March 2018 | Urbanicity Hamilton

march 2018

Hamilton style gets an edit

Hammer City Roller Derby

#Urbanicityeats

On-floor success and a trip to the second round of the playoffs

A photo journal by photographer Eileen Reilly

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Vintage edited for the internet age

Planted in Hamilton

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y

The hidden gem of Hamilton bengals lacrosse

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63 Wharfe St, Brantford ON N3T 5N9 (866) 898-0310 | www.haroldandgoetz.com

63 Wharfe St, Brantford ON N3T 5N9 (866) 898-0310 | www.haroldandgoetz.com

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march 2018

sports

The Hidden Gem of Hamilton Bengals Lacrosse On-floor success and a trip to the second round of the playoffs

Kiel Matisz running out of the tunnel / Photo provided by Georgia Swarm Lacrosse

Thanks to some on-floor success and a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year, the Hamilton Bengals are seeing a resurgence. A stronger group of players are coming up through the Hamilton Lacrosse Association’s minor system; that’s resulting in some homegrown success for the Bengals. And, like in any sport, winning gets attention.

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As we begin to emerge from the doldrums of winter, Hamilton’s seasonal sportscape is also in a state of transition. Media chatter about the prospective outlook for this season’s TigerCats (and yes, with or without a certain headline-grabbing Quarterback) are becoming more prevalent. Our Bulldogs are one of the top major-junior hockey teams in the country and are, hopefully, headed for a long playoff drive. But, lurking in the shadows is another team that dons black and gold; representing our city in Canada’s original national sport of lacrosse, the Hamilton Bengals.

The Hamilton Bengals are a bit of a hidden gem in these parts. The indoor, or box, lacrosse club has operated at one junior level or another since 1965, settling into its Junior ‘B’ iteration for the past decade. In most parts of Ontario, the sport has always carried a passionate-yet-niche following. Of course,

there are exceptions. In Peterborough, the Senior ‘A’ Lakers jam more than 3,000 into the Memorial Centre on home nights. Closer to home, the Six Nations territory is, essentially, the mecca of Lacrosse. Despite a local population of just over 12,000; Six Nations boasts teams in every amateur level conceivable. And, in almost every case, they’re the powerhouses of the league.

Thanks to some on-floor success and a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year, the Hamilton Bengals are seeing a resurgence. And that’s resulted in on and off-floor optimism as the club begins preparing for their Ontario Lacrosse Association season that kicks off in May. Prior to last year, the team hadn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2007. But, now we’re seeing a stronger group of players coming up through the Hamilton Lacrosse Association’s minor system; that’s resulting in some homegrown success for the Bengals.

And, like in any sport, winning gets attention.

Developing hometown talent is certainly one of the priorities of the Hamilton Lacrosse Association. Now, with the help of successful alumni giving back to the program, grass roots development has been strengthened. One prominent HLA alumnus, Kiel Matisz, who is among the top scorers of the National Lacrosse League’s Georgia Swarm, is now running a Lacrosseoriented phys-ed program in Hamilton schools, as well as skill development sessions within the HLA House League.

“I think there’s a big opportunity to really grow the sport of Lacrosse in Hamilton,” says Matisz. “Kids love the game. It keeps them moving, develops a combination of skills that improves their athleticism, and it’s economical.”

This move also reflects heightened

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sports

“…I’ll never forget my first game with them.

I remember thinking that this is the coolest thing in the world – having the opportunity to represent my city in front of all my family and friends.

I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my time with the Bengals.”

– Joey Cupido, Colorado Mammoth interest and efforts to include the cultural elements of Lacrosse into the educational curriculum. The Haudenosaunee roots of “The Creator’s Game”, has long been a bridge between First Nation and Canadian cultures.

Using the sport as a means to enhance the education of our area’s history; an important factor to instill cultural understanding among our youth.

And, introducing more of our kids to a highly athletic game offers obvious health benefits as well as transferable skills that can help their performance in other sports.

Multi-sport athlete, Joey Cupido, a former Hamilton Bengal, is a testament to lacrosse’s ability to develop well-rounded athleticism. Growing up in our minor lacrosse system, Cupido was a two-time All-Canadian for the McMaster Mauraders’ football team – bringing home the Vanier Cup in 2011.

“The speed and agility of lacrosse gives you an advantage in just about every sport. Everything happens quickly, which definitely helped me on the football field.”

