urbanicity august 2011
DESCRIPTION
A monthly journal of the bay city.TRANSCRIPT
urban cityi A monthly journal in the bay city
continued on P.4
TAKE BACK OUR STREETS
continued on P.7
THE OLD CARNEGIE LIBRARY
continued on P.5
WHERE IS OUR CHAMPION?
ADRIAN DUYZER REG BEAUDRY
continued on P.8continued on P.4
TOO POSH TO PUSH
The one and only Bette Davis cut and pasted onto Demi Moore
P.2
Hamilton’s original Public Library built in 1906Looking up at the corner of King + James | regbeaudry.com
LYDIA LOVRIC TERRY COOKE PAUL WILSON
I’M A NICE GIRL NOW
Ginger St. James prepares for a show | regbeaudry.com Facing west on Main Street | Five lanes, wider than the QEW
A local farm girl who eventually found her home as a burlesque performer, Ginger St. James is now a rising star as an alternative blues singer. Her energy is contagious and constant. Her passion is explosive. Her talent is spectacular. Ginger’s music is as unconventional as she is, combining rock and roll with country, blues with show tunes, and swing with vaudeville. Her audiences love it. They can’t seem to get enough of the former Steeltown Siren and her defiant, yet alluring live shows. With a new album on the way, Ginger St. James is ready to rock, swing, and seduce new fans in Hamilton and beyond.
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” - Napoleon Bonaparte | photograph by regbeaudry.com
Two topics are apparently taboo in polite company: politics and religion. This is ironic, considering that neither politics nor religion is very civilized. But there is a third subject that is even more explosive, more damning: parenting. Parents and non-parents alike have a myriad of opinions when it comes to the fine art of raising little rug rats into fine, upstanding citizens. So when I openly questioned the parenting "techniques" of mommy blogger and author, Rebecca Eckler, I was not surprised by her rather vitriolic reaction (most of which is not suitable for print). For the record, Eckler is a woman who once had two nannies for one child (a full-time nanny and a
Property prices are surging in many Hamilton neighbourhoods, but as I write this the MLS lists several residential properties for sale on and around Cannon Street that range in price from $94,000 through $139,000. These are astonishingly anaemic prices for what in some cases are stately Victorian homes. But this will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the street. Who would want to live to raise a family in a house that opens directly onto a four or five-lane expressway? The blunt answer is nobody that had any real choice. It's no coincidence that residential and even
It’s easy to miss, partly hidden by a shrub. But at Main and MacNab, not far from where commuters catch the B-Line, there is a cornerstone. A date is etched upon it: Aug. 23rd, 1911. Yes, on a warm Wednesday a hundred years ago they gathered here to mark an important event. The construction of Hamilton’s fine new Carnegie Library was underway. Libraries today are in heavy transition. It’s those rows and rows of computer terminals with free web access that draw the throngs to Central Library. And ebooks now move faster than traditional materials at seven city branches. People are still reading but don’t have to walk through the door to get the goods.
Although we are Canada's ninth-largest city, and larger than 460 of the United States' 513 urban areas (those with more than 40,000 residents), we're not accustomed to thinking of Hamilton as an important North American city. We punch below our weight. Cities, however, change over time. In 1960, Indianapolis, Indiana was home to 476,258 people and ranked as the 26th largest city in the US. In 1970, the municipality of Indianapolis was amalgamated with its suburbs under a unified government called Unigov, and it leapt ahead in the population rankings to 11th. This sudden expansion in population did little to disguise Indianapolis' economic and social decline.
“Who would want to live to raise a family in a house that opens directly onto a four or five-lane expressway?"
HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca | FREE
THE DEATH OF LEADERSHIP
FORUMWe welcome discussion! Each month, the FORUM section will display letters to the Editor. Inorder to be accepted, letters must include valid contact information and the full name of the writer.
Send your letters to: [email protected]
p.2
DISTRIBUTION
QUANTITY: 10,000 copies per issue | 12 issues per year
DATE: First day of each monthCOST: Free
DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS
PUBLISHER + EDITOR
LAYOUT + DESIGN
CONTRIBUTORS
AD INQUIRIES
FORUM
Downtown Hamilton International Village
Ottawa Street Locke Street
Westdale Village of Ancaster
Town of Dundas Village of Waterdown
Stoney Creek Concession Street District
Selected Hamilton Mountain locations
Greater Hamilton Area
MARTINUS GELEYNSE Owner | MG International
Director | Hamilton24 [email protected]
*REG BEAUDRY
Graphic Design | Photography [email protected]
*PAUL WILSON Former columnist | Hamilton Spectator
MARK CHAMBERLAIN President | Trivaris Family of Companies
Chair | Jobs Prosperity [email protected]
FRED EISENBERGER Former Mayor | Hamilton, Ontario
CEO | Canadian Urban [email protected]
*GRAHAM CRAWFORD
Owner | HIStory + [email protected]
MURLINE MALLETTE
Director | Liaison College Hamilton Campus
*TERRY COOKE CEO | Hamilton Community Foundation
PAUL SHAKER Director | Centre for Community Study
RYAN McGREAL Editor | raisethehammer.org
*ADRIAN DUYZER Associate Editor | raisethehammer.org
*LAURA FARR Staff Writer
*JAMIE TENNANT Program Director | 93.3 CFMU
CHRISTOPHER CUTLER Manager | PATH Employment Services
JOEY COLEMAN Independent Journalist
DONNA SKELLY Broadcast Journalist
*KEANIN LOOMIS Chief Advocate | Innovation Factory
PETER ORMOND Environmental Engineer
Lecturer | Mohawk [email protected]
RICK COURT
Dean of Business, Media, & Entertainment | Mohawk College
DON FORBES Manager, Specialist Advisory
Services | Grant Thornton [email protected]
*ROBERT LEAKER Vice-President of Innovation and
Emerging Markets | Meridian Credit [email protected]
*LYDIA LOVRIC
[email protected] | urbanicity.ca 905.537.5928
We welcome discussion! Each month, the FORUM section will
display letters to the Editor. In order to be accepted, letters must include valid contact information and the full
name of the writer. Send your letters to: [email protected]
*denotes in this issue
urbanicity27 John St N | Hamilton ON | L8R 1H1
urbanicity.ca | [email protected]
Former Writer and Broadcaster Full-time Mom
HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
urbanicity [ur-buh-nis-i-tee] - noun1. a monthly journal of ideas, issues and experiences in the bay city.
