urbanicity - January 2012 by urbanicity

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HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | JAN 2012 | urbanicity.ca

IN THIS ISSUE “Coffee...tea... ....crazy glue?”

ELVIS LIVES HERE

URBAN BITCH

The memory of Elvis Presley is alive and well in Lynn Bolsby's East Hamilton home. Paul Wilson visits with Lynn as she prepares to pay homage to the king on what would be his 77th birthday. p.6

Pets, pests, pit bulls. Lydia Lovric pulls no punches on the subject of owning pit bulls in an urban environment. p.7

THE LOST ART of CUSTOMER SERVICE Since when is the company always right, and the client an inconvenience? Laura Farr reflects on the apparent erosion of 'good old' customer service. p.7

EDUCATING DOWNTOWN Will the new McMaster Downtown Health Campus bring some class(es) to our downtown core? According to Paul Shaker, Hamilton's centre is already learning to become a learning centre. p.8

THE TOMI SWICK HOUR Tomi Swick is one of Hamilton's great exports. With a Juno on his shelf, a collaboration with Julian Lennon in the can, and an axe to grind about art crawl hipsters, Tomi is the best choice for urbanicity's first profile of 2012. p.9

FREE PARKING * PRIVATE LOUNGE for 60 PEOPLE * PATIO 191 James Street North }{ Hamilton, Ontario }{ L8R 2K9 }{ 905.523.7269 }{ acclamation.ca

HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | JAN 2012 | urbanicity.ca

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urbanicity [ur-buh-nis-i-tee] - noun 1. The premiere interactive forum of constructive, thoughtful, provocative, and local ideas, issues, and experiences.

While walking through Jackson Square yesterday, I noticed a slogan on the exterior wall of the Wind Mobile store that read “The Power of Conversation”. In the food court area I saw the Public Mobile store touting their simple catchphrase, “Everybody Talk”. Clearly, as young telecom companies, both Wind Mobile and Public Mobile are encouraging people to hold conversations on their cellular networks. After all, both companies are promoting unlimited talk and text plans, while working hard to gain market share against mega-rivals Bell, Rogers and Telus. However, when reading the phrases, ‘The Power of Conversation’ and ‘Everybody Talk’, I’m curious what they actually mean. Do the executives at Wind Mobile view the power of conversation as something that can serve some sort of world-bettering purpose? Referring to the “power” of something typically insinuates a potential achievement of some sort resulting from the exertion of the power—the power to change, the power to inspire, the power to destroy, etc. Referring back to Public Mobile and their desire that “Everybody Talk”, I wonder if their marketing agency simply wants the world to engage in cacophonic babbling. Or perhaps they, like the brass at Wind Mobile, believe that everybody talking will somehow make the world a better place through the mysterious power of conversation.

DISTRIBUTION QUANTITY: 10,000 copies per issue 12 issues per year DATE: First Friday of each month COST: Free

Of course, I am being somewhat facetious. Conversation is, in fact, extremely powerful, and everybody talking can have both good and bad results.

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PUBLISHER + EDITOR MARTINUS GELEYNSE Owner | MG International Director | Hamilton24 Festival martinus@urbanicity.ca

Looking back at 2011, the citizens of Hamilton engaged in a number of significant conversations. We talked with resignation about a Pan Am stadium agreement. We talked collaboratively about area rating. We talked with confusion about a velodrome. We talked thankfully about investments by Maple Leaf and Canada Bread. We talked angrily about what has been dubbed “Peggygate”.

MARTINUS GELEYNSE | photograph by Daniel Banko

Downtown Hamilton International Village Ottawa Street Locke Street Westdale Village of Ancaster Town of Dundas Village of Waterdown Stoney Creek Concession Street District Selected Hamilton Mountain locations Greater Hamilton Area

In 2011, everybody talked. A lot. Looking forward to 2012, I know Hamilton will continue to talk, but it is imperative that we consider the power and consequences of our conversations. It is crucial that we talk collaboratively, creatively, and respectfully. Let’s spend fewer of our conversations on ridiculous affairs like Peggygate, and instead invest in conversations that build up our community. Let’s talk about sustainable transit strategies, intelligent economic development opportunities, ideas for innovative city building, poverty reduction, and arts and culture. Let’s embrace a diversity of ideologies and viewpoints, and let’s listen as often as we speak. So, in 2012, everybody talk. But let’s recognize both the positive power and the negative power of conversation. As anyone with a cell phone knows, talk is not as nearly cheap as we might think. MARTINUS GELEYNSE | Publisher + Editor

CREATOR | LAYOUT + DESIGN REG BEAUDRY Freelance | photographer Graphic designer reg@urbanicity.ca CONTRIBUTORS PAUL WILSON Former Columnist | Hamilton Spectator pwilson@urbanicity.ca

FORUM

GRAHAM CRAWFORD Owner | HIStory + HERitage gcrawford@urbanicity.ca

We welcome discussion! Each month, the FORUM section will display letters to the Editor. In order to be accepted, letters must include valid contact information and the full name of the writer.

TERRY COOKE CEO | Hamilton Community Foundation tcooke@urbanicity.ca PAUL SHAKER Director | Centre for Community Study pshaker@urbanicity.ca RYAN McGREAL Editor | raisethehammer.org rmcgreal@urbanicity.ca LAURA FARR Staff Writer lfarr@urbanicity.ca JAMIE TENNANT Program Director | 93.3 CFMU jtennant@urbanicity.ca DON FORBES Manager, Specialist Advisory Services | Grant Thornton LLP dforbes@urbanicity.ca LYDIA LOVRIC Former Writer and Broadcaster llovric@urbanicity.ca

Send your letters to: editor@urbanicity.ca

Humbug to Bad Pictures I can't believe that urbanicity, a publication I have come to look forward to each month, would print an image of an airplane crashing into the skyline of Hamilton. This is way too reminiscent of 9/11. Are you just trying to be provocative now? What does a plane crashing into Hamilton have to do with an aerotropolis anyway? For such a high quality publication, this image is badly out of place. -Alix Stark Ancaster, ON Editor's Reply Thank-you for your thoughts Alix. It was certainly not our intent to make even a reference to 9/11 through this image. In fact, the jet is intended to be seen as colliding with the LRT train pictured on James St. South, representing the clashing interests of an urban development project (LRT) and a destructive greenfield sprawl project (Aerotropolis). This said, we are trying to provoke discussion, and sometimes an image that impacts an audience viscerally is required to emphasize the significance of the issue in question. Again, thankyou for the letter! -Martinus Geleynse Editor, urbanicity

JOEY COLEMAN Independent Journalist jcoleman@urbanicity.ca LAURA CATTARI Community Advocate laura@advocacyhamilton.com RYAN MORAN Independent Consultant moranrp@mcmaster.ca AD INQUIRIES

