There has been much discussion over the years about how Hamilton is on the brink of the edge of the precipice of possibilities. What do you think? What are your ambitions for the city?
You don't have to be from Hamilton to comment on this one. We know a few things about this city: There are a lot of opinions about Hamilton and many of these opinions come from outside our boundaries. So, now is your chance to suggest away about what needs to be done here.
Another way is to ENGAGE with the people in our community and to get feedback from them by giving them a chance to voice their opinions and ideas on blogs like this one. Glad to see the link to this blog back up on Online at the Spectator's front page. It was removed late December and most folks thought this blog was closed down.
Rick Cordeiro
imgoalsactionresults@hotmail.com
Posted by: RickCordeiro | January 05, 2008 at 04:43 AM
Glad to see that this blog is still up and running. When I saw the link for it removed from the Spectator's front page online I thought they were not taking anymore submissions. Then I did a quick google on the Net and found the link for it again.
Rick Cordeiro
imgoalsactionresults@hotmail.com
Posted by: Rick Cordeiro | December 16, 2007 at 06:18 AM
...This is a continuation of what I talked about earlier on at the beginning of this thread regarding a MEGA STUDIO for Hamilton...
I've been saying all along that we should be building oursleves a MEGA STUDIO here in Hamilton but having said all that, that might not even be necessary...a number of small-to-medium sized film studios have closed down in Toronto and add to the fact that the BIG one there currently being built known as FILMPORT will almost have a virtual monopoly on the film studio space of that city....this is where Hamilton could come in.
This is a great opportunity for us all in Hamilton to convert many of our north-end industrial warehouse and factory buildings that are currently sitting there empty and transform them all into FILM STUDIOS....allowing outside film-makers from places like New York & Holywood to have MORE OPTIONS available for them at their disposal. Because as far as I'm concerned, THE MORE STUDIOS WE HAVE HERE IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO THEN THE MORE FILM BUSINESS WE WILL HAVE HERE TOO, everybody wins when we have more studio space to offer them......Let's get going with some film studios here in Hamilton to compliment the big one currently being built up the road in Toronto.
Right now there is a lot of bickering back-and-forth between various people in Toronto. These include their politicians, business leaders, film industry workers, etc, etc regarding the state of the film industry there in T.O......and with that I now bring you all to another video for your viewing pleasure titled, "FORCIBLE DECLINE"..below the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VxzPsAWI8Ug
Posted by: Rick Cordeiro | November 09, 2007 at 04:05 AM
Hamilton - The Next Future –
1846+125=1971
1971 marked the 125th anniversary of the founding of Hamilton. Joe Urban and David Proulx produced a wonderful book titled ‘Pardon My Lunch Bucket’ to celebrate Hamilton’s past and project its future. Flipping through this book 36 years later, I can still feel the excitement of that time.
1846+125+36=2007
Flash forward 2007. Three decades later Hamilton still stands at the same critical juncture in its evolution. One fork leading down the safe and seductive path of past afflictions and habits – ending in a surreal world of cultural mediocrity, political chauvinism and interest-group cabals; and the other fork leading through an uncharted field of dreams to a vibrant, chaotic and flourishing world of co-existence, collaboration, creativity, innovation, micro-industries, global reach and self-actualized living.
The second fork mandated taking a leap of faith three decades ago. The first fork merely required sipping coffee. Did we choose to become the coffee-house capital of the North?
We are being offered a second chance to make an appropriate choice. The futuristic possibilities offered by this Spec Blog are immense – and can be read in two ways. An escapist indulgence of coffee-fatigued minds. Or it can be read as an attempt to use futurist paradigms with game theory simulations to awaken the local populace from its long slumber; bridge wide chasms within the community; and evoke mass enthusiasm to begin crafting a common vision for an optimistic and economically tenable future.
The choices that Hamiltonians make in selecting a path at this juncture will define the Hamilton of the Future.
This could possibly be the most interesting exercise that most Hamiltonians may have encountered in three decades. For some stasis will continue to remains an option.
November 1st 2007 could possibly become more then just another blind-date with this cities destiny. The question is - are we prepared for it?
Some random personal musings and group thoughts for facilitating my choice:
Does Hamilton possess the Collective Intelligence required to understand these choices?
http://scripts.mit.edu/~cci/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
How does Hamilton connect with its destiny?
http://co-intelligence.org/CIarticles.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_cognition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs
http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ADM/chang.htm
Can Hamilton understand the Power of Questions?
http://www.squidoo.com/questions
Can Hamilton overcome its Fear of Change and introduce a sustainable Culture of Innovation?
http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=188
http://www.realinnovation.com/offsite.asp?A=Fr&Url=http://www.billbuxton.com/OJIB.html
http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2007/02/22/5-life-changing-keys-to-overcoming-your-fear/
Can Hamilton pick an appropriate direction in Designing its Future?
http://www.thackara.com/inthebubble/toc.html
http://www.doorsofperception.com/
Can the various concerned groups and individuals working for the common good overcome the debilitating “Savior Syndrome” that has inadvertently prevented Hamilton from intersecting with its destiny years ago – and in turn prolonged its agony for no other reasons but that which afflicts crabs in a basket.
http://co-intelligence.org/I-decisionmakingwithout.html
http://www.managementblog.org/archives/2005/06/28/crabs-in-a-basket/
("... If you think about it long and hard, though, it's not really the fault of the crab. Consider that crabs don't pull each other down in open sand or sea. It's the basket that poses the problem." ~ From an essay by Bill Huang about politics in the Phillipines called "Crabs in the Basket")
Hamilton’s Future is not Steel – the markets have already moved. Not Health Sciences - it is a service that any self respecting community provides anyways – and cannot become ‘the’ reason for a city to be. Hamilton’s future is not its Suburbia – it is only a natural outcome of Planning indulgence. Hamilton’s Future is not Traditional Education – both of them made an educated choice to engage with the community from outside its symbolic core. And now the remaining mother ship that manages the education of its children deliberates about the merits of flying out soon!
