IS ANOTHER VANIER CUP IN THE CARDS? SEE B1
The Silhouette
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
www.thesil.ca
Thursday, September 13, 2012
EST. 1930
Graceful under pressure.
Vol. 83, No. 6
Bienvenue, Monsieur Chrétien Proposed by-law affects students Aissa Boodhoo-Leegsma Senior News Editor
Master has received $38.5 million through the Knowledge Infrastructure economic stimulus program for post-secondary infrastructure enhancements across Canada. $22 million will help create new research space and stimulate increased production of medical and industrial isotopes at McMaster’s nuclear research facilities. The remaining funds will help build two new centres for cancer and spinal cord research. “Hamilton has been a leader in the manufacturing industry but our economy is diversifying. There are a lot of businesses in the city that are thriving,” Schleehahn said. He added that the city’s new status as an investment hotspot provides a reason for students to consider staying in Hamilton post-
In the near future, students will likely encounter a much more regulated environment when searching for student rental properties. On Sept. 18, a report proposing a new by-law will be presented to the Planning Committee at City Hall. The proposal seeks to address issues in regulating rental units across the city, and is believed to include a licensing program for all rental units (excluding those in apartment buildings) in the City of Hamilton. The proposed by-law would begin to be drafted following the Planning Committee meeting and would most likely take shape by the end of November. Discussion of regulating rental units has been ongoing. The current proposal looks to regulate rental units under the provincial Municipal Act. The intention of the licensing program is to ensure uniform standards for all rental properties across the city. Rental licensing programs in other municipalities such as the City of Oshawa have sought to monitor property maintenance and ensure proper documentation and insurance. Student rentals are not the sole target of this proposed by-law but the Westdale Ainsley-Wood and Mohawk-Buchanan-BonningtonSoutham neighbourhoods were specifically identified in earlier planning discussions in 2008. Both neighbourhoods cater to student populations and experience an influx in residency as a result of the short-term nature of student leases. Because the by-law itself has yet to be drafted, there have been concerns that another provision may be included which would seek to limit the number of bedrooms in a dwelling unit. The City of London is the only municipality in Ontario to have limited number of bedrooms to five per dwelling. Because this type of inclusion falls under a different provincial act, the Planning Act, Councilor Brian McHattie believes that a limitation on number of bedrooms would be discussed under zoning or as a separate by-law. “The focus is safe housing. We have unsafe and unpalatable housing across the city,” said McHattie. MSU VP Education Huzaifa Saeed reiterated the positive intent of the proposed by-law and the benefits to students. “From one angle … this is a good deal for students. This would avoid horror stories with absentee landlords,” said Saeed. Saeed raised another important question: “From an economic standpoint…what would this do for affordability of [rental] housing?
SEE PROJECTS, A4
SEE LICENSE, A4
SAM COLBERT EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien sits with former McMaster president Peter George (right), as well as Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Zafar Adeel (left of Chretien), and Hamilton’s mayor, Bob Bratina (left of Adeel), at a Sept. 11 event at McMaster Innovation Park. The event was a book launch for The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue, a publication from UNU-INWEH, which is based at McMaster. See the full story at www.thesil.ca.
Hamilton leads nation in new projects McMaster poised to be “engine of growth” for city’s development Anqi Shen
Online News Editor
According to a prominent trade magazine in the U.S., Hamilton now leads Canadian cities in new industrial and commercial projects. Site Selection Magazine in Atlanta reports that Hamilton generated the highest number of expansion projects during the past year that have drawn at least $1 million, created at least 50 new jobs, or made use of at least 20,000 square feet. Analysts ranked cities based on new projects mostly in the private sector that would attract potential investors. Norm Schleehahn, manager of business development at the City of Hamilton, says the university’s main contribution to Hamilton’s 2012 ranking is its new automotive resource centre (MARC) at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP). The federal government has injected $11.5 million into the new facility, which will cover approximately 80,000 square feet of space in a former industrial warehouse across from the MIP Atrium. For the most part, MARC will be a laboratory facility to accelerate research in the automotive sector, focusing on hybrid vehicles. The project costs $26 million in total and is expected to employ 120 to 150 people. McMaster’s downtown health campus, to open two years from now, will make the list of projects for 2013, Schleehahn said. Nick Bontis, professor in the DeGroote School of Business, says the City is pushing forward with downtown renewal and McMaster faculty and students are leading the charge.
YOSEIF HADDAD SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
The Centre for Microbial Chemical Biology in MDCL holds some of McMaster’s cutting-edge research techology.
Bontis said facilities like MIP facility used mainly for conferences, offer researchers a bridge between is in the midst of discussions with doing research in the lab and find- private developers to build a hotel ing opportunities to commercialize at the park. Plans haven’t been finalideas in the marketplace. ized but the hotel would accommo“That’s why McMaster Univer- date researchers, entrepreneurs and sity acts as an engine of growth for the general public. the manufacturing sector,” he said. In addition, the federal and “We’re sitprovincial ting on a large governments “...we don’t have enough horsesupply of pohave invested power or capacity for faculty to tential comheavily in the both do the research and commercialization u n i v e r s i t y ’s mercialize the research. That’s projects,” he health and where we need the community continued. engineering to get involved.” “But we don’t research facilihave enough ties. Nick Bontis horsepower A grant DeGroote School of Business or capacity for announcefaculty to both ment in early do the research and commercialize August revealed the province would the research. That’s where we need provide $4.6 million for 14 projects the community to get involved.” in the research sector. MIP, a $69 million off-campus Over the past two years, Mc-
OPINIONS INSIDEOUT ANDY
Arts and science clash in a fiery duel of ideologies
A7
Memory retention starts to taste really good
B7
Sheepdogs welcome new faces with classic rock
C4