FRONT COVER *James Street South to North, Hamilton, ON | photograph by Aaron Segaert | metroperspectives.com PANEL [ LEFT TO RIGHT ] *Elvis Presley in his prime *Vicious Pit bull *The Northenders cartoon by Reg Beaudry *Rendering of the New downtown McMaster Health Campus *Tomi Swick’s eye by Reg Beaudry

ads@urbanicity.ca | urbanicity.ca 905.537.5928 PRINTER Canweb Printing Inc. FORUM We welcome discussion! Each month, the FORUM section will display letters to the Editor. In order to be accepted, letters must include valid contact information and the full name of the writer. Send your letters to: editor@urbanicity.ca

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION

JOEY COLEMAN

It’s time for Hamilton Labs – a new department within the City of Hamilton solely focused on experimentation with citizen collaboration to build better solutions to the problems facing our city. Think of Hamilton Labs as a City department that’s measured not be the amount of paperwork completed and the aesthetic appeal of its crossed t’s and dotted i's. It would be a City department measured by how much it uncrosses t’s in the process of creating disruptive innovation that benefits the city and its citizens. Disruptive technologies surround us. The mobile phone in your pocket is a disruptive technology – Superman can no longer find a telephone booth to change in. Wikipedia is a disruptive technology – there’s no need to go to the library to find encyclopedic information. Let me give you an example of a disruptive innovation that could benefit the city’s financial bottom while investing in community development and improving civic life. The Hamilton Street Railway is looking to purchase electronic signs for the MacNab Terminal to display real-time next bus arrival information. The traditional process for this purchase is to pay a consultant to advise on what the HSR needs, find a

company to supply the signs, hire a software consultant to program the signs, and then finally, after many delays, have by-then-outdated signs installed in the terminal. All at a significantly higher cost than necessary. A disruptive innovation is to look to communities for solutions first. The local community includes numerous youthserving agencies looking for opportunities to provide socio-economically disadvantaged clients with learning opportunities that bridge the gap between them and higher education. The open-source community provides numerous examples of signage and programming available at no-charge online. We have three high-quality post-secondary institutions in Hamilton; two of which have engineering faculties with students looking for local employment. We have all the ingredients to produce the signs locally at a lower financial cost with the added benefit, immeasurable in budgetary terms, of building capacity in our community. A Hamilton Labs approach might be as follows. The City could approach a youth-serving agency such as the Downtown Youth Centre, which, conveniently enough, is located beside the MacNab Street

Terminal. The City could then bring Mohawk College to the table and put a call out to the community for open-source hardware and software ideas. While bringing together (stirring) these community partners, the City could add a little bit of funding (spice) to hire Mohawk College students to coordinate the project, and then set simple guidelines for the project. In this case, guidelines would require that the hardware and software be open-source and capable of displaying bus information, other transit information, and also be capable of displaying other local messages as necessary. The guidelines would be the minimal requirements. The students and youth would then be set free to create. For a couple of extra dollars per sign, the signs could have wireless transmitters to create a mesh network in the transit terminal. This would provide wifi coverage for waiting passengers and decreases the cost of infrastructure for the signs. As the signs and hardware would be open-source, local businesses could easily afford to provide realtime information signs at their businesses. They’d need to hire people to configure the signs, but this could easily be the local youth that had originally worked on the initial project for the Transit Terminal.

Over time, as the City would expand the number of signs, we could have wifi coverage throughout the city. In the end, we would have created employment for a couple of Mohawk College students, the youth would receive honorariums (which could be in the form of funding to take Mohawk College evening courses in electronic engineering to grant them advance placement for college studies), the youth would have built self-esteem and confidence for pursuing higher education in either engineering or software, and the City receives superior signage that doesn’t require expensive consultants when times change for daytime savings. In short, this is an example of a disruptive innovation that replaces the consultant with community building. Hamilton Labs is the perfect project to fulfill the mandate of our new Director of Neighborhood Development Strategies (aka the “Poverty Czar”) at City Hall. What do you say Council, how about we be ambitiously innovative together? JOEY COLEMAN is one of Hamilton's emerging young journalists living downtown with his smartphone always in hand. You can follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/JoeyColeman. jcoleman@urbanicity.ca

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Ward myopia hurts this city. It needs to change and I'd like to suggest a solution...We should narrow and lengthen our ward boundaries.

GRAHAM CRAWFORD

Central Hamilton facing the Escarpment on a foggy day | photograph by Reg Beaudry

A TALE of TWO CITIES |

Could rethinking ward boundaries help Councillors see Hamilton differently? mention getting Councillors out of their comfort zones. With all due respect to the veteran Councillors, if your constituent base hasn’t changed for the length of your term on Council, which for some is decades, then perhaps it’s time for a shift. Organizations move managers and executives around all of the time to help them to develop new perspectives and skill sets. Let’s do the same with our Councillors by giving them challenging new ward boundaries. It just might result in a whole new way of thinking and behaving at City Hall. It might just cause Councillors to see Hamilton in a whole new way. It just might.

Long before amalgamation, Hamilton was a city divided. Over the past 30 years that division has become even more acute. I’m talking about the topographical, social and political divide we call the mountain. Amalgamation has only contributed to the division. No matter if you’ve chosen to live in the upper city or the lower city, chances are you do as much of your “living” as close to home as possible, from shopping, to movie going, to personal grooming. While the escarpment’s physical impact remains constant, its political and social impact need to change. Physical boundaries should not create mental boundaries. But they do. Often we hear people who live on the mountain say: “You have to give me a reason to go downtown.” “Parking is too difficult down there, so I don’t even

bother.” “If you make the traffic move even slower with twoway streets, I won’t go downtown.” Just as often we hear people who live in the lower city say: “There’s no life there. It’s generic.” “You have to get in your car to do anything up there.” “If they think one-way streets are so good, why don’t they even have one of them on the mountain?” “Upper” Councillors perhaps focus more on potholes, or parks, or sign by-laws, while “lower” Councillors perhaps focus more on direct delivery of social services, or demolition by neglect, or bike paths. Both should be worrying about how everything affects everything and everyone else. So, while constituents’ phone calls may be ward-bound in focus, votes should be city-wide in focus. They’re not. Even Councillors

say so themselves, including the ones who represent Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough and Glanbrook. Ward myopia hurts this city. It needs to change and I’d like to suggest a solution. We should narrow and lengthen our ward boundaries. I think each of the wards throughout Hamilton should run north-south and that each ward include a piece of the lower city and a piece of the upper city, including farmland. Certainly doing so will encourage a change in perspective and, with any luck, a change in attitude and in behaviour. No longer would Councillors have to be either suburban or urban. No longer old city of Hamilton, or amalgamated city. Imagine if Jason Farr had to think about how his vote affected his constituents who lived on the east side of James street, both upper and lower. Or if Tom Jackson

had to think about how his vote affected his constituents who lived on the east side of Kenilworth, both upper and lower. Imagine if Bernie Morelli had to think about how his vote affected recreation centres near Barton and near Mohawk. Or if Lloyd Ferguson had to think about how his vote affected bicycle paths along Wilson and Governor’s Road. Just imagine. Imagine if Chad Collins had to think about how his vote affected his constituents near industrial land and on farmland. I wouldn’t blame Councillors, at least not initially, for resisting this kind of thinking. Certainly it would make their re-election less than certain because they would have to become known by, and get to know, many new constituents and their issues and ideas. But that, of course, is precisely the point of the idea. Forcing positive change by altering perspective. Not to

GRAHAM CRAWFORD owns and operates Hamilton HIStory + HERitage, Hamilton’s ﬁrst storefront museum. He is also the 138th Chairperson of the Hamilton Club. gcrawford@urbanicity.ca

1.COMMIT TO MIXED INCOME SCHOOLS

2. TWO-WAY STREETS

3. REUSE OLD BUILDINGS

4. ALLOW GRANNY FLATS

5. AFFORDABLE HOUSING in all NEIGHBOURHOODS

We must make a positive commitment to better income integration in our public schools. Four decades of evidence is clear: mixed-income schools perform well, while high poverty schools struggle. The ARC process provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the issue head on and give all our children the chance for a better future. Let’s hope our school board trustees find the courage to act decisively.

