Think Hamilton 2022

Hamilton offers so much that it’s possible to take in a different thing to do or neighbourhood to visit every weekend or during the week, all year long.

“Hamilton is a place of real, authentic urban experiences where it’s also possible to live car-free if you choose,” says Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development.

Thorne spends a lot of time exploring the city on his bike, experiencing first-hand Hamilton’s growing network of on-street bike lanes, trails and cycling infrastructure.

“The city also has a great transit system and bike share and many parts of it are highly walkable, whether that’s going for a 20-minute walk from downtown Hamilton to the waterfront, or a walk through one of the city’s other compact, historic downtowns and commercial areas, such Ancaster, Dundas, Concession Street, Barton Village, Westdale, Stoney Creek or Waterdown.”

In Hamilton, one-third of all commuter trips are less than five kilometres, making it truly walkable and bikeable. And as one of southern Ontario’s least congested cities, Hamiltonians spend less time and money getting around.

Residents can spend their free time visiting distinct neighbourhoods or villages, strolling Hamilton’s many great urban

corridors or attending one of dozens of festivals.

“You can have a drink at one of dozens of on-street or alleyway patios, enjoy a pop-up music festival or spend an afternoon in a grand urban park like Gage Park.You can stroll great dining districts like King William or Locke Street or spend a few hours at the waterfront or walking along the Escarpment brow.”

The city is home to dozens of fantastic cultural amenities, including the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Theatre Aquarius, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. It offers all the benefits of being home to a major university and college, along with a strong public library system, and some of the most

and AUTHENTIC HAMILTON Make it Your Home

INVITING

interesting and diverse architecture in the province.

It’s also a music city, with plenty of venues and events. They include Bridgeworks, a converted City carpentry shop, the Gasworks, a former power-generating station, the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre in a repurposed school board building, The Music Hall in a converted church sanctuary, the longstanding musical celebration Festival of Friends, the Brott Music Festival founded by the renowned conductor, and Supercrawl, Canada’s largest outdoor free music event.

“You can see major touring acts with 15,000 screaming fans at FirstOntario Centre, or a smaller band or local act with a few dozen people at a smaller club like the Casbah or Mills Hardware, and everything in between,” says Thorne.

Hamilton is ranked seventh in the world for musicians per capita and has a distinctive and exploding culinary scene that is gaining international attention.

What also makes Hamilton compelling, says Thorne, is that it offers it all: a big-city urban core, cultural attractions of all sizes, historic streetscapes, quaint commercial streets and community downtowns, thriving suburbs and idyllic rural countryside.

The city is also spoiled for green spaces, such as the Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Trail, conservation areas, waterfront

trails, the Royal Botanical Gardens, and beautiful city parks, including Bayfront and Sam Lawrence, which offers a spectacular view of the city from above.

“Whatever you love to do, you can do it in Hamilton. And there is more to do every day.”

THE BUSINESS OF BEING CREATIVE

Hamilton’s Creative Industries Sector includes film, music, fashion, visual/applied arts, live performance, as well as written and published works. Learn why Hamilton is a leader within the creative sector for expanding firms, relocations and creative services start-ups. ConneCt today

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For Nurses, “TheWorld’s HHS.” Your Oyster at

Find your career path at HHS

“The world’s your oyster at HHS,” says Sarah Johnson, nurse clinician educator in the intensive care unit at Hamilton General Hospital.

to critical care in the intensive care unit, treating patients recovering from open-heart bypass surgery.

Johnson, nurse clinician educator

Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is a community of 15,000 staff, physicians, researchers and volunteers that proudly serves southwestern Ontario residents at several sites in Hamilton and Grimsby. Its sheer size and scope of specialties and services allows for a broad and fulfilling nursing career.

HHS offers a continuum of care from pre-natal to end of life and everything in between. It is a regional treatment centre for cancer, heart and stroke, trauma and pediatrics. It’s also an academic teaching hospital.

Nurses can work in a wide variety of settings, including emergent care, postoperative, critical care and outpatient clinics.

“There are so many positions, leadership roles and areas of specialty and expertise you can explore. Whatever your reasons are for being in health care, you can find a career path at HHS. In nursing, there are incredible opportunities,” she says.

Johnson grew up in Hamilton and then studied nursing at Queen’s University before returning to her hometown.

“I’m a big believer in the city of Hamilton,” she says. “It’s a great community that is unlike other cities. People are working together for change. There are great restaurants and night life, housing is more affordable and we’ve got a great waterfront and parks.”

