Spec Updates

The Hamilton Spectator ran another one of my articles this morning, which felt great. You can check it out here, and feel free to weigh in on the debate.

Also, big news regarding the Lister Block. Apparently LIUNA accepted a deal from city hall at the eleventh hour, and will finally begin work on the site. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the project, and what made Joe Mancinelli change his mind only hours before the window closed.

Side Notes: Lister Block Online

Hamilton stalwart Matt Jelly recently started a Facebook page regarding the Lister Block, which you can check out here. According to the site, a full web page will soon be up at listerblock.ca, which should be a great resource for anyone interested in saving the heritage building. I'll post the link when it comes up.

July Preview

The last few days of June could be some of the most important in recent Hamilton history. On June 30th, developer Harry Stinson is hoping to close his $9.5 million bid to purchase the Connaught and begin renovations. Not long after that, city council will be forced to give $7 million back to the provincial government after failing to broker a deal with LIUNA regarding the Lister Block.
Make no mistake, each of these events could have a major impact on the economic future of Hamilton. The failed Lister deal is the fourth in recent years, including 1995, 2000, and another bid earlier this year. Even Harry Stinson expressed interest in the property, and was shot down.

While the Lister deal may be dead once again, I'm hoping that Stinson can inject some excitement into the core and generate a little positive press.

Churchill Rink

When the Churchill Fields Lawn Bowling Club folded last year, many people thought the grounds would remain vacant unless the Club was resurrected. However, I just heard about potential plans to turn the site into an outdoor skating rink. In recent years, the old outdoor rink on the east side of the park seems to have waned in popularity, most likely due to inclement weather and a lack of consistently cold evenings. If the new rink becomes a reality, I think it would be a huge boost to winter activity in the Westdale area. It would be even better if the existing LBC could still operate during the summer. What do you think?

Side Notes: Feeds and Links

Thanks to a great new feature on blogger for all of us technical hacks, you can now subscribe to hamiltonreview quickly and easily by following the "Subscribe to HR" link.

Also, I'm going to have another Opinions piece in the Hamilton Spectator on Monday, regarding the Golden Horseshoe Pan Am bid and Ivor Wynne Stadium. I'll post the link when it comes up.

Oh, Ti-Cats

I don't know what has been worse for the city over the past 24 hours: the Lister Block deal falling through, the Eisenberger press scandal, or the brutal showing at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

I was at the Ti-Cats home opener last night, and you could almost hear a collective groan echo throughout the stadium as the game closed. 33-10 Montreal, with the only Hamilton touchdown coming on a surprise 75-yard run from Tre Smith (on a handoff from Richie Williams, no less). I could write 1,000 words on what was wrong with the team last night, and rest assured, the message boards will be full of ire over the next week. However, one lowly post on the boards grabbed my attention, and I decided to take the high road. Here's to you, "blitz4." Let's try to keep the faith alive for at least one more game. Check it out.

Lister Blocked

My apologies for the lack of posting, I've been trying to wrap my head around the current Lister Block fiasco. Rather than finally broker a deal with LIUNA that would see the aging landmark put to use, city council voted 9-6 against the proposed deal in favour of "staying the course."

Perfect. Three years later, and the building will continue to sit empty over a $50,000 discrepancy. I respect city council's efforts to protect Hamilton taxpayers, but if that was the case all along, why sink $25 million into buying the property from LIUNA in the first place?

You can check out the details here.

Bus Rider

The Hamilton Spectator reported today that HSR services may soon be free when a humidex advisory is issued in the city. HSR representatives are slated to meet with city council on July 8, where the financial viability of free bus rides will be discussed in depth. The plan could be in effect as early as August.

Seems like a good idea to me, if the city can afford it. With so much talk surround Light Rail and other transit alternatives these days, it can't hurt to have a little positive press for the HSR. With driving becoming more of a privilege as gas prices continue to climb, this could be a great way to kick off a public transit boom in Hamilton over the next 5-10 years.

Side Notes: Chris Murphy

Legendary Sloan frontman Chris Murphy holds nothing back in a recent National Post interview. A lifelong fan myself, I was a little surprised at some of the things he commented on, including Leonard Cohen, My Bloody Valentine, and the Hip. Check it out here.

I really hope his sharp wit and sarcasm were the driving force behind this piece, especially "in the ’90s, all we had to do was show up, we were cooler than everybody." Oh, Chris.

Suburban Slump

There has been a great deal of discussion lately regarding the devaluing of suburban property if gas prices continue to rise. Global News reported today that homes in the suburbs could see a significant drop in value if gas prices hold for an extended period in the $1.50 range.
What does this mean for Hamilton? For starters, the subdivision building-boom in Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Flamborough, and parts of the Mountain may come to a grinding halt over the next five years. Some pundits are already referring to Canadian suburbs as "the next ghost towns;" a trend which has already been observed in several US cities. While suburban property may be cheaper per square foot in some cases, the cost of commuting (even from rural Ancaster to downtown Hamilton five days a week) has some prospective home owners looking inward rather than outward.
What do you think?

