McMaster opens centre to bring research into 21st century

To hear Dale Askey tell it, the university research process is pretty outdated.

"Researchers walk in, sit down, stare at their computer and walk out. They probably wouldn't even talk to anybody all day," Askey said.

"That's very 20th century. Or even 19th century."

But at the new Lewis and Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship at McMaster University, to be officially unveiled on Friday, they're aiming to change that.

"We're creating a space where people from different disciplines can work collaboratively," Askey, the centre's administrative director, said.

Between space complications and political issues on university campuses, students and researchers can easily become isolated and grafted to their specific departments. Because of that, ideas don't get bounced around between people as much as they should, Askey says.

So this centre is being touted as a way for people to work together and fill a hole in cross-disciplinary research.

"When you have a lot of projects that are literally butting up against each other, the idea is to bleed between them," Askey said.

So what will they do there?

Take Christopher Handy, a PhD student in the religious studies department at McMaster. He studies Sanskrit Buddhist Legal texts — a field Askey calls "fiercely analogue."

Handy has digital versions of the original birch bark and ink texts, but he can't really do anything with them. In fact, he usually ends up printing them and taping them back together in scroll form — which seems kind of counter intuitive.

"So I look at that and think, what you really ought to be doing is stitching them together digitally into scroll form," Askey said. "And while you're at it, why not build a coordinate mapped system and make annotations and notes on it?"

"If you do it that way you and I could be looking at it — but so could somebody in Belgium, or Japan."

'Right now, historians eye literary scholars with a little bit of trepidation and vice versa.'—Dale Askey, administrator

That way, conversations form, and ideas percolate much quicker.

Anything that can be done to make these texts more accessible, Handy is game for.

"It's all about making them more available to people," Handy said. "I don't even think most people even know that these texts exist."

"I'm just trying to use whatever resources are available."

Handy's work is just one of a few different projects the centre is looking at. There's also research by Matthew Woolhouse, an assistant professor in music cognition and music theory at the University.

He's been given access to Nokia's database of records for music downloads in order to analyze the data in new ways.

"This is a classic example of digital scholarship," Askey said. "He can take this data that was really intended for marketing for Nokia, and apply a critical body of what he knows about the psychology of music."

Finding a wider audience

Askey also hopes to use the centre to engage people who wouldn't otherwise be interested in scholarly research.

"Typically, your products of research are designed for researchers," he said.

As a result, the general public might not exactly find them riveting. They're for specialists, and usually aren't too accessible to the public unless the media or a blog picks it up.

"But here, we can engage a much larger audience," Askey said.

An article on history might seem pretty dry to the casual observer. But at the centre, they plan to produce products that are visual and aesthetic.

"A visualization that shows the intersection between disease and migration and population rates begins to become much more appealing to people," Askey said.

He likens the idea to watching a documentary, bringing things together to tell a story instead of a strict info-dump.

"This moves us in a direction of making things much more accessible to a broader audience."

A donation borne of a candy fortune

The Lewis & Ruth Sherman Foundation backed the construction of the centre. The Shermans were the co-owners of the Allan Candy Co. of Fuzzy Peach and Sour Patch Kids fame.

"This is a terrific initiative from a family that loved giving back to the community," said Paddy Torsney, a lifetime friend of the Shermans and a board member with the Lewis & Ruth Sherman Foundation.

"They were the kind of people who were always interested in the latest technologies."

Above all, Askey is hoping this centre will make things more accessible for everyone and encourage people to work together.

"It's all about breaking down those disciplinary walls," he said.

"Right now, historians eye literary scholars with a little bit of trepidation and vice versa."

The Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship is located on the first floor of the Mills Memorial Library at McMaster University.

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Crews breaking ground on Hamilton health complex

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Nov 30, 2012 7:06 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 30, 2012 7:04 AM ET

 

Shovels will officially go in the ground Monday on the new McMaster University Health Campus on Main Street East.

McMaster officials are holding a groundbreaking event that starts with a reception at city hall at 9:30. An hour later, the official first dig will happen at the corner of Main and Bay streets.

The development is "a long time coming," said David Price, chair of McMaster's department of family medicine.

"We're finally getting there."

The $84.6-million building will be 195,000 square feet and host a large family health centre capable of accommodating 15,000 patients.

In addition to the McMaster family health team, it'll house the nurse practitioner program, a public health clinic and the headquarters of Hamilton's Public Health Services.

The building is located on land that until this summer housed the headquarters of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. McMaster purchased the land from the school board for $8.6 million.

The new campus will be located at the corner of Main and Bay streets. The King Street side of the lot will likely be severed "at an appropriate time in the project," said Gord Arbeau, McMaster's director of public and community relations.

"The construction of the health campus is our primary focus at this stage."

The health campus could draw other health-related services such as pharmacies or labs to the building. Arbeau said there have been inquiries, but they're all still preliminary.

A preliminary site plan overview of the property shows two possible privately developed 12-storey residential towers on the north portion of the land.

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Non-profits work together for hungry Hamiltonians during holidays

By Kaleigh Rogers, CBC News

Posted: Nov 30, 2012 7:42 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 30, 2012 7:41 AM ET

 

When 2,500 people wait in line — some for up to four hours — just to get a hot meal, it's clear the holiday season keeps Hamilton's non-profits busy.

"It's indicative of how desperate people are," Alan Whittle, of Good Shepherd Centres, said.

Their annual Christmas dinner, to be held on December 16th, never fails to draw a crowd. Though doors don't open until 3 p.m., hungry diners start lining up before noon, Whittle said. Each year they make sure to have enough food to feed 3,000 Hamiltonians and they usual surpass 2,500.

"We get a lot more (people) at Christmas."

Good Shepherd also runs a Christmas hamper service, providing groceries and toys for families who register. The official launch is Monday, December 3, but they'll still be registering families throughout the month.

They work out a registration schedule with other non-profits in the area starting as early as October to make sure no one goes without during the holidays.

"All the emergency food banks work as a system at Christmas," explained Sara Collyer, operations manager at Neighbour to Neighbour Centre, another non-profit that offers Christmas hampers.

"We would never hesitate referring someone to another agency. Nobody should have to go without."

Neighbour to Neighbour registers 1,600 families for hampers each year. They've already registered 1,300 and Collyer predicts the last few hundred hampers will be claimed by next week.

Gifts for teens needed

They also run a grocery store style food bank year round, including a pop-up Christmas store in December. Rather than pre-packing food donations, families are assigned points which they can cash in for whatever food they need at the time.

Neighbour to Neighbour accepts fresh and non-perishable food and toy donations even after families have registered, right up through Christmas, Collyer said — they'll even pick up donations from your home.

"We sometimes get calls right up to the 24th (of December). That's when we see families in deep stress."

At Mission Services, it's a similar story. They usually see around 800 registrants for their Christmas hamper program. This year, they're already over 1,000.

"This year the need is greater," Victor Cyr, director of Christmas Care at Mission Services, said. Since Mission Services registers children up to age 17 for Christmas hampers, there's a particular need for gifts for teens.

"We usually get lots of stuff for the five to eight-year-old range, which is great, but we need stuff that a teenager would be interested in," Cyr said, adding there also tends to be a shortage in toys for boys age 8-12.

He also wanted to remind Hamiltonians that the need for food donations continues throughout the year.

"We could always use more. Hunger is a 365 day a year problem."

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Hamilton's Junior Boys perform on Q

video

CBC News

Posted: Nov 30, 2012 8:18 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 30, 2012 10:36 AM ET

 

Do you need more proof that Jian Ghomeshi host of Q on CBC Radio really digs Hamilton?

Hamilton's electropop stars Junior Boys let loose on Ghomeshi's show Thursday with their groovy tune 'Work' from their record Begone Dull Care in Studio Q. You can listen to the entire performance on this page.

The Junior Boys, Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus, are CBC Radio faves. Here's a link their playlist at CBC Music.

Ghomeshi was in town reliving the era of the mixtape as his book tour hit the Lincoln Alexander Centre on Oct. 19. His book 1982 was released in October and is a memoir that tells his story — as a Persian-Canadian growing up in a largely white middle-class neighbourhood in Thornhill, Ont.

"It's based on a 14-year-old who wants to be Bowie. That was me," he said.

Check out CBC Hamilton's interview with Ghomeshi here.

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NHL players, Hamilton labour expert weigh in on NHL lockout

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman proposed Thursday that the leadership from both sides step aside for the next bargaining session, leaving a group of owners and players to try and break the current NHL lockout stalemate. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

Montreal Canadiens prospect Louis Leblanc can sum up the NHL lockout pretty easily.

"No one is happy," Leblanc said. "The players or the owners."

His new Hamilton Bulldogs teammate Mike Commodore is slightly less diplomatic.

"This isn't a negotiation," Commodore told CBC Hamilton. "It's a stick up.

"Things don't look very promising."

The great impasse

As the lockout stretches into its 76th day, there seems to be little hope in sight — for anyone — that the season will be saved.

Commissioner Gary Bettman proposed Thursday that the leadership from both sides step aside for the next bargaining session, leaving a group of owners and players to try and break the stalemate.

'I'm angry too. A year without the NHL isn't good year for me.'—Mike Commodore, defenseman

The specific parameters of the meeting weren't set out and the NHLPA said it would take the offer to its executive board and negotiating committee for consideration.