MA
RT
INU
S G
ELE
YN
SE
| p
hoto
grap
h by
Dan
iel B
anko
Leadership is not about debating policies, chairing meetings, or cutting ribbons. While these are certainly tasks that a leader may do, the undertaking of these tasks does not a leader make. What qualifies someone as a leader is his or her ability to lead. This may sound obvious, but I would posit that this concept is lost on many of our elected officials.
Napoleon Bonaparte was quoted as saying that, “A leader is a dealer in hope”. Essentially, therefore, a leader is someone that is able to inspire people to follow a stated vision with the hope for collective benefit. A leader is the champion of the cause, the purveyor of the vision, the leader of the charge. A leader inspires the fervent engagement of people in the realization of a goal.
Contrast this definition of leadership with the ‘leadership’ demonstrated by our current municipal government.
Instead of boldly inspiring Hamilton to engagement, City Hall perpetually seems to be either circling the wagons in damage-control mode or flailing wildly in a spastic knee-jerk reaction mode. Consider the reckless attempt by Peggy Chapman to muzzle independent journalism and the abnormally frequent in camera meetings by council. Recall the sudden and chaotic dissolution of the HECFI board, and the subsequent formation of an unqualified new board made up of city councillors. Take for example the unilateral decision by City Manager Chris Murray to strip resources from the study of light rail transit after council had unanimously endorsed it. Remember the failure of our previous city council to stand up to Bob Young and his ‘small retail operation’ in the infamous stadium fiasco. Each of these recent examples exude the same reactionary decision making, the same defeatist attitude and the same administrative drivel that has left Hamilton in its current distressed state.
Hamilton needs leadership. Truly valiant and inspiring leadership. While there may be a thousand points of light across this city—examples of individuals, organizations and companies demonstrating true leadership—we must see true leadership from our City Hall.
Hamiltonians need leadership that will break the current cycle of failure, and inspire all of us to see and realize a strong, ambitious vision for our city. Hamiltonians need leadership that offers us genuine hope.
MARTINUS GELEYNSE | Publisher + Editor
I just wanted to say that I loved Graham Crawford’s article (Profitable Legacy) in the July issue of Urbanicity.
I couldn't agree more with his view on the responsibility so to speak with inward development by those with both knowledge and the funds to carry forth that end. I do feel he left some names off this list, myself one of them. As third generation owner of Newman's Menswear, we decided to renovate our store and in effect take a large risk in staying in the lower city. Our 100 plus year old building has never looked so good and in doing so, so has our business, thus disproving the notion that business, especially high-end retail can't work in the downtown.
I believe that it takes many little guys like me to start that ball rolling, and I couldn't be happier than with the response we've been getting.
There are so many buildings even in my area that, through some vision and TLC, and of course money, could really bring about change.
My architect, Drew Hauser should also be listed, as he too has three revival projects along King St. and Barton St. to his credit.
Thanks again for the inspiring piece.
Best Regards
Aaron NewmanNewman’s Menswear
I just picked up the July issue of Urbanicity, and want to congratulate you on the quality of the content and the writers. This is community in action, and I am sure there are many in this city who appreciate your efforts. A little adjustment required to get used to the broadsheet, but it lends to great layout. Also feel I should congratulate the advertisers who invested in your publication by buying space, because that too is community as well as the local economy in action. Hope you do well.
Marie DynesColumnist for Over 50 and Loving It seniors' newspaper
“With many of the necessary elements like McMaster in place, there's no reason Hamilton can't duplicate and surpass Waterloo's success.”
p.3
| IDEAS
CAR: VW Bug | DRIVER: Dennis Andres | PHOTOGRAPHER: Reg Beaudry
TRANSPORTATION: TOY vs TRANSIT
Conceptual rendering of Light Rail on James Street South, courtesy of the City of Hamilton
“You do not own a car, you own an expensive toy ”
HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
ROBERT LEAKER
KEANIN LOOMIS CITY of OPPORTUNITYI was told by someone I dearly adore in the administration at McMaster University that if I mentioned the University of Waterloo among some of her colleagues, I would elicit immediate ire. Apparently, the “W-word”, as she put it, is verboten on campus. Not being in academia, I don't truly understand the reason for the rivalry, but it probably has something to do with Waterloo’s much-heralded success in driving commercial, as opposed to research, activity. It's a different academic philosophy that is getting a lot of political attention in our job-starved society. The University of Waterloo has done a lot for the Region of Waterloo. In fact, it is Waterloo. UW is the reason that the most successful technology cluster in Canada exists just up the road from us. It created a culture that spawned Research In Motion and Open Text and countless other successes that have added tens of thousands of jobs to our economy. It's an elite trade school for the knowledge economy, and it can't be anything but good for Canada. McMaster is a world-class institution that emanated from different circumstances and traditional pedagogy. The benefits to Hamilton over the course of its existence have been enormous and the
economic impact to the community is immeasurable. The research activity happening right here, right now is breathtaking and impacts the globe. This is a parallel success to the commercial activity that Waterloo has generated. Both strengthen our regional economies. But, politicians, being judged as they are on unemployment rates and economic output, are looking to duplicate the success of technology clusters like that found in Waterloo. Premier McGuinty’s government, with the recent launch of the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE), is hoping that this homegrown best practice can be transported to other population centres across the province, including here in Hamilton. ONE employs Regional Innovation Centres (in Hamilton’s case, Innovation Factory, where I am employed) to help small and medium technology enterprises leverage Ontario’s institutional, governmental and private sector resources to create more jobs. Though McMaster’s orientation might be different than UW’s, the institution will be critical to the success of this innovative public policy initiative here in Hamilton. Along with Mohawk, which is transforming