Cupido, now a defensive specialist for the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth and was named a first-team all-star in 2015, remembers his time with the Bengals fondly. “The Junior ‘B’ Bengals were founded when I was in high school and I’ll never forget my first game with them. I remember thinking that this is the coolest thing in the world – having the opportunity to represent my city in front of all my family and friends. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my time with the Bengals.”

Perhaps more than any sport, Lacrosse hooks fans quickly. Given its visual similarities to hockey and some tactical parallels to basketball, it has some familiarity by association. But the pace,

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Photos provided by Hamilton Bengals Lacrosse Club

athleticism and tough physical nature of the game leaves many first time viewers with dropped jaws.

The Hamilton Bengals are looking to capitalize on their on-floor improvements with additional efforts to move a few more people through the turnstiles at the Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena. This season, they’ve partnered with downtown start-up and online ticket provider, Bruha.com. Given Bruha’s foothold on Hamilton-area events, the choice has plenty of upsides. “First, we want to make coming to a Bengals game as easy and convenient as possible,” explains Junior ‘B’ Bengals’ vicepresident, Gary Gallant. “The service Bruha provides enables us to promote and sell tickets to our games better and helps us to introduce the game to people who may not be familiar with us; we’re definitely one of Hamilton’s best-kept secrets, but we’re planning to change that.” Gallant is hopeful that Bruha’s strong network in downtown Hamilton will help expose lacrosse to a broader demographic. “This vehicle will provide more people in our community with the opportunity to enjoy Canada’s summer, and first, national sport.”

The Bengals represent an interesting opportunity for Bruha as well.

The company has predominantly been involved with arts, music, and cultural events. “Partnering with the Hamilton Bengals is really exciting for us and something that we're looking forward

to,” says Bruha co-founder, Kristian Borghesan. “Not only does it give us the opportunity to showcase our platform across the team sports category, but it's an opportunity for us to help connect Hamilton with such an exciting sport and the organization behind it.”

Bengals’ ticket sales also offer the unique benefit of directly supporting the city’s minor lacrosse system.

In 2015, the Hamilton Lacrosse Association purchased the Bengals from private ownership. HLA President, Greg Gillis, sees this as an appealing arrangement for both HLA players and the Hamilton community. “Ensuring a solid, stable junior franchise here in Hamilton gives our young players a hometown team they can aspire to play for. And for the community, it means coming out to watch the Bengals play, including the added benefit that you’re supporting the kids as well. It really is a win-win for everyone.”

Expanding the exposure of the Bengals is a crucial part of the sports development in Hamilton. Anecdotal evidence shows that participation, as a fan or player, is underrepresented in the lower city. Similar to hockey, the bulk of players are coming from the mountain and the suburbs. As more families are taking root in the urban areas, it’s important to make lacrosse a visible and a viable option for youth in those areas. Country-wide, it will also become imperative to engage new Canadians. Broadening the exposure of

representative teams, such as the Hamilton Bengals, as well as the regions professional teams - the Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits - can provide the all-important introduction to the game.

In a perfect world, those introductions lead to a few more kids picking up a stick, signing up to play, and falling in love with the game of Lacrosse.

Then, maybe those kids develop lasting friendships, life-long team-building skills, a healthy lifestyle and the confidence pushes them toward their goals. And maybe, just maybe, a few of those kids become Hamilton’s next Kiel Matisz or Joey Cupido.

By Chris sanIslo

Chris Sanislo is a freelance copywriter with a passion for Hamilton. He has over 15 years of experience in the Canadian Advertising industry. Chris crafts his copy from downtown Hamilton's CoMotion on King, where he serves as the in-house blogger. @ chrissanislo

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E ntertainment

Superhero Movies Play a Constructive Role in our Culture Imagine a Hamilton superhero school that functioned like a day-camp for children “super-hero suit.” STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculums could be built-in, in fun ways, making these topics more exciting/enticing to children by tying them to more “sciencey” heroes like Tony Stark (Iron Man), Peter Parker (Spider-man), or Shuri (the Princess of Wakanda). And, of course, physical activity and games to reinforce healthy lifestyles, well-being, and fitness.

Notwithstanding how happy I am about this, it might be worthwhile to broach the topic of the more constructive role the superhero mythos can play in our culture.

Additional programming could include community involvement projects, easy community volunteerism initiatives that are reframed as “saving the day.”