Bettman's proposal came with the sides unable to bridge a gap in collective bargaining negotiations despite sitting through a series of sessions with U.S. federal mediators Scot L. Beckenbaugh and John Sweeney in Woodbridge, N.J., this week.

Wayne Lewchuk, a professor of labour studies and economics at McMaster University to analyze the situation, said fans shouldn't hold their breath for NHL action anytime soon.

"The two sides have hardened," he said. "The NHL is making a case based on the reality that some of their teams are losing money."

"But the players are saying the league as a whole is making money."

And it is — according to a letter sent by the NHLPA to Canadian Parliament, the NHL has managed seven straight seasons of record revenue.

But that revenue isn't even remotely balanced among the league's teams. According to a survey released Wednesday by Forbes, the NHL's 30 teams are worth an average $282 million — a 17.5 per cent rise from 2011.

The league's top five teams in terms of revenue are worth an average $605 million — but the bottom five teams average a value of just $145 million.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are said to be worth $1 billion, followed by the New York Rangers ($750 million) and the Montreal Canadiens ($575 million).

According to Lewchuk, teams at the bottom end of that spectrum, such as Phoenix and Columbus, are part of the problem.

"If an auto maker is making a car that doesn't sell, they don't make it anymore," Lewchuk said. "I don't think you can base your bargaining strategy on 15 per cent of your teams losing money.

"In some ways, it defies logic."

But remove those teams from the equation and ship them to a more favourable market — Lewchuk casually mentioned Hamilton — and things become much easier.

Inflated contracts

Then there are the contracts themselves. The last move at the bargaining table came from the NHLPA, which presented a new offer last week that moved within $182 million of the league over a five-year deal.

But there is still a cavernous divide between players and owners regarding the size and length of current contracts — which many seem to think have spiraled out of control.

"It's like the owners saying 'we can't discipline ourselves and control this foolishness,'" Lewchuk said. "So you do it."

"They're trying to get the players to solve the problem for them and absolve them of responsibility."

The whole process is a sore spot for Commodore.

"The union side keeps coming with proposals — we're moving in their direction. All we're doing is giving and giving," he said.

"They need to be moving our way at least a little bit from their original stance."

The journeyman defenceman also went so far as to call the owner's first offer a "slap in the face."

"Yeah, they've negotiated off that — but it's so far to the other side that 50/50 looked like a gift."

Rumblings of 2004

Lewchuk says at this point, fans need to start facing the reality that the entire season or more could be lost.

"It's a scary place to go," he said. "You'd have a lot of very angry people. It would raise questions as to the viability of the league next season."

There's been a fair bit of rage hurled at players — especially on Twitter. Commodore says he understands that, even though he's been the recipient of some Twitter rage himself.

"But it's not like I like this. I'm angry too," he said. "A year without the NHL isn't good year for me."

Leblanc says fans everywhere are just frustrated with the entire process. "They just want to see hockey," he said.

So what will it take to final get a deal in place?

"Two parties that are actually willing to negotiate and find some common ground," Commodore said.

But to hear most tell it, that's still a long way off.

With files from the Canadian Press

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Hamilton elementary teachers to give 'ample notice' of strikes

Parents will get three days' notice when elementary teachers and education professionals move ahead with planned strikes next month, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario said Wednesday.

A Wednesday news release from ETFO said there are currently work-to-rule strike actions occurring in four Ontario school boards, but "teachers in all other boards will also be in a strike position during December."

When that happens, planned strikes by union locals will "affect operations in each public elementary school throughout the province," ETFO said.

"It is unfortunate that we have been placed in the position of having to strike by Education Minister Laurel Broten, but we will provide parents with ample notice to ensure the safety of students," ETFO president Sam Hammond said in a statement.

ETFO, which represents 76,000 teachers and education professionals, said the provincial government invited it to join talks with ministry officials and a mediator on Nov. 11, though the union said Broten "abruptly shut the session down."

Broten released a statement Wednesday urging the union to focus on negotiating, rather than on its strike actions.

"I am disappointed to hear that ETFO will be moving ahead with strike actions. Disrupting learning time for students is not in the best interest of students," Broten said.

The Ontario government introduced controversial legislation this fall that allows it to quash strikes and impose agreements that will freeze wages.

York Region high school teachers rejected a tentative agreement they reached with their school board, reportedly because they felt they'd be "selling out" by accepting a deal they feel was imposed by the Liberals under the new legislation.

Some teachers could be holding out, hoping that a new Liberal leader will repeal the law — as some candidates in the running have been known to be critical of the legislation in the first place.

Yet on Wednesday, Premier Dalton McGuinty defended the Putting Students First Act, saying that Ontarians want their provincial government to take "effective measures" to bring down a $14.4-billion deficit — including wage freezes.

"We think it's the best approach, it's a responsible approach and I think it's one that's broadly supported by Ontarians," McGuinty said.

High school teachers with the Upper Grand District School Board — which covers Guelph, Dufferin County and Wellington County — supported an agreement reached with the school board and approved by Broten.

However, teachers in Niagara and York Region have rejected theirs, which means that teachers can continue with strike actions including: skipping staff and department meetings, not holding parent-teacher conferences after school hours and refusing to submit student attendance records.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Hamilton boosts loans for Royal Connaught, Vrancor and others

Council approves $200k ahead of budget

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Nov 29, 2012 7:22 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 29, 2012 7:20 AM ET

 

City council has voted to put more money into a loan program to make room for the Royal Connaught and five other downtown redevelopment projects it anticipates will need funding.

Councillors voted Wednesday to spend $200,000 to increase the amount of loan money available through the downtown multi-residential property investment program. This money, which pays for the increased interest cost, will boost the loan fund from $20 million to $35 million.

There are six projects that will likely ask for money in the next two or three months, and the city wants to be able to say yes, said Glen Norton, Hamilton's manager of urban renewal planning and economic development.

One of those projects is phase one of the Royal Connaught redevelopment project. Another is the Vrancor project at 150 Main St. E. Vrancor also received a $9-million city loan earlier this year.

Norton is hoping to see progress at the Royal Connaught, which was open from 1916 to 2004.

"We don't have an application for the Royal Connaught but everyone is very hopeful there will be," Norton said.

Norton cited six projects that he foresees asking for loans. He would only name three.

One is phase one of the Royal Connaught development, which involves transforming the shuttered hotel into condos. Applications are also expected for the Darko Vranich project and Options for Homes, a condominium project at the corner of Queen and King.

Council was initially going to commit $400,000 to the fund in the next budget. But after an hour-long debate Wednesday, the motion to commit half that narrowly passed 9-7 with a plan to consider the other half during the budget process in the spring. Those voting against it said the increase should have gone through the usual budget process.

Neil Everson, director of economic development and real estate, told council at the meeting that one developer applying for an investment of $4.5 million will likely be ready to apply within the next week.

In a separate interview, Norton told CBC Hamilton that the most imminent application is likely the Vranich one.

Everyone's eager to see the Connaught project move forward, Norton said.

"Beyond its actual financial impact, it's a visceral, emotional response for many people," he said. "So many of us have personal memories of doing things at the Connaught. A lot had high school graduation ceremonies there. A lot of people got married there. It occupies a big piece of downtown real estate in terms of its presence."

Coun. Jason Farr from Ward 2 wanted to give the whole amount ahead of the budget. There is good news on the horizon in terms of downtown development, he said, but he wouldn't elaborate.

"More cranes are coming soon," he said.

He does hope the Connaught comes to fruition soon.

"I would hope that would be one of the frontrunners in terms of funding."

Rudi Spallacci, a principal developer in the Royal Connaught project, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

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Home on Hamilton's Wilson St. in flames again

By Kaleigh Rogers, CBC News

Posted: Nov 29, 2012 8:37 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 29, 2012 9:32 AM ET

An early morning fire on Wilson St., at a former marijuana grow op, is under investigation by police.

At 2:55 Thursday morning, Hamilton police were called to the property at 412 Wilson St. near Tisdale Ave. No one was injured as the property was vacant at the time and appeared to be under renovation, according to Const. Debbie McGreal-Dinning

The fire is currently being investigated for arson by police. Another fire took place at the same property in August of this year. Following the fire, police discovered a marijuana grow op in the basement and arrested a Hamilton couple.

The fire in August destroyed the garage of the home but Thursday's fire totaled the whole building, according to Dave Christopher of Hamilton Fire Services. He estimated there was $40,000 in damage.

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Mustard Seed downtown food co-op launching membership campaign

new

By Kaleigh Rogers, CBC News

Posted: Nov 29, 2012 9:28 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 29, 2012 9:56 AM ET

 

The organizers behind the Mustard Seed Co-op grocery store will take the next big step towards realizing their dream at a public meeting Thursday evening. It's a labour of love six months in the making.

The dream: a cooperative, not-for-profit grocery store in downtown Hamilton that is owned and controlled by its members. The next step: getting those initial members to sign up.

'The more choices and the larger the critical mass of local food options, the better it is both for the consumer and farmers.'—Hamilton Farmers Market manager Donna Lee Macdonald

The group is hosting an event at 7 p.m. at the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library to launch its membership campaign. For a one-time, refundable household fee of $100, members own a share of the co-op and are treated to special deals, discounts and workshops. They also are given a vote in how to co-op is run.

