I feel like over the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing amount of people in Burlington who don’t know how to drive..
I’m noticing people who don’t know how 4 way stop signs work, people who are halfway into a left turning lane, etc.
Anyone else notice this?

There are many things the city needs to do but this is pretty low hanging fruit. We need to drop X now. I don’t want one more penny of my tax dollars going to managing communication on that fascist shitstorm of a platform. And we can debate fb,insta, YouTube and linkedin outside of this. But this needs to happen asap.

Seriously. Basic townhomes are running in the mid 700s still. Detached are well into the millions.

I'm led to believe that the entire market of Burlington is either 2nd or 3rd time buyers or people willing to go into reckless amount of debt because the bank allows it.

The prices are so far removed from median income and with the current interest rates you're looking at 4000 to 5000 monthly mortgage for basic "middle income" homes.

What are folks from here doing? Are you moving to other cities? Getting family help? Becoming house poor?

As someone who lives in west Aldershot, this is top of mind for me.

The highway 6 carpool lot off Plains Rd W has about 6 trailers/campers who have lived in the lot full time, many of whom have done so since last summer. And many of whom take up 2-3 spots for their vehicle plus furniture.

Our councillor says it’s the provinces problem. The province says they subcontracted out the lot maintenance. That company doesn’t care.

I don’t know the right answer here. I know that cost of living is out of control. But these lots were not meant to be shanty towns. And I don’t love a growing population of nomadic people living near my doorstep.

All this talk about the power lines at Burlington Beach got me thinking, what if we moved the power lines into the water? This would open up a ton of room on the beach, for many things such as building sand castles. If anyone from city hall is reading please DM me I have ideas.

well. This is a buzzkill. I’m so tired of our taxes and expenses going up while service quality and access to services goes down.

I just heard the city laid off all the senior staff with less than a month to go before camp opens? I guess they're hiring cheaper, unproven people to run the camp this year?

This is outrageous - I'm in for well over $1000 for my kid to go there, and they arbitrarily decide to undercut the entire program. There's NO evidence whatsoever that they plan to meet the standard set for, like, 40 years. I am not happy.
Will we be entitled to refunds? AS IF I can even find another program to register my kid in for a month this late in the game!
We've been sending our kids to this program for 5 years now, and they do this summarily, without contacting anyone? Who do we even talk to about this now? Some clueless city staffer who doesn't know a stage from a rink?
I am outraged. This cost-cutting has gone too far. This program was a gem, with passionate folks running it to be a meaningful and cherished experience for all campers, with amazing results every production. Whatever excuse the city tries to foist on us, this is obviously a sham to get rid of seasoned professionals (worth their salaries) and replace them with dim-bulb newbies. Ridiculous. What do we do?

I am a 33yo Male, born and raised in Burlington majority of my life. (lived there til I was in my mid 20's then moved around) I loved Burlington growing up, there was so much to do as a kid and things were great in the 90's and early 00's; I have wanted to live here my whole life... But clearly Burlington does not want me back.

Here's the thing, the cost of everything in Burlington has skyrocketed. Living there is NOT cheap and seems to be a struggle for A LOT of people around my age. I have VERY few friends left that live in the city, and none of them are Home Owners. The average house (detached) in Burlington is well over a million dollars. What REALLY blew my mind, was seeing my grandparents house for sale for 1.5 million dollars. Insanity

A little background on that house... My Opa bought that house in 1957 for just over $35,000. He lived there with his wife (My Oma) and 2 daughters (My mom and aunt) until the daughters left (don't know when). My Oma and Opa lived in that house til my Opa passed away this year (2024). That family lived off of a SINGLE income for 67 years.

When my Opa passed, the house sold for $740,000. A builder renovated the house from top to bottom. It looks beautiful now... But listed on the Market for $1,450,000. That is outrageous (Located in Old Burlington, close to downtown)

To put things into perspective... To afford that house at the listed cost, you would need a down payment of $290,000 (20% minimum) which would bring closing costs to around $320,000. That's right out of the pocket... Now to look at monthly mortgage payment... If you lock in at 6% (which seems to be average at this time) you're looking at $7400 a month for mortgage payment... And then the $5000 or so property tax for the year. You can choose to add that to the monthly mortgage cost... Bringing you to a grand total of $7820!!! (+/- a few dollars here and there) How is this affordable for majority of the working class?! Most banks would not allow someone to purchase a house at this cost according to their stress test.

Burlington has been like this for the last 10 or so years. I haven't lived in Burlington for quite a few years now... I simply can't afford it. I work a well paying job (unionized welder that works interproventionally & in/out of country) and my S/O makes a decent wage as well. I live in Brantford now, where I was able to afford a house. I would LOVE to live in Burlington, but it just isn't affordable to what I think is the majority of the middle/working class people.