Could Hamilton’s Future then naturally be in some yet to be discovered industries and services? But then, are there real market forces driving this sentiment, or yet again is this another exercise in Visioning? Having been burnt by Steel once should Hamilton be more tactical this time around in developing an innovative industrial base that could possibly not take a flight once again? Making it a Health-Sciences playground or even the most innovative bedroom community in the world may not feed the spirit or the soul of the players of tomorrow.
What will tomorrow’s populace need - to work, live and play (a term borrowed from the older lexicon of that Visioning thing that was once so popular). Will they need to play at all? Will not the nature of Work become Play by the time we apply for seniors benefits? Science-fiction did become reality in most fields in out lifetime.
Will tomorrows Capital be enlightened? Then possibly it may not be as compelled to take flights anymore, and then tomorrow’s industries may be free to be rooted – allowing for new ways to earn and live locally.
http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/eiuForesight2020_WP.pdf
http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/22BD697752BAA025852572C0006F835A (HealthCast 2020: Creating a Sustainable Future)
http://ctl.mit.edu/public/SC2020_4q05_iac_proceedings.pdf (The Supply Chain 2020)
http://www4.agr.gc.ca/resources/prod/doc/agr/pdf/ft-ta_e.pdf
http://www.sia-online.org/downloads/SIA_AR_2005.pdf
http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/financialservices/doc/content/landing/1446365103.html
http://www.davinciinstitute.com/speakers.php
The city as an unfolding cinematic narrative:
Poetics of Decay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3XTWVcEkII
Insights into a Lively Downtown - Ann Arbor Downtown, by KirkWestphal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsrqBHEOT0k
Meta-Nostalgia: Drones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97oTmhI-x1g
(a compelling futuristic future or a view through the eyes and ears of the disenfranchised?)
Dynamic Architecture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_9hcgtT2DI
Building Design of the Future:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WHQy9JSdM
Augmented Architecture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcOIk7Jq_bM
Place Makers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRLfFo3yTPA
City Skylines 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEeEkPUaJVc
City Skylines 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQB0L8S5RFU
-Mahesh P. Butani, Hamilton
Posted by: Mahesh P. Butani | October 27, 2007 at 07:56 PM
My congratulations to everyone at the Spec for diving into the uncharted waters of starting a public discourse in Hamilton - on the future of this city!
Some background on the issues of "City Centers" may help in developing our ideas more clearly, and possibly put things in context. Our cities problems are not unique, as most city centers in North America have faced similar issues and traumas as has Hamilton.
Here is a very interesting viewpoint by Joel Kotkin on the "History and Future of City Centers" -- available at: http://www.reason.org/ps264.html - a must read !!
I hope this helps in developing a shared understanding of issues that afflict our Urban Core - and that this discourse (started by the Spec) develops beyond the "shared wishlist" phase into a critical understanding of the dynamics of cities and urban cores, and possibly lead to tangible and timely solutions.
- Mahesh P. Butani, Hamilton.
A few excerpts from:
The Future of the Center: The Core City in the New Economy
By Joel Kotkin
1. And perhaps the most tragic fate awaits those cities—usually built around the mass-industrial base—that lack even the basic amenities and attractions of a Baltimore, Philadelphia, or even Cleveland. Lacking any sustainable appeal for the new urbanites, cities such as St. Louis or Detroit could become the new Carthages, all but deserted relics of a bygone era of urbanism. For one thing, suggests University of Michigan demographer William Frey, there may not be "enough affluent yuppies to go around." Frey’s migration data show that there may be enough of these new urbanites to revitalize well-placed cores such as San Francisco, Boston, or Manhattan, and perhaps even Baltimore, but, as he asks, "how many of these people want to move to downtown Detroit?"
2. This unique conjunction between urban culture and the emerging postindustrial economy will be nurtured and developed by the successful cities of the future. Fortunately, in many cities, the basis for future success already exists, virtually in vitro, with the genetic code already imprinted on their DNA.
The neoRenaissance reconstruction of cities marks a major departure from the supposedly grim fate of metropolis in the postindustrial era. As early as the 1970s the development of science-based industries—most provocatively described by sociologist Daniel Bell—suggested the emergence of a high-tech society where information supplants energy and conventional manufacturing as the critical source of wealth. By the 1970s, the shape of this society was already quite evident, particularly in places such as California and the eastern seaboard.
At first the result of this shift appeared distinctly hostile to the very idea of cities. The ascendancy of science-based industry over traditional manufacturing created a new paradigm in economic development, shifting emphasis from the traditional urban center’s ports, railroads, and large pools of manual labor to those places where concentrations of educated workers could be lured and harnessed. Anchored by complex organizations with vast research and development capabilities, the emerging science-based industries early on gravitated not to core cities but to the suburban and even hinterland areas such as Raleigh-Durham, the Santa Clara Valley, Orange County, the Route 128 area outside Boston, and northeastern New Jersey.
