Hamilton's air quality lagging behind as province's improves

The provincial Ministry of the Environment has released its annual air quality report for 2013, and though there are some improvements, Hamilton's air quality is still among the worst in the province in some categories.

The report touts overall improvements in air quality across the province over the past 10 years as levels of pollutants and greenhouse gas pollution continue to decrease.

But within that trend, Hamilton's picture is a less positive one for some key pollutants.

Ozone levels in the city have risen sharply in the last 20 years, the report shows. The annual mean for ozone levels downtown rose 62 per cent in the last two decades, and jumped 43 per cent on the Mountain and 41 per cent in the west end, respectively.

In the last 10 years, ozone levels in the west end have risen 23 per cent, which is the highest such jump in the province.

Ozone is a colourless, odourless gas and is a major component of smog. The report calls ozone at the ground level a "significant environmental and health concern."

On the upside, smog days in Hamilton have taken a significant dip in recent years. There were 45 smog days in 2005, compared to just two in 2013, and that was due to forest fire smoke that originated in northwestern Quebec, the ministry says.

The city recorded "very good to good" air quality 90 per cent of the time, the ministry added.

Across the province, annual averages of fine particulate matter were down by 30 per cent. But amid that fall, Hamilton remains an area with high particulate levels.

In fact, downtown Hamilton recorded the highest levels of particulate matter in the province in 2013, the report shows – and those levels have risen since 2004. Particulate matter includes aerosols, smoke, fumes, dust, fly ash and pollen.

Major sources of particulate matter include cars, smelters and industrial facilities. "Due to their small size, they can penetrate deep into the lungs," the report reads. 

Downtown Hamilton also had the highest mean concentration of sulphur dioxide in the province, beating out even Sarnia.

On the plus side, nitrogen dioxide is down 37 per cent in the city and carbon monoxide dropped by 50 per cent.

"Cleaner air is important to all people of Ontario and lowers the health risks associated with pollution such as asthma and other respiratory diseases," said ministry spokesperson Lindsay Davidson in a statement.

"The report confirms that actions like the phase-out of coal, emissions trading regulations, industrial air standards and Drive Clean are working and our air quality is improving," she said.

adam.carter@cbc.ca |  AdamCarterCBC

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Port Fuels plant: City wants the province to take a closer look

Hamilton city councillors want the province to give extra scrutiny to a proposed gasification plant to make sure the project won't cause health or environmental damage to the city's residents.

But the chances of that review actually happening are slim.

The general issues committee voted on Wednesday to ask the Ministry of Environment for a full environmental assessment of the proposed Port Fuels and Materials Services Inc. energy-from-waste plant.

A city-hired consultant says the project still has question marks, such as the amount of emissions it will cause and how it will handle various types of waste. And the technology, Gasplasma, is largely untested on the scale that Port Fuels is proposing for Hamilton's waterfront.

'The residents of Hamilton deserve better than being guinea pigs to private equity and profit.'- Coun. Matthew Green

But such full assessments, known as "bump ups," don't happen often, said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. And at the meeting Wednesday, city consultant Peter Pickfield said there was a "slight" chance of it happening.

That's why the motion also included asking Port Fuels to give the city and province more information on the project, as an alternative in case the bump up isn't granted, Eisenberger said.

"It's in the hands of the province at the end of the day," he said. "The Ministry of Environment is going to make the best decision on this, and they will determine whether it needs to be done."

The bump up request is the latest in a series of actions the city has taken to try to have a say in the project, which would manufacture industrial waste from around the harbour.

The Hamilton Port Authority will give final approval to the lease. The waterfront project already complies with the city's zoning bylaw, which is necessary for a building permit, so councillors won't be able to vote on that either.

'Serious trust issues'

But many councillors are against the project. This includes Coun. Matthew Green of Ward 3, who tabled a motion Wednesday to formally oppose the plant. He also wanted to put a moratorium on doing any kind of business with Port Fuels if the province doesn't grant a bump up.

"The residents of Hamilton deserve better than being guinea pigs to private equity and profit," said Green, who says he has "serious trust issues" with the company.

'I don't want to scare away investors, but we need to have standards.'- Coun. Chad Collins

Councillors put off Green's motion until the city hears back about the bump up. But Coun. Chad Collins of Ward 5 joined him in opposing the project, saying the city's lax and outdated industrial zoning laws allow Hamilton to be "a city of last resort" for waste facilities.