The goal being to illustrate to children that being a hero doesn’t mean you have to be battling an army of evil robots.

At the time of writing this, Black Panther has just come out.

If you haven’t seen it yet, do it, it’s a great movie. Yet, more than just being a great movie, Black Panther taps into something larger. It is a movie on the one hand, but a broader movement on the other, and like Wonder Woman last June, much of that has to do with the ability for people to see themselves in a hero who isn’t the ubiquitous white man.

One of the best examples of how this movement has played out to date, and in communities all over North America, is the Black Panther Challenge.

This project, originating in Harlem, saw community GoFundMe pages popup that would seek contributions to help kids, who would otherwise not be able to see the movie, go to a theatre with a paid ticket and transportation.

In Hamilton, the Black Panther Challenge fundraiser was spearheaded by Empowerment Squared, and in February alone reached $5095 out of its $5000 goal.

As Black Panther was coming out, it was already one of the most anticipated Marvel movies, breaking the previous Marvel pre-ticket sales record.

Yet despite this, and despite the deeper potential for community empowerment by having a non-white-male hero as the lead, the movie faced the challenge – among many others – of genre fatigue. That being, that people are tiring of super-hero movies, and it is just a trend that is on the way out.

It’s safe to say that with the success it’s seen to date, and the broader movement that’s been associated with it, this is unlikely.

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Photo by @terrihughes24

On the contrary, Black Panther as a phenomenon has shown us how the superhero genre can continue to evolve, and play more constructive cultural roles.

Particularly, the role that superheroes can play in building and empowering children, much like the vision behind the Black Panther Challenge.

Personally, growing up a comic book nerd, I’ve never needed any convincing that a healthy enjoyment of comic books can be beneficial. That’s not to say that comic books or superhero culture hasn’t had its drawbacks, prime among them is a very real history of blatant sexism due to it being a predominantly male-driven industry. But there has also always been comics, writers, and storylines that progressively address much deeper and more complicated issues. I would go as far to say that in our increasingly irreligious and agnostic cultures, the superhero genre could reasonably be a source of secular morality for people of all ages.

Essentially, the reason the genre isn’t tiring is that these are our modern iteration of Greek gods. They are flawed characters, facing challenges and tragedies and decisions that force them and us to determine what is good. They’re pop-culture parables for navigating our world in heroic ways, and this can be extremely valuable to our culture when presented with care and consideration.

As a good example, I remember once hearing the concept of Superhero Schools, recreational programs that let people have fun learning “superhero things,” predominantly physical stuff like free-running and martial arts.

One of the most prominent was based in New York and targeted towards underprivileged children. Think like a secular community kids program like Scouting, but more modern/pop-culturally relevant.

It would be awesome to build on this concept in our own community. Imagine a Hamilton Superhero School that functioned like a day-camp type program for children, whether on the weekends, after-school or during the summer. And one that brings more to the table than just fitness alone.

Firstly, all the children coming in would receive their own “super-hero suit,” which could be as simple as a specially ordered t-shirt and track pants, but regardless, something simple, bright and fun to make sure they feel empowered in the space and on the same level as their peers in the program.

Creative programming would be employed to aid children in developing their own superhero identity, their “name,” their origin story and powers, and their own stories, as well as personalizing or decorating their

Lastly, every day could end with a viewing of a superhero movie, with healthy snacks, followed by a discussion on the themes related to the movie. This discussion could be as light as themes of personal-responsibility in Spider-man: Homecoming, or as deep as the bigger social justice and identity issues surrounding movies like Wonder Woman and Black Panther.

As superhero and comic book culture become ever-more mainstream, it becomes more important to consider the constructive role it plays in our culture. Particularly as resoundingly successful, well-reviewed, and socially relevant films like Black Panther come out, it provides us with a great opportunity to creatively, and positively impact people’s lives.

And as far as a Hamilton Superhero School program is concerned, if anyone wants to front money, space, or generally get to work on this? Let’s grab a coffee.

By Ryan Moran

Ryan is a proud Hamilton native, interested in style, travel, adventure, arts and culture and always trying to be better. In other lives Ryan is an MBA, a Senior Manager of Marketing for Niagara Parks, and a Co-Founder/Owner of CoMotion On King. In his rare spare time, he enjoys writing and photography. @ RPMoran

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march 2018

E xperiences

Hamilton Style Gets an Edit Vintage edited for the internet age “Great style is great style, no matter what the trends are saying.”