At the onset of the new millennium, this shift has produced two consequences largely unpredicted during early transition to the postindustrial area. Although often strictly suburban or even rural at the time of their development, these science-based regions have become increasingly dependent on the close interaction characteristic of urban areas since antiquity. Despite the shift to digital communications advanced industries, even the most "wired," have displayed a powerful need to congregate and network, as can be seen in places such as Silicon Valley, the Houston "Energy Corridor," or the Southern California entertainment complex.
To be sure, these new urban agglomerations do not appear to function like traditional urban areas. They are, among other things, less tied to a defined center, multipolared, and dispersed. Mumford saw Los Angeles as "an undifferentiated mass of houses" headed towards a hellish future dominated by its own automobiles. The City of Angels, for the great urbanist Jane Jacobs, seemed a peculiarly devilish place, wracked by crime, smog, automobiles, "a deathless place for children utterly lacking in proper civic life."
3. With the rise of mass-merchandising, the internet, and telecommunications, downtowns, whether in small towns or big cities, offer one thing all too often missing: a sense of place. In an economy where technology has spawned the notion and created the reality of "placelessness," the ultimate, telling irony is that place—geography—matters now more than ever before. If people, companies, or industries can truly live anywhere, or at least choose from a multiplicity of places, the question of where to locate becomes increasingly contingent on the peculiar attributes of any given location.
4.. The drive to recover the central space involves not only retail development but also the creation of new cultural institutions. Dallas, San Diego, Cleveland, Dallas, and West Palm Beach have invested heavily in creating new cultural institutions, usually in and around their urban cores. Some 600 museums—from the gigantic J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles to Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum—have been built since 1970. By the end of the decade, there were upwards of 50 science centers, and over 30 aquarium projects and specialized museums.
5.. Urban authenticity usually emerges out of "bottom up" grassroots marketplace realities; it is rarely the product of civic engineering or subsidized "urban renewal." In a shopping district, it is often reflected by the presence of individual, locally based merchants, who often sell products and services that are different, or at least delivered in a different manner, than ubiquitous chains found in prototypical suburban communities.
Bereft increasingly of a central economic role, cities see themselves as cultural centers since this is one area where suburbs are particularly deficient.
6.. In some places such as Baltimore’s Westside and Chicago’s Maxwell Street century-old traditions of retailing—tied to the essence of their city’s history—have become battlegrounds between homogenization of urban geography and its restoration. In Baltimore, this can be seen in a massive $500 million plan to bulldoze large parts of the historic commercial core, which is now dominated by Asian, African-American, and other small specialized businesses. Although some historic structures would be restored, the character of the area would be changed significantly into what may best be seen as a "mall in brick," an urban version of suburban mall, with all the predictable stores.
A similar plan threatens to destroy the last remaining vestiges of Chicago’s Maxwell Street, which for generations served as the central marketplace for working-class African-Americans, Jews, and other ethnics. With its famous hot dog stands, blues clubs, and specialized retail stores, it epitomized the brawling, diverse, and dynamic culture of the great midwestern city. Yet plans initiated by the nearby University of Illinois campus would essentially destroy the last vestiges of the street, except perhaps to preserve some facades of the historic storefronts.
Steve Balkin, an expert on informal markets and a professor at Roosevelt University, believes that the university and its allies largely miss the critical importance of Maxwell Street—and its brand of dynamic grassroots capitalism—for the long-term viability of Chicago. Over a "Polish Dog" at Jim’s Hot Dog Stand, the short, balding Balkin, sweating in the high ’90s summer heat, asserted:
The competitive advantage of a place like Chicago is its uniqueness, the feel of the buildings, yes, but also the interaction. This is not preservation but living history. Here you can smell what your grandparents smelled.
7.. This search for a new sense of "place" also can be seen in such things as the reaction against the imposition of a corporate standard—such as Disney—on communities, whether around the historic Manassas, Virginia battlefield site or along New York’s Times Square. Such efforts can also, as one writer observed, turn a city or town into "a giant theme park," robbing it of its essential historical and community character.
Concern with the loss of authenticity and history—and its impact on place—has been rising for much of the past century. In the 1930s, J.B. Priestly observed what he saw as a trend towards sameness, emanating from America, but settling in his beloved England. The island nation, he complained, had improved materially but was also "standardized" and monotonous. "It is a large-scale, mass production job, with cut prices. You could almost accept Woolworth’s as its symbol."
8.. Our efficiency drive leaves us to duplicate them, and eliminate the authenticity.
This process is being accelerated by the automation not only of form, but also of the technology of retail construction. As traditional Main Streets battle an invasion of chains, malls and new developments have learned how to duplicate faux environments ranging from Italian piazzas to western villages.
9.. The most important forces defending uniqueness and authenticity must come from the marketplace itself.
In recent years even such heavily hyped, well-financed "themed" restaurants such as Planet Hollywood, the Official All Star Café, the Hard Rock Café, and Dive! either have gone bankrupt or face hard financial times. "The life cycle of theme restaurants has been a lot shorter than anyone expected," notes Ron Paul, president of Technomic, Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant-consulting chain. "Even in New York, where there’s a huge tourist population, the novelty’s gone. It turns out that the consumer had a lot more entertainment alternatives."
At the same time, there appears to be a market for more varied kinds of experiences. One sign of this has been the rise of farmer’s markets throughout the country, which grew from 1,700 in 1994 to over 2,700 by 1998. A throwback to the earliest markets of antiquity, these food suks bring farmers, cheese, and sausage-makers together with customers. Musicians, itinerant actors, and independent artists all converge on market days—much as occurred from the earliest periods of commerce.
In the 21st century, maintaining these central functions represents one of the key elements behind urban recovery.