NXNE

I'm currently in Toronto for the North by Northeast festival, which has been great so far. Last night we caught Besnard Lakes, Swervedriver, Ted Leo, Attack in Black (surprise gig) and Hamilton's own Arkells, who played a really tight set. Swervedriver were also amazing, and it was cool seeing Attack in Black in such close quarters. Lee's Palace was about 40 degrees on the lower level, and surprisingly cooler upstairs at Dance Cave. All told, it was a solid evening.

Visited the Hockey Hall of Fame this afternoon, and took a picture with the Cup. I scored two goals in the virtual shootout, and you can check out a broadcast clip I recorded here. I'm expecting a phone call from TSN as we speak.

Spec Letter

My friend Mike pointed out this letter in the Spectator today, in response to my article last week. Glad to see it generated some buzz around town.

Pan Am Games in the Golden Horseshoe

$1.8 billion later, Southern Ontario may have a shot at the 2015 Pan Am Games. The Hamilton Spectator reported today that a successful bid would lead to multiple upgrades to the city's existing athletic facilities, including Copps Coliseum and Ivor Wynne Stadium. My only worry is that a collective "Golden Horseshoe" bid may lead to a series of costly upgrades for minimal city exposure (comparatively). On the other hand, Copps and IWS are long overdue for at least a face lift. If all goes as planned, the latter may even cease to exist come 2015.

All told, I think it's a good move for the city. Keeping in line with my take on the Lister Block situation, it may finally be time to bid Ivor Wynne a tearful goodbye and plan for the future. At the very least, here's hoping a new stadium can be built on the same site. Is it too outlandish to have the Ti-Cats play at Mac in the interim? Ronald V. Joyce Stadium would need significant seating upgrades, but look how well it worked in Montreal.

Side Notes

(1) Congrats to all of the Mac grads who hit the stage this morning, it feels good to finally have that degree in hand. I'm sure I'll see most of you in a west end bar later this evening.

(2) I came across this travel blog today, administered by my old Silhouette buddy Ian Horsewood. The writing is pretty funny, especially "Cast Away," which chronicles a rugged ankle injury he suffered while in Korea. Check it out if you want a few cheesy laughs.

Spectator Article

I had an Opinions piece published in the Hamilton Spectator today, which you can read here. The article basically talks about students leaving Hamilton after finishing their postsecondary education, and how more effort should be made to keep them here.

Check it out, and let me know what you think.

New Sil Website

The Silhouette, McMaster University's undergraduate campus newspaper, just launched a new website. Check it out in the coming weeks and months for updated content on campus affairs.

Welcome to Hamilton

I came across this story in the Hamilton Spectator today. City Council is planning on erecting several gateways to welcome visitors and capture the true "essence" of Hamilton. The so-called civic gateways would be located along 400-series highways heading into the city. No offence, but I think the $100,000 could be better used elsewhere. Major streets like Aberdeen, Barton, John and Bay are all going to be resurfaced this year, but there are dozens more that could use a little work. After all, is our goal to look good from the 403, or to look good in the core?

Check out the tentative designs here, and let me know what you think.

NHL- Triple Overtime

What a finish. Detroit was about 30 seconds away from their 11th Stanley Cup title, and the Pens came through in the clutch to force Game 6. For those of you who stayed up for the duration, I'm sure you'll agree that it was well worth the wait.

IELTS Exam

An article in today's Toronto Star discussed the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and the impact it may have on new Canadians. The test consists of "30 minutes of listening, 15 of speaking and an hour each of reading and writing," and was originally developed at Cambridge University. Considered in England and Australia to be the standard test of English language proficiency, the $200 exam may soon become mandatory for all new immigrants to Canada. What does this mean for cities like Hamilton? One criticism is that skilled workers may be deterred from emigrating to major urban centres like Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Another is that the test wasn't developed internally, and should therefore not be considered the benchmark of English language proficiency in Canada.

According to Stats Canada, over 16,000 immigrants moved to Hamilton between 2001 and 2006. Over 127,000 Hamiltonians declared their mother tongue to be "Other."

In my opinion, if the test is mandatory it should be free. Especially if multiple tests are required to receive a passing grade (6/9). Thoughts?

CFL- Return of Danny Mac

Word on the street (or on cfl.ca) is that the legendary Danny McManus will be making a visit to the Ti-Cat training camp this year. A Grey Cup winner with Hamilton in 1999, McManus will be one of five "guest coaches" to attend the camp, including John Salavantis, Scott Fawcett, Guido Falbo and Custavious Patterson. Somewhere in my house is a report card from Westdale S.S. with about half of the '99 Ti-Cats signatures on the back. The parade was on the same day.

I also came across some interesting, albeit dismal, stats heading into camp. Here's hoping the interim coaching crew can inject a little life into the young squad.