Online shopping is pretty commonplace. Amazon, eBay, and popular mall retailers have all recreated their stores on the web to cater to those who’d rather make their purchases from the comfort of their couch. Enter Instagram. The popular photo-sharing app is the latest place to shop, and small businesses are taking notice. Owners can sell their goods without having a full-time storefront or paying for traditional advertising - they just need to post their wares on Instagram.

The Edit is one of these part-time brick and mortar/Instagram-shop hybrids. Owned and operated by Jentine Gootjes, The Edit has been selling vintage clothing, accessories, and art in Hamilton since 2013, when Jentine opened a small store on Ottawa Street.

After a couple years, she shifted her focus to online and now operates out of a studio in the Gibson neighbourhood.

Open occasionally (or by appointment) during the week for those with more conventional shopping habits, Jentine sells predominantly on her Etsy page or through Instagram. Often items do not even make it to being listed on Etsy, as someone snaps them up from an Instagram photo or story. And because everything Jentine sells is one of a kind, once it’s gone, it’s gone. That said, The Edit has new items up every day, so that inventory is always fresh and reflective of the season (or looking forward to upcoming warmer weather).

As someone interested in fashion from a young age, opening a carefully curated clothing and accessories shop seems like a natural fit. But being an entrepreneur is not something Jentine always planned to do. She’s happy she did, however, as it has allowed her to focus on her priorities. Jentine has full control over which pieces she sells (and keeps!) and how she sells them. As well, converting to this type of online/ appointment retail has given her the flexibility to spend time with her eight-month-old.

Jentine has maximized her social media potential with the introduction of Instagram flash sales on her secondary account @theeditinsta. About once a month at an advertised set time and date, Jentine chooses pieces from all categories of her shop to sell quickly on a “first comment, first served” basis.

Items sell quickly (often within seconds) as customers know the sale is stocked with rare finds at fair prices.

- Jentine Gootjes

Photo by Claire Dam

One thing that makes The Edit stand out from others in the vintage marketplace is Jentine’s ability to style outfits - and in a variety of ways. Before and in the early days of The Edit shop, Jentine had a popular blog showcasing her own wardrobe and how she put together an ensemble. Part of what makes The Edit shop’s feed so enticing are the ways that Jentine takes a vintage piece and pairs it with a modern piece that women commonly have in their closet, often modeling it herself. “My goal when I sell vintage is to make it accessible to anyone,” explains Jentine. “I love crazy pieces, but vintage does not have to be wacky or overwhelming. Vintage can just be beautiful quality pieces that fit easily into your closet.” This not only adds her personal touch to the styling but also helps customers put a face behind the business.

When Jentine is choosing which vintage pieces to have in her shop, it is less about following fads and more focused on finding well-made clothes that never go out of style. Her advice?

“I think the key with trends is to dabble in them. Wear a unique vintage dress with this season’s “hot” shoes that way you look current, but also like yourself.” Asking Jentine to choose a favourite is not an easy question, but “...

from a practical standpoint, I love good denim, and from a non-practical standpoint, I love a fabulous dress.” Vintage allows a person to have an original and distinctive wardrobe (with fabulous dresses, like the sequin one pictured here), including luxury pieces that are not always affordable brand new. “Even vintage mall bands (such as Gap) are so much better quality than anything you can find at the mall now.” Visit Jentine at her studio to have her demonstrate how to incorporate vintage pieces into your current style.

For those inspired, follow Jentine on Instagram at @shoptheedit or head to www.etsy.com/shop/TheEditVintage.

Photos provided by The Edit Vintage

By stefani soliman

Stefani Soliman is a social media marketer and freelance editor. She's an avid supporter of local businesses, Canadian-made goods and fashion. Along with her love of dogs, punctuation, and the ‘90s, Stefani is a keen recycler and instrument collector. Tell her a corny joke and you’ll be friends for life. @ stefsoliman

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march 2018

Art

Hammer City Roller Derby A photo journal by photographer Eileen Reilly

The women of Hammer City Roller Derby are strong, graceful, and filled with guts.

The teamwork that is required in this sport creates lasting bonds as each practice is filled with comradery and cheers for completing a new move. On the other hand, the audience is filled with anxious parents and friends, as the girls skate the grueling and collisionfilled circuit leaving fear at the front door.

