Spec Online

We're drowning in debt

Canadian Press reports:

'A new report by the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada shows household debt in the country kept rising through the recession and peaked in December at $1.41 trillion.

That's $41,740 on average per Canadian, or debt-to-income ratio of 144 per cent -- the worst among 20 advanced countries in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

But the survey also found almost 60 per cent of Canadians whose debt rose still felt they could manage it or take on more obligations.

The accountants, however, say many households could find themselves in difficulty when interest rates, as expected, begin to rise.

The report estimates even a 2 per cent increase in rates would mean mid-income and higher-income households would have to slash spending on non-essentials by between 9 and 11 per cent, resulting in a slowing of economic growth.

Most analysts believe rates will go up by a quarter point on July 1.'

What do you think? Is your personal debt situation getting better, worse or staying the same?

West Harbour investments

The Spec's Emma Reilly reports:

' There's a big difference between dreams and reality.

That was how prominent Hamilton lawyer Herman Turkstra summarized the city's ambitious plans to transform Hamilton's west harbour, presented to council for the first time yesterday.

City staff gave a high-level look at preliminary ideas for the area, including cafes, pubs, shops, safe swimming and small boat rentals.

But while there was broad consensus on the overall hopes for its waterfront, several details proved contentious. Neighbourhood residents told council they're worried about traffic and parking in their neighbourhood, while Turkstra told council that the waterfront doesn't need millions of dollars to serve Hamilton residents.

"You have a west harbour that functions exceptionally well right now," he said. "Please be very careful before you muck around with it."

One of the most controversial aspects of the plan was to cut off the lease with the MacDonald Marine Services site when it expires in 2018. Owner Sandy MacDonald pleaded with councillors to allow him to remain among the marinas included in the development plans.

"Treat me the same as everybody else," he said. "Allow me to run my business."

Though no formal decisions were made at yesterday's meeting, city staff needed to present their plans to council before moving forward. Over the next several months, staff will work on finishing planning reviews and holding public meetings.

The project, estimated to cost about $143 million in public and private money, will cover the entire stretch of city-owned land from Bayfront Park to Pier 8.

The private sector is slated to pay for the commercial buildings and parking, while the public trails, parks and art pieces will be the city's responsibility, said Councillor Chad Collins, chairperson of the Hamilton Waterfront Trust.'

What do you think of the plan? Should the city reconsider ending the MacDonald Marine lease when it expires in eight years?

Docs want to stop Mac plan

The Spec's Joanna Frketich reports:

' Obstetricians are demanding an immediate halt to Hamilton Health Sciences' plan to close McMaster's emergency department and intensive care unit to adults.

The doctors -- including the city's three chiefs of obstetrics and gynecology -- have taken their fight to the local health integration network (LHIN), which oversees hospitals. Their petition, delivered yesterday, calls the current plan to leave obstetrics and gynecology as the only adult inpatient service at McMaster "medically unworkable and unsafe."

It requests a public review of the controversial decision, guidance on relocating obstetrics and gynecology from McMaster to either Henderson General or St. Joseph's hospitals and an immediate suspension of the Access to the Best Care plan until a solution is found.

"It's a necessary next step," said McMaster obstetrician Dr. Bryon De France about going to the LHIN.

"Much of this is coming out of a little bit of frustration and anxiety around the fact that we really don't have an end game as yet for the department."

The move took hospital CEO Murray Martin by surprise, especially considering De France and other McMaster obstetricians have been consulting this week with hospitals in Halifax and London about how to make the department work without the backup of other adult inpatient specialities on-site.

"We do have them engaged in this process," he said. "We have them involved."

But De France said those consultations have convinced him that the department needs the backup of a full-service general hospital.'

What do you think? Should the LHIN intervene to try and stop HHS's plan?