Learn from talented leaders

Johnson started her career as a nurse in 2013 in the vascular step-down ward at HHS’s Hamilton General Hospital before moving

She was there for eight-and-a-half years when the clinical educator who onboarded her retired. She encouraged Johnson to go for the role.

“People at HHS work with the best of the best and learn from talented leaders. There is so much expertise and excellence in clinical practice areas. It’s an exceptional place.”

Clinical educators are responsible for onboarding new staff, facilitating education and orientation, and working with managers and charge nurses to get new hires ready to work on their own. That process looks different for each new staff member, depending on their experience and how that relates to their new role.

Providing a warm, open atmosphere

Johnson and her colleagues also step in to provide bedside care or run units when there are staff shortages.

“We help out with workflow wherever we can,” she says. “It’s an intense

environment, so we have to be supportive of each other and check in and look out for one another. None of us are machines. We need to care for each other.”

Johnson’s role gives her insight into HHS from the perspective of people coming from other organizations.

“I was just speaking with three external candidates and they all commented on what an open, warm atmosphere it is here,” she says. “That means a lot because we are their entry point into HHS. We are hoping they feel supported and want to stay. We’re rooting for them.”

Take the next step:

HamiltonHealthSciences.ca/careers

Sarah

HAMILTON’S Creative is Economy

Hamilton has reinvented itself thanks to the creative industries, with more than 2,500 businesses in film, music, fashion, performing arts and writing and publishing calling the city home. About 11 per cent of the local labour force – 30,000 people – work in the creative sector. Growth is particularly strong in the film, music and fashion.

Film

Hamilton has 9,140 film workers and 901 film businesses, making it the third-largest cluster of film businesses in Canada. It’s also one of the busiest film locations in Ontario, hosting hundreds of productions every year that brought about $70 million in economic benefit in 2021.

Actor and voice artist Christian Potenza moved to Hamilton in 2017. He is copartner in The Infinity Forge, a creative media studio for aspiring and existing performers in a beautiful brick and beam building in the lower city.

“I just love the vibe of Hamilton. There is a buzz and a special feeling to it. So many people are chasing their dreams. There is such incredible talent here,” says Potenza.

“I have never felt so safe and accepted in a town as I have in Hamilton.”

The Infinity Forge was able to expand its space and now has plans to host regular events, such as comedy and music nights.

“This building is such a gem. Something like this was only possible for us in Hamilton.”

Music

Hamilton has a long and illustrious history as a musical powerhouse.

More than 7,700 Hamiltonians work in 541 businesses, making it the sixth-largest cluster of music businesses in Canada. Hamilton is also ranked seventh in the world for musicians per capita.

Among them is Mark Sasso, lead singer and guitarist of alternative country trio Elliott BROOD.

Sasso moved to the Gage Park neighbourhood of Hamilton from Toronto 12 years ago. Since then, his bandmates have made the exodus, too. The Junoaward winners have now invested in recording studio space and equipment.

Hamilton is the kind of place where neighbours gather for spontaneous parties and strangers say hello on the street, Sasso said during a keynote address to a forum hosted by Music Cities in September in which he sang the praises of his adopted hometown.

“The city of Hamilton has a really big heart. The people who live here are genuine, salt-of-the-earth people who look out and care for another and their community.”

The city is home to plenty of “dreamers, doers and community builders who invite you in and take you along with them.”

Fashion

There are well over 500 fashion businesses in Hamilton and 7,500 employees, making

it the fifth-largest cluster of fashion businesses across Canada.

Sumit Nagi moved to Hamilton four years ago from Toronto. And for the first time, she was able to move her GOAT Vintage business out of her house. She took up space in the historic creative hub The Cotton Factory where she makes fashionable designs out of previously worn clothing.

She’s been so successful in Hamilton that she just took over bigger studio space.

“In Hamilton, it’s possible to start small and grow your business into a bigger space.”

And it’s possible for Nagi and her husband to raise their young daughter in Dundas, a historic small town within Hamilton where “every street is a postcard,” says Nagi.

Nagi says she is able to work with talented local sewers, though she is always looking for more.

“I love Hamilton. The number of creatives I run into, I’m always astounded by it. There is so much acceptance for creativity and entrepreneurship here in Hamilton.”

photo: StyleGroup.co

isESSENTIAL ESSENTIAL Every Role In Health Care,

HHS offers huge variety of roles and settings

Marita Tonkin – Chief of Health Professional Practice

The work of doctors and nurses at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is supported and complemented by allied health professionals spanning more than 17 health professions and 1,200 jobs.