Hamilton has become "the waste capital of Canada," he said.

"I don't want to scare away investors, but we need to have standards," he said. "And I'm not sure what (Port Fuels is) proposing meets the standards we need to adopt immediately."

City doesn't need to 'bend over'

Coun. Sam Merulla of Ward 4 opposed it too, calling it a "vision of yesterday."

"It's too easy to bend over for everyone who comes here saying they're going to give us money."

Robert Clark of Port Fuels said afterward that a bump up isn't needed. The province already had the company do an environmental screening process, which uses the same criteria, he said. So it doesn't need the same information again.

"We maintain that we don't need one," he said.

'If we're going to be innovative, as we say we are in our mission statement, we can't keep shutting the door on anything that's creative and innovative.'- Mayor Fred Eisenberger

The city hired its own consultant, WSP, to do an environmental assessment. WSP had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to access technical information about the proposed plant. Because of that, said David MacGillivray of WSP, Port Fuels isn't allowing the public to see the full technical report.

Clark defended the decision, saying the full report contains "trade secrets."

Mayor calls the project 'intriguing'

In its report, WSP posed 11 questions about the Port Fuels project. Clark said his company is already in the process of answering them.

The city expects to wait months before it hears whether the province will grant the bump up request. When it does, Green will reintroduce his motion.  

Eisenberger said Wednesday that he wouldn't support that motion. He wants to keep his mind open to alternatives to garbage going into local landfills.

"The technology is intriguing," he said.

"If we're going to be innovative, as we say we are in our mission statement, we can't keep shutting the door on anything that's creative and innovative."

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Hamilton cop faces Police Act charges over benefits, ammunition and licence plates

A veteran Hamilton police officer is awaiting 700 pages of documents from police counsel on five Police Services Act charges related to employee benefits, ammunition and licence plates.

A PSA hearing for Jason Howard, a Division 3 sergeant, was pushed back Thursday. The two sides are expected to reconvene in a month to set a hearing date. He's charged with two counts of discreditable conduct and three counts of insubordination.

Howard has been suspended with pay since April 2014.

Police documents allege that Howard submitted two false claims to his benefits carrier, Manulife Financial between Jan. 2 and Oct. 2, 2013.

Documents also say that Howard didn't surrender ammunition, or submit reports around found licence plates to police or the Ministry of Transportation.

Howard, 43, of St. Catharines has been a member of Hamilton Police Service for 15 years.

Hamilton Police counsel Marco Visentini said he had sent documentation Howard's lawyer should review — some 700 pages. The next hearing date is scheduled for May 14, where a trial date for Howard is expected to be set.

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Brandon Clark hasn't woken up since his third surgery

The son of former city councillor Brad Clark was taken out of a medically-induced coma earlier this week as doctors worked to repair the damage caused by a shotgun blast at close range — but he still hasn't woken up since his third surgery on Monday.

Clark posted an update on Facebook Wednesday night about his son, Brandon, and asked that people continue to pray for his family.

"He did not wake up today as we had hoped and has a fever," Clark wrote. "We pray that tomorrow brings a better day."

This week, police have been combing the computer and other belongings of a 25-year-old man who opened fire in a Queenston Road apartment on Sunday, leaving four people injured before turning the weapon on himself. Police are looking for clues as to what led to the tragic attack. 

Friends and family of the shooter told police he'd expressed frustration at "ongoing noise issues" in the apartment directly above his, police say, though no noise complaints had been filed with the police or the property management company.

Police say a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire. (David Ritchie/CBC)

The shooter died as a result of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. In a recent Facebook post, Clark also asked people to pray for his family.

"I am respectfully asking you to keep him and his family in your prayers," he said. "I forgave him his transgressions Sunday morning and I have included his family in my prayers."

"This was a senseless tragedy where five lives, five families have been changed and scarred forever."

Police did not disclose his name, but a family member told CBC Hamilton that the shooter's name was Fred Pearce. In an obituary for Pearce, his mother, Tammy Fletcher, said, "Fred was very loved but did not realize how much."

According to police, a man showed up at a third floor apartment with a shotgun during a gathering at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire.

Clark and his friend Scott Morin were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds, while another man and a woman were injured jumping off the third-floor balcony to escape.