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art

Speed, agility, and stylish touches are how these women conquer the course. If a player gets knocked down she pops right back up. There is no time for moaning or crying.

You've got to get back out there and into the thick of it. That’s how you excel!

Hammer City Roller Derby is a competitive skater operated, not-forprofit WFTDA flat track roller derby league in Hamilton. The practices and some of the games take place at the old Target store's cavernous space where you can pop in and cheer on the action. Don't miss seeing this team do what they love.

To learn more visit hammercityrollerderby.ca

After working for 2 large art institutions Eileen made the move first to a full-time photographer and then to Hamilton. She’s always loved roller derby and through her new neighbours who are part of the Hammer City Roller Derby squad she’s come to know the team and is in awe of the strong and passionate ladies and their dedication to the sport. www.eileenreillyarts.com

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A R T G A L L E R Y O F H A M I LT O N

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march 2018

Ideas

Wikipedia Needs More Female Editors This International Women’s Day you could change history On March 6th (two days before Women’s Day), the Hamilton Chapter of Canada Learning Code (the national organization that began as Ladies Learning Code) hosts their third annual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. Anyone can participate and learn how to edit Wikipedia. Canada Learning Code is a national organization that encourages and facilitates the opportunity for women, men, teens, and children to learn how to code. The Hamilton chapter was formed in 2013.

Photos provided by Ladies Learning Code

H

ave you ever read a Wikipedia article that you knew was patently false, or woefully short? What if it doesn’t even exist? That’s the reality for female representation on Wikipedia, the Internet’s favourite source of information. Content is skewed overwhelmingly towards male. And the

individuals who are editing Wikipedia are overwhelmingly male. Wikipedia’s own research shows that female editors make up a mere 8-16 percent and only six percent of super-editors (individuals who have contributed over 500 edits). This two-pronged gender bias needs to be fixed and you can help.

The Edit-a-thon evening will teach any feminist-minded (male included!) potential Wikipedia editor how to create an account and submit an edit. Most Canada Learning Code workshops require payment, but the Edit-a-thon is a free event designed for novice coders.

And there are thousands and thousands of pages that need help. Wikipedia has created several lists of articles about women that need to be fleshed out.

The Women in Red Project is a great place to start. Its goal is to turn the red hyperlinks on Wikipedia that denote an article does not exist for a person or topic into a blue link, which indicates an article is present. When the Women in Red project began, only about 15% of English Wikipedia’s biographies were about women. As of February 2018, that number has risen to 17.49%.

There’s still a long way to go to eliminate the content gender gap, but projects like the annual Wikipedia Edit-athon helps empower people around the world to make those changes.

Ladies Learning Code Hamilton is run by Meg Smith and Erin O’Neil.

Erin came across the Wikipedia idea through Art+Feminism, an international campaign that encourages communities to organize their own Edita-thons. Meg says the Edit-a-thon has evolved over the years. Three years ago the Hamilton Chapter was the first Canada Learning Code to run the event.

Last year, CLL’s founder Melissa Sariffodeen brought the event to Ottawa and the event is endorsed nationwide.

Each year has taught the two Hamilton Chapter co-leads something new.

This year, McMaster archivist Bridget Whittle will teach the group how to research and make proper citations to create, update and edit Wikipedia entries. Citations are important for building proper articles because your hard work can be quickly taken down if citations are not included, or formatted properly.

This year is also presented in partnership with Broad Conversations, the feminist non-profit created by Erin to “further a broad conversation amongst feminist broads in Hamilton, Ontario.”

I attended last year’s Edit-a-thon in Hamilton. On a rainy weekday evening, a group of women gathered at CoMotion on King to learn how to rewrite history. My expectations were to learn a new skill and participate in something different. I had no idea how little representation women had in Wikipedia, but it didn’t surprise me. At first, the number of names on the Women in Red Project list was overwhelming. So many women of note who were waiting for someone to finally recognize their contributions to art, history, science, literature, astronomy, and so much more. And when I finally chose an article, researched the subject, and found ways to improve it, I felt really powerful for having done it.

Meg recalls a participant last year who updated Wikipedia articles on HR policy – a professional interest that she found had been neglected on Wikipedia. “The editing interface is simple.

There’s actually really little code that you need to learn,” Meg says, “If you have ever blogged before or used a WordPress site, you can probably edit a Wikipedia page.”