The group is hoping for 400 members in the first month of the campaign and 800 by the time the store's doors open in May 2013.

"It's been amazing to see the groundswell of support," Graham Cubitt, one of the founding members of the co-op, said. He noted the group has attracted hundreds of followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Crystle Numan (right) guides the Mustard Seed Co-op's Sourcing Action Team through a workshop to help identify the key attributes of the food the organization plans to offer at the store. (Courtesy Mustard Seed Co-op)

With a focus on local, sustainable food options and a hope for a downtown location, the co-op seems at first glance to be in direct competition with Hamilton's farmers market, but that's not how Cubitt sees it.

"We think it could be complementary," he said. "I grew up as a farmer and I know we were always looking for more places to sell our produce."

Hamilton Farmers Market manager Donna Lee Macdonald agreed.

"The more choices and the larger the critical mass of local food options, the better it is both for the consumer and farmers," she said. "It's a win-win situation."

Cubitt and the other members of the Mustard Seed team hope they'll be able to lure the first round of members Thursday with their event featuring live music, a spread of local food, t-shirts, buttons and, appropriately, mustard seedlings for members to take home to plant.

Along with memberships, Hamiltonians who want to support the initiative can provide loans —starting at $1,000 and ranging up to $200,000 — to get the co-op off the ground.

Once some investments start rolling in, the group plans to hire a general manager and staff to run the store.

The members, including the founding members like Cubitt, won't turn a financial profit. The co-op will use funds to run the store, including paying staff and fair trade prices for produce.

"The idea is not to maximize profit, but maximize value to our members and our community," Cubitt told CBC Hamilton.

The Mustard Seed team has held several events over the past few months to promote the idea of a grocery co-op in Hamilton, including this summer information session at the Hill Street Community Garden.

Meaghan Makins is a co-owner of Hamilton-based all-natural snow cones business Sweet Ice. Makins says she's planning to become a member at the launch Thursday night. Growing up in a small town, Makins remembers going to neighbours' farms to buy eggs and honey, so the concept of having access to fresh, local food in an urban setting appealed to her.

"As a member, I'll get to vote on what kind of food and farmers we bring into the store. As someone who is passionate about knowing where my food comes from, that's important to me," she said.

She was also intrigued by the opportunities members will have to take part in workshops, such as urban beekeeping, and the chance to source ingredients for Sweet Ice.

"Not having to think about where it comes from and being able to trust that it's ethical and local is comforting to me."

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Brantford casino could be Hamilton's future

Open every day of the year — including Christmas — OLG Brantford Casino is a sensory experience.

Rows of slot machines flash millions of bright lights in every direction. Strains of music compete with each other. There's music on the overhead radio. Robotic music streams from of the games.

In the poker room at the back, players huddle at the tables in groups of 10 under low lighting, their faces fixed in concentration. The clicking sound of chips fills the room.

This is an entertainment hub, the OLG says. And it could be Hamilton's future.

Currently, Hamilton has 801 slots at Flamboro Downs through the Slots at Racetracks program, which the province discontinued this year. By late February, council will have to tell the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation whether it welcomes gaming beyond the downs.

If council votes to proceed, the OLG will choose an operator through an RFP process. Tim McCabe, Hamilton's manager of economic development, said recently that a handful of operators have already expressed interest.

In Brantford, there's an overhaul happening too. Since the casino opened in 1999, the OLG has operated it. It will soon be run by a private operator also bidding in an RFP process, although when the change will happen is not currently known.

The current general manager is Grant Darling, who came to Brantford from Ceasars Windsor. When it comes to the Brantford casino, Darling makes a quiet but consistent case.

Firstly, it's one of the steadiest businesses in town. The casino is open 365 days a year and the parking lot is consistently packed.

The facility only goes dark from 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve until noon on Christmas Day, and when it reopens, "there's a lineup," Darling said.

Secondly, the casino, which has for the casino's 534 slot machines and 55 table games, employs about 850 Brantford area residents. (Seven, however, were laid off earlier this year.) That ranges from table game dealers to servers in the Getaway restaurant, to security and the technical jobs required to maintain thousands of pieces of machinery.

Most of the jobs are unionized, Darling said. And locals with no casino experience are hired and trained to be table game dealers, among other roles.

"These are good paying jobs that we can train people to do," he said. "That's a great boost to any town in this economic climate."

Thirdly, there's the purchasing power. Whenever possible, the casino buys local, and that has contributed $17 million to the economy since 1999, he said.

But other say there are downsides. Local addictions counsellors say they see gambling addicts drawn in by the casino. A recent Hamilton study shows that there is a small number of low-income residents who spend a lot of money at casinos.

Coun. Jason Farr, who represents the downtown, is still formulating his stance.

He has done phone surveys and public meetings with residents. Every time he attends an event, he asks the question: do you support a casino, and if you do, do you support it downtown?

The busy parking lot at the Brantford casino on a Thursday afternoon. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Feedback so far has been about 65 per cent against, Farr said.

"I hear don't mess with the momentum currently on the go, that a casino could stymie the smaller businesses," he said. "There are quite a few good arguments for and quite a few against."

Council reaffirmed its stance earlier this year that it prefers to keep gaming at Flamboro Downs. If there was a vote tomorrow, Coun. Bernie Morelli said he would stick to that.

"I've been happy with the setup that currently exists," said Morelli. "But I think there's a broader picture that needs to be reviewed and I will certainly keep an open mind."

Constituent feedback, Morelli said, has been "about 50/50," although the anti side tends to be more adamant.

So far, 37 municipalities have expressed interest in either continuing to host gaming or to be a new host, OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti said.

North Bay, Kenora and Belleville have voted in favour. Toronto is still debating the issue. Ottawa has voted in favour of moving its Slots at Racetracks site downtown, and Kingston has said it's open to the opportunity if a private operator wants to move OLG Casino Thousand Islands, Bitonti said.

So far, 37 Ontario municipalities have expressed interest in a casino. Others have turned it down. Here's what four other cities are doing.

Rick Goldring, Burlington, AGAINST

    

Burlington council voted against a casino.  It wasn't a hard decision and there was little discussion on it, said Mayor Rick Goldring. "It just doesn't fit the type of community that we are," he said. "There are casinos all over the place, from Newfoundland to Brantford. And if people really want to gamble, they can gamble online."

Neil Ellis, Belleville, PRO

    

Belleville passed a resolution this fall in favour of a casino. The city held a public meeting and a vote on its website, which saw about 65 per cent in favour, said Mayor Neil Ellis. "None of the people against it could bring any documented proof of any negatives," he said. "We couldn't find any empirical data on it at all that deals with Canada." Like many Ontario municipalities, Belleville sought advice from Brantford on the issue.

Sean Lawlor, North Bay, PRO

    

North Bay council agreed in principle to a casino, says Coun. Sean Lawlor. It likes the idea of the jobs and money coming back to the municipality. Busloads of residents already make a two-hour journey to Casinorama in Rama, Ont. each week. "We're viewing it positively from a number of perspectives," Lawlor said. North Bay sought advice from Brantford.

Dave Canfield, Kenora, PRO

    

Kenora council voted in October in favour of a casino, hotel and convention centre in the northern community of about 15,000. The town had five public meetings and most residents were in favour, Canfield said. "I really had mixed emotions," he said. "I'm opposed to casinos. I think it's a horrible way of getting tax dollars. It upsets me to see people be taken advantage of over a weakness." But Canfield agreed so long as it was attached to a hotel and convention centre and it wasn't downtown. Kenora also consulted with Brantford.

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Local filmmaker creates tribute to Hamilton Harbour

Mayor Bob Bratina narrates

By Flannery Dean, CBC News

Posted: Nov 28, 2012 7:42 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2012 7:47 AM ET

 

Hamiltonians may be unaware of how important the city's Harbourfront really was to its development, said filmmaker Gary Kaulback.

"Because of it, the city grew. That's where industry located itself," he said.

Gary Kaulback

To rectify that gap in knowledge, Kaulback created On the Bay: the Port of Hamilton, a 54-minute film about Hamilton harbour. It's the second in a three-part series on the city by Kaulback.

Last year, he made On The Mountain: The Story Of The Hamilton Escarpment, a film about the history of Hamilton Mountain. Next spring, he'll focus his lens downtown.

On the Bay, which Kaulback sees as a "way to pay homage to that part of the city's history as it's fading out," traces the history of the area from European settlement to its heyday as a seaside resort, to present-day efforts to revitalize the harbourfront.

On the Bay, Hamilton

Kaulback, who has lived in Hamilton since 1948 and now calls James Street South home, got hooked on the city's history back in the 1970s when he worked for cable television. About "10 per cent" of the footage in the film was taken during those years, he said.

Adding to the heritage interest of the film, which features photos and interviews as well as footage, is the record it provides of some of the city's most interesting North Enders, many of whom are now deceased.

Fittingly, Mayor Bob Bratina, a former North End resident, narrates On the Bay.

When asked how he got the Mayor involved, Kaulback answers simply. "I sent an email to his secretary."