It’s time to quit pussy-footing around on one-way streets. Convert entirely back to two-way and reclaim our inner-city neighbourhoods for families and small businesses rather than highways. It's a matter of priorities. What is more important: the ability to drive across the city in minutes, or the ability to live safely and thrive in an urban neighbourhood?

We should celebrate entrepreneurs and social advocates who buy old, vacant, derelict buildings and introduce new uses into them. Instead, we inflict death by a thousand bureaucratic cuts. How can establishing a "non-conforming use" in an old building that improves the neighbourhood possibly be worse than leaving a building vacant, dilapidated and dangerous?

Let's help create new affordable housing across the region by allowing "as of right" accessory apartments (or "granny flats") in every single-family home in the city. It wouldn't cost the city any money, and would allow homeowners to increase the density of their property in an organic manner that does not threaten to unbalance existing neighbourhoods.

We need to mandate inclusionary zoning across the city, requiring a range of affordability in housing types in every neighbourhood. This will serve to stop ghettoizing the poor, while at the same time allowing people to remain in their chosen communities throughout the various phases of life.

10 RESOLUTIONS for HAMILTON 2012 |

No matter how many bad choices you've made in the past, tomorrow is always a new day. New Year’s is a particularly inviting time to break with past bad habits and commit to making positive changes that will transform our future. That is as true of cities as it is of individuals, and in the hopeful spirit of the New Year's Resolution, here are ten ideas for the City of Hamilton. - TC

It's time to quit pussy-footing around on one-way streets. Convert entirely back to two-way and reclaim our inner-city neighbourhoods for families and small businesses rather than highways.

TERRY COOKE

Hamilton’s urban highway | photograph by Reg Beaudry

6. DEEP SIX PARKING REQUIREMENTS

7. GET SERIOUS ABOUT BIKE LANES

8. SIMPLIFY OUR PLANNING PROCESS

9. GET STARTED ON LIGHT TRANSIT

10. CREATE THE ECO-PARK

Let's get rid of parking requirements for new residential developments anywhere close to public transit. Let the market decide if a given resident can live with reduced or no parking. Too many developments have been scaled down or killed because of the insistence that every unit must include a parking spot. All this does is reinforce a car-centric model of land use by prohibiting more compact, urban forms.

The ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid in 20 years – without the benefit of wheels, which had not yet been invented. In Hamilton, it will take us twice as long just to build a network of bike lanes. Perhaps we can try to be a bit more ambitious. Montreal, Minneapolis, Portland, New York – these cities are busy building bike lanes, attracting new cyclists and raising their profiles as attractive destinations for creative professionals seeking a high quality of life.

Our over-complicated planning process serves to preclude the very things we want to create. We've all heard the horror stories: a setback variance on a hundred-year-old building, cash in lieu of parking for an urban storefront, shutting down a legitimate business that isn't explicitly defined in the zoning bylaw. Toronto's King-Spadina Secondary Plan is a model of elegant zoning that encourages development. The rules are simple: buildings front onto the sidewalk; building heights are compatible with their neighbours; owners and occupants decide what uses to put inside them; and parking is not required, but any parking must be under or behind the building. The new Official Plan addresses some of these issues, but it will be tied up in Ontario Municipal Board appeals for years. In the meantime, the city needs to get started now.

The window of opportunity for governments to fund high-quality, long-term transit investments is fast closing. The tremendous pressure to trim deficits and rein in spiralling debts means it will be at least 10-15 years before governments start contemplating these kind of public infrastructure projects again. That will set Hamilton back decades in lost opportunity to re-energize the core with new investments and new residents. As quickly as possible, we should build a minimum viable system that leverages the planning work already completed and gets the one-time capital costs out of the way, hence reducing the incremental cost to grow the system later.

Once or twice a century we get the chance to create a truly important and lasting public legacy. Dundas Eco-Park is one of those ideas: the biggest urban park in Canada and a complete ecosystem in the centre of a highly urbanized area. The idea, championed by a group of energetic citizens, is to establish an urban park spanning the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Desjardins Canal, Cootes Paradise and the South Shore Trails around McMaster into a single, integrated park. Most of the land is held publicly by various agencies, but several private, land-locked properties retain the potential for developments that threaten the integrity of the park. With some vision and political will, we could secure all the land in an accessible park for generations to come. TERRY COOKE is President & CEO of Hamilton Community Foundation. tcooke@urbanicity.ca

HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | JAN 2012 | urbanicity.ca

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OCCUPYING HAMILTON LAURA CATTARI

Hamilton is quite possibly ahead of the bell curve of change. Having been hit earlier and harder than the rest of our province by economic, environmental and social problems, we have had to organize and respond out of necessity.

I live in the lower city. Every day I see the microcosm reflection of what the greater movement espouses; generations of blue-collar workers, used and abandoned by corporate interests, poorly paid, underemployed, debt-ridden individuals, as well as those suffering homelessness and hunger. And yet, I see something else as well. There is a willingness, a driving energy, no less, among Hamiltonians of all classes, to step forward and make a change in our city. Having had the honour to work with many of these people and organizations, I can honestly say that people in this city care. Not only do they care, but they work actively to address the wrongs the Occupy Movement is concerned about. From young entrepreneurs who brainstorm with professionals about livable communities and adaptive reuse of our city core at Hive X, to the plethora of alternative and social media outlets, we are demanding and envisioning a better and more equitable way of moving forward. We are a city of activists – though not all carry placards and march. We have many grassroots leaders who challenge all levels of government on our behalf. And on most days, they win their fights. Hamilton is quite possibly ahead of the bell curve of change. Having been hit earlier and harder than the rest of our province by economic, environmental and social problems, we have had to organize and respond out of necessity. The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction is a community collaborative which engages all levels of government, all sectors, and those with lived experience in sustainable poverty solutions. Their

approach, and success, has earned them national respect. This model of community engagement needs to be emulated more. Community collaboration places the needs of the whole before those of individuals and their respective sectors. It goes beyond single-issue activism to full and respectful engagement of all stakeholders, including business. At its heart, it acknowledges and gives voice to the belief that, in order to succeed, no one can be left behind. It also acknowledges that there are no simple solutions. Being a complex undertaking, it may not move as quickly as those not directly involved in the process would like, but the end result is a vision created by all. Change occurs as Paul Johnson, Director of Neighbourhood Development Strategies, says, “Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, block by block”. We are radically changing the shape of how we deliver and respond to the needs of everyday citizens. Those engaged in the lower city may already be living the “Occupy” message. So perhaps Occupy Hamilton will serve to wake others to this message, to engage those not already actively engaged in discussion and action, to see our commonality instead of divisions. We are the 99%. A fully engaged Hamilton, that addresses the needs of all its citizens, can be a light to our province, and even to our nation. As we respond to the challenges that face us, we will organically begin to change the face of politics and policy in this country. LAURA CATTARI is a writer, former stage performer and community maven. laura@advocacyhamilton.com

THE YOUTH ARE STARTING TO CHANGE part II of II

RYAN MORAN

Despite the work done to date, and the knowledge that has been amassed, there has been a disproportionat e amount of coordinated and large-scale cooperative action.