It’s not too late to change the course of history. All you need is a computer and a Wikipedia account. The edit-athon is held on Tuesday, March 6 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at CoMotion on King, 115 King St. East. The event is free, but the organizers encourage participants to register before the event through Eventbrite.

By OLGA KWAK

OLGA KWAK is a Hamilton-based writer and marketer. Her work has appeared in She Does the City, Torontoist, Toronto Star, The Genteel, and PRODUCT Magazine. She builds websites and writes from her office on Barton Street East. Visit www.olgakwak.com for more advice on doing the right thing online.

@ olgakwak

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Ideas

Orange Pylons The cornerstone of a brighter future

Photos provided by Sean Gratton

If you live in the Greater Hamilton Area, then you've seen the pylons.

Most of them say L.E.S., meaning Location Equipment Services, their sole purpose being to direct incoming production people to their day's shoot; however, they also represent the undeniable presence of Hollywood North.

Many folks in Hamilton are wary of what they perceive as being nothing more than an inconvenience, as productions take over entire streets, blocking traffic and hogging parking. Productions often interrupt the normal flow of life and business, and so the frustration is understandable; however, these productions are also a sign of better things to come. They represent the creation of jobs.

At the moment, Hamilton is treated like a suburb of Toronto, catering to its needs, while local industry workers are considered lucky to work here at all — but things are changing. As Toronto is running out of production space, Hamilton has become the viable alternative.

The question is, are we ready for this potential influx?

The simple answer is yes, of course; however, the more complex answer is a resounding no.

What we need, before Hamilton finds itself entirely subservient, is greater involvement from City Hall. An actual Film Council could focus on expanding local industry while ensuring that local businesses and individuals actually benefit from incoming production activity. Until this happens, it will continue to be business as usual.

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Now, this article is not intended to bash Toronto. If anything, we owe Toronto kudos for all that it has done to create Hollywood North, and it is thanks to Toronto's Film and Television Office that we have a real industry presence.

That being said, the problem is how Hamilton is perceived and treated, and that's where the City needs to intervene.

Sudbury's film office, for example, has a strict policy regarding how incoming productions must utilize regional resources, meaning that productions must hire a certain minimum of local crew and talent, a simple means of assuring fairness. The industry does, after all, generate more than $1 billion annually for the GTA, while the rest of Ontario shares less than a quarter of a billion dollars, collectively. So, how much does that actually leave for Hamilton?

The grim reality is that we've been hemorrhaging money for decades, and could have, at least hypothetically, generated more than a billion dollars in revenue over the past twenty years, had City resources been allocated to meet this end. As the adage claims, “one must spend money to make money,” requiring us to rethink the City's involvement with incoming productions. Not only must we attract more productions, but we must also create a policy that keeps revenues here.

Aside from lobbying in Hollywood and appealing directly to producers themselves, Hamilton needs to focus on establishing a fairness policy of its own, which requires that a group of people with industry experience be brought together, to brainstorm how to best

serve our City and its people. There is a way to make everybody happy – meaning the productions, the City, and the locals who earn their living via the industry – and all it demands is some strategic negotiation and a resulting policy, to request that incoming productions utilize local crew and talent.

This initiative can achieve many wins.

The productions will benefit from our lower fees, from the unique diversity of our city, from our people, and from the ample space available; the City will benefit from the substantial increase in, and maintenance of, revenues; and, the people will benefit from a real increase in available jobs. Instead of merely being traffic burdens, incoming productions can acquire proper studio spaces, locally, while employing our people and benefiting immensely from our City's existing policy of being a veritable financial haven.

Thanks to the recent endorsement by celebrity producer/director, Guillermo Del Toro, Hamilton is poised to experience a boom in its film and television industry, and the City is in a position to ensure that we, the people of Hamilton, are able to benefit and thrive from it.

Therefore, those orange pylons, which make many locals cringe, represent the possibility of a brighter future; regardless, the industry is here to stay, so the only uncertainty is whether or not we, the people, will benefit too. Now it's up to the City to make sure that happens, but, with a little bit of hard work and cooperation, they will.

... the problem is how Hamilton is perceived and treated, and that's where the City needs to intervene.

By Sean Gratton

Sean Gratton has degrees in psychology and philosophy from McMaster University. He has been highly involved in the arts sector for more than a decade, as a music promoter and producer, event coordinator, stage manager, musician, artist, actor, and talent agent.

