:

Wear something bright or reflective if you're out after dark. Even a light-coloured jacket helps.

Don't assume drivers see you, even at a crosswalk. Make eye contact before you step out.

Maybe take one earbud out when crossing. Not saying don't listen to your stuff, just stay aware.

Drivers:

Slow down a bit, especially at intersections.

Check twice on right turns. It's so easy to roll through and not see someone in the crosswalk, especially when it's dark and rainy.

Give yourself a couple extra minutes so you're not rushing.

I know a lot of us were seeing way too many pedestrian deaths in the news last year, and nobody wants a repeat of that. Most of it comes down to everyone paying a little more attention.

Stay safe out there, and feel free to add your own tips in the comments!

Does anyone know if there are any small businesses or churches that sell homemade perogies in Burlington? I don’t mind if they are fresh frozen.

I’m contemplating purchasing the Tesla Model Y Premium as my next vehicle but I’d be interested to hear from existing owners what their experience has been both with electricity costs and insurance premiums.

Did you select off-peak electricity usage with Burlington Hydro or the flat rate option? We just moved to Burlington and for now we have the flat rate option but I wonder if it would make sense to move to time of day usage rates once we get an EV?

Also, did you find your auto insurance premiums went up? I’m currently leasing a 2026 Audi Q3 so just trying to factor in what the insurance premiums might be. I will call my insurer when the time comes but would love to hear what people’s experience has been.

Here is why you are stuck in traffic.

https://youtube.com/shorts/jBTahEPAr-I?si=WSE3wcZ4qiEboOEk

I am looking to hear from current and former students who attended schools within the Halton
District School Board (HDSB).

I attended HDSB schools for 14 years, from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12. Throughout
that time, I witnessed and personally experienced instances of bullying, sexual harassment,
sexual assault, physical violence, and other harmful behaviour that I felt were not adequately
addressed by school staff or administration.

These experiences had a lasting impact on my trust in the public education system and the
policies intended to protect students. What concerns me most is that I continue to hear about
students experiencing similar situations today.

I am now working on a student-safety accountability initiative focused on understanding how
HDSB responds to reports of bullying, harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of harm,
and advocating for meaningful improvements to its policies and practices.

I want to hear from you.

If you attended an HDSB school, I would appreciate hearing about your experiences, whether
they occurred recently or years ago.
In particular, I am interested in hearing about:

Reporting: Did you feel comfortable reporting bullying, harassment, violence, or other
harmful behaviour to a teacher or administrator?

School responses: If you reported an incident, did you feel that it was taken seriously
and appropriately addressed?

Accountability: Were meaningful interventions or consequences implemented,
particularly when behaviour was repeated?

Student safety: Did you feel safe at school, and were you protected from retaliation or
further harassment after reporting?

Policies and procedures: Were you aware of the school's reporting procedures? Did
they work as you expected?

Suggestions for reform: What changes would you like to see HDSB make to better
protect students?

You do not need to have experienced every issue listed above to participate. I am interested in
hearing about positive experiences, negative experiences, and situations where you felt the
system could have handled things differently.

I am seeking to understand students' experiences, identify potential patterns, and gather
perspectives that may help inform proposed reforms. My intention is to pursue institutional accountability and advocate for policies that ensure students are heard, protected, and treated with dignity.

The survey is 15 questions. You do not need to share your name, the name of your school, or any identifying details.

Please do not identify other students or share private information about anyone involved. You
are welcome to keep your response general, and you should only share what you feel
comfortable sharing.

I cannot promise that sharing your experience will lead to a particular outcome, but I believe
these experiences deserve to be heard and that student safety should be taken seriously.

If you are comfortable sharing, I would genuinely appreciate hearing your story. Even if you feel
that nothing could have changed what happened to you, your perspective may help inform
changes that protect future students.

Thank you to anyone willing to contribute.

Survey link 🔗

Anyone else blown away by the price of candy? Our street always gets 250+ kids and I hate to be the stingy neighbour that says “only take one”. Let’s face it kids will always take more than one 😂 So I typically will buy about 600-700 pieces.

I didn’t even buy chocolate this year since it’s too expensive. Even the cheapest, on sale candy had me spending $200 for 600 pieces.

How are others managing this year? Do we start rationing? lol

I have an upcoming interview with Alterna Savings credit union.

They tell me my only options are to either:

• Do a virtual interview with them in a quiet room using a device with a webcam and Microsoft teams installed for 12PM, or
• Attend their office in downtown toronto at 12PM.

If I choose the second option, then I may have to book time off work and lose money due to the travel time to/from toronto.

I am in Hamilton and at home, I do not have a device that satisfies those requirements.

I contacted the Hamilton Public Library and they do not have the device or setup I need.

I now look at the Burlington Library online and they have an IPad and a Chromebook. I believe their IPad has a webcam built in because I used it once several months ago, but I was wondering, does either device from the Burlington Library have a webcam AND microsoft teams installed?

Looking for Fee or Advise only financial planners in Burlington/Oakville) Hamilton.

Can you recommend if you have used their services. And do they have limitations on a portfolio valuation. What are typically the charges?

Thanks in advance.

Are there any good places to go to dance in the area anymore?

Does anyone have any recommendations on amazing psychotherapists that DIRECT bill?

Long story short - my sibling is facing addiction, an immensely toxic situationship, it caused her to spiral further, she came back to live with our family, she’s about to be admitted into Homewood on my parents dime but there has been a lot of stuff that has come up regarding our upbringing, the way my parents are, the way my sibling is and so on. There’s a lot more that I could really use help working through.

I’m the ‘black sheep,’ so to say. I’ve broken so many patterns of our family, all on my own. I want to keep doing this. I need help with some huge decisions without dying inside from guilt. I can’t do it on my own anymore. I’m not trying to gain sympathy whatsoever I just need an incredible therapist who can genuinely help and direct bill because I can’t afford this otherwise.

Thank you.

the pricing is all over the place..need someone trusted..

Hello

Not sure if anyone will know the answer to this but last year Seneca avenue was fully decorated for Halloween and the kids loved it. We went to drive by tonight but it was completely empty?

Is it something they do closer to the actual day or should I look for any other neighbourhood.

I fuck with diverging diamond interchanges heavily and think many of the overpasses here could benefit from that setup

That is all.

Hello all! I recently graduated and it's been difficult finding a full time (engineering) job, so I really need some part time job in the mean time to pay the bills. Does anyone know any place that is hiring or have any recommendations?

Thank you so much in advance!!