Ticats stomp stadium plan

In his strongest and most public statement to date, Ticat owner Bob Young says the West Harbour location doesn't work for the team, and will cost him millions if the Cats play there. He wants just about any other location, including Chedoke golf course, land adjacent a Walmart project near the Red Hill and QEW, and "the Hamilton side of Aldershot", in other words, Burlington.

So far, Hamilton is staying firm on its position. What do you think? Should the city revisit the plan, bowing to the Ticats wishes? What if Young threatens to move the team? Should Hamilton withdraw its $60 million in support for a new stadium if Young won't play ball? What do you think?

Young Canadians lukewarm on WWII values

Canadian Press reports:

'The results of a new poll timed to the 65th anniversary of VE-Day has the Historica- Dominion Institute suggesting there's increasing reverence for our Second World War veterans but a troubling ambivalence about following their example.

A clear majority of younger Canadians say they would not have volunteered in 1939 to help liberate Europe and defeat Nazism, according to the poll.

The survey shows a significant divide between older Canadians and those aged 18 to 35 when it comes to assessing VE-Day, 65 years after the end of the most significant human conflagration of the past century.

The poll suggests a clear majority would sign up to serve if it were 1939 and they were 20 years old. But that total was skewed upward by older respondents.

Sixty per cent of those 18 to 35 years old indicated they would not have joined the fight in 1939.

Over three quarters of 1,025 respondents agreed that "the men and women who served in the Second World War deserve to be called 'the Greatest Generation.''

What do you think?

Who should pay in libel suit?

The Spec's Andrew Dreschel reports:

'The chairperson of the Free Flamborough de-amalgamation group is suing Councillor Terry Whitehead for $700,000 over an allegedly libellous e-mail.

Roman Sarachman is also demanding to know why the city is defending and picking up Whitehead's legal tab at taxpayers' expense while not extending the same coverage to other councillors.

"This is a personal thing with a personal attack on one individual to another," Sarachman said.

"It's got nothing to do with the councillors or the City of Hamilton or anything."

The suit stems from an e-mail Whitehead sent to Sarachman and copied to councillors in May 2008 that allegedly cast aspersions on the Freelton resident's reputation.

According to the statement of defence filed by the city's legal department, Whitehead denies the allegations, which have not been proven in court.

The defence document concedes, however, that Whitehead's comments were made in the "heat of the moment," and notes a written apology and retraction were given to Sarachman and councillors before the lawsuit was launched.

In a letter to councillors last week, Sarachman says information given to newly elected officials after the last election clearly states the municipality will not defend councillors against defamation suits.

He threatens to take additional legal action against the city if Whitehead doesn't repay his legal expenses and hire a private lawyer.

City solicitor Peter Barkwell says Sarachman is right that the city told councillors it does not cover defamation actions, but that information was inaccurate.'

Is it appropriate to use public money to pay for a legal bill in cases such as this? What do you think?

A burning issue

The Spec's Emma Reilly reports"

'The city is reopening the debate about whether Hamilton should accept waste from other municipalities.

But the move -- which would require the city to alter its garbage management policy -- has already been criticized by councillors worried Hamilton will become a hub for waste.

"We do not want to become the dumping ground for other areas of the province," Councillor Chad Collins said.

Yesterday, the public works committee gave the go-ahead to a study on whether the city can burn its garbage to generate energy. In order for that plan to be financially viable, city staff say Hamilton would have to house and burn garbage from other municipalities.

"Energy from waste does work better with larger quantities," said Beth Goodger, senior director of operations and waste management.

That would contravene the city's solid waste management master plan, a policy that maps out how it should handle garbage and recycling over the next 25 years. When the plan passed in 2001, it ruled against accepting other municipalities' garbage.

It's a sensitive issue for a city that has dealt with environmental image problems because of waste -- particularly after the high-profile Plastimet fire in 1997 and the closure of SWARU, the Kenora Avenue garbage incinerator shut down in 2002.

Some argue this idea needs to be explored fully given it would generate needed revenue for city coffers. Others insist it's a non-starter given the waste masterplan. What do you think?