He is currently the executive director of Hamilton Film.

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march 2018

E xperience s

Floral & Brick Planting seeds of growth in Hamilton

The seed of inspiration Such a unique concept was inspired by her neighbour across the street, Russ Ohrt. Russ and his business partner run Backyard Harvest, a vegetable urban farm. Natasha thought the same could be done but only with flowers.

With Spring just around the corner, scrolling through Floral & Brick’s Instagram feed is one of the best ways to eagerly anticipate the warm weather, birds chirping, and flowers blooming. Natasha Smith, owner, and operator of Floral and Brick posts photos of stunning flowers, colourful blooms, and incredible floral arrangements. In the winter, when she’s not tending to her garden plots around the city, she’s collaborating with other creative Hamiltonians, organizing her seeds and bulbs, and planning for the year. Floral & Brick is a floral design studio specializing in modern design using local Hamilton flowers. She launched in March of 2017 after planting 400 tulip bulbs the previous fall.

She learned a lot from the “slow flower” movement, where small flower farms around the world are bringing the heart and soul back into an industry that had become really depersonalized and separated from nature. Instead of homogeneously growing one type of flower and pumping her products with chemical, Natasha grows show-stopper flowers, like dahlias, peonies, hydrangeas, and zinnias, as well as a wide variety of smaller flowers, and a number of foliages, some grasses, and berries.

Essentially, she grows all the elements of a one-of-a-kind bouquet.

Natasha buys anything that she can't grow from other farms in Southern Ontario. She also runs a "share your stems" group on Facebook where Hamilton gardeners join the group and let her know which stems she can take from their yard. She then pays a wholesale price for them. Last year she got almost all of her hydrangeas that way!

Natasha started out selling her flowers and arrangements in local stores like the Mustard Seed and Canoe on Locke. She did pop-ups and sold individual bouquets through her website. This coming year she is moving to a subscription bouquet service, with people signing up for the whole growing season from April to October, getting either weekly, biweekly, or monthly bouquets. They can either visit her main plot to pick up flowers or she will deliver.

Natasha’s floral design style is inspired by the flowers themselves.

“I let their shape, colour, and personality dictate how the arrangement comes together. While gardening is therapeutic and awesome, floral design is my passion. It's an art, it's like painting every time I put together flowers in a bouquet or arrangement. I love clients who want me to push boundaries and try new things, new colour combinations, styles, and shapes,” says Natasha.

Natasha enjoys working with brides.

Together, they work to achieve the bride’s dream vision using flowers from her farm. Something unique that Floral & Brick offers is flower requests. With enough time, Natasha can plant certain flowers specifically for their wedding. This year she is planting an entire patch of deep red flowers for a bride.

Her roots are in Hamilton Hamilton means a lot to Natasha. She grew up in the Ambitious City before she left for school. Then, 5 years ago she moved back to Hamilton with her husband as the city’s artistic and entrepreneurial personality blossomed.

What she loves most about Hamilton is the eclectic mix of artsy people and blue collar workers, all of whom are proud of their city. She says “when I grow flowers in the city, I feel like I am a part of the city, helping it grow in new ways, literally and figuratively.”

Letting dreams bloom

Photos provided by Floral & Brick

Natasha grows in 5 plots currently, and she is on the lookout for more space.

Her main plot is in the Strathcona neighbourhood off of Locke North.

When people lend her their unused yard, they get to look at pretty flowers all summer in exchange. She does all the work herself, from planting, to watering, to weeding, to floral design.

She finds it all therapeutic.

By Liz Enriquez

Liz is an adventurer, researcher, and social media maven. When she isn’t researching Hamilton’s labour market, she’s fixing up her Victorian home, blogging about personal finance and being a millennial, exploring the world or hiking on the beautiful trails the city has to offer. Liz loves Hamilton and recognizes the businesses and citizens of the city on social media under Shoutouts Hamilton. www.shoutoutshamilton.com

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Salsa into Hamilton Transcending borders and uniting diverse cultures

Bottom Left and Right photos provided by Leah Fuller / All other photos provided by Salsa Soul Productions

S

alsa in Hamilton has been a growing underground community since the 1980’s, where people from all over the city meet up and bond through their love of Latin music. Thanks to the recent spike in weekly events and studios, this infectious style of dance is slowly taking the city by storm.