itself in an impressive fashion, McMaster has so much to offer local innovators. Newly minted McMaster President, Patrick Deane, has focused intently on integrating Mac more broadly into the community, and this is where I get truly excited about Hamilton’s future. If energies wasted on resentment could be channeled into a healthy sense of competition, McMaster’s involvement in Hamilton’s rebirth could be profoundly more transformative than UW’s impact on the City of Waterloo. That's becausem in my opinion, Hamilton is a better city in which to work, live and play than Waterloo. I have nothing against Waterloo. In fact, I spent six years of my life there and graduated from the finest institution in Canada (sorry Mac, alumnus loyalties will always trump). I had a ton of fun there, and my memories are fond. But once I graduated, I had no use for the city. Ten years later, and despite all of the astounding growth and changes that have occurred, it's still too small, too boring, too land-locked, too Four-Oh-Oned. There probably aren't too many people that live there that would disagree, and many would say that it suits them just fine. However, among young professionals in particular –
those that are driving innovation in that community – they're there because they have to be. Sure many of them would rather be in Toronto, but I believe that most of them could be persuaded to view Hamilton as the City of Opportunity. Especially the Future Hamilton that so many of us dream of. For now, we have to take stock of our advantages and then figure out what we need to attract these people. Surely low rents are be attractive. That's our greatest asset and, for a small or medium sized enterprises and their Ramen-fed employees, it decreases financial anxiety and encourages risk-taking. A large clientele base is key. The KW market is dwarfed by the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Other large markets are easily accessed by land, air and sea. A real city with established neighborhoods would meet the needs of the upwardly-mobile young urbanites that to propel the knowledge economy. We have those in spades. World-class academic institution? Check. Natural and architectural beauty? If only they could see the place!
Thriving creative community? They got in on the Hamilton secret years ago. So what are we missing? Each of us have our own opinions, but many are nearly universally held: LRT, real political leadership, a willingness to dream big and take risks, business-friendly regulations, etc., all of which will lead to the biggest need of all: increased private investment. Sure, it’s a long-term project, but it’s one worth embarking upon. A decade after having graduated from Waterloo, it scarcely looks the same today. The change in that small community has been astounding, but would be magnified in this city of over 500,000. With many of the necessary elements like McMaster in place, there's no reason that Hamilton can't duplicate and surpass Waterloo's success. Even with some recent turmoil, the tale of start-up success rising out of a Mennonite backwater has been tremendous. Bringing grandeur back to a Canadian urban masterpiece would be an even more remarkable story.
KEANIN LOOMIS is Chief Advocate at the Innovation Factory, a not-for-profit Regional Innovation Centre. [email protected]
If you are the type of person who really enjoys your car and derives some intrinsic value from looking good while cruising downtown, then this article is not for you. You do not own a car, you own an expensive toy. Let’s face it; cars are sink holes for cash. They cost money to acquire, money to operate, money to insure and if living or commuting downtown, they even cost money to store and park. I could recreate or regurgitate a number of articles online with cash flow statements and arguments pro-buy, pro-lease or pro-used, but I won’t bore you with the details. These are all biased to the assumption that you need a car or you will become a shut-in. As in each of my columns, my objective here is to help you increase your net worth, not to squander it. Step 1: Do you really need a car or do you want a
toy? There is nothing wrong with owning a toy. Just understand that cars are depreciating assets and, with few exceptions, contribute nothing to your net worth. You may recall that I am all for leveraging yourself to buy a house which appreciates in value and builds wealth. I even encourage you to borrow money to keep your house updated, looking good and enjoyable to live in – after all, it is perhaps the most enjoyable wealth asset in your portfolio. A car on the other hand, is either a tool for going from point A to point B as quickly and conveniently as possible, or it is a mechanism to push your financial independence further away. Consider living carless downtown – think of the freedom gained from parking, and of the time you’ll save while walking to work. Then bask in the
minimal eco-footprint you leave behind and the extra cash you leave in your wallet. Step 2: If Step 1 Didn’t Stop You, What kind of car do you need? Okay, so you have determined that you just can’t live without a car. Now what? First determine what you are going to be using your car for. If you live and work downtown and only need a car for the occasional weekend to visit Mom and Dad, or to get to a cottage, I would encourage you to rent, timeshare or borrow one as needed. For a community-minded solution, look into Hamilton CarShare (see www.communitycarshare.ca/hamilton for more information). These options are all significantly cheaper than paying garage fees, insurance and monthly payments for what amounts to
a fancy lawn ornament. Heck, you can even treat yourself by renting a new model exotic and consider it entertainment! If you are commuting downtown regularly from a nearby suburb and rarely exceeding 60 km/h, then I recommend you buy a small, low to mid-mileage off-lease vehicle every five years. Save more money by purchasing a used Smart car or an electric car – save on fuel and park virtually wherever you like. Used cars also are cheaper to insure. Google the cash flows – it is the cheapest option. Need to drive on the highway daily? This is where I’ll go out on a limb. Buy a tank.. Make sure you have a steel frame with 4-wheel drive. No amount of insurance will help you enjoy your net worth or retirement lying paralyzed in hospital after some
smartphone-texting junkie in an SUV rolls over your cash-saving sub-compact while going 150 km/h in a snowstorm. This may sound strange coming from a banker, but wealth means nothing if you can’t enjoy it - safety trumps all other considerations. In short, cars are a drain on the wealth of the individual, and ultimately a drain on the wealth of the community. Effective public transportation is the only real ‘smart’ transportation. We need our province and our city to invest in efficient public transportation before we can fully release ourselves from this expensive, auto-centric culture.
ROBERT LEAKER is the Vice-President of Emerging Markets and Innovation at Meridian Credit Union. [email protected]
Looking west on a bustling two-way King Street towards Gore park, 1954 | Hamilton ON
“Don’t worry dear....your mommy will be home soon...”