...
Yet to maintain the city center, something else, perhaps less intangible, must be offered. Some observers, such as land-use analyst William Fulton, believes that the growth of cyberspace—coupled with the "chaining" of America—has reached such a level that shopping districts are no longer expected to provide the "social and cultural glue" holding together the local community. Indeed virtually every traditional linchpin institution, not only Main Street stores, but a community’s banks, newspapers, and even hospitals now often appear as little more than a link in a vast national, or even global, corporate chain. As a result, Fulton envisions that the focus of community life, of necessity, will shift from Main Street to elsewhere, to libraries, performing arts centers, schools, and service clubs...
Posted by: Mahesh P. Butani | October 26, 2007 at 01:04 AM
My whole life I've lived here in Hamilton, it's a city I've known my whole life but Hamilton needs more? I'm writing here in regards to building a MEGA Studio here in Hamilton ONT, this in fact would gain the city profit and bring forth a lot of film makers to this city which in truth is happening now, but still we lack in what Toronto has, that being a film studio as well as film schools. Hamilton is a big city with a lot of great old buildings, that's really what attracts film makers here, Hamilton is a perfect place for a MEGA Studio for us film makers, I strongly believe that this would make Hamilton an even stronger place for filming. I'm just saying this should be done and help bring a stronger income into our respective city as well as a stronger work groth.
Sincerely'
Corey Sim
Posted by: Corey | October 22, 2007 at 09:38 PM
As a Torontonian that has conducted extensive personal research into moving to Hamilton I would like to speak as an outsider looking in.
Currently, I have decided to NOT purchase another vehicle and this entails a pedestrian/scooter/bicycle lifestyle. Should you think that I am considering moving from downtown Toronto, you would be gravely mistaken. I am at the northern edge of the mega-city, but at a new nexus of transportation that has just recently formed. This nexus does not have a train, subway, or streetcar/LRT! It takes about 3,000 buses a day to create this using TTC, YRT/VIVA, GO bus, and Greyhound. This nexus is at York University! A few years ago this university was compelled to push for greater public transportation with their students trending to drive and having no place to park, at any cost. The university was NOT able to build further surface parking because of city imposed building limitations. One of the created York University GO Bus routes travels to the Hamilton GO Centre. This created a new possibility for home hunting. We examined our potential new residence in part based upon transportation issues. Some may wonder that anyone would consider an almost 2 hour one-way commute as long, yet many in Toronto already can travel that long just crossing Toronto from east to west during rush hours whether in a car or on transit - with transit often faster.
Hamilton's northern and western downtown superficially appears as a walkable area. This is true in part only. Look at the north end near Pier 4 - how can one live without groceries within walking distance? Along the core arteries between Dundurn and Wellington there are two grocery stores of substance, not including higher end food stores and the not daily Farmers Market. One can plan their life about these matters, but some would just like to take a short walk out and shop for food, preferably daily or alternate days such that it is fresher. European downtown models have been used to focus on this aspect although much of the globe operates to a great degree on this basis, some because of a lack of refrigeration but others because of the improved nutrition of the fresher food stuffs. Perhaps some minor adjustments to allow for daily needs of the residents would assist in making a more liveable downtown area.
The transit system appears to function reasonably, but it just starts a bit too late in the morning to really be useful in getting to the GO bus services in time to get the earlier buses - NOT the first bus either. Some better co-ordination of destination arrivals needs to be conducted to allow for the early birds to get to the first bus in the morning - I would be looking for the second or third GO bus and I cannot get there in time for that using the HSR buses!
The cultural attractions in Hamilton are already there folks, partake! The Hamilton Art Gallery scooped the Louvre for heaven's sake!
I have tried a Walkability website http://www.walkscore.com/ and found it of some use. It admits to some flaws but the trend of the scores is of use currently rather than the absolute scores from this website. The best scores appear near Hamilton Square and taper when away from there. It uses many factors to create a score which include entertainment, libraries, schools, food stores, transportation, etc.
Please do not make the mistake of shutting out the artist community from Hamilton - it has already started to move to Hamilton to escape Toronto's high prices. The Toronto artistic community created by their own attraction to areas which had been shunned previously as they were attracted by the lower costs for studio type space. The presence of the artistic community then attracted interest and became its own downfall by attracting too many outsiders, hangers-on, and speculators which increased the costs beyond that which the artistic community could sustain. Reasonably priced semi-industrial/commercial space that allows non-conforming uses would suffice, with some allowance for slightly extended timelines to bring the space to full safety standards by allowing staging of the improvements.
The one-way streets although recognized as improving traffic volume do also speed up traffic to the point of becoming a danger to pedestrians/cyclists. This creates a "moat" effect where one hesitates to cross the many lanes in their current form. The first street to change may need to be Main Street as this would then allow two-way transit as proposed recently in the Ontario Provincial announcement on transit - well before the election. This would allow travelers to see the developing neighbourhoods and thus attract them to restaurants and other businesses along the streetscape. Once this is done perhaps the pedestrian mall on King would fall into place naturally. This would be a significant step to transforming the downtown into a people place rather than a place for vehicles only.
The parking lots just north of King in the downtown have the feel of the "moat" also which reminds me of the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. Much of the Toronto effect has become less so with new buildings hugging the sides of the Gardiner. In Hamilton the effect of Main, King and these parking lots is to isolate small non-sustaining islands of life - some of which are day-use only! Get the life back into these areas by permitting mixed-use buildings first in the the buildings beside these problems then allowing it to continue into these hopefully previous parking lots.
