Raise the Hammer

in principle i agree with you, as a healthcare organization HHS should use it's institutional knowledge and visibility in the community to advocate for building healthier and safer places to live, work, and play.

unfortunately there are competing political and economic issues that make this difficult. i can understanding the reasoning behind taking the city to the OMB, it's a relatively simple legal argument which can impact a revenue making item. advocacy in transit becomes a huge grey area that often doesn't produce results in this city, and is hard to justify spending money on when your organization is trying to figure out how to adequately staff it's medical units. mcmaster can put their money where their mouth is, as it's fairly evident that they are doing very well financially. our healthcare system is not quite in that position.

from an actual health perspective, advocating for public transit serves to benefit the health of the community as a whole by promoting active transportation and reducing pollution, both impacting chronic disease rates. the issue is that healthcare isn't a cohesive unit of people advocating for the same thing. hhs advocates for increased funding for primary care to address the urgent needs they have in managing those who seek their services. public health advocates for more resources for health promotion and protection measures. nurses want this, doctors that etc. there is a limited pool of money so you entrench yourself and miss the big picture.

suffice to say, i don't disagree with you. just being a devils advocate. additionally, if public institutions have a duty to use their influence and resources for the community, why don't we hold the same standards for private businesses and developers?

i used to park on the street before i moved to hamilton. 3 hours is fine if you are there for a class or two, and you could come out and move somewhere else for another 3. it isn't useful if you are working there, correct. it's interesting that most people carpooled, that is very surprising to me.

i would also like to point out that the transit pass used to be a mandatory fee on your MSU dues but they must have voted that down in the past few years since now it's optional. they took a step back :p