“You meanyou’re notmy mommy?”
continued from p.1 | POSH
weekend nanny). She brags about never having to change poopy diapers or deal with bath time. And when faced with the daunting task of feeding her own child, Eckler panics. "I watch Nanny Mimi feed her and it's a process that can last sometimes up to an hour. I do not have that kind of patience." I wondered why a woman who seemingly spends such little time with her child feels justified in writing a parenting column or mommy blog. Recently, in a column entitled, "Ditch the Kids" Eckler admits to allowing her daughter to venture off on a boat ride with virtual strangers while on vacation in the Caribbean. "So, there I was, in my bikini, getting some sun, relaxing and reading a book, while this other mother not only was going to take my child on a banana boat ride, but ALSO go walk up a hill to the kids' club and pick her up," chirps Eckler. Once again, I am confounded. How could such a woman possibly offer other mothers parenting advice or insight? I mean, if this is your role model, you may as well put the kids up for adoption. I don’t care if mothers do some work outside the home for income, self-satisfaction or both. But if you leave your child with strangers in order to sunbathe, or
if you work such long hours that you require not one, but two nannies when you don’t even have to work in order to make ends meet, then yes, I think your priorities are out of whack.
Eckler became upset with me for daring to say that she probably shouldn’t win a mommy award anytime soon. Again, this is the same woman who admitted to smoking while pregnant, opted for an elective c-section because she was too posh to push, and wrote an article about how she was in love with another guy – while pregnant with her fiance’s child. She pulled the offending post from her blog and
placed a rant against me, complete with expletives and taunts that only a preschooler would use. Eckler emailed me to say that I didn’t have a right to judge other mothers. I disagree. Anyone who has the gall to post something on the Internet about having two nannies for one child, allowing the nannies to change virtually all of the diapers and handle all of the feedings, can’t honestly expect to avoid criticism. Was I really supposed to pat her on the back and congratulate her for being such a cursory mother? Sorry. I’m not a mindless cheerleader. Unfortunately, too many of us have bought into the politically correct notion that it’s wrong to judge or criticize. Sometimes, it’s bloody necessary. In fact, in a society, I would argue that citizens have a responsibility to judge and criticize when warranted. I will admit, however, that I may have come down a bit hard on Ms. Eckler. Maybe her daughter is better off with Nanny Mimi after all.
LYDIA LOVRIC is a former writer and broadcaster, currently enjoying life as a full-time mom to three little rug rats. [email protected]
“I mean, if this is your role model, you may as well put the kids up for adoption.”
HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | p.4Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
commercial property values are significantly lower on and around our one-way urban highways than they are on streets where traffic is calmer and a welcoming space has been carved out for people. Pedestr ians are the l i feblood of urban neighbourhoods. They are the clients that keep stores in business, the watchful eyes that keep streets safe and civil, and the human connective tissue that turns a place into a home. There's a reason James North began to spring back to life when it did: two-way conversion slowed the traffic and allowed for sidewalks where pedestrians were willing to stroll - and where enterprising, courageous businesses were willing to invest. We saw the same process begin on Locke Street in southwest Hamilton a decade earlier when the street - two-way but a wide thoroughfare nonetheless - was calmed with new stop signs and all-day curbside parking. Today, Locke is an inspiring case study for the rest of the city, but it might never have happened if not for the political will to transform the street in the early 1990s. We need to muster the courage to reclaim all our downtown streets from their role as expressways for traffic cutting across the city. Unfortunately, we still have not accepted the fact that fast through traffic saps the health of downtown streets - or, worse, we have decided that healthy urban neighbourhoods are not as important as expressways for drivers passing through. The worst of it is that downtown business owners understood the danger right away. Listen to the
lament of Ben Wunder, speaking to the Transportation and Traffic Committee in 1957, just seven months after the lower city was converted en masse to one-way overnight: "Once upon a time, my part of King Street was a leading shopping district. Business has taken quite a drop. Many of my old customers are no longer to be seen - they telephone me and say they are sorry; they will not come any more, because the traffic is too heavy and there is nowhere to park. They send money by mail. Many of us spent a lot of money on new store fronts. It was futile. Our windows are no good nowadays, people have no time to stop and look. Nobody comes from the west end of the city any more. We would like to see King Street two-way once more. ... It seems as if everything possible has been done to take people away from King Street East!" Fifty years ago, business owners downtown understood that one-way streets threatened their survival. Today, those businesses continuing to hang on still understand it. Mary Pocius, executive director of the International Village BIA until her retirement, said: "No single action could do more to improve the lives of downtown citizens and businesses than the elimination of one-way streets." Her replacement at the helm, Susan Braithwaite, shares her frustration. "I think our biggest hurdle is the fact that we're on Main, we're on King, and so we're kind of on a highway with the one-ways. It's unfortunate."
Yet the call has fallen on mostly deaf ears. Back in 1996, a Hamilton Downtown Ideas Charette concluded that the single biggest thing the City could do to revitalize the core would be to convert its streets back to two-way. Since then, the city has taken a few baby steps in the right direction, converting James and John Streets early last decade and then converting York/Wilson in the past year. But for the most part, these conversions have not been on major thoroughfares. The only streets we're willing to touch are those streets that are the least traumatized by huge daily volumes of high-speed through traffic. In other words, we're the least willing to convert the streets that need it the most. In fact, the conversion of York/Wilson to two-way has made our public works department even more reluctant to convert Main, King and Cannon, since they now have to carry the 'overflow' traffic. Meanwhile, construction on King Street West and on the Main and King Street bridges over Highway 403 demonstrate that we have so much spare lane capacity we can afford to take a lane or two out of action without slowing traffic. Yet we still shy from the obvious conclusion. A recent New York Times article about traffic calming in Zurich closes with a sobering quote from a city official: "When I'm in other cities, I feel like I'm always waiting to cross a street. I can't get used to the idea that I am worth less than a car.”