Her reply: "When do you want to do it?"

Kaulback was thrilled, in part because of the Mayor's former life as a broadcaster. "He's got a great voice."

Apparently he's still got the broadcasting knack, too. "He's a one-take" performer, said Kaulback.

The film is currently available at various Chapters' locations throughout the area. "Ancaster and Burlington Chapters' say it's their hottest items," said Kaulback.

Kaulback's film about Hamilton Mountain is available online.

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Hamilton homes some of most affordable in Canada

Survey conducted prices of 4-bedroom homes across North America

CBC News

Posted: Nov 28, 2012 9:09 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2012 9:01 AM ET

 

Looking for a family home? Hamilton may be the place to go.

A new survey names Steel City as one of the most affordable places in Canada to live.

The average cost of a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Hamilton is $245,292 according to real estate company Coldwell Banker, which conducted the survey.

That ranks Hamilton 12th in Canada for family home affordability.

The survey looked at 72,000 homes across North America between January and June of this year.

"Our home listing report captures an insightful look at local market conditions and emerging trends in real estate," said John Geha, president of Coldwell Banker Canada. "Although home prices have reached record highs in many markets across Canada, there are still affordable options available to homebuyers."

Windsor, Ont., is the most affordable city in the country, according to the survey, with an average family home price tag of $170,991. Vancouver, B.C., is listed as the most expensive with the average price totaling to $1,876,414.

1) Windsor, Ont.: $170,991

2) Rimbey, Alta.: $201,950

3) Welland, Ont.: $218,354

4) New Glasgow, N.S.: $218,641

5) Amherst, N.S.: $224,662

6) Niagara Falls, Ont.: $228,858

7) Trail, B.C.: $232,300

8) Smiths Falls, Ont.: $232,343

9) Trent Hills, Ont.: $237,800

10) Cornwall, P.E.I.: $239,750

11) St. Catharines, Ont.: $243,596

12) Hamilton, Ont.: $245,292

(Average family home prices, Coldwell Banker survey.)

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Reduced Hamilton police budget would mean less service: chief

Police asking for $7.1M increase

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 8:42 PM ET

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 8:26 PM ET

 

If Hamilton police do not get a $7.1-million budget increase, the Mountain and east-end stations will close after hours and 20 positions will be eliminated, says Chief Glenn De Caire.

De Caire defended a 5.25 per cent increase to its 2013 budget before the police services board Tuesday evening.

If Hamilton Police Service doesn't get the increase, it will remove five school resources officers, four station duty personnel, nine crime managers and half the positions on a team that accompanies social workers on mental health calls.

It will also restrict operations at the 2825 King St. E. and 400 Rymal Rd. E. stations to business hours. People who arrive after hours will connect to police communications by phone.

It's a necessary move given the financial restraints police are under, De Caire said after the meeting.

Without the increase, "the work that is getting done by those people will have to be distributed elsewhere because we cannot continue to sustain that," he said.

The budget asks for 21 new positions at Hamilton Police Service, or 20 news officers and one new civilian staff member.

Crime in Hamilton continues to decrease and arrest rates increase through the good work done by the service, De Caire said. But maintaining that means investing in the new hires.

A hard sell

Board members had plenty of questions about the proposed increase. Coun. Terry Whitehead said the city wants departments to keep budgets in line, but it's a hard sell when police want a $7.1-million increase.

Increasing police budgets make it hard for municipalities to deliver services, he said.

"It's lowering the ability to deliver all the other services taxpayers are relying on," he said.

With the police services budget, "I don't think we've come in below the cost of inflation — ever."

Whitehead said constituents have called him since news broke about the budget increase.

Paid suspensions

"I understand the pressures and I understand the need to ensure we don't create a community that's not worth investing in," he said. "I understand the balance that needs to be struck. The question is coming in with 20 officers at this time, is that striking the right balance?"

Board member Irene Stayshyn has gotten similar phone calls. People want to know why more officers are necessary when crime is going down, she said. Some bring up the pricey paid suspensions of officers being investigated for infractions.

"Those are normally questions easily asked by those who have neither the responsibility nor accountability of maintaining public safety," De Caire responded.

No number of victims is OK, he said. And he would also like to see legislation that gives suspended officers paid leave amended.

"The position of our service is the legislation should be open to provide chiefs the authority to make a discretionary decision and then build in a process for officers to appeal."

What comes next

About 80 per cent of the increase is salaries and benefits. The increase would bring the total police budget to $143 million, up from $135,641,540 last year.

The board will discuss the budget at an upcoming meeting. De Caire will also make a similar presentation to city council on Jan. 24.

If council rejects the budget, it goes back to the board which can decide whether to appeal to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. If the board appeals, arguments are presented and the commission rules.

That process would likely take "a matter of months," De Caire said. But he'll have a decision to make sooner than that.

"The decision that will have to be made is on Jan. 1 — what do we do?" he said. "At this point, with this budget not being approved, our position is those 20 job functions will cease to exist within our service."

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Hamilton's water services safe from CETA, say Council of Canadians and CUPE

By Flannery Dean, CBC News

Posted: Nov 28, 2012 7:22 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2012 7:21 AM ET

 

Hamilton water services won't be on the table during the ongoing talks between Canada and the EU for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, according to the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Both groups said they have seen leaked documents that indicate that Canada's water services are being excluded from future CETA negotiations.

This is good news, said Hamilton resident Stuart Trew, National Trade Campaigner for the Council of Canadians. Trews said that had water remained on the negotiating table, CETA "could have potentially contained the means by which municipalities keep water public."

"For us to include water in a trade agreement is extremely unsettling," said Ann Bruce, co-chair of the COC's CETA group in Hamilton, about the exclusion. "It shouldn't be traded for private gain and has to be protected for the common good."

"No one owns water," she added.

Bruce, who also co-chairs the Great Lakes Water group, said that had water been included in the final agreement, Canadians could have found themselves in the position of one day buying their own water from an international company.

But while Trews and Bruce say they are pleased by the exclusion of water services from the ongoing trade negotiations, there are some additional concerns about how certain requests by Europe still under discussion could affect water in the future.

'One of the great concerns is the fact that procurement remains on the agenda.'—Ann Bruce, Council of Canadians

"One of the great concerns is the fact that procurement remains on the agenda," Bruce said.

Europe is pressing Canada to guarantee through the trade agreement that EU companies would be able to bid on provincial and municipal projects. Should the EU achieve that aim it would effectively strip municipalities of their powers to choose local suppliers, forcing them to take bids from powerful foreign corporations.

Trews cites the example that if a municipal government wanted funding to improve a sanitation system, provisions brought in under CETA might mean an "international company could dispute a municipality's decision to favour a local public route."

These types of procurement issues go beyond water to cover a vast array of goods and services. The city of Hamilton was so concerned by the implications of procurement-related conditions being discussed in the trade negotiations that in December 2011 councillor Brian McHattie spearheaded a motion to have Hamilton excluded from CETA.

Hamilton isn't the only city to want to opt out of CETA. It's one of 40 communities throughout Canada to pass similar motions.

For Bruce, the reasons for this are clear.

"Local government would not be able to favour local tenders or bidders," said Bruce, referring to how European influence could forever alter how local governments in Canada govern and spend tax dollars.

"We couldn't have buy-local initiatives. International companies could bring a claim against the municipality," for favouring local business or products under such an agreement.

"Our city would be bound by these international trade agreements," she said.

For Trew, however complicated CETA negotiations are, issues surrounding procurement are simple and centre on one question: "Who has the final say in how local society develops, us or multinationals?"

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What's the social cost of a casino in Hamilton? Brantford knows

Near the OLG Casino Brantford, Darren Blackey and Ian Jones sit at a bar on a Thursday afternoon and talk about the local amenity.

Blackey lives a four-minute walk from the casino but rarely goes. Jones hasn't been there for a year. The reason?

"Sometimes I win, but most of the time I lose," Jones said.

Both Jones and Blackey have anecdotal stories of people who use the casino and can't afford it.

"The casino draws on the money of people on disability or pensions," Blackey said. "I know of people who go in there with a desire to get out of debt and get more in debt."

These stories are anecdotal. But when it comes to the social impact of the casino in Brantford, much of the evidence is anecdotal.

The number of the clients served through the St. Leonard's Community Services gambling responsibility program shows a small upward trend. There were 64 in 2011, 65 in 2010 and 24 in 2009. From April to September this year, there were 39.

But that doesn't include all of the telephone, face-to-face and indirect consultations, including with gamblers who have other addictions, said Jyoti Kapur, director of clinical services. And some of them struggle other facets of gambling, such as online gaming.

At the women's shelter, Nova Vita, two women of the roughly 175 seen in 2011 reported having an issue with casino-related gambling, said executive director Joy Freeman. But "I really don't believe that's representative because many women choose not to tell."

The Family Counselling Centre of Brant offers credit counseling, and has seen some clients with issues with the casino, said credit counsellor Sue Davey.

"We have had people occasionally identify this is the area of concern for them, but as far as specific data, we don't have that," Davey said. "People have identified and indicated that having a casino in their backyard can lead to problems, but they probably had those problems to begin with."

Brantford Police only provides crime statistics back to 2005, and those show a mixture of up-and-down statistics. The police service was not available to be interviewed on this subject this month.