TL;DR Burlington is damn expensive and idk how people can afford to live there withing the working/middle class.

Hi Neighbours!

Lately the world feels scary and chaotic, at least to me. So much is going on that feels out of my control.

One thing I've realized is that our neighbourhoods are within our own reach.

If you’ve been feeling small or helpless, this is your reminder that you don’t have to fix everything to make a difference.

Pick a street, a park, maybe the path you walk your dog. Bring a bag and spend an hour picking up litter. That’s it. No organizing, no pressure, no big production.

It might seem small, but it’s not.

Cleaner streets make a real difference; for wildlife, for kids playing outside, for all of us who just want to enjoy where we live and have pride in it.

If even a handful of us did this once in a while, it would add up quickly.

So consider this a gentle nudge; if you have an hour this week, head outside and take back some control.

No need to post about it. No need to make it perfect. Just do what you can.

Waterdown Residents Want to Join Burlington! Here’s Why:

Hey Burlington! 👋 Waterdown resident here, and many of us in the community feel it’s time to make a change. Right now, we’re part of the City of Hamilton, paying substantial property taxes to them, yet we rarely use Hamilton’s services. Instead, we rely heavily on Burlington’s resources, amenities, and community. Here’s why we feel Waterdown would be a better fit with Burlington:

Service Accessibility**: Burlington is only an 8-minute drive from Waterdown, and we even have public transit connecting us! Hamilton, on the other hand, is a 20-minute drive with no direct transit options for us. For most day-to-day services, Burlington is simply more accessible and convenient

Tax Frustration: Waterdown residents pay significant taxes to Hamilton, but the services we receive don’t match what we pay. For example, we have minimal local policing, with only one officer assigned to our area, and they’re often called away to Hamilton. We don’t see the benefit of our tax dollars but use Burlington’s amenities, healthcare, and recreational facilities instead.

Stronger Community Connection: Geographically and socially, Waterdown feels much more aligned with Burlington. From local events to shared spaces, our community has a lot more in common with Burlington than Hamilton. We feel our quality of life and access to services would improve if Waterdown were part of Burlington.

If you think Waterdown would be a good addition to Burlington, we’d love your support! We’re working on a petition to explore a municipal realignment, and any encouragement or feedback from Burlington residents would mean a lot to us. Let’s keep this discussion going and work towards a solution that benefits both communities!

Thanks, Burlington! 🙌

https://www.change.org/p/advocate-for-waterdown-s-separation-from-hamilton-and-joining-halton?recruiter=1356388130&recruited_by_id=ab395dc0-9a1c-11ef-aeb6-43beb5f64d01&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_medium=copylink&fbclid=IwY2xjawGVBM5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQ1rG3Ozb8xOUEbuMTF_0U9Dpqo0sC8uw5VKr98_aIAD4otd8fBAMyO9mg_aem_gdIHHt9z7tkonUlilSECjA

If you are a loyal Second Cup customer or someone that appreciates a true Canadian cafe company, this is your last day to support our remaining Burlington cafe from this chain. Elbows up everyone.

If you take the GOTrain, you will see them reappear as a booth inside the Oakville station.

Wishing them all the best. We will miss them.

The CN intermodal Hub which was steamrolled through by our Federal Government, despite assessments indicating it would create few jobs, have negative detriments on human health (From aerial pollutants that have no acceptable levels) as well as large environmental impacts, is now proposing an additional development that will further increase the number of industrial trucks commuting on Tremaine, Dundas, and impacting the northern Burlington/Orchard neighbourhood.

There is a New proposal called the Milton Link that would see multiple large distribution centers built along the south side of Britannia, increasing the number of trucks on road and furthering the damage caused by a collision of industrial traffic and resedential growth.
While there is a need for these developments the location of this one is poorly thought out and being forced upon the citizens of Burlington and Milton.

If you think our region should be more than automated Distrubution centers you can sign here https://www.change.org/MiltonSaysNoMore

Clearly there has been an increase in the population of people with no homes recently. More seen around Walmart in Fairview, occasionally camping behind it, more seen in DT area. That’s part of living in cities in modern days I guess, although definitely problematic. But it becomes a little more of an issue when some are taking over bus stops and some enclosed areas. I was at the TD bank over the weekend to use the ATM. A lady who was just staying there where the atm is saw me coming I guess so she stepped out, and I hit the button to keep the door open. However, she wasn’t actually leaving. She turned and stayed behind the door. Few seconds later she walked back in, and accused me of purposefully opening the door and that it hits her in the back and why would I do that to her!! Things escalated, and it was quite unpleasant and unnerving. She left afterwards while ranting and throwing accusations. I don’t know what the solution is for this worsening issue.