TERRY COOKE is president & CEO of Hamilton Community Foundation. [email protected]
continued from p.1 | OUR STREETS
"It seems as if everything possible has been done to take people away from King Street East!" - Ben Wunder, speaking to the Transportation and Traffic Committee in 1957
regbeaudry.com
p.5
| ISSUESHAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
continued from p.1 | PARIS
Indianapolis, Indianacontinued from p.1 | CHAMPION
"Progress is not created by contented people." - Frank Tyger
Indianapolis' manufacturing-centric economy had been decimated by outsourcing and globalization, and like many post-industrial cities in the "rust belt", its urban core was decaying. Its disparaging nickname was "India-no-place". In 1976, William Hudnut III, a Republican and former pastor, was elected mayor and began an intense program of economic development and downtown revitalization. He issued bonds to fund civic projects, implemented tax incentives to encourage companies to relocate there, and entered into public-private partnerships to rebuild the downtown. Hudnut seized on sports as something that Indianapolis could become known for. He developed a vision of the city as the "Amateur Sports Capital of America". He attracted the national offices for rowing, synchronized swimming, track and field, diving and gymnastics. With help from a foundation called the Lilly Endowment, numerous sports facilities were
built, including a track and field stadium and a velodrome. When Hudnut proposed building a 60,500 seat stadium, many local residents dismissed the idea. After all, Indianapolis lacked a major-league baseball or football team. Who would play in Hudnut's "white elephant"? Hudnut was undeterred. Construction on the stadium began in 1982, and Hudnut started looking for a tenant, attracting the Baltimore Colts in time to open the stadium in 1984. His gamble had paid off. The decision to build the downtown Hoosier Dome was visionary, further accelerating Indianapolis' program of downtown renewal. Other achievements during his term included landing a United Airlines maintenance facility and hosting the Pan Am Games. Today, Indianapolis is the mid-west's "shining example", "a rust belt beacon for how to reform", and one of the fastest growing
regions in the United States. For his role in Indianapolis' transformation, Hudnut is widely regarded as one of America's most successful, visionary mayors. Compare this brand of leadership to our current civic leadership and clear differences emerge. Hudnut acted boldly and courageously. He proposed building a downtown stadium although he lacked a tenant because he truly believed in his vision of Indianapolis as a sports capital. In Hamilton, we watched in dismay as our decision about the best place to build a stadium was hijacked by a team's empty threats to move. Hudnut developed a vision of Indianapolis as the vibrant Amateur Sports Capital of America, and then he successfully championed it. In Hamilton, when Mayor Bratina was urged to commit to our collective vision of light rail transit (LRT), he wrote, "The question before us is not whether LRT
has a champion, but whether all elements can be pulled together in an affordable, practical manner that can be supported by a majority of Council." Can you imagine Mayor Hudnut saying that about building the Hoosier Dome, or attracting an NFL team, or rebuilding his downtown, or landing the Pan Am Games? Bratina is intelligent and well spoken. When he needs to be, he's personable and charming. He has a strong rapport in the community built over his years as a radio announcer and as Ward 2 Councilor and he has plenty of political capital left over from his upset election victory. He has, in other words, everything he needs to articulate and sell a vision of Hamilton to Hamiltonians, but instead of convincing Hamilton's remaining doubters and campaigning strongly at the provincial level, he's working against a vision for Hamilton that we've already been sold on.
Visionary mayors anticipate criticism and develop responses to it in advance. Visionary mayors develop creative ways to fund crucial investments in the cities they govern. Visionary mayors are in for the long haul, promoting and defending their projects – and their legacies.
Of course, Indianapolis' transformation from rust belt city to gem of the mid-west was not accomplished solely by Hudnut. Just like in Hamilton, Indianapolis' citizen and business groups supported a revitalization agenda with a downtown focus. The difference is that, in the character of William Hudnut, Indianapolis had a champion. Where is Hamilton's champion?
ADRIAN DUYZER is an entrepreneur, business owner, and Associate Editor of raisethehammer.org. He still believes that Hamilton can be the Ambitious City. Adrian lives in downtown Hamilton with his family. [email protected]
LAURA FARR A TRANSIT FAIRYTALEIn an LA Times column in 1948 called "Do You Know Your City?" the author reminded citizens that there was, in fact, still active rail service available to them. The article explains how the city’s tunnels came to be, and points out that "ambitious subway plans for the spreading city have been revived at least once a decade since Edward H. Harriman, pioneer railroad magnate, proposed an underground system in 1906". It goes one to explain that while the 1 mile of subway tunnel was meant for electric cars, "automobiles occasionally blunder into it from the street-level western end," which seems to indicate that LA was becoming a car-centered town as the 1940s came to an end. By 1951, the Hollywood and Santa Ana Freeways were being built with a large infusion of cash from General Motors. City officials of the day were notably reticent to allocate more money for public transit. LA Times columnist Timothy G. Turner observed, "like other large American cities Los Angeles is in a struggle with the automobile. Transportation is the No. 1 civic problem. We have chosen to try to solve the
motor traffic problem before we solve the public rapid transit question". Over 25 years after its opening, the Los Angeles' "subway" system remained stunted with just that same single mile of underground tracks still intended for the above ground streetcars. Turner commented, "many years ago they had a subway system planned and they built the terminal first and that was as far as they got. It is still as far as we have got in solving the problem of public transportation." It wasn’t until 1978 that the City of Angels started revisiting the idea of better public transit. Out of the public debates, disputes, surveys, and arguments came great ideas: the Red Line, Blue Line, and Green Line – rapid light rail transit, both above and below ground. Construction began on the Red Line towards Hollywood in 1993. With issues of methane gas leaks, political funding interference from County and State levels, extremely rare fossil finds, a sinkhole, and anti-subway and rail sentiments from developers and neighbourhood associations, many thought it would