In the last issue of urbanicity, I discussed the challenges Hamilton faces in regards to maintaining young population demographics. To recap, youth was defined as being between late-Generation X, Generation Y (Millenials), and any group thereafter (roughly 15-40 years of age.) To summarize the challenges, these included a trending net-out migration of youth, a significant decline in the amount of Hamilton post-secondary institution graduates remaining in the Golden-Horseshoe region, and, as a result, a continually increasing average age of Hamilton’s population (which is already above the provincial average). Discussion surrounding these challenges has occurred largely throughout the past decade, but in recognition of certain trends, has been particularly heightened in the last five years. Such discussions have revolved around various research, reports, demographic assessments and studies of specific youth cohorts – students, at-riskyouth, etc. – that have been assembled by various agencies and stakeholders in the Hamilton community. Among the most recent, was a landscape assessment, compiled by Workforce-Planning Hamilton (WPH, formerly the Hamilton Training Advisory Board, HTAB) that aimed at identifying the various informational resources, and community partners, present in the Hamilton area. An additional goal of this report was to serve as a foundation to support the potential construction of a comprehensive Hamilton youth strategy. This WPH report was defined by four principles that functioned as mutually inclusive categories under which the identified reports and partners were grouped. The first, Attraction, implies positioning Hamilton as a destination of choice for youth through the active refinement of message and effective execution of communications necessary to attract youth to Hamilton. Retention implies the maintenance of youth demographics in Hamilton, whether home-grown, transplant or boomerang. Though this item is primarily related to job creation and job communication, it also touches upon ensuring that youth have a positive experience in their interaction(s) with the city, and that the city offers comfortable, yet vibrant lifestyle opportunities. Engagement implies the assurance that youth feel actively involved in the city, whether through democratic processes, civic volunteerism, or other opportunities to be directly involved in the development of the city’s communities. Lastly, Development concerns defining and creating opportunities along a continuum of youth skill growth. This recognizes the importance and interconnectedness of everything from at-risk youth educational attainment to networking and mentor/protégé relationships for young professionals. To clarify, many existing, Google-able, youth strategies are pillared solely by Attraction and Retention. In squaring this off, with the addition of Engagement and Development, the intention was to acknowledge that though attracting and retaining skilled youth is important, there are fundamental social issues in Hamilton, and ensuring the healthy development and active engagement of all youth are equally important.

Despite the work done to date, and the knowledge that has been amassed, there has been a disproportionate amount of co-ordinated and largescale cooperative action. This is, of course, aside from disparate items put forth by various identified partners. Such examples include October 2011’s Hamilton HIVE: Hive X conference, Hamilton’s first conference for Young Professionals, or the continuous work performed by those looking to open opportunities for at-risk youth. It should be said that this is not due to the absence of a desire to take such actionable steps. Rather, this is more correctly a result of equally, the absence of both available resources to carry out projects related to these topics, and the absence of an existing pointperson or office, clarifying the vision, and tying all the strings (resources and partners) in Hamilton’s potential youth strategy community together. A cursory glance at the various implemented Youth Retention and Attraction Strategies across Canada illustrates that, without such a point-person/team, the potential for success is greatly reduced. Creating a Province of Choice: A Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador, arguably one of the world’s most comprehensive and effectively coordinated strategies, was fully funded and overseen by the Government of Newfoundland, with the directive for its development coming directly from then Premier Danny Williams. Much closer to home, the Niagara WorkforcePlanning Board has also established its own Youth Strategy development project and office, Next Niagara, with leadership on the project coming from full-time coordinator Vanessa Bilenduke. It is precisely this that is required to pull such a strategy together and then follow through on its execution, top-down leadership, operating in a much more horizontal and grassroots capacity. A person or office fully enabled with the resources and financial capabilities necessary to carry out both the research and actionable steps required to produce the most direly needed results. Moreover, such an office should have direct ties to the City of Hamilton, if not exist directly under its auspices, with appropriate arms length capacities. Such moves are crucial in ensuring both the department’s capabilities, and in symbolically showing that Hamilton, and its leaders, are forwardthinking and dedicated to ensuring a flourishing future, by making correct decisions for the youth here and now. Complacency in comprehensive youth strategy development is currently the norm among municipalities in both Canada and most western developed nations. To view it as an item that is subordinate to other, more common economic development focuses, is to myopically view the world and ignore its undeniable interconnectedness. If ensuring economic prosperity is like composing a symphony, then the assurance of a large pool of engaged, and well-developed youth is the tempo upon which the instruments of industry, opportunity, and lifestyle rely. RYAN MORAN, holding a recently completed MBA, is a former President and CEO of the McMaster Students Union. moranrp@mcmaster.ca

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With so much to choose from on the street, it will be natural for those who go to James North specifically for the AGH store to wander the street to see what else they can buy from places they otherwise would not have seen before.

DON FORBES

The future home of the AGH storefront | 118 James Street North | TCA Architects | photograph by Reg Beaudry

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK | In just a few months, the Art Gallery of Hamilton will move into space at 118 James Street North, opening a new retail space right in the heart of the Art Crawl route. I know this has been met with mixed reactions. I, for one, like the idea, and think it is a great example of collaboration leading to a better city for everyone. The most prevailing negative reaction is that the AGH is taking advantage of the reputation of James North, which has been built on the backs of grass roots artists. The concern is that the AGH will take market share away by attracting Art Crawlers and others to their store over the other galleries. While the Art Crawl and James North have growing reputations, the truth is that the “market” for those to “share” is probably not growing quite as fast. I understand this concern, but I truly do not think this division of market share will be the case. First, let’s not forget that the AGH already has retail space just up the road on King Street. I realize they are

not on the typical Art Crawl route, but I find it a difficult argument to say that this represents completely new competition. It’s not like the Art Gallery of Ontario is coming in from Toronto to add a completely new competitor to the street. Second, the variety of artistic endeavors on James North surely contrasts and augments that which the AGH will provide. I am not professing to be an expert of art, but I would argue that there is room for a variety of different art forms in any community, and placing the AGH’s forms next to the many fantastic assortments on James North will only enhance the reputation of the street and draw more attention to it. This brings me to my third point: Hotelling’s Law. This is an economic concept that observes it is rational for businesses to make their products as similar as possible. Without contrasting my earlier points, I note in this case the law applies to the location element of the product, not the actual product itself.