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This is your brain on whisky

This is your brain on whisky: its sluggish, predictable, non-chaotic, linear and neurochemical messages never reach their intended targets. Your brain on whisky, and all alcohol for that matter, is simple less adaptable.

"Your brain is healthiest when it's more chaotic and more non-linear, and any alcohol can take your brain out of that complex state," said Dr. Michael Noseworthy, an imaging specialist from McMaster University. "When your synapses aren't firing, your adaptation is going to be sluggish."

That inability to adapt is what got Noseworthy and researcher Alex Weber thinking about alcohol and the brain. They were wondering if Canada's alcohol laws with respect to driving accurately measure the amount of alcohol in the brain, and what impact an amount of alcohol has on the brain as a whole.

For an imaging specialist like Noseworthy, with 26-years in the field and the title of co-­director of McMaster's School of Biomedical Engineering, the question was not just how much alcohol was in the brain, but more how does it impact the brain's ability to react.

In Canada, the legal limit of of alcohol in the blood while driving is no greater than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Breathalysers measure the amount of alcohol in the blood, but not necessarily the brain, Noseworthy said.

And while exploring the effects of alcohol started their research, it takes a drastically different step later on. They know that the brain is sluggish in certain diseases like Alzheimer's, and for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (something called "Chemo brain"), but they had to develop a test to prove that fact and research why.

Which brought Noseworthy back to the liquor cabinet. In this case, it was a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey in his office (a gift from a former student, he said) which served as the perfect tool to develop a baseline sensitivity test for a sluggish brain. 

Their methodology: take an MRI of the baseline brain, add six ounces of whisky, test, and then test again after an hour and a half.

By using blood oxygen level-dependent imaging they were able to detect the amount of activity which was going on in the brain. Immediately after the 14 participants downed nearly half a mickey of Bushmills, the brain showed considerably less chaos. Ninety minutes later, the brain's normal chaotic state began to return.

"The alcohol makes the brain become really sluggish and less adaptable," Noseworthy said.

Less adaptability means a driver would have less of a chance of hitting the brakes in time, or at all.

Those findings, which were published in August in the journal, Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine, could lead Noseworthy to a better understanding of how much alcohol a person could have to perform a function such as driving by measuring the adaptiveness of the brain. It could also lead him to better understand the impacts of other drug treatments, too.

"We now have a technique that's sensitive to this complexity of the brain, now we're going forward with measuring it in diseases," Noseworthy said.

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Stoney Creek pharmacy robbery makes 13 so far this year

There have now been more pharmacy robberies so far in 2015 than in any of the previous four years

By Kelly Bennett, CBC News Posted: Apr 14, 2015 2:58 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 14, 2015 2:58 PM ET

Hamilton police are looking for a suspect in the latest in a series of pharmacy robberies. A Friday afternoon robbery made 13 so far in 2015, nearly double the seven pharmacy robberies in all of last year.

There have now been more pharmacy robberies in just the four months of 2015 than in any of the previous four years.

Police say a white man around 5-foot-3 in his 20s walked into a pharmacy at 311 Fruitland Road and demanded the pharmacist turn over narcotics. Police didn't say how much the suspect stole or in which direction he ran. There were no injuries and police are still investigating.

Illegal use of prescription opioids is the city's fastest growing drug problem and one that is playing a growing role in thefts and petty crime as addicts seek drugs and money to feed their habits.

The robberies aren't isolated to any one part of town. Hamilton Police published this map showing where the 13 robberies have taken place. One location, 712 Mohawk Rd. E., was targeted three times, and last month police were looking for one suspect they believe was behind all three. 

Police say anyone with information can contact police at 905.546.2991. To provide information anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477 or submit your tips online.

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Man who broke leg at super mailbox has a message for Canada Post

It was around noon, a week after a huge snow storm hit Hamilton, when Alex Tocher broke his ankle in three places when he stopped to get his mail.

The west Mountain resident pulled up to his local super mailbox, located about 50 metres from his house. He stepped into a snow bank lining the edge of the sidewalk, grabbed his mail and retraced his steps. But when he did, he twisted and broke his ankle in the snow.

It's an incident that has led Tocher, 69, to issue a call to Canada Post as it begins installing more community mailboxes on the Mountain.