“Every role is essential to our operations as a hospital,” says Marita Tonkin, chief of health professional practice. “We treat everyone from the emergency patient to the person who can’t go home without occupational therapy or physiotherapy. If you can’t swallow or eat after a stroke, you can’t progress in your care without a speech language pathologist or a dietitian.”

A social worker or clinical psychologist at HHS might specialize in pediatric or geriatric patients. Other allied health roles include respiratory therapists, personal support workers, health care aides, pharmacy technicians and medical radiation technologists.

“Allied health professionals play crucial roles in our ability to meet patient needs and outcomes,” says Tonkin. “It really is a team and we have to function together or we can’t do what we do.”

Tonkin, who began her career as a pharmacist, has worked within HHS for 35 years.

“You can spend your whole career within a specialty serving a certain patient population or you can take a career journey that takes you far from where you started,” she says.

HHS provides care spanning prenatal to the end of life and is a regional centre for cancer, cardiac, stroke, trauma, and pediatrics. It’s also a community hospital, a leading research centre and a teaching facility, which offers tremendous opportunities to broaden your career focus, says Tonkin.

“Whatever kind of setting a health-care professional wants to work in, whether that’s a high-volume critical care setting, a research lab, or an outpatient service where you develop a more long-term relationship with a patient and family, we offer it at Hamilton Health Sciences.”

Choose from many specialities

Pharmacy technician Tammi Henderson worked 10 years in the Juravinski Cancer Centre, creating compounds for chemotherapy, before shifting to the main hospital 10 years ago.

“We still do a lot of chemotherapy on the hospital side but we are also a stem cell transplant centre, so we see any patients with complications who need admission.”

A benefit of working at HHS is that each site in the system has its own specialty, says Henderson, who also did a stint in the neonatal intensive care at McMaster.

Culture of innovation and teamwork at HHS

Another benefit is a culture of innovation at HHS. Henderson’s pharmacy recently launched two new robots that help manage inventory and pick pills.

“We also get to work in a beautiful new space on the fourth floor of the hospital,” she says. “I really enjoy the team aspect

of my job. Many health care professionals have to work together to treat a patient. We are a tight-knit group. This is not a job in which you work alone.”

And Henderson gets to work about 10 minutes from home.

“I love Hamilton. There so many trails to hike and the country is so close. There are fabulous restaurants everywhere, too. It’s a great place to live.”

Take the next step: HamiltonHealthSciences.ca/careers

Tammi Henderson – Juravinski Cancer Centre

Hamilton is a big city. It’s also a small town. It’s also a suburb. It’s also farmland.

Hamilton has beautiful, walkable heritage neighbourhoods in the lower city that surround the core, such as Corktown and Durand, post-war suburbs on the Mountain, and idyllic streets within the small towns of Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek and Waterdown.

Hamilton is also huge picturesque rural swaths in Flamborough and Glanbrook. It’s all Hamilton – a city of communities. In fact, the city features more than 200 designated neighbourhoods.

“Each neighbourhood has its own flavour, personality and history. We can easily say that there is something that would appeal to everyone in Hamilton,” says Judy Lam, manager of commercial districts and small business for Economic Development at the City of Hamilton.

From east to west and north to south, Hamilton is a dynamic, creative, culturally and economically diverse place. It offers an enviable quality of life, a heart and soul and an authenticity that few cities can rival.

Thousands of units in interesting condo and rental developments are on the rise in downtown Hamilton, which is also home to a growing list of one-of-a-kind restaurants, art galleries, entertainment venues and boutique shopping, many in beautifully restored historic buildings.

A huge investment in the Downtown Entertainment Precinct, along with a future light-rail transit line, are part of the

Something for Everyone! HAMILTON

ongoing transformation of Hamilton’s downtown.

“There is an energy and excitement that is drawing so many to the downtown. Hamilton is building toward its future,” says Lam.

“We are very fortunate to see developers in our city building a mix of rentals and condos. Hamilton’s housing mix is very strong.”

Hamilton’s waterfront will also soon be home to a vibrant community, while newly built suburban subdivisions are appealing to everyone from young families to empty nesters.

Across the city are neighbourhoods surrounding bustling business improvement areas and dining and shopping corridors, including James Street, Ottawa Street, Locke Street, Concession Street and Westdale.