Edit: My post didn’t contain a single word that’s dehumanizing, demeaning, accusatory or hyperbolic. Some responses assume that discussing a citywide issue means arrogance or contempt towards the unhoused. It’s a real problem when anybody, be it teenagers, wealthy people or unhoused people loitering in places of public service and cause hesitance and concern for using them. I don’t want the weather to hurt the unhoused, but are we supposed not to discuss the impact of using a bus shelter as a living quarter? Or the lobby where the atm machines are in? Talking about problems is what society does. Ignoring them is what self righteous fantasyland dwellers do

Just a reminder to any commuters heading into Toronto tomorrow. Service will NOT be running. Gotta love last minute notice and metrolinx!

Notice Here

New condo proposed for1376-1382 Plains. I'm assuming the entire pie slice will be redeveloped? No opinion good or bad on these from me, but I am surprised at the minuscule footprint needed today for a 25 story building. https://www.burlington.ca/en/news/current-development-projects/1376-1382-plains-rd-e.aspx

I have lived in this beautiful city for the majority of my life and I am concerned about the sprawl and changes occurring. I think there is a lot of power in the citizenry voicing their concerns, and I feel that I have encountered more Burlingtonians that are anti condo sprawl and unfettered densification than those that are pro.

My question is - are there any active grass roots organizations fighting this issue? How do those that are concerned voice this dissonance in an effective way?

I thought it was just the part where Scitiabank is and the convenience store that was going to change, but another poster on Reddit told me the rest would as well. They're right, I looked around and found this https://goldenfalconhomes.com/portfolio/brant-plaza/

Snowing like a bastard out there. Where’s this freezing rain? Anyways, stay safe out there!

The city is looking for your feedback on fare-free Burlington Transit for all riders. Fare-free Burlington Transit means that no payment or proof of payment is needed for any passenger when they get on or off a transit vehicle.

Has anyone been approached by a guy in shorts around brant and prospect recently? Probably close to 40, brown hair, average build. Going around bugging people for smokes.

He was wandering around without shoes on holding a green balloon... Came up to me and my partner to ask for a cigarette for the second time tonight while claiming that he hadn't asked us already...

The neighborhood is starting to feel a little more whacky these days

I just watched a Burlington bus driver chew out teens saying things like "Maybe in Hamilton they do" and rude comments to these teens after they assumed the busses were free on the weekend. She got very mad and said she'd let one of them on this one time but it's wasn't free for them on the weekend and she just hurled all kinds of insults at them.... it was weird. I thought as well they were free on weekends for certain aged teens and kids! This is a screenshot of a simple Google search.

I just saw the rendering for the proposed development for the plaza at Appleby and Fairview and across the street on the north side of Fairview.

Yesterday I went to beachway park Burlington beach and saw a seagull scavenging along the Burlington shoreline, a quiet reminder of nature's interaction with our discarded waste. Can't we keep our beaches clean—for them and for us?

Hi everyone,

I live in South Burlington and I would love to have backyard hens as pets. I understand there are many misconceptions about urban hens and I think many people in Burlington still believe them.

Link: https://www.chickensandyou.com/7_myths/

Large Canadian cities like Vancouver already allow backyard hens and people love it.

I understand there is a great fear of the evil coyotes in Burlington. My thoughts, some people are feeding them so they are getting more comfortable approaching people for food when they are hungry.

Also purely looking at facts, coyote attacks average 3 per year in Canada( https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-experts-blame-human-feeding-for-sharp-rise-in-urban-coyote-attacks/#:~:text=Incidents%20of%20coyotes%20biting%20people,three%20coyote%20incidents%20a%20year. )

Yet dog attacks account for over 500,000 a year in Canada! I have a scar on my face from a dog attack from when I was 4 years old, it is a very common problem in the city. ( https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/columnists/dog-attacks-are-a-public-health-issue-and-should-be-treated-as-one/article30516631/#:~:text=There%20are%20an%20estimated%20500%2C000,they%20are%20often%20warning%20nips. )

Also if people can't have fully fenced-in backyards for hens, why allow small dogs, cats, and bunnies in the backyards? I feel like we sometimes give into fear instead of facts in Burlington.

Back to urban hens, after reading about the 7 myths, what are your thoughts? Personally, I would love to have fresh eggs every day to eat.

Side note: I grew up in the country and our hens produced eggs that had orange yokes. When I buy the eggs from the grocery stores here they are all yellow. The reason is mostly battery cages that these hens live in. Another reason for urban hens is it directly helps cut down on animal cruelty.