Why the AGH opening space on James North is a good idea

The theory supports the idea that two retail locations may start in separate parts of town, to service different neighbourhoods, but will eventually converge to locate right beside each other. A great example of this in Hamilton would be Upper James Street, which has a plethora of car dealerships all right next to each other. This theory has also been supported by an even better source: The Simpsons. Hank Scorpio: Uh, hi, Homer. What can I do for you? Homer: Sir, I need to know where I can get some business hammocks. Hank Scorpio: Hammocks? My goodness, what an idea. Why didn't I think of that? Hammocks! Homer, there's four places. There's the Hammock Hut, that's on third. Homer: Uh-huh. Hank Scorpio: There's Hammocks-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Butt-There.

Homer: Mm-Hmm. Hank Scorpio: That's on third. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot... Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the hammock complex on third. Homer: Oh, the hammock district! Hank Scorpio: That's right. (Taken from “You Only Move Twice” television episode of “The Simpsons”, 1996) In my opinion, the Art Gallery’s cachet will bring more people to James Street North, therefore expanding the market for everyone. Also, it is likely that more galleries will converge on James North over time anyhow. Why not have the AGH there as well? With so much to choose from on the street, it will be natural for those who go to James North specifically for the AGH store to wander the street to see what else they can buy from places they otherwise would not have seen

before. It’s a bold move, that’s for sure. Bold for both for the owners of 118 James and for the AGH. But I like the enthusiasm that comes with these bold moves. Whether you agree or disagree with this specific project, I hope we can all agree that we need some bold moves in the city to accelerate our progress. I also hope we can agree that collaboration is essential to the improvement of Hamilton. I’d like to see more bold move – not just from a retail store perspective, or an arts perspective or even a property development perspective. With so many organizations, not-for-profit and otherwise, competing for the same market share, let’s see what other ideas we can come up with to provide synergies that will increase the overall market. The more we collaborate in this city, the better it will be for everyone. DON FORBES is a Manager of Specialist Advisory Services at Grant Thornton LLP. dforbes@urbanicity.ca

Over the next four years, NYC Department of Transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan added another 350 km of bike lanes and doubled the number of commuter cyclists again.

RYAN McGREAL

NY critical mass | livininthebikelane.blogspot.com

IN A NEW YORK MINUTE | There are always lots of excuses not to do something. Nothing is easier than to shoot down an idea by detailing all the reasons it can't possibly work. Every great program we enjoy today exists despite the best efforts of squelchers and naysayers to drown it in cold water when it was first proposed and championed. It is always inspiring to watch a good idea brought to life by champions who have the courage to stand up to the bullying and mockery of its detractors. Back in 1997, New York launched an ambitious plan to build a 2,900 km bike lane network. However, progress was slow and after a decade, the network was only 750 km. Even so, cycling had doubled between 2000 and 2007. In 2007, Mayor Mike Bloomberg appointed Janette Sadik-Khan as the NYC Department of Transportation commissioner on a strong mandate to rebalance the city's transportation system away from automobiles. Over the next four years, she added another 350 km of bike lanes and doubled the number of commuter cyclists again. While the number of cyclists has been going up, the

number of cycling injuries has been going down. Overall, the risk of injury on a bike has fallen by 75% since 2000 while the number of cyclists has quadrupled. Of course, New York's cycling system is still a work in progress. This year, the city will launch a bicycle share with 10,000 vehicles at over 600 stations, while at the same time replacing 6,000 parking meters with new bike racks. Meanwhile, the New York Police Department is frequently accused of targeting cyclists with tickets for "disrupting traffic" and other violations. Last spring, an NYPD officer apparently harangued a female Dutch tourist for "distracting the cars" because she was cycling in a skirt. The gender ratio of cyclists is another important indicator of a city's bicycle-friendliness. Bike-friendly cities are fairly gender-balanced, but in NYC, male cyclists still outnumber female cyclists three to one. However, that rate has been falling as the number of new female cyclists increases faster than the number of new male cyclists. Only a decade ago, the ratio of

How NY got their act together on bike lanes

male to female cyclists was six to one. According to comparative research, the most effective way to attract more female cyclists is to physically separate bike lanes from automobile lanes. NYC DOT under Sadik-Khan seems to understand this, as their priority since 2007 has been to build physically separated bike lanes and greenways rather than mere painted lines. Of course, not everyone in New York celebrates the steady increase in cycling. Bike lanes are more popular among 18-34 year olds than they are among the over-65 set. Last March, a well-connected group of Brooklyn residents calling themselves "Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes" sued the city to remove a protected twoway bike lane along Prospect Park. The suit was supported by former NYC DOT commissioner Iris Weinshall and her husband, Democratic US Senator Chuck Schumer. The suit was thrown out in August on procedural grounds, though NBBL is appealing the decision. The real issue, despite the group's claim to support

"better bike lanes", is that adding bike lanes in this case means removing automobile lanes. However, this ignores the many net public benefits of increased cycling that even accrue to drivers. First, a cyclist takes up significantly less space on the road than a motorist. Since traffic congestion is what happens when too much road space is taken up by vehicles, traffic congestion actually goes down when more people ride bicycles. Yet people who oppose bike lanes complain that bicycles "cause" congestion - as opposed to all those motor vehicles. Second, a cyclist weighs at least ten times less than a motorist - around 90 kg (200 lbs) instead of 1,000 kg for a sub-compact car to as high as 2,500 kg for a fullsize SUV. That means an order of magnitude less wear and tear on the road. Yet again, people who oppose bike lanes say the city should instead spend its money fixing roads that have been damaged by all the vehicular traffic on them. Third, not only does increased cycling reduce the risk of injury for cyclists, but it also reduces the risk of

injury for motorists. A research article by Wesley E. Marshall and Norman W. Garrick titled, "Evidence on Why Bike-Friendly Cities Are Safer for All Road Users" explains that streets designed to accommodate a variety of modes also result in lower vehicle speeds. Lower speeds, in turn, accomplish two goals: they reduce the number of crashes and collisions, and also reduce the severity of injuries in the crashes and collisions that do occur. Again, there is a conflict between the desire to make streets safer for all users and the desire to make streets faster for drivers. Like an increasing number of cities, New York has decided that the former is more important than the latter, and is already reaping the benefits of that decision. What will Hamilton decide? RYAN McGREAL is the editor of raisethehammer.org. He lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer and writer.