Here are some highlights of the six major communities that make up Hamilton:

ANCASTER – home to some of the most beautiful homes and streets in Hamilton. Established in 1792, it is also one of the most historic communities in Canada. Ancaster features gracious older homes, new subdivisions, a large power centre, Redeemer University, museums, waterfalls and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, which has hosted the Canadian Open several times.

DUNDAS is a beautiful valley town bounded north and south by two sides of the Niagara Escarpment with Cootes Paradise wetlands on the east and

conservation lands to the west. It boasts a beautiful downtown streetscape that epitomizes small-town charm, along with gorgeous historic homes.

FLAMBOROUGH is made up of more than 15 communities over its 191 square miles, including urban Waterdown and more rural areas such as Greensville. It is surrounded by conservation and recreation areas and scenic waterfalls and is home to the African Lion Safari, one of Ontario’s key tourist attractions, along with major employment parks.

GLANBROOK is largely rural but includes the towns of Binbrook and Mount Hope. It houses the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport and major industrial, logistics and agrifood employers. Major new housing developments are attracting young families.

HAMILTON has a long and fascinating history and is enjoying a renaissance as a city built on education, health care, technology and the arts. The city is bisected into its upper and lower halves by the Niagara Escarpment or the Mountain to Hamiltonians. The escarpment is a 90-metre cliff, which is a World Biosphere Reserve. Thanks to the escarpment, and the rivers, streams and creeks that plunge over it, Hamilton is known as “the city of waterfalls.”

Though Hamilton was founded and flourished on industry, the city also has hundreds of parks, green spaces and conservation areas. Its major cultural amenities include the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Hamilton Philharmonic

Orchestra, Theatre Aquarius, a range of museums, and FirstOntario Centre and FirstOntario Concert Hall. There are hundreds of festivals and events, including Supercrawl that attracts hundreds of thousands to James Street North.

McMaster University is a globally recognized institution, Redeemer University, a private Christian university, just celebrated its 40th anniversary and Mohawk College is a key pipeline of talent for the city’s employers, the largest of them being the renowned Hamilton Health Sciences. McMaster Innovation Park in the city’s west end is emerging as a key anchor of Canada’s Innovation Corridor.

STONEY CREEK is another area within the City of Hamilton with a deep history. It is home to a charming village, well-established neighbourhoods and the Battle of Stoney Creek National Historical Site. Stoney Creek sits both above and below the escarpment. A mix of housing options is being built in upper Stoney Creek, while lower Stoney Creek features strong employment corridors along the QEW, along with an enviable and gorgeous lakefront.

Prepare for a career in the gaming industry by developing skills needed for creating and iterating unique gaming environments, levels, characters, props and systems.

Liz Feeney – Laboratory Workstream Lead, Clinical Informatics

As a large, regional health-care organization, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) offers many nonclinical career opportunities in critical finance, IT, human resources and business analytics roles.

And Hamilton’s largest employer is a great place to work. In 2022, it was recognized as a top employer in the Hamilton-Niagara region and a top employer of young people in Canada.

Health informatics opportunities

Liz Feeney has made her career at HHS. A medical laboratory technologist by training, she most recently served as laboratory work stream lead for Project Odyssey, the massive rollout of a new electronic patient information system called Epic that went live in June.

“Digital health is really driving the future of health care,” says Feeney. “As our systems become more advanced we rely on very clinically knowledgeable and technology savvy individuals to support the overall system. These behindthe scenes-positions of health-care professionals really work to improve the

Driving the from

Future of Health Care the Scenes

Behind

health-care experience using the tools of the electronic health record.”

EPIC is the largest clinical transformation in the history of HHS. The digital platform allows clinicians to get timelier, seamless information and allows patients to track appointments, medications and lab results.

“Health care informatics is a really challenging career,” she says. “You’re constantly needing to pivot based on issues and priorities and tickets that are being reported by frontline staff, all while navigating requests to optimize the system as well.”

Private sector skills highly transferrable

At just under 15,000 employees, managing labour needs at HHS is also a critical task.

Tatum Gunn has worked at HHS for just over four years. In that time, she has progressed through three roles within finance and she now works as manager of workforce planning and analysis.

Her team handles all the forecasting, planning, budgeting and analysis for labour needs across the organization.

Gunn came to HHS after roles at BMO, Deloitte and Tim Hortons.

“All the skills of the private sector in terms of planning and analysis apply to the hospital sector. The skills are highly transferable,” she says.

For Gunn, working for HHS is personal.

Her oldest son, now a healthy 17-yearold, spent a couple of months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after he was born prematurely.