never be built. Its current incarnation took seven more years of diligent blasting and boring through neighbourhoods to reach North Hollywood in 2000. The protest against the proposed Red Line at the time was vociferous. Congress and then-President Clinton pondered terminating the project after a sinkhole nearly killed 2 workers. In the end, however, they achieved a delicate political compromise to begin addressing the need of sustainable, affordable, mass transit in a city for which further expansion of the 10 to 12-lane freeways was not an option. Gail Goldberg, General Manager of the Los Angeles Planning Department agreed. "We can accommodate more people, we can't accommodate more cars.” She said, “And so we have to give people other options. Other cities do this.... The car that gave Angelenos freedom in the '60s has turned into a cell in this era. We have to put a movie in the backseat of the car to keep the kids busy while we take them to school. This is no way to live." By the late 1980s, the neighbourhood of Hollywood was becoming a ghetto. Property values were
depressed, businesses were closing and residences getting demolished or standing derelict. There was a sharp increase in gang violence, drug and human trafficking, and homelessness. Prestigious “Old Hollywood” businesses and grocery stores were giving way to gun shops, liquor stores, tattoo parlours, cheque cashing operations, and strip clubs. Tourists would get out of their cars, look at the footprints in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, witness the seediness of the boulevard, and leave. As Red Line stations opened, an exceptional thing began to happen – other businesses and developments began to flock back to Hollywood. The former low-rent neighborhood of Hollywood, with some 210,000 people, witnessed something that it hadn’t seen since the 1970s – rising property values and rents. Development and property values have risen steadily in the ensuing years. Trizec Properties developed a joint-venture called the Hollywood and Highland Project. Trizec made it clear that their vision was to build a shopping and entertainment centre built above a rail station –
becoming an instant destination hub, and attracting people directly to the area with no parking or traffic concerns. In 2001, the cent re opened over the Hollywood/Highland metro stop, incorporating restaurants, a nightclub, theatres, and stores. Soon after, the historic Roosevelt Hotel across the street was bought and renovated to its former glory. Starwood Hotels subsequently built a W Hotel over the Hollywood/Vine Station at a cost of nearly $600 million dollars. While no one project singularly changed Hollywood, observers believe that the Hollywood and Highland centre acted as a catalyst to help attract new businesses and development to the area, turning the neighbourhood of Hollywood into a sustainable, desirable place to live, work, and play.
LAURA FARR is a civically engaged, community-minded downtown resident. [email protected]
LEFT TO RIGHT: 1957 tsm | Hollywood Hyland 2009 | Hollywood Hotel 1956 | 1926 | 1965 Gravsman Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd
JAMIE TENNANT MAKING FRIENDS IN ANCASTER
p.6HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
Over 1600 musicians attempt to break the Guiness Record for the most guitars played simultaneously at the Festival of Friends in 2009 | photo courtesy of wikipedia.com
On Friday, August 5, the Festival of Friends will host what may become the biggest concert this city has ever seen. The artist is huge – City & Colour, a.k.a. songwriter Dallas Green, whose new album went to number one in Canada – and it’s his only Ontario stop all summer long. On top of that, the concert is free, and the venue can host an enormous number of people. Oh, but wait, there’s that elephant in the room again. The venue. When the Festival announced it would be leaving its ancestral home in Gage Park for a new location at the Ancaster Fairgrounds, there was an incredible public outcry. Some lamented the loss of a high-profile event in our downtown. Others were certain it was somehow a cash grab. Ultimately, though, Festival Director Loren Lieberman and his board of directors
remain confident it was the best choice given the circumstances. (Note: it would be disingenuous for the author not to admit his connection with said Board, so you can choose your sides – ‘author knows what he’s talking about’ or ‘author has vested interest” – with some element of clarity). “There’s a multitude of reasons for the relocation,” says Lieberman. “Issues with the park, issues with the neighbourhood, issues related to growth. We had to move the Festival or redesign the Festival and shrink it. That’s the easiest answer, but that goes against everyone’s principle – and not even just business. To try and do less, I find to be offensive.” There’s no doubt City & Colour would have been too big for Gage Park (2009’s Finger Eleven show saw the park bursting at the seams). Beyond that, however, Lieberman sticks by his claim that the Festival
mandate is to entertain, for free, as many people as possible – and the move to Ancaster facilitates that. In a way, he even sees some of the negativity over the move as a positive thing. “If you care enough to punch me in the face, then okay,” he says. “I think the worst thing would be to announce that we’re changing our venue and there’s no reaction. That would be terrible.” “For every punch in the head I get walking on James St. North, I might get high fives walking in Lime Ridge Mall,” he adds. For Lieberman, it’s about getting people to come to the festival – whether they’re from downtown or the mountain, Guelph or Brantford, Toronto or Oshawa, or farther (one woman from the Netherlands plans to attend to see Jon Anderson of Yes on Sunday evening). “The Festival can’t be myopic” Lieberman says, “It’s
not just a neighbourhood festival.” There are disadvantages to the relocation-including transportation. However, there will be free shuttle busses available, the details of which will be posted on the FoF website. Then again, there are inarguable advantages, too. Weather, for example, will no longer ruin a day and cause vendors and artisans to lose sales. There is plenty happening indoors – including two stages, and vendors both inside and out. “We’re not making it an indoor festival,” says Lieberman, “but I think it’s significant that if suddenly it [the weather] becomes shitty, ride it out and take in some of the other attractions.” The Festival will also feature a Children’s Pavilion, with a children’s stage, a renewed focus on artisan and craftsman vendors, and a few new programs such as the “Spectacle” stage, which apes on Elvis
Costello’s program of the same name. Then, of course, there’s the music – City & Colour (Friday), The Tea Party & Arkells (Saturday), America and Jon Anderson (Sunday), and many other local artists through the Fairgrounds throughout the weekend. Ultimately, though the location of the Festival has changed, not much else about it has changed. One thing that will never change, says Lieberman, is that the festival will forever remain free. “We forget this as Hamiltonians - there is something serious for free in this community,” he says. “That’s not standard in Toronto or Buffalo. Free summer entertainment is a Hamilton concept, and we’re very lucky to have that.”
