Category: 3. Business

Family-favourite amusement ride will return better than ever in 2027

December 17, 2025

The Riverside Express train will be out of service in 2026 as we retrofit the diesel engine with an electric one that is efficient and environmentally friendly. This unique project will take specialized parts, knowledge and time, so we’re making the difficult decision to prepare for a season without the Express.

The current engine has been running since 2000 and needs replacing. Putting an electric engine in the existing train’s frame is the perfect way to modernize the experience while keeping its classic charm. Once in place, the new engine will be quieter and easier to service, meaning a more enjoyable experience for all.

We hope you’re looking forward to joining us for a ride on the new and improved Riverside Express in 2027!

Riverside Park carousel will continue standard service

While the Riverside Express will be out of commission for the year, the carousel will operate normally, starting with weekend service in May. Get the latest information on the status of the carousel on our website.

Season passes make a great stocking stuffer!

Though the train won’t be available, season passes remain a great value for any amusement ride fan. Until April, you can get a 2026 season pass for the 2025 rate, $22.97 +HST. Ride the carousel nine or more times during the season and you’re saving! Plus, if you have a 2025 season pass, you can trade it in at the time of purchase to get 50 per cent off your 2026 season pass. 2026 amusement ride rates come into effect in April. Season passes are available at:

• ServiceGuelph, 1 Carden Street
• West End Community Centre, 21 Imperial Road South
• Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, 683 Woolwich Street
• Victoria Road Recreation Centre, 151 Victoria Road North

For more Information

Gene Matthews
General Manager, Parks
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 3337
[email protected]

UC San Francisco has taken a transformative step to drive the future of its education and patient care missions by acquiring two life sciences buildings next to its Mission Bay campus. This strategic expansion will create urgently needed space for a new home for the UCSF School of Dentistry, a leading-edge hub for interprofessional education, expanded research capacity, and increased access to high-quality dental care for the community.

At the heart of the investment is a bold reimagining of UCSF’s health professions education. A biotech facility at 409 Illinois St., previously owned by an affiliate of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., will be transformed into a modern center for instruction and learning, featuring a 60,000-square-foot education center where students from dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy will learn together in high-tech simulation labs and team-based learning environments.

The building will house dental clinics designed for the future of oral health care. These clinics will incorporate digital dentistry, integrated primary and specialty care, team-based care models, and expanded capacity to serve Bay Area patients. The state-of-the-art clinical settings will enable UCSF dentists to lead and prepare graduates in an evolving health care landscape, while delivering more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered dental care for the community.

The investment comes at a pivotal time, as UCSF contends with significant space limitations and outdated facilities across its health sciences programs.

“UCSF’s patient care, research, and education are experiencing tremendous advances, making the need for forward-thinking space more critical now than ever,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS. “This investment anchors the future of the health professions at UCSF. It allows us to address our current space constraints and ensure that faculty, students, researchers and, most importantly, patients have the facilities they need to thrive in the years ahead.”

Next door at 499 Illinois St., UCSF clinics, labs, and administrative offices already occupy 90% of the building, which the university has leased for more than a decade. With this purchase, UCSF will convert these lease obligations into a more efficient mortgage structure, lowering long-term costs while strengthening stability and future growth for its research programs.

Modern space for learning and care

Together, the buildings offer 525,421 square feet of laboratory, office, clinical, and educational space on 3.6 acres overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Built in 2009 for life sciences tenants, the facilities already meet UC’s seismic safety standards and present a rare opportunity to modernize an existing structure rather than building anew — saving an estimated two years of construction time and significantly reducing costs. Renovations of 409 Illinois are expected to begin in 2026, with completion targeted for late 2029.

This new building allows us to design the educational experience with our patients’ needs right where they should be — at the forefront.