There is life in Hamilton, just let it get a fresh breath of air! You have many gems with just a bit too much rough surrounding them. Celebrate the achievements, support the new and feed the existing businesses.
I would like to note that some of these new gems include the new live theatres, bistros, and new private art galleries. The old gems include the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Zarky's, Denningers, and the Farmers' Market. The Locke Street neighbourhood is reminiscent of a revival as seen a many different cities with an older downtown, but it too is an island. Do not allow it to wither, it will evolve in own way [check out Toronto's Yorkville now as compared to the heady 1960's]! There are many other gems that I do not know of and others I would like to keep to myself at this time.
Celebrate your city's downtown now as it has started it climb already!
Posted by: Ilpo Lehto | October 13, 2007 at 10:27 PM
More Ideas -
No matter how much public transportation there is, people will always drive a vehicle. I think that battery-run electric cars will be the way to go. With that in mind, I foresee pulling into a refilling station to replace your rented run down battery with charged battery in 3 minutes and off you go. The environmental and economic challenge is how to charge these batteries. I think that these can be charged daily using an huge number of small generating opportunities which could be started with federal and provincial seed money - in Hamilton at least - in two ways that I have thought of:
1. The first takes advantage of the huge amount of waste heat from the flares of industry. By law, all open flares which obviously pollute the air must be enclosed within some type of boiler where steam is produced to run a turbine which would produce a continuous supply of direct current to recharge car batteries. This would produce a tremendous economic spinoff for the city, producing millions of batteries, building and maintaining generating stations and repairing worn down batteries.
2. My second idea was published in the Spec around 30 years ago. It was then called a "Grand Idea" which I believe, still is except soon it may become a practical idea.
My idea then was to dam up the Grand River above Caledonia ( dare I mention that place ) thus controlling flooding downstream. As a spinoff, the dam of course could produce electricity. In addition, I suggested that an 8 ft diameter channel / tunnel be dug to the edge of the escarpment just east of Wellington St. where it would flow over the escarpment on a smooth wide surface to produce a beautiful floodlit curtain waterfall with a 320 ft height after all the talus is dug away at the bottom, in the middle of the city for all to see. At the bottom would be a 200 ft diameter concrete pool in the middle of which would be the world's highest fountain run by gravity only. Behind the cataract, the 8 ft diameter pipe would fit into a vertical hole drilled into the escarpment wall running to the bottom. Some of the water at the top of the cataract would be diverted during the day to fill this pipe which would lead to a smaller-diameter pipe connected to the fountain - the decrease in diameter creating a pressure great enough to force water up maybe to 300 ft. This would far eclipse the motor-driven one that I saw on Geneve Lake at Geneva Switzerland. In concert with all of Hamilton's other waterfalls ( which should indeed be improved for tourism ), this would be an international tourist attraction. During the night time hours, all the water at the top of the escarpment could be diverted down the recessed tube into a generating station below, to again generate elecricity to charge batteries. In the end, the river would flow underground to Hamilton Bay where it would help to flush out the harbor and improve the water quality there. The entire "river" system could also be a trunk watermain into which Hamilton could run its surface water or --- not, in which case, it could be purified and presented as drinking water and run into a reservoir near the top of the escarpment. Water would then not have to be pumped from Lake Ontario below , saving energy and money.
This is just another idea that might be presented to the feds if ever they come knocking on Hamilton's door looking for votes, at least my vote.
Yours truly,
Posted by: david wootton | October 13, 2007 at 07:31 PM
This was an email from me to the director of capital projects at the RBG.
I understand that you are the director of capital projects with the R.B.G.
Some time ago I made the following suggestion to the R.B.G. when it was in financial difficulties. Now that there is some money and now that there is a future for the gardens, I would again like to suggest my own pet idea that I know will be extremely successful, famous, an economically viable engine and a real tourist draw:
I proposed that a 500 ft plus diameter biodome(s) similar to the Eden Project in Cornwall, England which I had the luck to visit recently be constructed somewhere on the west end of Hamilton's waterfront where it is generally protected from westerly winds and close the the R. B. G. - maybe even on the former Lax lands. It would be a partnership between the steel companies, the senior levels of government, the City of Hamilton and the R. B. G. The steel for the structure would be provided at a reduced rate in return for naming rights and generally favorable advertizing -forest companies like Bloedell have a conservatory named after them in Vancouver, for example. I' ve seen and was impressed by Weierheuser's forest products park in Seattle. It has been the trend that companies which have been seen to devastate the environment are more willing to invest in some manner to improve their image and eventually, their bottom line. This would fit the bill perfectly. Not only would the steel companies provide the steel but also the heat in perpetuity ! For over 100 years, heat has been wasted by both companies when burning off their unwanted gases creating what I call Hamilton's eternal flames. This tremendous amount of wasted heat could heat many conservatories - to such an extent that Hamilton could be a world-renowned research center for new forms of plant life. This will be the new economic driver in this century - just as important as the computer and electronics have been during the last 30 years. It should not be much of a problem to convince the present mayor who has indicated that he is a friend of the environment, the present councillor for ward 1 or for that matter, even the prime minister now that he has to compete with Mr. Dion on environmental issues.
I feel that now is the time to act. Even the provincial government is going to resurrect the Vineland Research Centre - a little money R.B.G.'s way for research would not hurt. This one item would do more for the R. B. G. and Metropolitan Hamilton than all the rest put together.
I trust that this idea will be discussed among the various interest groups and forms of government in order that it come to some fruition.