JAMIE TENNANT is the Program Director at 93.3 CFMU FM, the campus-based community station at McMaster University. [email protected]
“The Festival can’t be myopic. It’s not just a neighbourhood festival.” - Loren Lieberman
| EXPERIENCES p.7
The old Carnegie Hamilton Public Library, now the Family Court building | photograph by regbeaudry.com
HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
I love the library. But maybe, not so many years down the road, it’s done for. Today’s story, however, is from a time when libraries were the latest thing. Nobody believed in them more than Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in the world. He was a Scottish immigrant who started out as a messenger boy and retired in 1901 by selling the Carnegie Steel Company in the U.S for $500 million. He declared the rich should distribute their wealth in their lifetime. So he decided to help towns and cities build libraries. He provided for some 2,500 of them, more than 100 around Ontario. But before Carnegie began his giveaway, Hamilton built a library on the north side of Main Street, in the shadow of what is now the Pigott/Sunlife condo complex. That library was a castle. It opened in 1890, at a time when libraries were still closed-stacks. You went to the counter and the librarian pulled out a book for you.
Carnegie didn’t like that system. He thought people should be able to browse the shelves, opening their minds to who knows what.
In 1906, Hamilton decided to go after Carnegie funds for a new library. A staffer for the millionaire wrote back that his boss “does not think that the present library building has served its day and feels indisposed to replace it with a new building.” The local library board persisted, and Carnegie came up with $100,000 for Hamilton, then a city of about 75,000 and growing fast. On that summer day 100 years ago this month, Lieutenant Governor J.M. Gibson pronounced the cornerstone to be “well and truly laid” and slapped on a little ceremonial mortar. The engraved trowel he used is on display at Central. The Carnegie Library opened in 1913. For 67 years, the house Carnegie built was Hamilton’s main library. In 1980, they moved the books to a new home, six storeys and lots of glass at the northern perimeter of
Jackson Square. Andrew Carnegie made the move too, a bronze bust of him anyway. Margaret Houghton, the library’s archivist extraordinaire, knows the head of Carnegie well. It sat on her desk in the new library for more than a year. Someone in maintenance had tried to wipe the years from Carnegie with toilet bowl cleaner and turned him green. Houghton was instructed on how to scrub Carnegie correctly and she worked at it, with toothbrush, for the longest time. Carnegie is at present lost from public view, somewhere in the stacks on the second floor. But word is that once a proper new stand is built for his beautiful head, he’ll surface in the main lobby. As for the old Carnegie building, it sat empty for years. The plans were many – seniors centre, industrial museum, Chinese restaurant, 700-seat theatre. All came to naught. Nine aldermen said they’d vote to demolish the building instead of spending
$5,000 to study its possible uses. Then the province came up with a proposal – give us the building and the land for a dollar and we’ll turn it into Family Court. Ontario spent some $6 million, doubling the size of the old premises to make space for six courtooms. It opened in 1989. The building remains a neo-classical treasure. But now it is a place where battles are fought – divorce, custody, division of property. Most would rather not go inside. You should. You’ll need to empty out your pockets at the door. Then absorb the grandeur that an American captain of industry made possible. Climb those elegant white-marble stairs, see the central two-storey atrium with skylight, admire the rows of mighty columns. Katharine Greenfield has not been back since the library days ended, but she worked there for several decades.
Yes, there were many stairs to climb. Yes, the building sure could have used air conditioning. “And perhaps all that marble was a little daunting for some people,” she says. But when Greenfield began there in 1944, TV was not yet on the scene. Books mattered. She is 90 now, with the sharp mind that a lifetime of reading can bring. This summer she bought a new car. Sometimes she drives past the old Carnegie library. “For me, the days in that building have taken on a golden glow,” she says. “We were proud to be librarians there.”
PAUL WILSON blew into town 30 years ago to work at the Hamilton Spectator and learned to love this place. For most of his career at The Spec, he wrote a three-times-a-week column called StreetBeat. He recently stepped away from that to become a citizen at large. [email protected]
continued from p.1 | CARNEGIE
"The rich should distribute their wealth in their lifetime" - Andrew Carnegie
While walking downtown on a lovely summer day, I was approached by a homeless person. Nice young man, polite, didn't really look homeless until he asked me for some money. So, like with all others who ask me for money, I asked him where he was from. “Hamilton" he replied. I said, "No, where are you originally from?" "Oh", he replied, "I'm from Kingston". “Kingston?" I said. "That's a nice city, how come you moved to Hamilton?" "Oh...well...." the young man started, "Kingston just wasn’t the city for me..." It’s a debate we don’t often dare to broach, but it’s a question that we’ve all heard – Are other cities sending their homeless citizens to Hamilton? Sylvia MacNeil takes an honest look at the question of exported poverty in Hamilton in the October issue of urbanicity.
KINGSTON JUST WASN’T THE CITY FOR ME
“My brother moved her so I came with him. My husband beat me so I needed to get away from him. It wasn’t a good environment for my child” - Kitchener, ON
“I came down with a buddy of mine....but then I couldn’t find work.” - Montreal, QC
“I don’t know....” - Toronto, ON “Why are you asking me....? I just want 5 bucks.” - North Bay, ON
“Kingston just wasn’t the city for me. I like Hamilton. The people are friendlier” - Kingston, ON
p.8
| PROFILEHAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
LLOYD D JACKSON SQUARE Unit 260 Upper Level 2 King St. W. Hamilton Ontario, L8P [email protected] liaisonhamilton.ca 905.308.9333
LIAISON COLLEGE
WHY IS THELARGEST TRAINER OF CHEFS INCANADA?
LIAISON COLLEGE
Intimate class sizesRed Sealed InstructorsCollege DiplomaBoth Theory & PracticalInstruction
OUR STUDENTS GET JOBS!OPEN HOUSE EVERY TUESDAY AT 7:00 PM
ON HER CHILDHOOD
“When I was a kid, I stuck a cigar CRAYON so far up my nose it had to be surgically removed. I also fell face first onto glass and had plastic surgery at the age of three after learning I could breathe in and suck it to my face. So yeah, basically I was born a walking accident. I mean, geez, I even came out with the measles. Who’s born with the flippin’ measles?