Michael Reddy, DMD, DMsc

For the UCSF School of Dentistry, currently operating in a 1979 building, this expansion represents a transformational upgrade to a purpose-built environment that aligns with contemporary expectations for academic and clinical excellence. The school is advancing a long-term plan to reinvent dental education by leveraging emerging technologies and deepening integration with other health professions, reflecting the growing recognition that oral health is an essential part of overall health. Co-locating dental education, clinical research, and patient care with the other health professions in Mission Bay will accelerate this vision and create richer opportunities for interdisciplinary training.

The facility will introduce pioneering clinical environments, with enhanced comfort, privacy, and an improved overall patient experience. Designed around a patient-centered model of care, the new clinics will support advanced technologies, integrated specialty services, and team-based approaches that allow providers to deliver coordinated, high-quality oral health care. The relocation also brings the school’s pediatric practice into close proximity with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Mission Bay, offering families a seamless, centralized destination for comprehensive medical and dental services for their children.

“This new building allows us to design the educational experience with our patients’ needs right where they should be — at the forefront,” said Michael Reddy, DMD, DMSc, dean of the UCSF School of Dentistry. “It will have the facilities to provide high-quality, high-tech care in a comfortable and private space, and in a beautiful location with waterfront views.”

A decade of planning finds a home

The new integrated education center will create extraordinary opportunities for collaboration across UCSF’s professional schools — each a national leader in research and education — by supporting innovative teaching methods and providing adaptable, technology-rich learning environments that reflect the future of health professions.

The center is the culmination of 10 years of planning by UCSF educators who have long envisioned a shared space that promotes interprofessional learning. For the first time, this vision will have a dedicated home. The facility will include simulation and clinical skills labs where students can train together as interdisciplinary teams, building the skills and leadership needed to deliver exceptional, coordinated care. The location at Mission Bay will enable them to learn alongside the campus’s vibrant research enterprise and patient care activities, as they do today at Parnassus Heights.

In addition to advanced simulation labs, the center will feature modern classrooms, collaborative spaces, and faculty offices, along with dining areas and open gathering spaces that overlook the bay—creating an inviting environment that supports learning, well-being, and community.

“This investment is future focused at a time when others are questioning the direction of higher education,” said Catherine Lucey, MD, UCSF’s executive vice chancellor and provost, who has led the initiative to modernize training in the health professions. “It reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring that our students and faculty have the high-quality space they need to learn, care for their patients, and advance discovery science.”

Burlington, Ont. — Dec. 17, 2025 — Over the upcoming holiday season, City of Burlington administrative services will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, to Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. City administrative services will re-open on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. To learn more about City services and facility availability over the holidays, please see the summary below or visit burlington.ca.

Animal Services

The Animal Shelter at 2424 Industrial St. will operate as follows:

• Wednesday, Dec. 24 and Thursday, Dec. 25 – closed to appointments
• Friday, Dec. 26 – Saturday, Dec. 27 – open to appointments
• Sunday, Dec. 28 – closed to appointments
• Monday, Dec. 29 to Wednesday, Dec. 31 – open to appointments
• Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 – closed to appointments

To report an animal control related emergency on a holiday, please call 905-335-7777.

Burlington Transit

Burlington Transit will operate as scheduled over the holidays:

• Wednesday, Dec. 24 – regular service
• Thursday, Dec. 25 – special holiday service
• Friday, Dec. 26 – regular Sunday service
• Saturday, Dec. 28 to Tuesday, Dec. 30 – regular service
• Wednesday, Dec. 31 – regular service
• Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 – special holiday service

Find real-time arrival information and plan your trip using Google Maps. From a mobile phone, access Google Maps and click on your bus stop to see arrival times. From a computer, select your bus stop, then click on ‘See Departure Board’ to view arrival times.

Specialized Dispatch is open from Monday, Dec. 29 to Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Burlington Transit Customer Service is open Saturday, Dec. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from Monday, Dec. 29 to Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

City Hall

Service Burlington and the Building, Renovating and Licensing counter on the main floor of City Hall at 426 Brant St., will close at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, and re-open on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.

Many service payments are available online at burlington.ca/onlineservices.

For online development services, MyFiles can be used by residents who have applied for Pre-Building Approval. Check the status of Pre Building Approval applications at burlington.ca/MyFiles.