The stats show that from 2007 until last year, there were 2,301 frauds, an increase of 20 per cent over previous years. There was also an increase in impaired drivers, mischief, vehicle theft, assaults and sexual offences. Other areas, such as robberies and break and enters, were down.

But those who work with problem gamblers have stories.

Gambling addiction

Lindsay Serbu, supervisor of adult mental health crisis services at St. Leonard's, counsels people with gambling addictions. She has heard — anecdotally — of people wearing incontinence products so they don't have to leave their slot machines, believing the next play will produce a big win.

Some of Serbu's clients have problems with scratch tickets. Some have Proline problems. But the majority are dealing with slots at the casino, she said. If the casino wasn't there, she believes she would have fewer clients.

"A lot of it is the older generation and it stems a lot of times from loneliness or emptiness, or a major life change like retirement," she said. "Gambling is a very social activity."

Brantford Mayor Chris Friel is pleased with the impact the casino has had since it opened in 1999. It's difficult to find hard data on the social impact because there isn't one, he said.

Brantford has had issues with drugs, prostitution and other crime, but it's a product of de-industrialization, not a casino, he said.

Casino-related police calls

"It's measured. It's understood. We even know how to address it, and we do."

In a report at a casino town hall meeting in Hamilton in October, Friel showed the number of casino-related calls police took in from 2006 to 2011. In 2006, there were about 421. In 2011, there were 173.

Those stats run the gamut, from impaired driving to domestic violence. But they weren't necessarily directly related to the casino, Friel said.

"We're probably the most conservative community in how we measure casino-related calls," he said. "If a guy goes to the casino on Friday night with his buddies, it's a casino-related call. They just have to say 'casino' and it's in there."

The city has not experienced an increase in crime or social issues because of the casino, he said.

Hamilton study done

As for the notion of those with low incomes suffering from the casino, "prove it," Friel said.

"If people are concerned about the poor and people on social services gambling, it's not in the casino, it's in the convenience store," he said. "That's where you have to have your worries."

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction wants to be sure. The roundtable is figuring out where it stands on the casino issue, Cooper said. In doing so, it commissioned a study by local researcher Sarah Wayland.

Wayland's study found that while low-income residents don't gamble as often as medium and high-income households, they spend a disproportionately higher percentage of their income on gambling, Cooper said.

"It also showed the closer someone lives to a casino, the greater chance of someone going to a casino, so that would obviously have an impact for residents in the downtown core," he said.

Studies have found that low-income populations are more likely to buy a lottery ticket or play bingo. But those who go to casinos "spend a lot of money," Wayland said.

Vigorous debate needed

"There's a small percentage of people in low-income brackets that spend disproportionately at casinos."

Toronto's public health unit has taken a stance on a potential GTA casino, saying it would lead to an increase in problem gambling. Hamilton's public health unit will present a report to council at a board of health meeting on Dec. 3, said spokesperson Tara Hall.

A casino could bring more jobs, which could benefit Hamiltonians, Cooper said. But it's important that those jobs provide a decent wage.

These questions make a casino "a tough, tough call," Cooper said.

"What we're looking for is vigorous civic debate. We want to get all pros and cons out and discuss them openly."

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Some Brantford charities hurt by post-casino bingo closure

When Bill Sanderson discusses the OLG Casino Brantford, the frustration still inches into his voice.

Sanderson is the former voluntary general manager of the Brantford Charities Bingo Palace, where 28 charities once rallied to raise money for their causes.

The casino opened in late 1999. Ninety days later, the bingo hall closed from lack of revenue.

Sanderson is also executive director of St. Leonard's Community Services, which offers mental health and addictions counseling, including help for problem gamblers. Bingo money was used for services such as a men's violence support program and a program aimed at reducing impaired driving.

Delta Bingo in downtown Hamilton benefits about 50 charities. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Thirteen years later, the society still feels the pain of the lost revenue, Sanderson said.

"It's amazing how quickly it all went down the tubes."

Brantford Charities Bingo Palace opened to great fanfare in 1994. In its six-year life, it distributed $4,416,141 to local charities.

The charities ranged from the YM-YWCA to Brantford Minor Lacrosse. The Canadian Hearing Society, the Kinsmen Club and the United Way were part of the group.

The collective joined with a church group in 1998 to oppose the casino at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing. The argument was unsuccessful.

The casino has generated money for charity too. Since 1999, about $3.5 million has been used to fund charities via Brant Community Foundation. Charities can also apply to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which the OLG has used to distribute $120 million provincewide in the past year, the OLG's website says.

Mayor Chris Friel says the Brant Community Foundation is a more equitable way to fund charities.

Other ways to fundraise

"There were a handful of charities dominating our bingo halls, and that handful of charities pulled in about 70 per cent of the dollars," he said. "I can't tell you that I've heard any charitable groups say 'I really miss bingo.'"

But Sanderson said the end result has been less money for charities across the city, particularly since Delta Bingo, which also raised money for charities, has closed too. More of the wealth has been redistributed to the municipal and provincial levels of government, he said.

"The numbers speak for themselves."

With bingo, "around $5 million net was being shared amongst charities in Brantford. How can anyone say that's happening now? They can't."

Numbers show a direct line between the opening of the casino and the amount fundraised by St. Leonard's. The organization made $86,581 from the bingo hall in 1998. In 1999, that dropped to $40,769. In early 2000, the hall closed for good.

Nevada tickets down too

St. Leonard's also depended on Nevada ticket revenue. A downtown kiosk brought the charity as much as half a million dollars some years. In 1999, it brought in $400,687, but the following year, that was cut nearly in half. The revenue saw a steady decline to $73,526 in 2009.

In 2010, St. Leonard's moved its Nevada kiosk farther away from the casino — to Linden Park Mall in the northeast corner of the city — and revenue sprang up to $104,049.

"The farther we move it away from the casino, the better it does," Sanderson said.

Many Hamilton charities also count on bingo hall revenue. The city's two bingo halls — the Princess Bingo Centre on the Mountain and Delta Bingo downtown — help fund about 100 Hamilton charities.

Delta Bingo downtown distributes about $1 million to charities each year, said Ed Bachiu, president of the Delta Bingo sponsors association.

Changing tide

Bingo is already struggling due to a changing tide in gaming, he said. Both local bingo halls are counting on new OLG electronic bingo being introduced at the halls. But even with declining revenue, it's worth it for charities to participate.

But "if a casino moves into a Hamilton area, especially if moves into downtown core, it would kill us," said Bachiu, whose association includes sports clubs, schools and churches. "It would be 50 charities without a way to fundraise."

Clement Feierabend, Rotarian and president of the Palace Bingo Centre sponsors association, said attendance at the hall has fallen as much as 40 per cent in the past five years. But it's still a worthwhile fundraiser, he said.

He plans to write council to remind them about a casino's potential impact on bingo fundraising.

"To some degree, we lose people now to Flamboro Downs, but not as many as if it was right downtown," he said.

"The new casino model isn't really keeping charities in mind."

Study from Las Vegas

A study out of the University of Nevada Las Vegas last week states that local businesses do not suffer when a casino is built.

The report, which was geared to the Greater Toronto Area, said there was "minimal risk to other industries."

Dr. Kahlil Philander told CBC Hamilton that he also found little adverse risk to bingo halls.

"We didn't find any evidence it would cannibalize bingo halls," he said.

But for Sanderson, the injustice is clear. Brantford's OLG Casino brought in $112 million last year, while charities that once raised their own money must now go "cap in hand" to request funds for specific programs, he said.

"I'm disappointed that after all is said and done, the city and the province haven't seen their way clear to look at impact this has had on us," he said. "It would be nice if one day someone looked at the issue and said 'This has to be rectified.'"

This graphic shows how Nevada ticket revenue declined for St. Leonard's Society when the casino opened. The move to the mall location meant the kiosk was farther from the casino.

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Hamilton group looks at making Queen and Cannon two-way

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 7:14 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 7:34 AM ET

 

When Joe Collins moved to Hamilton from Vancouver nearly two years ago, he found a lot to like.

Living in a condo in the Pigott building, he found an inexpensive and affordable lifestyle here. What he doesn't like is the traffic.

"It's a horrible place to get around," he said. "I've been in a lot of different cities in Canada and I've never seen anything like it."

Collins was among the roughly 80 residents who attended a meeting Monday night to deal with the potential two-way conversion of Queen and Cannon Streets. He was also among several who volunteered to help.

The meeting was held by Coun. Jason Farr from Ward 2 and Coun. Brian McHattie of Ward 1. Its purpose was to get feedback and hear from people interested in joining a study group to look at the issue.

That group will provide input into an environmental impact study, necessary to convert the streets from one-way to two.

Collins signed up to participate in the group.

"There are a lot of good things, positive things about Hamilton," he said. "But the age of looking at the car as only way to get around is going by the wayside."

Public health nurse Sharon Mackinnon was part of a five-person panel who gave presentations on "complete streets," which are streets that are two-way with bike lanes and wide sidewalks that have plenty of shade trees.

Complete streets have public health benefits because they reduce accidents and encourage activity, she said.

"Creating opportunities for cycling and walking can potentially have a positive impact on health conditions such as obesity, and also have a positive impact on our environment," she said.

