Comment 88322

By movedtohamilton (registered) | Posted May 02, 2013 at 02:47:32

In my more cynical moments I think RTH is willfully ignoring the reality of governance in Hamilton. We can have tactical urbanism "'till the cows come home" and it will amount to nothing. In the past 48 hours, I have learned that:

  • the building at 20 Jackson St. West is being demolished, for a parking lot
  • a downtown church is being demolished
  • a Dollarama is going in at Main & Walnut
  • a cheque-cashing store is going in opposite Gore Park
  • a new GO Station at James North is announced, with a mediocre design and parking for 460 cars!
  • the HWDSB is going to pay millions for the expropriation of a school property the Board sold for $650,000 in 2003
  • the cost over-runs for the demo of Sandford School could hit $1,000,000

Why is Hamilton the Canadian National Champion of dollar stores and money-marts? Why is there no moratorium on parking lot development in the core? Why are the elected councillors so unable to lead? Why is there such an obsessive focus on process, and so little attention paid to content? Why are incompetent bureaucrats so powerful at the HWDSB?

If we cannot energize the residents to engage in Election 2014, if we don't dump this mayor and some of the councillors, if we don't stop residents from being treated like cash machines, what is the future? Tactical urbanism may be a compelling idea, but in the Hamilton context it's doomed...like so many really great ideas.

Sorry to sound jaded, but the things that go on here are so breath-taking I'll need an oxygen tank soon.

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