With its fast steps, spins, and body movement, salsa is a welcomed substitute for the treadmill or the gym. It is a low impact way to support bone and joint health while improving circulation throughout the body. It also increases coordination, flexibility, and balance, not to mention the added benefit of weight loss; burning over 400 calories in a single hour! Like yoga, salsa requires you to be fully present. You need focus to maintain a connection with your partner throughout combinations and tricks on the dance floor.

This discipline is immensely beneficial

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to reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and promotes self-confidence.

It is found that because of the necessity of a partner, salsa can open up ways for people to create conversations, and overcome shyness. It is not uncommon for dancers to share stories of finding jobs, lifelong friendships, relationships, or an extended family in the dance community.

Alegria Dance Company hosts Mambo Monday on the second and fourth Monday of each month at L’Etranger on James. Dancers and non-dancers are welcome to join together for a night of Salsa, to celebrate their Monday survival. Starting with a one-hour beginner lesson at 8:00 PM, then dancing from 9:00 PM on. SalsaSoul Sundays run every third Sunday of the month at The Spice Factory in Hamilton. There is always a beginner lesson led by a local dance teacher. No experience or

partner is needed, and all are welcome to join. It's just $10 and that includes the lesson and the dance social that follows.

Salsa on the Waterfront runs on alternating Tuesdays in the summer in July and August. The kick-off date will be Tuesday, July 3rd. This is a free event that includes a beginner lesson and a dance social on the rink. As always, all are welcome (no partner or experience needed).

It’s thrilling that Salsa is able to transcend borders and unite diverse cultures all over the world. It’s even more exciting, to see the unity in our city and in our, now, not so secret Hamilton salsa community.

By Leah Fuller

Leah Fuller is a native Hamiltonian, an avid hiker, sobi lover, and dance enthusiast. She began dancing at age 6 at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, and spent close to two decades training in a range of dance forms ultimately settling into Latin dance.

She is currently the Artistic Director of Alegria Dance Company, and lives in the Kirkendall neighborhood, with her family and 2 fur babies. www.alegriadancecompany.com

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march 2018

# urbanicityeat s

Planted in Hamilton Vegan is tasting better than ever

New plant-based restaurant, Planted in Hamilton is located at 225 John St. S. Photos provided by @PlantedInHamilton

When most of us think of the word ‘vegan’ we think of something highly contested or controversial. This is exactly why everyone should try a place like Planted in Hamilton, vegan is more than just a politicized topic, it’s simply just scrumptious food. Simple as that.

Planted in Hamilton opened this November, originally operating as Eatwell, Planted is now run by Emily Perry and her husband Sam who moved here from Oklahoma where they had a vegan bakery. These two chefs have a passion for healthy, affordable, and delicious plant-based food. I had the Planted Burger the other week and it was probably the best burger I’ve had in months, not because it beats the taste of a beef patty (although it was bustling with flavour) but because of how I felt after; light, energetic, and dare I say, happier?

Maybe that’s why people think vegans are always pushing their lifestyle, they just want you to be happy too.

Planted isn’t the first and only vegan hot spot in the area, there is also the Green Smoothie Bar on James St. N. and Lettuce Love in Burlington, to name a few. But, what makes Planted different is that they are bringing more of a house made meal into your daily routine. Each dish is personally made by either Emily or Sam, one of whom is always on duty to answer all of your questions.

The Planted environment is more than just great food with the potential to turn a few of us meat eaters into veggie heads. The large interior

space is welcoming with social seating, couches, and a full bookshelf for relaxing after your meal. Emily and Sam have also chosen to open the space up to the community to use for everything from entrepreneurial groups to family yoga. There is even a kids cooking class coming in March, so keep an eye on their social media.

Planted is also excited to announce that they’ve teamed up with Skip the Dishes to deliver your plant-based gluten-free eats straight to your door. Head over to www.skipthedishes.com/planted-inhamilton and use coupon code HELLOSKIP5 to get $5 off your first order over $20.

Happy clean eating!

To learn more, visit their social media channels: Insta: @plantedinhamilton Facebook: @plantedinhamilton

By Doug Lecinski

Part-time trivia host, historical re-enactor and memer. Doug is an enthusiast of Hamilton’s revitalization and currently is working in business development for The Doyle Team.

@ DougLecinski

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