HAMILTON ONTARIO | CANADA | Published Monthly | JAN 2012 | urbanicity.ca

PAUL WILSON

Lynn Bolsby is 48. Her hair’s been pink for a decade because that’s her favourite colour. When Lynn likes something, she sticks with it. There have been guys in Lynn’s life, and somelasted quite a long time. But really, truly, there is only one man for her. It’s been that way since she was in grade school. It’s now nearly 35 years since Elvis Presley died at Graceland. And there is surely no shrine to The King anywhere in Hamilton to match what Lynn has assembled in a two-storey frame house near Barton East. But this is no mausoleum. Yes, it is sad here on the anniversary of his death each August. Lynn, however, chooses instead to mark the day Elvis came into the world, in that two-room shotgun house in Tupelo. That would be January 8, 1935. So this month Elvis turns 77. To Lynn, it is always an event more important than Christmas. You can have your story of the manger and the wise men. Lynn’s not really a believer. It is Elvis who fills her soul. So his birthday is sacred. Lynn operates a Hamiltonbased business called LvisssTravel.ca and on January 8 is sending 12 clients on a skin-diving holiday to Curacao. Normally she would see them off at the airport. But not this time. Not on Elvis’ day. On his day each year she conducts her own Elvis fest. She has all his movies, 33 in all. And in the morning, she begins to watch. Along the way, there are fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, an Elvis favourite. And assorted cocktails. Elvis was not proud of those movies. “They were fluff,” Lynn says, “but I love them all.” Her mother is the same age as Elvis, but was never a

p.6

ELVIS LIVES HERE fan. So it’s hard to figure from where this all came. While Lynn’s friends were falling in love with Donny Osmond, she was watching old Elvis movies on TV. “To me, Elvis was so sexy, so wonderful.” She didn’t hide her passion. She was ten when the Jessons, her next-door neighbours in Etobicoke, gave her Burning Love, the first album for her Elvis collection. Her grade eight teacher, Mr. Vigoda, knew of her uncommon devotion. He had tickets for the Elvis concert in Buffalo in the summer of ’76. He toyed with the idea of taking Lynn, but realized it would look so wrong. And then it was too late. Elvis died a year later. Lynn was babysitting that day for a new family. When the parents returned home, the father and his young son drove Lynn to her house. En route, the father casually remarked, “Did you hear that Elvis died?” At first, Lynn would not believe him. Then she began to sob. “Daddy,” said the boy, “why is Lynn crying?” Lynn’s mother was standing on the porch as the car pulled up. She knew it would be hard. Lynn ran past her and into the bedroom. At the dinner table, Lynn’s older brothers began to joke about Elvis. Lynn ran from the house, ignored her mother’s pleas. Lynn recovered, finished high school, went off to University of Calgary and took drama. She had a stretch with the military and sometimes says, “Yes sir.” For 20 years, she’s been involved with the travel business – airlines, wholesalers and now her own agency. Lynn came to Hamilton from Mississauga three years ago, lured by lower house prices. Look for her

Lynn Bolsby’s admiring reflection in her Elvis mirror | photograph by Reg Beaudry

From Elvis clocks to Elvis licence plates, Lynn has it all.

around town in a beige Chevy S-10 with plates that read LVISSS. On her motorcycle, it’s LLVSS. And for her pink El Camino, ILVIS. It’s a ’77, the year Elvis left her. There was a dog named Elvis, and he died old. Then another named Presley, who died last spring. Memphis the cat is still with her. It’s estimated that Elvis was photographed 1 million times. A good portion of those images are somewhere in Lynn’s house. She also has the Elvis bed sheets, chairs, fridge magnets, plates, calendars, shot glasses, keys, signs, mugs, towels, hot sauce, musical Christmas tree, Monopoly board, slot machine, pajamas, underwear. An Elvis fan in Georgia named Margie Woods was buried with a life-size cutout of Elvis. Lynn has one of those, of course, but has decided on a more subdued goodbye. She will go wearing a silver-coloured Elvis bracelet. She got it for $2.00 on her first visit to Graceland 30 years ago. She’s never taken it off, never will. “Love me tender, Love me long, Take me to your heart, For it’s there that I belong, And we’ll never part.” Elvis sang it. Lynn lives it, every single day. PAUL WILSON blew into town 30 years ago to work at the Hamilton Spectator and learned to love this place. For most of his career at The Spec, he wrote a three-times-a-week column called StreetBeat. He recently stepped away from that to become a citizen at large. pwilson@urbanicity.ca

LAURA FARR

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Maybe I’m addicted to Pan Am, but it seems the golden days of traveling in style now only come with your own jet.

Pan Am star, Chistina Ricci

THE LOST ART of CUSTOMER SERVICE I’m on an airplane right now, flying somewhere over Tennessee, or possibly Kentucky. A few incidents that occurred between leaving home and boarding the plane have got me wondering: what ever happened to the notion of customer service? Maybe I’m addicted to Pan Am, but it seems the golden days of traveling in style now only come with your own jet. En route to Buffalo airport the border guard was shocked that I didn’t have a driver’s license. “How do you get around? How???” He asked belligerently. Granted, this was a border officer, but still, what happened to, and why do we put up with bad customer service?

service? From the Tim Horton’s drive-thru assuring me that I said my order wrong (not that they made it wrong) to my cell phone company assuring me that I must’ve had data roaming on (when I know that I didn’t), I find myself wondering when the company replaced the customer as the one that is always right. It seems that for every service now rendered, the customer is clearly no longer king. I can recount numerous instances of having to argue about charges on a bill, that I really did request that window seat, that I’ve been double-billed, or even that I know the telemarketer isn’t really in Burlington, but Bangladesh. Furthermore, while you are responsible to pay for

services rendered, it seems that this no longer even guarantees a base level of civility. Much like a server that comes to ask if your food is “okay”, (as if the establishment strives for just “okay”) are we as consumers resigned to the point of accepting service that is just “okay”? Dr. John T. Self of CSU Pomona’s Collins College of Hospitality Management believes that the difficulty lies in a number of areas, most prominently obtaining and retaining quality employees. “The reasons for this lag are the inherent problems that service has going against it. First, it is incredibly hard to measure. Because of this, management measures what is objective and easy, and that usually

means measuring costs and then cutting costs, because they are easy to measure. Vicious circle. Costs are very easy to measure and very satisfying, because the results of cost cutting are almost instantaneous. Can you guess what is usually chosen to be cut? Yep, you got it, service. Why this happens is the second problem with service. It is not instantaneous. When consistent service takes place, whether excellent or horrible, it takes a relatively long time to take effect and produce results. This time delay makes it difficult to measure. Since most companies are still much more short-term oriented than long-term, service often takes a back seat. Pity.”

URBAN BITCH “I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves."

With so many wonderful breeds to choose from, why select an animal that can easily tear someone apart?