I grew up pretty much a Tom Boy, which could explain the crayon up my nose and the smashed face, and most of the scars on my legs from baseball and the A.T.V accident I had last year. haha. (I grew up with one brother and 2 sisters...I just hang out with guys a lot) I remember sitting on the front porch and target practicing on pop cans and stuff, actually I did that this morning. My dad calls me Annie Oakley now. Then again, I was 11 years old singing Madonna’s Hanky Panky for the family, which of course, at the time, I thought was completely appropriate.…But I’m a nice girl now.”
ON HER CAREER + THE FUTURE
I started in Hamilton with The Steeltown Sirens doing burlesque, then branched out on my own at the Three 16 lounge after shooting a film for Steven Hayes called Lucky 7, (who introduced us) then moved into the Toronto market before touring Canada…so now after my next CD (will be in the studio mid August to record some new tracks), I’m hoping to be heading down south…maybe even Nashville.”
“I started my career as a Burlesque dancer, which is kinda funny because I didn’t really make a great stripper...I can’t even peel a banana very well.
ON LIFE + THE BIZ
“
No matter how different and interesting you are, and no matter how much they like you, they still like to put you in a mould. But, ya know, that’s just not me. I don’t really fit into anyone particular genre. I just play my own brand of music, and infuse everything I grew up with together.
But really, even though I’m completely comfortable on stage and can pretty myself up and do all the fun girly stuff and all that, I feel most comfortable and in my own skin at home in the Country kickin’ around dirt in my boots. It all really boils down to one of the lines in Ramblin’ County Bumkin, where it reads: I left the bright lights of the city cause I couldn’t drink it pretty’.
… So many people want to “help” you out, but then after it’s all said and done, it turns out all they wanted was to just sleep with you. I’d rather be on top if I’m gonna get screwed. Now I just focus on the task at hand and get the job done. Get In, Get On, Get off, Get out.”
I try to take it one day at a time. I overwhelm easily so I have to consciously simplify, otherwise I’m all over the place. But I like to keep busy, I can’t just sit around and do nothing. Singing is great and all, but I need something else to do that’s physical because I’m full of so much energy. As the saying goes, ‘idle hands do the devil’s work’. And I’ve been known to get into trouble a time or two.
“So many people want
to ‘help’ you out, but then after it’s all
said and done, it turns
out all they wanted was to just sleep
with you.”
- Ginger St. James
Ginger throws a 40’s pose while preparing for the Full Bawdy Comedy Show at the Corktown | gingerstjames.com | photograph by regbeaudry.com continued from p.1 | NICE GIRL
p.9
| PLACESHAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | AUG 2011 | urbanicity.ca
“Wherever possible, we need to have a presence in the downtown core. With this committed position from the Board of Trustees, we have set a new direction for the Board and for our community.”
– Jessica Brennan, Chair of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. March 10, 2009
“Throughout our consultation, our stakeholders let us know of their desire to have HWDSB remain in the downtown core. We took that advice extremely seriously and worked hard to find a suitable, affordable downtown location that would allow us to consolidate our administrative facilities. Unfortunately, we were not able to make that vision into a reality.”
- Judith Bishop, Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. March 28, 2011
“This is about fiscal responsibility. We need to consolidate our operations to ensure efficiency, which will result in significant cost savings for our organization. Ultimately, our most affordable option is to go to a site we already own,”
- Judith Bishop, Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
“We believe that our decision to declare the property surplus may open the door for other community partners. We know that there is still a wonderful opportunity for our community to work together to make a substantial contribution to the downtown core.”
– Judith Bishop, Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
The Hamilton - Wentworth District School Board building on Main Street, Hamilton ON | photograph by regbeaudry.com
“Why do we always chase shining new objects at the expense of heritage...?”
1
23
4
5 6
BORED of EDUCATION McMaster University intends to demolish the Board of Education building as Phase I of a development and replace it with a new building. Then, they plan on developing the empty parking lot on the southeast corner of King and Bay as Phase II, with the City of Hamilton Health Department being the biggest tenant. To do that, the Health Department has to leave the 91,000 square feet of space it leases currently downtown. Who will replace them? Does anybody care? Why do we always chase shining new objects at the expense of heritage, adaptive re-use, and landlords who are having enough trouble keeping their spaces rented? Why not build Phase I on the parking lot and adaptively reuse the current Board of Education building? McMaster is supposedly Hamilton’s home of higher learning. If this is higher, exactly how low does it get in Hamilton? - GRAHAM CRAWFORD
LEGACY of DESTRUCTIONThink we won’t miss the Board of Education Building? Think again. Below are just a handful of beautiful buildings in Hamilton that were tore down. 1 - CITY HALL [1890 - 1965] Hamilton’s previous city hall was demolished for no good reason. 2 - COURT HOUSE [1879-1955] This courthouse was located at the site of the current McMaster Downtown Centre. Like many downtown properties, this building could have been saved but had been left without proper maintenance for years. 3 – HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY [1890 - 1955] This library was located on the north side of Main Street West at MacNab. This building was demolished for no good reason after deteriorating while vacant. 4 - HAMILTON PROVIDENT & LOAN COMPANY Head Office [1881-1961] This stunning structure was located on the southeast corner King and Hughson, and was designed by Toronto architect D. B. Dick. When constructed, it was built of Ohio stone and considered the finest bank building in Hamilton. 5 - THE JOLLEY HOUSE [demolished in 1964] Built of Jolley Cut Stone – this house was located on the southwest corner of Upper Wellington and Concession St. It was demolished to make space for apartments. 6 - PALMERSTONE TERRACE [Circa 1850-1955] A beautiful stone terrace a la Sandyford Place. Demolished to make space for the current City Hall. - BRIAN HENLEY