Yours truly,
Posted by: david wootton | October 10, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Common sense tells me that closing King St to traffic at this time is not a viable option. Both King and Main are the east-west arteries for Hamilton. It is also true that abundant traffic does not help the renewal of downtown.
This is why I suggest that the city revisit the Perimeter Road concept. A few alterations from the original plan could be implemented. For example, the highway could become a beautiful four-lane parkway from Wellington St. to Hwy 403. The portion west of James St could even be at ground level and not be intrusive since it would be built on the north side of land which slopes toward the bay. It would run underground from Lock St to the 403. One pair of railway ( LRT - GO ) tracks would run down the center. Space would also have to be made for a double freight line. The switching yard would be removed to a more logical location. I suggest that it near the airport. Eventually a new downtown would be built above the expressway much like I-5 in downtown Seattle. The Perimeter Road should be paid for by the province as it would be part of a new 408 from the QEW along Burlington St to Hwy 6 and connecting to the Hanlon Expressway in Guelph. There is at the moment no 400 series highway in Ontario connecting the more than two million people in Niagara-Hamilton-Kitchener/Guelph corridor. Only after all this is done should King Street be closed entirely. Anything else does not make common sense - no more than closing down coal-fired generating stations before building alternatives.
Posted by: david wootton | October 09, 2007 at 11:15 PM
With all this recent talk about the proposed pedestrian mall on king street at gore park, there are many possible options that could make this plan work. I know most european city centres have large squares which there downtowns are based around. I think this would work for Hamilton.
The biggest problem to this is re directing traffic especially since king street is Hwy 8 westbound. One of the possibilites is to direct traffic at Ferguson to Cannon, then down Queen back to King. This is a very possible solution which only requires a widening of Ferguson to two lanes Northbound and one south(addition of one lane). Cannon and Queen could very easily handle the load of Hwy 8. Another possible solution would be to redirect traffic south on catherine then west on hunter and north on bay back to king. These could both be very sensible solutions with little work on roads.
Now as i mentioned earlier, the Pedestrain mall could act as a square almost entirely closed to traffic(one lane westbound with speed humps and a large pedestrian crossing)like the squares they have in Europe. Also, hughson(from main to king william) could also be "closed" to traffic to create more space for street level shops. and more area for this square. A perfect example of this is the trg bana jelacic in zagreb croatia. A large square with a only a rail line that passes through. Shops all around the square and located right at the centre of downtown. Another reason this is such a success is becuase most streets around the square are pedestrian oriented and only the occasional taxi dropping poeple off at the hotel comes by. I was there this summer and it was phenomenal with all the cafes and tons of people. A link to see more about jelacic square is at http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=826
I could see Gore Park Square becoming exactly like this. The only difference would be the size and i would add more greenery to the Pedestrian mall. This i could see as a huge step for downtown as it would attract cafes and shops as well is the most crucial thing downtown needs, people.
Posted by: Chris K | October 03, 2007 at 07:10 PM
Greetings and salutations to everyone in Hamilton and special thanks goes out to the Hamilton Spectator for allowing me to post my opinions here regarding what I'd like to see happen to Hamilton, a city I was born, raised and currently live in.
Earlier I was thinking of listing all the great ideas I have for our town but instead of going all over the place with this I've decided instead to focus on one area. It's an area that I now have 5-years of experience in and that is the TV/ film industry. Furthermore, It's also important to note to you that The TV/ film industry has been recognized by the City of Hamilton's Economic Department as a GROWTH INDUSTRY. You've all seen the film production trucks all over town. The film production numbers for Hamilton continue to climb upwards. Most of this a result of the Extra Regional Tax Breaks we are able to offer to these production companies when they come to shoot here in Hamilton. Also at wikipedia check out the page I created titled: "List of films shot in Hamilton, Ontario" at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_Hamilton%2C_Ontario
The above link will give you all a better understanding of the level of film activity taking place here in Hamilton. The reason why I am bringing all this up is because even with all this film activity taking place in Hamilton we still don't have an actual film studio for these film producers to use. Up until now they have been using other types of facilities in Hamilton like Copps Coliseum, the Convention Centre, Hamilton Place, a small studio owned by local TV station CHCH 11 and the streets of Hamilton but nothing as far as an actual film studio is concerned.
What I would like to see happen is for us to build a MEGA STUDIO here in Hamilton. The time is right to build one. With all the empty warehouse buildings in our Industrial North-end we could easily transform them into movie studios. Primary one for me would be the old Otis Elevator/ Studabaker factory building on Victoria Avenue North. It is a 350,000 square foot facility. Currently owned by Stelco who have recently been bought out by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corporation, they may be willing to unload this piece of property now if the right investors came along. Plus add to the fact that this property has been targeted in the past for use as a movie studio. It's huge and perfect for a film studio. having said all that there are other properties that we can look at in our industrial north-end.
Now, lately there has been all this talk in our local media of going ahead and building a brand new sports stadium. The problem that most are having is how can we best make use of it once it is built because Tiger-Cats would only be using it a dozen times a year and that would be it. I believe I have the solution for this. What we do is we build a stadium for the CFL team and below the stadium, underground, is where you house this new MEGA STUDIO. Outside the stadium on one end is the entrance to the stadium. On the opposite end you have another entrance for the film studio that leads to underground below the stadium. At this entrance you also erect a statue of Florence Lawrence, a Hamiltonian and silent film actress, who is often referred to as "The First Hollywood Movie Star". She was also known as "The Biograph Girl", "The Imp Girl" and "The Girl of a Thousand Faces". During her lifetime, Lawrence appeared in more than 270 films for various motion picture companies.