“Health care is something we all need to be able to rely on,” she says. “For me, working here at HHS, I carry my experience with me. I like thinking that I what I’m doing could impact the next mom sitting in the NICU.”

Contributing to your community

Financial services manager Betty Duan felt called to the hospital sector after feeling a sense of helplessness during the pandemic.

“I just wanted to find a way to contribute to this community I grew up in,” says Duan. “I’m an accountant and I can contribute to health care.”

Duan, 30, says HHS’s commitment to innovation is important to her.

“I want to be challenged to think about things differently and to find ways to do things better,” she says. “HHS isn’t shying

Betty Duan – Manager, Financial Services at Hamilton Health Sciences

away from digital transformation. We’re using data to drive insights and using artificial intelligence to help us spend time on things that really matter.”

And she’s thrilled to have a challenging, rewarding career in Hamilton, her home since her family arrived from China when she was nine.

“There is such a strong sense of community in Hamilton and a diverse and inclusive culture. Many people who have grown up here want to stay because of that sense of home.”

Take the next step:

HamiltonHealthSciences.ca/careers

Hamilton is a city built by newcomers to Canada and the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) works to ensure the city continues to be a welcoming destination.

Hamilton is already a highly diverse city, with immigrants accounting for 26 per cent of its population.

“Immigration has been so important to Hamilton’s past and present and it’s even more important to its future,” says Sarah Wayland, senior program manager with HIPC. “The city was literally built by immigrants and they continue to be so important to our labour force and city life.”

Immigration is critical to Hamilton’s future, since about two-thirds of population growth comes from immigration.

HIPC is a community table that seeks to create a seamless settlement experience for immigrants in Hamilton. Its partners come from many sectors – including settlement, education, business, health, social and employment services, municipal affairs, and persons with lived immigration experience — to work together on priority areas of economic stability, social inclusion and community engagement.

City City HAMILTON City ofOpportunity forImmigrants

HIPC was established in 2009 as one of Canada’s first local immigration partnerships, and there are now more than 75 similar local initiatives across the country. Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, HIPC’s relocation to Economic Development at the City of Hamilton in 2018 speaks to the importance of immigration to the local economy, culture, and population growth.

The city is an attractive destination for many reasons, says Wayland.

It offers better affordability than other neighbouring communities, a diverse and growing economy, strong post-secondary, secondary and elementary schools, great health care, lots of nature and parks, and vibrant ethnic communities.

“Newcomers find places of worship, grocery stores, and cultural events that make them feel welcome,” says Wayland.

“Proximity and easy access to Toronto is a draw. However, ready access to all the big city amenities can also be found in Hamilton which offers a great life to newcomers.”

HIPC has set a target goal of ensuring 80 per cent of newcomers will have a successful settlement experience and

feel a sense of belonging in Hamilton by 2025.

HIPC undertakes research projects, hosts events for newcomers, and works directly with employers to showcase the benefits of hiring immigrants. Next year, it will launch a campaign called Hamilton for All that will aim to empower people to work towards inclusion in their own lives.

In partnership with Hamilton Civic Museums, HIPC worked to stage a virtual exhibition called Stories of Immigration and Belonging.

Among those stories is Ebunoluwa, a second-year social work student at McMaster University, who arrived in 2018 after emigrating from Nigeria.

“I moved to Hamilton with my mom and my brother. My mom choose Hamilton because she wanted a place that had a little bit of home feeling and safety,” she shares.

“Hamilton to me is a land of opportunities where I can set goals, work hard, dream big, and know within my heart of hearts that I can achieve everything, and anything I set my mind to do.”

HAMILTON TALENT PIPELINE

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

IEC helps employers support youth through their career development journey and pathway planning, while employers stimulate their own workforce development through the ‘Talent Pipeline’, a unique communications conduit. The IEC opens the door to understanding local career opportunities for job seekers, pathway planners, and workforce developers. Experiential learning has many forms which include mentorship, classroom speakers, in-person company tours, job shadowing, cooperative education, internship and unique ‘Virtual Workplace Experience’ videos, created with our partners at Edge Factor.

The IEC ‘Talent Pipeline’ connects the education sector with the broader community. Our educational partners include the Hamilton-Wentworth District and Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Boards, McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University.

All our partners are vested in workforce development to help grow the region’s economy by supporting the training and career development of educated workers who can fill the skills gaps found in all sectors. The Economic Development Division for the City of Hamilton is one champion along with many business and industry partners.