Those aren't my sentiments. They belong to Swedish playwright August Strindberg. But if one substitutes "pit bulls" for "dogs”, we may be onto something. Although I am an animal lover, I have to wonder about people who own pit bulls. With so many wonderful breeds to choose from, why select an animal that can easily tear someone apart? Pit bull lovers will no doubt defend the breed and say it's the owner, not the dog, that's responsible for any attacks. And while there is some truth to that, it does not change the fact that the pit bull was bred specifically for its powerful and unrelenting bite. This is a dog that was designed for fighting. I recall one pit bull attack in particular (although there are many). In this case, two pit bulls suddenly turned

on the man walking them and police were forced to shoot the dogs. It took 16 bullets - sixteen! - before the pit bulls ceased their attack. And that's the main difference between pit bulls and other dogs. Other dogs may bite, but they don't wreak as much havoc as the pit bull. According to a 2000 study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, pit bull mixes and Rottweilers were responsible for more than half of all fatal attacks by dogs. This, despite the fact that they comprise a very small percentage of the canine population. Ultimately, we live in a society that is governed by rules. Rules exist in order to protect all members of society. Your neighbour may want to keep a tiger in his back yard but he can't because as a society we've decided it poses too great a risk. It doesn't matter how well-trained the tiger is -- just ask Siegfried and Roy.

There was a bright spot in my travels from Buffalo to Austin. A server, Siyolo at Sojourner’s in the E Terminal at the Atlanta Airport, greeted me immediately with a huge smile. He recommended the Shrimp Po Boy ( which was amazing), a decent glass of wine, and gave me the WiFi password. His coworkers were also smiling (one was even singing while she rang in orders), even to the particular German doctors sitting next to me. The service was excellent, and entirely unexpected, which maybe is the problem. LAURA FARR is a civically engaged, communityminded downtown resident. lfarr@urbanicity.ca

LYDIA LOVRIC

To be clear, not all pit bulls are ticking time bombs waiting to maul someone to death. I know a lady who has pit bulls and admittedly they seem very well behaved. She's a fantastic owner, which isn't surprising since she's also a dog trainer. Unfortunately, not all pit bull owners are like her. In fact, I would venture to guess that she's the exception rather than the rule. Either way, it's a gamble I'm just not willing to take. Bottom line, I don't want to live next to someone who has a pit bull. I realize that I have a greater chance of being nipped in the ankle by the poodle down the street, but I doubt the poodle will land me in intensive care. Or worse, the morgue. LYDIA LOVRIC is a former writer and broadcaster, currently enjoying life as a full-time mom to three little rug rats. llovric@urbanicity.ca

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CORE STUDIOS Though most non-musicians wouldn’t know where to find one, recording studios are an integral part of Hamilton’s music scene. Some are tucked away in basements and in second-floor apartments. Others are comparatively higher-profile – though admittedly, only enthusiastic music fans (read: nerds like me) would know their names. Only fans know that The Edge stopped in at Tim Horton’s while recording bits of The Unforgettable Fire at Grant Avenue Studios. Only those who scoured the liner notes discovered that City and Colour recorded at our own Catherine North Studios. These two studios, and many others, attract local, national and international artists. Attracted by wordof-mouth – or by the quality of the recordings they’ve

produced – musicians continually come to Hamilton, spend their money, and return home to spread the word. While it’s probably annoying for me to suggest our studios are “world class” – because, let’s face it, it sounds like a tired marketing and tourism statement – it’s true. Bob Doidge, who runs the legendary (and newly renovated) Grant Avenue Studios, has heard of other studios modeling their sound systems after his own. People around the world want what we can offer. Some try to recreate it, but most simply come here themselves. “Gordon Lightfoot has driven here, sometimes with his band, for 15 years and he just won’t leave,” jokes Doidge. “He’s in a position to record where he wants

JAMIE TENNANT

in the world, literally, and has done – and he drives to Hamilton. He loves being here.” Certainly, the number of artists who book our hotel rooms and eat at our restaurants is comparatively small and the financial impact fairly modest (though the businesses who sell extra pizzas at 3:00 AM aren’t complaining). Still, the fact that they come all this way helps bolster our reputation not only as an artistic city but an arts-friendly city with the necessary industry and infrastructure. The more the fact is known outside of Hamilton, the more it is known in the city itself. “Having music-focused recording studios in Hamilton means that local artists don't need to look outside the city for a high-quality recording,” says Chambers. “We're here to support local musicians. Musicians

who perform at local venues, purchase equipment for local retailers, eat at local restaurants, et cetera.” Whether you’re flying in from England or driving in from Stoney Creek, our downtown studios have a positive effect on our reputation. “[The studio's] proximity to the galleries, restaurants and cafes along James Street North helps shape a different picture of Hamilton for visitors, compared to the view of Hamilton from the Skyway Bridge,” says Chambers. Ultimately, it makes no sense for places like Catharine North and Grant Avenue to exist outside the core. Plenty of quality suburban studios exist, but it’s hard to imagine the atmosphere could be the same as it is downtown. A strip mall is not very rock and roll.

Downtown, the energy and spirit of a city and its artists are concentrated in the atmosphere. Sometimes the air doesn’t smell so great, but that’s kind of the point. Though it’s a generalization, artists tend to be more attuned to the urban centre. Then there are the practical implications. “I’ve often thought being on the outskirts would be easier,” Doidge muses, “but out there, there are no stores, no pizza at 3:00 AM.” JAMIE TENNANT is the Program Director at 93.3 CFMU.FM, the campus-based community station at McMaster University. jtennant@urbanicity.ca

Inside the Catherine North Studio | catherinenorth.com | Maggie Dee Photographer | maggiedeephotographer.com

“Gordon Lightfoot has driven here, sometimes with his band, for 15 years and he just won't leave…He's in a position to record where he wants in the world, literally, and has done – and he drives to Hamilton. He loves being here.” - Bob Doidge on Grant Ave Studios

McMaster Downtown Campus | photograph by Martinus Geleynse

EDUCATING DOWNTOWN

PAUL SHAKER

When the McMaster Downtown Health Campus was confirmed earlier this year, reactions were mixed. While many applauded McMaster’s move to establish a larger presence in the core, others were concerned about the plan to demolish the Public School Board headquarters as well as the displacement of hundreds of jobs out of the downtown. However, while the specifics of that particular project continue to play-out, it has served to bring the larger issue of education and downtown renewal front and centre. Looking at the bigger picture, the role that education plays in the success of a city is significant. Seldom does one type of urban activity help achieve so many civic objectives including economic growth and diversification, job creation, and the attraction and retention of youth. Locating satellite campuses of post-secondary institutions in downtowns is a more recent trend. Typically, the role of the satellite campus is seen to bring people and students to a declining city core to help change the economy and fortunes of the downtown. In Hamilton’s case, the McMaster

Downtown Health Campus has become the latest focal point for city centre renewal efforts. However, many assume that education in the core is a new thing and, as with other perceptions of our downtown, the core is not currently a place friendly or amenable to the youth, vibrancy, and safety that students need to thrive. Yet, like many perceptions of our city, this doesn’t necessarily line up with reality. So what is the landscape of education in Hamilton’s downtown? Following on the Downtown Employment Analysis, the Centre for Community Study conducted research that looks specifically at the education sector to see how significant school and students are in the downtown. A scan of the downtown shows that while the primary campuses of the three major educational institutions, McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University, are not located downtown, the education landscape in the core is nonetheless significant.