Next is coming up with the location where we want to build this new Stadium/ Film Studio. I am dead-set against building it anywhere near the waterfront and would rather we build it at a central location downtown. For me the prime location is Beasley Park, corner of Mary and Cannon Streets to encourage revitalization in that part of the City's core.
Now, next up I want to give the people out there who are not too familiar with the level of activity and the amount of dollars that is pumped into our local economies here in Hamilton and up the road in Toronto by the TV/ film industry. I would now like to give you all some background information.
First of all 5-years ago when the TV/film production numbers were at an all time high in Toronto this industry was generating $1.2-BILLION to the local Toronto economy. Today it's down to $700-Million. So what happened? The Mike Harris government cut back on the amount of tax breaks these film companies use to get. They use to offer them a 44% tax break but then the Harris government cut it down to 11% and the work dried up. When this happened they quickly blamed the SARS outbreak in Toronto for the reason. Others will tell you that 5-years ago the Canadian dollar was at an all time low when it was worth something like .62-cents American and today it's on par with the U.S. currency. So they raised the tax breaks back up to 30%. Now that's not 44% but it's a lot better than 11% that was given to these film companies by the Mike Harris government.
At this stage of the game it should be pointed out that even though the Toronto production numbers are down they continue to go up for Hamilton. The primary reason for this is because when an American film company chooses to film here in Hamilton they get a 6% more tax break compared to Toronto at 36%. The numbers are even better if you are a Canadian film company. The Canadian film companies get a 10% more tax break compared to Toronto at 40%. Also, even if the film gets shot in Toronto but then a few days of that Toronto-based production gets shot here in Hamilton they are entitled to these Extra Regional Tax Breaks by the Ontario government. Word is starting to get around about this and this is why the production numbers are starting to shoot upwards for Hamilton.
Those who like to defend Mike Harris government's decision to cut back on these tax breaks will argue that the high Canadian dollar today is the primary reason for the lower production numbers in Toronto. My response and question for these folks is, then why is it that out West in Vancouver, today in 2007, TV and film is a $1.4-BILLION industry, $2-BILLION province wide for British Columbia? There are two reasons for this:
(1) Tax Incentives offered by the British Columbia government are better than what is being offered here in Ontario, unless you shoot outside the Greater Toronto Area and shoot over here in Hamilton, Ontario.
(2) Vancouver has something that we here in Ontario curently do not have (yet)...a MEGA STUDIO.
That then brings me to the next part of my presentation. Down the road in Toronto at 629 Eastern Avenue, is the site of the Toronto Film Studios. As it turns out the owner of Toronto Film Studios, Ken Ferguson, is going ahead and building a MEGA STUDIO for Toronto. When complete it will be called FILMPORT. After much delay about building one for Toronto this facility when complete will cost $250-million to build and will take up 1.25 million square feet. 750,000 square feet will be devoted to film and the remaining 500,000 square feet will be used for retail and commercial. For some more information regarding this project being built by Rose Corp. and Ken Ferguson visit the following link below:
http://www.rosecorp.com/filmport_announcement.html
.....and now for your viewing pleasure...FILMPORT:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7946774001496169254&q=toronto+film+studio&total=94&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2
I still think we in Hamilton should go ahead and build a MEGA STUDIO of our own. There is one very important factor to consider with the Hamilton situation. Film production companies get Extra Tax Breaks filming here in Hamilton compared to Toronto. Now because of this, a lot of the films that get shot in Toronto also get shot here in Hamilton. For example the Incredible Hulk is currently being shot in Toronto and then will switch production to Hamilton. The reason for this is because even if they shoot part of the film in Toronto if they get enough days shooting it in Hamilton as well then that means they qualify for these extra tax credits from the Ontario government.
This is why with other films in the past shot in Toronto they've also used some days to shoot in Hamilton. Two primary examples here are Ron Howard's "Cinderalla Man" and George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead." So even if Toronto production numbers start to go up because of this new MEGA STUDIO, FILMPORT being built in Toronto then Hamilton stands to gain from it as well. My thinking here is we would gain even more if we had a MEGA STUDIO of our own. Many of the big Blockbusters in the past have by-passed Ontario simply for the fact that we have never had a MEGA STUDIO and they've selected to film out West instead at Vancouver because Vancouver has a MEGA STUDIO.
Now I want everyone here to read a discussion I had with a well known Toronto Casting Director regarding the idea of building a MEGA STUDIO here in Hamilton. According to Mr. Ron Leach he feels that "it makes good economic incentive to start construction" on a MEGA STUDIO here in Hamilton.
Check out the discussion I had with him at:
http://www.aactionauditions.com/phpBB2/about6414.html&sid=90d7f6979484a3a1535923c0658df932
The thread there is titled: "Let's Kick the Mayor In The Ass!" (Toronto Mayor)
For the "Powers-that-Be" from Hamilton who would like to get to know some more who Mr. Ron Leach is please check out his Bio from his Official web site at:
http://www.ronleach.com/
As noted earlier, he feels 'it actually makes more sense to build a MEGA STUDIO in Hamilton instead of Toronto because of the Extra Tax Incentives offered in our Region.'
Also wanted to add here that HECFI, Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities, I believe is now being managed by JIM BALSILLIE of RESEARCH IN MOTION, the company that makes the BLACKBERRIES. Jim Balsillie is the same man whose been trying to bring an NHL hockey team, Nashville Predators, to our City. This is the first person I would suggest the "Powers-that-be" in Hamilton talk to regarding the idea of building a MEGA STUDIO. The company responsible for the day-to-day management of HECFI, that is owned by Jim Balsillie is called, GOLDEN HORSESHOE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT. Well, Movies are Entertainment.