Most members of the public who took the microphone were in favour of making Cannon and Queen two-way. But at least one person in the room was against it.

George Sorbara, a Ward 1 resident who has lived in Hamilton for 60 years, said the two-way conversion of James Street has caused traffic congestion.

"I'm afraid I'm going against the flow here tonight," he said. "I've been in this city a long, long time. I can just see what's happening and I think going with two-way streets is wrong."

Making Queen Street two-way, he said, will cause chaos. He encouraged councillors to talk to the people.

"See what the people of Hamilton want," he said.

The study group will review existing data, walk the streets noting specific challenges and fill in any information gaps, McHattie said. It will report to fellow citizens and make recommendations to council.

Monday's meeting came out of a Sept. 6 decision where councillors voted in favour of establishing a study group. When that vote was taken, not everyone on council was in favour of two-way conversion.

Coun. Brad Clark, who represents Ward 9 in Stoney Creek, said two-way traffic hinders small business.

"The slower the traffic goes, the more expensive it is to operate regional trade businesses," he said.

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Bone fragment testing in Treadwell case could take a month

new

CBC News

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 9:02 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 10:27 AM ET

DNA testing to determine if the bone fragments found during a search for the remains of a 62-year-old woman could take a month, Hamilton Police said Tuesday morning.

Police and forensic experts spent two days last week combing a field near Winona, Ont., for Shirley Treadwell's remains. Small bone fragments found by the team were sent for DNA analysis to determine if they belonged to a human or animal.

Catherine Martin, spokesperson for Hamilton Police, said investigators don't anticipate getting the test results for up to a month.

Martin wasn't able to comment on what the bone fragments look like or where in the field they were found. She told CBC Hamilton that the fragments are "very much on the small side."

Treadwell, a Stoney Creek woman who had a mental disability, is believed to have died in 2009. Police were alerted to her death in July 2012.

Her niece and caregiver, Melinda Evans, was charged in September of this year with committing an indignity to a human body and fraud. Evans allegedly disposed of her aunt's body and collected disability cheques, but police have yet to find Treadwell's remains.

The focus of last week's search was an area of about 37 acres, from Barton Street to Highway 8 and Glover Road to Jones Road.

Staff Sgt. Paul Evans said that the searchers last week were, "using a number of techniques because of this field and the terrain."

Hamilton police also called in University of Toronto forensic expert Dr. Tracy Rogers, director of forensic anthropology, and 14 of her students to help with the search. Rogers' expertise is in locating and identifying human remains and burial sites, looking for things that police might otherwise miss.

Rogers told CBC Hamilton on Monday that she and her team had completed their work, and would not be involved in the testing of the bone fragments that were found.

Hamilton police and a team of forensic experts from the University of Toronto searched a 37-acre field near Winona, Ont., on Nov. 22-23. (Google Maps)

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Is Laval eyeing Hamilton's Bulldogs?

No new lease, yet, for the Bulldogs in Hamilton

CBC News

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 8:45 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 9:46 AM ET

 

It looks like Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson might have his sights set on Hamilton's hockey team.

The Hamilton Bulldogs also happen to be Geoff Molson's hockey team. The Bulldogs are the American Hockey league Affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. And the team could be on the move to Laval. Watch the video on this page for a report from CBC Montreal on interest in Laval for the Bulldogs.

On Monday, Molson was in Laval to launch Place Bell, a $120 million sports complex that will include an arena. Place Bell is scheduled for completion in 2015. Molson said the new arena would be able to hold 10,000 spectators a game. He also said that he arena will be the home of a pro-level hockey team. Molson stopped short of saying that team would be the Hamilton Bulldogs.

"It makes it much better for this city if there is a hockey team," Molson said. "The next step for us to work is to make sure we do have the right team for the Laval market."

That's an idea that has the Mayor of Laval excited.

Newly-elected mayor Alexandre Duplessis said, "If it's not the Bulldogs it's going to be another good hockey team."

Meanwhile in Hamilton, the Bulldogs are in the final year of their lease agreement with the city to use Copps Coliseum. Global Spectrum, the new manager of Copps Coliseum, is working with city staff to present a report by early December on whether or not to extend the Bulldog's lease or pursue an OHL team.

The Erie Otters of the OHL have been rumored to be interested in moving to Hamilton. In October, Paul Roper, media relations manager for the OHL franchise told CBC Hamilton "we have zero plans for anything like that at all."

Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer says he wants to keep hockey in Hamilton and is frustrated by this whole process. "My desire was to keep hockey in Hamilton despite all the rumors," he said.

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Masked man robs Mountain pizzeria

CBC News

Posted: Nov 27, 2012 10:21 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 10:19 AM ET

Hamilton police are looking for a man who robbed a pizzeria Monday afternoon on Mohawk Road W., near Magnolia.

On Nov. 26 at approximately 5:15 p.m., a man wearing a black plastic mask with white markings and carrying a butcher knife entered the pizza place and told the patrons and employees to get down on the floor. He proceeded to rob the establishment and then fled on foot.

There is no further description of the man available, said Catherine Martin, a spokesperson for Hamilton Police Services.

Hamilton Police continue to investigate the robbery.

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Argos fans thrilled with Grey Cup in city starved for a championship

Over one hundred years after the first Grey Cup was played, the Toronto Argonauts brought the iconic trophy back to where it all started.

A sold-out crowd of 53,208 at the Rogers Centre rose to their feet and erupted into a deafening roar as the final seconds ticked off the Argos' 35-22 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday in the 100th Grey Cup game.

Argos fan Ben Westerik said it's fitting that his hometown team was able to claim a place in Canadian football history with this win.

"It means a lot," said the 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., after the game. "Since the first Grey Cup was won here, and now the 100th has been won ... it's pretty fantastic."

The first Grey Cup was won in 1909 by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on a field in what is now the upscale neighbourhood of Rosedale.

City in need of a championship

Westerik says the championship title also comes at an appropriate for a city that has been struggling to hold onto its football fans amid a myriad of other professional sports options.

"I mean this city hasn't had a championship star for a couple of years now. Everyone kind of feels like we are the sports city that always loses and it's kind of felt that way for a good long time now," he said.

"And now we finally have ourselves a championship. So I'm feeling pretty ecstatic."

The highly anticipated match got off to a quick start with Chad Owens, this year's CFL outstanding player, scoring the first touchdown minutes into the game.

The crowd — many dressed in Argos blue — waved flags, blew into plastic horns and bellowed out the team's trademark chant — "Arrrrgoooooooos!" — throughout the high-stakes match between the East and West Division champions.

Disappointment for Stamps fans

Those dressed in Stampeders red could also be heard screaming "Go Stamps Go!" at the start, but were given little chance to cheer in the second half of the game.

Defeated fan Dan Schaffer had little to say following the loss.

"The Stamps got crushed," said the 50-year-old from Fort Erie, Ont. "They stink."

But says he still believes they have can make it up next year.

"They always have a chance," Schaffer said.

Calgary native Julie Ward said Toronto just played a better game.

"They played a tough game but Toronto beat us. What can we say?" she asked. "[The Stamps] tried their best and they did their best."

The atmosphere outside the stadium was rowdy as joyous Argos fans whooped and chanted in the streets. Cars driving by honked their horns and flew CFL flags from their windows.

There was a noticeable police presence outside the stadium before and after the game, but cold temperatures most likely deterred raucous fans from getting into trouble.

Both CFL teams had a lot on the line for a win. Calgary hadn't won a Grey Cup since 2008 and Toronto hadn't hoisted the trophy since 2004. And the last time the Argos won the Grey Cup at home was in 1952 when they beat the Edmonton Eskimos.

Many dignitaries in attendance

Governor-General David Johnston, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi were among the dignitaries at the game.

Harper, who is from Toronto but has his political riding in Calgary, sent a tweet after the game congratulating the Argos on the win.

Ford and Nenshi had made a bet on its outcome, with the mayor of the losing city promising to donate his weight in food to a food bank and wear the winning team's jersey to a council meeting.

After the final whistle Nenshi sent out a tweet congratulating the Argos on a great game, and thanked the Stampeders for "an incredible season, and to Toronto for putting on an amazing event."

Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had bet before the game that the premier of the losing province would have to donate 100 warm clothing items to a charitable group of the winning premier's choice. They agreed towards the end of the game that both would make a donation.

Argos fan Justine Bertrand came to the game from nearby Ajax, Ont., with her mother, father, husband and six-year-old son Aedan.

She says a win will show the rest of Canada that Toronto is a still a football town.

"It would mean a lot to this city because the city has nothing to cheer about right now," Bertrand said. "It will mean a lot to the fans because there are faithful fans in this city that nobody remembers."

Bertrand was ecstatic at the turnout for the game.

"This feels good to see everybody out here," she said.

Inside the stadium, the mood was jovial between Argos and Stamps fans, along with others representing the league's remaining teams.

But the crowd was quick to show its distaste for the halftime show performer, teen idol Justin Bieber.

Both times when a photo of the Stratford, Ont., native was shown on the JumboTron, the crowd erupted into boos.

And when the superstar hit the stage following performances by Carly Rae Jepsen Jepsen, pop-punk bank Marianas Trench, and Canadian rock legend Gordon Lightfoot, the football fans continued with long and enduring jeers.