Over 20 public and private institutions are located in the downtown ranging from elementary and secondary schools, to university-level and career colleges. Geographically, most institutions are clustered around the James/John Street corridors as well as in the Jackson Square complex. The variety of educational institutions downtown also provides direct jobs for teachers, instructors, and professors that number close to 600. Even more significant is the number of students downtown. Given the estimated enrolment at these institutions, the total downtown student population is approximately 9,000. The majority of students attend post-secondary institutions. The single largest portion (about 4,000) attend the McMaster University Downtown Centre which has a mixture of certificate and diploma program students as well as professional/corporate students. Further, about 2,500 students attend Public and Catholic School Board institutions. The remaining 2,500 attend public adult education centres, private

career colleges, specialty and artistic schools in fields ranging from cooking to music to beauty salons. Finally, there are schools that cater to new immigrants with English as a Second Language (ESL), some of which are offered by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. So how do these numbers compare to other activities in the core? Well, given that the workforce population is about 23,000, it’s safe to say that the 9,000 students constitute one of the defining demographics in the downtown. On any given day, thousands of students attend classes in the core, making them a prominent part of the downtown life and economy. Overall, the portrait these numbers paint of downtown is in contrast to the impression of the core as a place of stagnation and decline. The concentration of students helps feed the downtown economy on a daily basis in sectors ranging from food service to retail. It also supports the growing number of creative industries as employment in this sector tends to skew

to the younger demographic. While the new McMaster Downtown Health Campus may be viewed as a beachhead for that University in the core, it certainly is not a beachhead for education in downtown. The significant public investment in this project should therefore be seen as further building on the existing student population of the core, helping it to reach a critical mass where we might start to witness spin-off education-related investment on the scale seen in other Canadian communities. This article is based on the UrbanInsights Bulletin Core Education: Downtown as a Hub for Learning. For more information, visit www.communitystudy.ca. PAUL SHAKER is senior planner and Executive Director of the Centre for Community Study, a Hamilton-based urban research firm. He has worked at the federal and municipal levels of government on issues related to the revitalization and sustainability of cities. Paul is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a Registered Professional Planner in Ontario. pshaker@urbanicity.ca

THE TOMI SWICK HOUR |

p.9 The Barenaked Ladies, the Goo Goo Dolls and Julian Lennon have all had the privilege of hanging out with Hamilton’s own, Juno award winning artist Tomi Swick. Now, urbanicity boasts the same honour. We sat down for an hour with Tomi at the West Town Bar & Grill on Locke Street South to talk about life, Lennon(s), and losers.

Tomi Swick on a cold winter day on Locke Street, Hamilton ON | photograph by Reg Beaudry

ON LENNON

ON "HIPSTERS”

ON HAMILTON

When I wrote the song December Sky (finishing it with guitarist Russell Broom) I was thinking a lot about a John Lennon-ish vibe. Style-wise and sound-wise. I had recorded the song in England, and I received a call on my last day (of over four months) there from Warner music. Ron Lopata called me saying, ‘Tomi, I'm in new York and have just had a real great opportunity come up. Would you be interested in working with Julian Lennon?’. Of course I would. I guess Julian’s manager was there in New York with them and had heard a couple of the songs I was working on and had sent them over to Julian. They really liked December Sky, and it went from him and I working together to us deciding to try a duet on the song. So, Julian and his management arranged with Warner for us to meet in New York and try it out. When they said he had chosen the eighth of December (the 30th anniversary of John’s death), I was shocked. It made the whole thing more surreal and just crazy. So I went. I met Julian in Rob Mounsey's studio and we hit it off from the first second. We spent the day recording his parts and talking and wrapped it up singing around a piano together. It was awesome. We partied in New York til the next day - it was amazing. Julian and I have become good friends and I am very proud to have him featured on the song, and also to call him a buddy. It was a very cool situation; one that I won't soon forget.

So a while ago I was involved in a giant rant/debate/full-on argument with a lot of people regarding a post I had made on Facebook. Basically, I was saying that art crawl on James North was the last place I'd want to be. I said it shouldn’t be called ‘art crawl’, but rather it should be called ‘hipsterfest’ or ‘scenefest’. Now to be clear, it had nothing to do with the area, the bands, the art, or the organizers. It was all about the crowd. I'll start by saying that I am from the old school of Hamilton mentality where, if you mess around or are disrespectful or try to mouth-off, somebody is going to put you in your place. And I love that about Hamilton. However, somehow in the last few years, this fusion of wannabe art-house chic/skater/pop punk little mouthy weasels have started to really make their way and bring their influence from cheesy Toronto to our beloved steeltown. Let's put together the image: grab your little sister’s jeans, a purple hoodie or striped v-neck, and top it off with your grandmother’s glasses. There you have the basic hipster look. Oh, and don't forget to roll up those cuffs. Now that alone makes me and a lot of people I know insane. What in the hell happened to the workin’ man’s town? The gritty, no-nonsense Hamilton that we live and love? These ‘stylish’ little cliques show up, loud and annoying, in every remotely popular place now and ruin the vibe for everyone, save themselves. It used to be live music, cool, down-to-earth, working-class, good people and just a good time. Now it's ‘where's the coke?’, ‘where’s the electro-pop?’, and ‘where's the attention?’. They annoy me to no end, and so I have no problem saying that I HATE HIPSTERS. Please return to Sneaky Dees on College, and don't come back.

I grew up all over Hamilton, starting on the mountain until I was 14, and then to Barton and Gage until I was an adult. Now I’m in the west end. My family immigrated here from Scotland to work at Stelco, and in nursing. We were as blue-collar as you get. Along with all of the other hardworking families from Scotland, Italy, Poland, Ireland, and Portugal (to name the most prevalent ones that I grew up with). This place was built up with sweat, blood, and hard work. Nothing white-collar about it. And somehow that pride is in all of us who watched our mothers and fathers work to no end. The industrial areas may reek of steam, metal, and chemicals, but they also reek of pride, determination, and drive. A lot of people who aren't from here or from a place like this can't see or understand that. And for those who see Hamilton as just smokestacks and hard hats, they miss out on the great musical culture and heritage of this place, they miss the arts, they miss the old Victorian homes and the crisscross of trails and forests that dot and line our city. There is a hardness about Hamilton that can be tough to get through, but I’m someone that grew up here and I’ve felt the love and I’ve seen the places and people that make this city great. It has ingrained itself in my DNA, and in my blood. I once wrote a song called The Kids From The Can, and in it I say "It's the steel that you can't sever". I meant it. I love this place.

Aladdin Fine Carpets on King St E, Hamilton | SNL’s Oscar Rogers’ FIX IT skit

“FIX IT!”

Even though things are looking up for downtown, there is still plenty to fix. P l e n t y ! One such thorn in our urban side is the signage (if you can call it that) for Aladdin Oriental Rugs Fine Carpeting on King Street East in the International Village. Considering that there are City grants and loans to help renovate downtown store frontage, including signage, there’s really no reason for such a poorly designed sign to exist in this city or the downtown of any major Canadian city. Try handmaking a sign with hockey tape in a mall or in downtown Toronto and see how far you get. So as Saturday Night Live’s Oscar Rogers would so eloquently put it, “...identify the problem and FIX IT!” - RB