Below is the link to the web site of
VANCOUVER FILM STUDIOS:
http://www.vancouverfilmstudios.com/
Keep in mind here that out West their MEGA STUDIO is 30 Acres. The new one currently being built in Toronto is 40 hectares which when converted over to Acres is 98.8 Acres. So in other words as big as the Vancouver MEGA STUDIO is, and it is BIG, the new one in Toronto, FILMPORT, when complete will be a little ove 3-times bigger than the one they have out West in Vancouver.
Also, equally to note that the site I propose for Hamilton, the old Otis Elevator/ Studabaker building on Victoria Avenue North is about the same size as the Vancouver Film Studios.
For an Aerial view of the Vancouver Film Studios go to:
http://www.vancouverfilmstudios.com/history.html
As noted from the above Vancouver Film Studios links, This is a $1.4-BILLION industry for the City of Vancouver...$2-BILLION total province-wide for British Columbia.
Finally, Hamilton is a very versatile looking city and perfect for movie shoots as illustrated by photos I took of our city with my digital camera and uploaded onto wikipedia.org articles. Check them out at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Nhl4hamilton/Photo_Gallery
One more important piece of imformation to consider. Hamilton is home to McMaster University. Here in Ontario the Premier is Dalton McGuinty. Dalton McGuinty is also an alumnus of McMaster University and in January of this year he along with McMaster University President Peter George went on a 17-day trip to India to try and lure that country's film industry, "BOLLYWOOD" to come to Ontario to shoot. So not only do we have political interest at the City level in Hamilton but as well at the Ontario Provincial level by the Premier Dalton McGuinty.
I work a lot on these film sets and have talked to a number of the production team members of the various sets that have been here in Hamilton. More than once they have told me they would shoot here in Hamilton more often if we had some studio space of our own to offer them like they do up the road in Toronto. Right now when they are here in town they use Our stadiums and Arenas, the Convention Centre, Hamilton Place Auditorium, a small studio belonging to our local TV station CHCH TV 11, the streets of Hamilton and that is it.
We need to build a facility (or two) here in Hamilton where the primary use of it will be to be used as a Film Studio to cater to these big production companies that come up here to Canada to shoot their films from New York and Hollywood.
Together Hamilton we can make it all happen!
Rick Cordeiro
imgoalsactionresults@hotmail.com
Posted by: Rick Cordeiro | October 01, 2007 at 09:18 PM
Health care in Hamilton
I have a comment on health care for the elderly; Hamilton is bursting at it's seams. I would like to know if you can do a story on what it's like to be elderly and have to go for tests and monitored frequently for things like blood levels, kidney or liver function, etc. I've spent a lot of time recently at an out-patient clinic in one of our hospitals with my mother who is 87 and I also have my own problems. My mom is in generally good health for her age but is tired, has IBS, anemia and incontinence; she can't see or hear very much and uses a walker to steady herself. This week we had several appointments with specialists and all that I could think about was 'if this was the last day of my life would I spend it here?' Way too much time waiting I guess. I'll give a few examples.
Monday: had an appointment for 9:00; Dr #1 was running late so we went back downstairs to register for bloodwork - it's usually about a 2 hour wait on Mondays. Went back up, didn't wait too long, maybe about 20 minutes. Since this was a first time assessment he needed to know all the background; we got as far as hello, why are you here. Then the calls started and
interruptions, finally got 3 minutes to explain mom's history and why she was sent to see him. He told her to lay on the bed, he would be right back. We got her sitting on the side of the bed and 10 minutes later he popped in, said she could lay down and took off again. She lay for another 10 minutes, he briefly went through his procedure and when we were finished there was a couple of seconds left to tell us there was nothing he could do for her. Anyway we got out of the hospital after the bloodwork in 2.5 hours.
Tuesday: Mom doesn't like going to Dr #2 since she can't hear him or understand him; I wanted to cancel the appointment and just have a nice lunch and 'quality time' but she said she would go. Got to the hospital at 1:15, the room was almost empty so I thought great, shouldn't be long to get in. Waited until 2:30 until her name was called, waited until 2:45 until we got into the room, the phone went, he talked, a girl handed something in, etc, then he asked how mom was, in the middle of it a girl walked in, he started talking to her, then out into the hallway talking about several patients. I got up and looked at them, he came in, I slammed the door shut. He started back on the computer and said he was very busy. Turns out she just needs to take her iron pills even though they make her feel sick; even better record at only 2.25 hours.
One time after a 3 hour wait they had to wake us both up. In the waiting room so many of them have stories of why they're there, how difficult and costly it is to get there. Most of them are on their own and I don't know how they can do it. I know it takes a lot to understand what the doctors are telling patients; when I'm with mom I usually write everything down or get photocopies of reports etc. & send all the information to family members so we all know what's going on but most of them don't have anybody that can do this for them. Maybe this is just a rant, maybe it only happens to us, maybe we were only there on the bad days and every other day is fine; I don't know. We both felt invisible though.
In summary though I do have a suggestion and that is to move the clinics to another area. There are so many vacant buildings around Hamilton such as the one on Dundurn near Charlton which could be used for our desperately needed health care for seniors. I'm not sure we can rely on government funding but it would be worth a try if it can be proven Hamilton needs it.
Posted by: Kathy Clayton | September 30, 2007 at 05:09 AM