Halton Court Services – Provincial Offences Office

Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way will operate as follows:

• Wednesday, Dec. 24 – Friday, Dec. 26 – closed 
• Monday, Dec. 29 to Wednesday, Dec. 31 – open, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 – closed
• Friday, Jan. 2, 2026 – open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On days when the court administration counter is open, telephone payments are available at 905-637-1274, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Many services are also available by email at burlingtoncourt@burlington.ca or online at Halton Court Services. Payment of Provincial Offences fines is available 24/7 at www.paytickets.ca.

Parking

Free parking is available downtown, on the street, in municipal lots and in the parking garage (414 Locust St) after 6 p.m. and on holidays, including Dec. 25 and 26, 2025 and Jan. 1, 2026.

On Sundays, free parking is available downtown, on the street, in municipal lots and in the parking garage (414 Locust St.).

On Saturdays, pay parking downtown is required in high-demand parking lots (Lots 1, 4 and 5) and all on-street metered parking spaces. A three-hour maximum is in effect for all on-street spaces. Free parking is available in the remaining municipal lots and the parking garage (414 Locust St.).

NOTE:

• The Waterfront parking lots (east and west at 1286 Lakeshore Rd.) do not provide free parking on holidays.
• Parking exemptions or City-Wide Parking Permits are required to park overnight on city streets and for longer than five hours. Visit bylaw.burlington.ca for parking exemptions.
• City-Wide Parking Permits, Exemptions, Alton Village Permits and Neighbourhood On-Street Parking Programs are cancelled during declared snow events. Parked vehicles on-street will be subject to enforcement and/or relocation.

Recreation Programs and Facilities

Burlington Seniors’ Centre
The Burlington Seniors’ Centre at 2285 New St. will close Monday, Dec. 22, for the holiday and building maintenance. It will re-open on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

Customer Service
Recreation, Community and Culture customer service is available to assist you:

• In person at recreation facility counters during program times
• By email at liveandplay@burlington.ca
• By phone at 905-335-7738, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Phone and email service are closed Dec. 24, 25, 26 and Jan. 1, 2026. A complete listing of holiday service hours is available at burlington.ca/servicehours. 

Cogeco Skating at Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond
Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond, located at Spencer Smith Park (1400 Lakeshore Rd.), is open for the season. During skating season, the pond is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting – exceptions include:

• Christmas Eve – ponds closes at 5 p.m.
• Christmas Day – pond closed

Registration is not required. For more information, including skating times, visit burlington.ca/pond.

Residents are encouraged to call the ice conditions hotline at 905-335-7738, ext. 8587 before leaving to make sure the pond is open.

The free skate lending program at the Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond is available Monday to Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m., and Fridays, from 5 to 10 p.m. On Saturdays, Sundays, and school breaks, it is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tim Hortons free skating
Thanks to Tim Hortons, Burlington residents can enjoy another holiday season of free skating, from Sunday, Dec. 21 to Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Free skating will be drop-in only, and no online reservation is needed. Skating is first come, first served until capacity is reached. For dates and locations, visit burlington.ca/timsfreeskate.

Drop-in recreation programs
Swimming, skating, fitness and other drop-in program times vary over the holiday period. Drop in or reserve in advance. For schedules, visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay.

Holiday ice and gym rentals
Stay active this holiday with family and friends by renting ice or a gym at a special discount. This holiday season, ice and gym rentals are available at a reduced rate for booking dates up to Jan. 4, 2026. Residents can view facility availability and complete the rental 24 hours in advance through their online Live & Play account. Learn more about how to rent at burlington.ca/rentals.

Outdoor Fun
Head outside and play in our parks and trails, including disc golf at Tyandaga Golf Course (1265 Tyandaga Park Dr.), tobogganing and more. Explore all the options at burlington.ca/outdoorplay.

Roads, Parks and Forestry

The administrative office will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 24 to Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, re-opening on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. Essential services, including snow removal, will be provided as required.

Burlington is a city where people, nature and business thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.

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