Raise the Hammer

Unfortunately the "social justice" set and the investor/developers have formed a unlikely alliance that will turn Hamilton into a welfare city. We need to give people a hand up, build skills and help people develop independence in setting goals to improve their skills and education and find purpose in their lives. We have received a reprieve from the government to re-think our plans for the Connaught. How this beautiful landmark became a consideration for geared to income housing could only happen in Hamilton.We just had Bill Strickland come to Hamilton to talk about building community through world class buildings that provide people the opportunity to build their skills and independence to be successful and improve their lives so they can live more uccessfully and independently. Where are these opportunities in Hamilton for people who are unable to find work or affordable housing? There seems to be a rather large gap between the needs of people living in poverty and the services to assist them to move out of their current situation. We cannot continue to sustain an every growing population of poorly educated and unskilled people through welfare and food banks. We need to take the model used in Pittsburgh and the message from Bill Strickland (recently spoke at Hamilton Place) and use this information to improve Hamilton prospects.

"For nearly three decades, Strickland has worked at his craft back in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood he grew up in - creating a model for turning people with dead-end lives into productive workers. And it's working.

In the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh's North Side, Strickland has forged a series of programs to bring new life to the community. At one end of the lifeline is the MCG, which aims to rescue at-risk school kids by using the arts to teach them life skills. At the other end is the BTC, an innovative partnership with local companies to train displaced adults for real work in real jobs. Since their inception, the two programs have each grown into more than $3 million-a-year operations, with a combined staff of 110 people. Strickland serves as president and CEO, the linchpin that holds all of the parts together.

And there's more. Like any true entrepreneur, Strickland has filled the space between the two programs with other ventures: a jazz concert hall and an innovative Grammy Award-winning record label. Next year, he plans to roll out the Denali Initiative - a national three-year effort funded by the Kaufmann Foundation to teach nonprofit leaders how to think like entrepreneurs."
We cannot let the (albeit well-intentioned) social justice group control the building and future of our city. Our 'creative class' needs to have more say and clout in our community.The impetus from the James Street North community needs to be supported and developed. Their vision and leadership is needed.