Argos fan Jamie Wolodarskym says the Argos are long overdue for a title and a win at home is just icing on the cake.

"It means everything," said the 40-year-old Toronto man.

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Casino means money for a new downtown, Brantford mayor says

Sitting tidy and groomed between Colborne to Dalhousie streets, Harmony Square is a symbol of Brantford's new downtown.

The square is home to year-round events. It holds a skating rink in the winter and a splash pad in the summer.

Built in 2008, the square is a far cry from the downtown Brantford of old. Fifteen years ago, ramshackle buildings lined the main streets and vacancies were so high that film crews used it as the scene of an abandoned town in a horror film.

To hear the city tell the story, this is what a casino can buy — and a vision of what Hamilton could do if it spends its casino money wisely.

The city of Brantford has invested more than $14 million of its casino money in its downtown. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Built in 1999, Brantford's OLG Casino earned $112 million last year. Each year, the city gets about $3.4 million, or five per cent of the slot machine revenue.

That money is put into a capital investment fund the city has used for property improvement loans and projects such as Harmony Square. Since 1999, the city has spent $14,162,999 of its $48,668,444 in casino money on improving the downtown.

"The casino has had a very positive impact on downtown Brantford," said David Prang, chair of the Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA). "Without the assistance of the casino and the revenues the city receives from it, (Harmony Square) wouldn't have been created."

Brantford's casino is located near downtown in a once-empty building on Icomm Drive.

When it opened, many thought it would draw tourists from across Ontario. But that hasn't happened. The casino had 1.34 million visits in 2011, and most of its customers are from a 50-kilometre radius, said Grant Darling, the casino's general manager.

The casino parking lot is packed 365 days a year — even on Christmas. But its attendees don't tend to visit surrounding businesses, Prang said.

"The casino itself is the destination. We're not seeing a whole lot of spillover."

Workers live downtown

But the benefit isn't in the foot traffic, Prang said. It's in the way that $3.4 million is invested. Harmony Square and an improved streetscape bring more people downtown. The casino also employs about 800 people, and many of them live downtown, he said.

"Employers of over 500 people in any community is huge," Prang said. "The casino is one of our largest employers."

Mayor Chris Friel, initially a casino opponent, credits the facility for downtown Brantford's transition.

Friel has talked with many municipalities in the same position as Hamilton — weighing whether to allow a stand-alone gaming facility.

Any city that accepts should not put the money into its operating budget, Friel said.

"I tell everybody that this is found money. You use that money to leverage projects."

A boost from academia

'Having a casino is like peeling an onion. Some parts of it will make you cry, but you have to go through it to get to the good parts.'— John O'Neill

Downtown Brantford benefited from the arrival of Wilfrid Laurier University, which opened a liberal arts campus in 1999 with 39 students. Now it has more than 3,000.

But the city used casino money to accelerate that project too, Friel said.

"There is a direct line between the casino and the revitalization of downtown."

John O'Neill has owned Brant Stereo on Market Street since 1973. He sees the positives and negatives of the casino.

He's seen casino money help revitalize downtown Brantford, which pleases him.

"The town has changed dramatically in the last 10 or 15 years," he said. "There's very little in the way of older buildings or decaying buildings downtown. In fact, if you wanted to buy property downtown, you'd be hard pressed to find something to buy."

Where the money goes

O'Neill hasn't experienced an increase in crime since 1999. But he knows the downsides of casinos, such as gambling addiction and its impact on families.

"Having a casino is like peeling an onion," he said. "Some parts of it will make you cry, but you have to go through it to get to the good parts."

Since the casino opened, the city has also spent $2.5 million on a visitor and tourism centre, $7,143,000 on the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre and $1,050,000 on a waterfront master plan.

The city of Hamilton currently gets $4.4 million per year from the OLG slots at Flamboro Downs, or $49 million since 2000.

About $15 million of that has gone to a drainage and channel project in Flamborough, and $13 million over the years went to reducing the tax levy in Flamborough. That ended in 2008.

Since then, the money has gone into the city's general budget, resulting in a decrease in taxes of roughly 0.7 per cent, said Rob Rossini, Hamilton's manager of finance.

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Hamilton course helps teenagers become father figures

Fatherhood class is being offered only at Sir Winston Churchill S.S.

By Julia Chapman, CBC News

Posted: Nov 26, 2012 7:25 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 26, 2012 10:36 AM ET

 

Teacher Taylor Elson has been at Sir Winston Churchill S.S. for five years. (Julia Chapman/CBC)

Brody Gray is hesitant as he tries to cradle a baby girl. She's screaming at the top of her lungs.

Brody doesn't know what to do. He's not alone but he's in the right place. He's in fatherhood class. And it's full of teenage males.

The good news is the baby is a robot. Brady is a17-year-old student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Hamilton's east end. And he's learning the art of fatherhood with a robo-baby that mimics a real-life infant.

"Having a child changes your lifestyle," said teacher Taylor Elson.

Brody Gray attempts to change the robot baby's diaper in Fatherhood class. (Julia Chapman/CBC)

Brody gives him a look. It says 'no-kidding'.

Fatherhood is a new course at Sir Winston Churchill S.S. being offered for only the second time this semester.

Like other high schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Churchill offers a parenting class that attracted more female than male students, Elson said. There wasn't a class that specifically met the boys' needs, many of whom grew up in a home where the father was gone.

For some of Elson's students, fatherhood is just a class. For others, it is far more serious than that.

Brandon Ireland, 16, will be a dad in the new year. He's excited and wants to be good at it. "I don't live with my parents," he said. "I don't get along with my dad."

There's plenty to learn. 'Fatherhood' is not all about being a dad. Elson tackles questions such as, what is masculinity? Or, what does it mean to be a man?

"We talked about gender roles and how media plays into the stereotypes," he said. "And how to be OK with being an involved dad."

Elson shows slides on the three main tasks of parenting — physical care, nurturing and guidance — and leads a discussion about how a dad fits in. His students, he said, are happy to have a place to discuss the father's role and share experiences.

The course is gaining the attention of local educators. In October, it won the HWDSB's annual 'Profiling Excellence' award.

Sir Winston Churchill S.S. is a good school to pilot such a course. Elson, who grew up in a nearby neighbourhood, said tough issues like mental health and substance abuse are no strangers to these teenagers.

"The amount of turmoil they will take in their personal lives never ceases to amaze me," he said.

Most of the students either did not grow up with a father figure or are confused about a father's role in the family, Elson said.

His 19 students have a variety of reasons for enrolling in fatherhood. Students like Reily Widryk, 15, needs a social science credit, while Austin Keegan, 17, wants to be a social worker. Others are real-life examples of the tough situations Elson describes.

"I didn't want to be anything like my father or my brother's father," said Aaron Embreus, 18.

Aaron said he didn't meet his biological father until he was 15. His brother's father, who he said abused their mother, raised him.

Back to the lesson, Elson takes over holding the crying robo-baby from young Brody. She needs a change and the change table is Elson's desk.

"You don't know what the baby needs," Elson said, with a shrieking robotic baby swung over his shoulder. "But with a diaper, there is no confusion."

The boys laugh at Elson's comment. There is a clear camaraderie between Elson and his class. The students know his daughter's favourite song (Justin Bieber's 'Baby') and her favourite words ("Kaboom!"). The students learn in this class that little Cosette has just learned to say 'banana.'

The robot baby is crying again. This time, Elson knows it needs to be burped. "Sometimes, you go to town," he said. "And sometimes you hold back." After a successful burping, Elson demonstrates the 'football' hold before wrapping up the lesson.

"There is no reason not to be a hands-on father," he said, enforcing one of the main messages to his students. The fatherhood course won't be offered in the winter semester this school year, but will resume next fall.

Elson is going to practise what he's teaching — he's taking time off to be a stay-at-home dad to his daughter.

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Foster parents urgently needed in Hamilton

'When it comes to finding homes for children under five, we are in crisis'

By Denise Davy, special to CBC News

Posted: Nov 26, 2012 8:23 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 26, 2012 8:22 AM ET

 

Rachel Threlkeld, Homes for Kids coordinator, talks to foster parent Brenda. (Denise Davy)

Irene Smith laughs as she gently burrows her nose into the little girl's cheek. The 16-month-old girl sits there passively on Irene's lap. More cuddles and tickles from Irene. The little girl is still as a doll. Irene wraps her slim arms around the girl, like a comforting cocoon, and plants a kiss on top of her head.

The little girl is one of 60 foster children Irene has cared for over the last 17 years. Most have been crack babies, born with an addiction to crack, heroin or prescription drugs. This little girl's mother was addicted to painkillers.

The drugs worked their way out of her tiny body but the damage was done. At night, the little girl still wakes up and lets out high-pitched screams, like a distressed cat. It takes a deep well of patience to nurture a child through drug withdrawal and Irene has it.

"I discovered I had a knack for it after I took my first drug baby in," says Irene, who asked her real last name not be used.

Irene says all of her foster kids have been "special to me." So special that she adopted five of them. That includes her 16-year-old daughter who is now an A plus student. Irene is one of 180 foster parents in Hamilton. The Children's Aid Society needs more and is hoping to draw prospective foster parents out to an information session this week.

With 620 children in care and 24, on average, coming into care each month, many more homes are needed. "We are literally scrambling every day to find homes," said Rachel Threlkeld, coordinator of Homes for Kids, Children's Aid Society of Hamilton.

More than one quarter of the children in care are five years old and under and require a stay-at-home parent to foster them. Part of what makes it tough to find enough homes in Hamilton is that most parents work. "When it comes to finding homes for children under five, we are in crisis," said Threlkeld.

When they run out of spaces in Hamilton, they take the child to a home outside of the area or double them up in a foster home for a few days. They don't like to do that. The child has had enough instability in their lives already.

Threlkeld said most of the children are physically healthy but often have emotional scars because they've been in neglectful or abusive homes. Irene knows all about the scars. Prenatal exposure to crack cocaine can have long term effects on brain development.

Many cry non stop or are unresponsive, like the 16-month-old girl. Irene has also seen the difference that a loving, stable environment can make. She's seen many of her babies thrive. She recognizes that the time they have with her is a time to help them.

When they find a new home, she sends them off with a scrapbook she's kept for them and holds a celebration party. Brenda has been a foster parent for 10 years. She has cared for seven children. Some children remain in foster care for a few days while others, like the two and a half year old boy in her home now, has been here for two years.

The time can be longer if the CAS is trying to work with birth parents to help them build the skills to become effective parents. "I look at what I can do in the short time I have them," said Brenda. "It comes down to knowing you're making a difference in a child's life."

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Hamilton Bulldogs lose Lake Eerie Monsters

The Canadian Press

Posted: Nov 26, 2012 10:13 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 26, 2012 10:15 AM ET

 

Sami Aittokallio stopped 41 shots as the Lake Erie Monsters defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-1 in American Hockey League action Sunday.

Bill Thomas' first-period goal stood as the winner for the Monsters (10-7-2), while David van der Gulik, Patrick Bordeleau and Mark Olver also scored. Lake Erie snapped a five-game losing streak with the victory.

Aaron Palushaj scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs (6-8-2), while Robert Mayer made 13 saves in relief of starting goaltender Cedrick Desjardins.

The Monsters took advantage of a lucky bounce to open the scoring at 5:22 of the first.

Thomas jockeyed for position with a Bulldogs defenceman before the puck bounced away from him and onto the stick of Van der Gulik in the low slot. The Lake Erie forward snapped a quick shot past the unprepared Desjardins.

The Monsters doubled their lead after a glaring defensive lapse by the Bulldogs.

Defenceman Sean Sullivan found Thomas with an outlet pass and the winger carried the puck through Hamilton's zone uncontested before tucking it past Desjardins at 14:24.

Lake Erie added its third goal of the game at 3:40 of the second period, when Bordeleau's wristshot from a bad angle fooled Desjardins and fluttered past his outstretched glove.

The goal was Bordeleau's first of the season.

The evening worsened for the hosts when the Monsters scored their fourth goal of the game at 10:28 of the second.

Olver carried the puck across the blue-line with the Bulldogs retreating in front of him before firing a wrist shot into the top corner to Desjardins' glove side. The Hamilton goaltender was removed in favour of Mayer, having allowed four goals on 14 shots.

The hosts scored their only goal of the game at 17:57 of the second, when Gabriel Dumont's centring pass from the far corner found its way to Palushaj outside the crease and the winger snapped the puck past Aittokallio.

The Bulldogs out-shot the Monsters 20-6 in the second period.

Hamilton's struggling power-play unit went 0 for 5 on Sunday, and has now converted on only six of 72 man-advantages this season (8.3 per cent), the second-lowest efficiency rate in the AHL.

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Police continue to comb field for missing woman's body

CBC News

Posted: Nov 24, 2012 9:11 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 24, 2012 9:10 AM ET

Police and forensic experts spent a second day combing a field near Winona, Ont., on Friday searching for the remains of a Stoney Creek woman.

"They were out searching the field yesterday, but as far as I know they haven't found any remains," said Staff Sgt. Jack Langhorn.

Shirley Treadwell, a 62-year-old who had a mental disability, is believed to have died sometime in 2009. Police were alerted to Treadwell's death in July 2012.

Her niece and caregiver, Melinda Evans, was charged with commiting an indignity to a human body and fraud in September of this year. Evans allegedly disposed of her aunt's body and collected disability cheques, but police have yet to find Treadwell's remains.

An area of about 37 acres is now being searched, from Barton Street to Highway 8 and Glover Road to Jones Road.

Staff Sgt. Paul Evans said Thursday, "we're using a number of techniques because of this field and the terrain. We're moving fairly well through the field, but it is a lot of open field."

Hamilton police also called in University of Toronto forensic expert Dr. Tracy Rogers, director of forensic anthropology, and 14 of her students to help with the search. Rogers told CBC Hamilton that her expertise is in locating and identifying human remains and burial sites, looking for things that police might otherwise miss.

Evans wouldn't say what prompted police to search the fields.

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Man stabbed in Hamilton's Hess Village

CBC News

Posted: Nov 24, 2012 10:17 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 24, 2012 10:16 AM ET

 

A man was stabbed in Hess Village early Saturday morning, police say.

Officers were called to George Street in Hamilton around 2:30 a.m.

There had been an altercation between a group of people in the area and a man was stabbed, police say.

A 23-year-old Hamilton man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police haven't yet determined how many individuals were involved.

No one has been charged, police say. The investigation is ongoing.

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Hamilton Police seek $7.1M budget increase

By Adam Carter, CBC News

Posted: Nov 24, 2012 4:11 PM ET

Last Updated: Nov 24, 2012 4:29 PM ET

 

The Hamilton Police Service is looking for a $7.1 million increase for its 2013 operating budget — something some councilors say the city simply can't afford.

The increase amounts to a 5.25 per cent raise over the 2012 operating budget, according to a report released Friday. It would bring the total police budget to $143 million next year.

"Policing is a people-based business and that is reflected in the composition of the 2013 Hamilton Police Service Budget," the report says.

$6.57 million of the increase would go towards salaries and benefits, according to the report.

The 2013 budget also includes a recommended staffing increase of 20 officers and one full-time civilian member. There are currently 794 officers on the force alongside 281 civilian staff.

"I've been a strong supporter of public safety and by extension the Hamilton Police Service budgets in the past," said Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla. "Having said that, it is disconcerting that the requested increases annually are not consistent with the remainder of our city departments."

Previously, departments and agencies had been asked to abide by a zero per cent budget increase policy.

Waning support

Ward 8 Coun. Terry Whitehead said the sentiment towards broad acceptance for police expenditures in Hamilton is changing.

"When I go out to community meetings now, I'm hearing that people are starting to get frustrated," Whitehead said.

"The problem is 80 per cent of this budget is salary."

As outlined in the Ontario Police Services Act, council can either adopt the police budget as a whole or reject it outright. They have no authority to manage individual expenditures.

If council rejects the budget request, it would likely be determined through arbitration.

Whitehead is a member of the police board, and told CBC Hamilton that the city "absolutely could not afford," this proposed price hike.

He also said there needs to be a change in policing policy at the provincial level to help offset costs for municipalities.

"Part of the problem lies in the Arbitration Act," he said. "Should we be covering a marine unit or should the RCMP? Then what about the airport?"

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson simply called the budget request "unaffordable."

"I expect the police to settle with the union at the same levels for all other city employees," he said.

The budget will be presented to the Hamilton Police Services Board at a meeting on Tuesday at City Hall.

Councillors will then debate the proposal during 2013 budget deliberations.

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Man sent to hospital after home invasion, beating

By Adam Carter, CBC News

Posted: Nov 25, 2012 9:40 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2012 9:39 AM ET

 

Three masked men beat a man in his east end residence early Sunday, and police aren't yet sure why they did it.

Around 3:20 a.m., three men wearing masks forced their way into a home on Cochrane Road.

"They had some sort of firearm," said Staff Sgt. Jack Langhorn. "Whether or not it was real, we can't be sure."

The three men assaulted the male resident of the home and went through his belongings.

"It was a beating," Langhorn said. "And it's apparent they did rummage through his belongings."

The man was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Langhorn said the victim wasn't able to speak because of his injuries, so police aren't yet sure what, if anything, was taken.

The police forensics unit is currently on scene collecting fingerprints and information.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Hamilton firefighters save man trapped in burning apartment

CBC News

Posted: Nov 25, 2012 10:06 AM ET

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2012 10:05 AM ET

 

A man has been sent to hospital with serious injuries after firefighters found him collapsed in a burning basement early Sunday.

Just before 5:30 a.m., fire crews received word of a man trapped in a basement apartment fire on Cloverdale Avenue.

Firefighters forced their way inside the apartment and found the man collapsed by a set of stairs.

Paramedics transported the man to Hamilton General Hospital in serious condition. "But he is expected to survive," said Staff Sgt. Jack Langhorn.

Firefighters aren't yet sure what caused the fire, which resulted in heavy smoke conditions.

"From what I saw, it was confined mostly to the basement," said fire official Dave Christopher.

The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in because of the serious injury to the resident. Officials did not yet have a dollar figure for the damage the fire caused.

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