"Keep them clear," he said. "At least have somewhere where people can enter to get their mail. And some people, if they're disabled or if they're elderly, I think it should be delivered somehow."

Super mail boxes are an issue at the front of councillors' minds as they prepare to lay down the law with Canada Post on Wednesday. City council has been a vocal opponent of the plan to stop urban mail delivery and replace them with community mailboxes.

'We've provided information over the last 10 months, and now we're at a point where we need to move forward."- Jon Hamilton, Canada Post

To that end, the city voted in February to amend a bylaw to include where community mailboxes can go. But on Monday, before the city could even pass it, Canada Post sent a letter saying that it was starting to install community mailboxes for some 36,000 customers on the Mountain. So city council will likely rush Wednesday to pass its bylaw.

As for Tocher, he doesn't mind community mailboxes. He's had one since the 1995, when he moved into his Adele Court home. His concern is that the corporation doesn't clear the snow in front of them in a timely fashion. As more community mailboxes are installed, he said, more people are at risk of being in his predicament.

It's a predicament that he's struggled with since Feb. 9, when the incident happened.

Breaking his ankle, he said, brought a pain that was "just unbelievable." His neighbour found him in the snow bank in intense pain and took him to the hospital. He's had surgery and spent two months in a cast.

A concern 'from day one'

He's finally graduated to a firm leg brace, but he can't return to his twice-weekly job as a shuttle driver until May, he said. He's only recently been able to get up the stairs. A container on his living room table contains 10 bottles of pills, including vitamins and prescriptions.

Tocher called Canada Post about his fall. They got details and didn't call back, he said. Someone also informed the office of Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8, who argues against community mailboxes.

Whitehead said part of his objection is because of the risk to residents as they try to navigate snow-covered sidewalks in front of the mailboxes, much like Tocher did.

"It's a concern I've raised from day one," he said. "Will this expose the city to a higher risk? The answer from our legal (team) is yes."

Snow clearance shouldn't be a concern as more community mailboxes are installed, said Jon Hamilton, Canada Post spokesperson.

$25 million to clear snow

He hadn't heard of Tocher's specific case. But it's the corporation's responsibility to take care of snow clearing, he said, and it has a budget of more than $25 million per year to do so.

It hires contractors to do the job. If people have concerns, he said, they can contact Canada Post.

"If it's a one off, we clean it up," he said. "If it's an ongoing thing, where we're continuing to identify an area where we have an issue, we need to rectify that. We are responsible for clearing the snow and providing safe access in the winter."

That clear access includes the sidewalk in front of the community mailbox. In some cases, it includes the snow bank along the curb's edge if the mailbox faces the street — as it does in Tocher's case.

"It depends on the configuration," Hamilton said.

As for city council, it will vote on its bylaw at a special council meeting on Wednesday. But it's unclear whether it will even make a difference.

Unknown whether the bylaw will even make a difference

When asked, Hamilton would only say that Canada Post works with municipalities on where to install the boxes. He also said that Canada Post surveyed residents on the Mountain, which provided the corporation with plenty of feedback.

"We will be monitoring and we will continue to operate under the laws that govern postal services in this country," he said.

As for why it couldn't wait for the bylaw, Hamilton said Canada Post needs to move forward.

"Ultimately, we would have liked to worked more collaboratively throughout the process. We've put out many offers," he said.

"We've provided maps. We've provided information over the last 10 months, and now we're at a point where we need to move forward."

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC

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Police search gunman's apartment and computer to understand why

Hamilton police are combing the computer and other belongings of a 25-year-old man who opened fire in a Queenston Road apartment Sunday, leaving four people injured before turning the weapon on himself.

Police are looking for clues as to what led to the tragic attack. 

"We're analyzing [the shooter's belongings] just to see if it sheds any light on the 'why,'" said Detective Paul Hamilton on Tuesday.

'Sadly, all of the victims including Brandon remember every terrifying moment.'- Brad Clark 

Friends and family of the shooter told police he'd expressed frustration at "ongoing noise issues" in the apartment directly above his, Hamilton said.

"I don't think it's random," Hamilton said. "Obviously, the deceased had some animosity towards the victim, definitely not deserving of anything of this nature."

No noise complaints had been filed with the police or the property management company, Hamilton said. The shooter died as a result of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

"An incident like this is very alarming to the community," Hamilton said, "but I would like to reassure the community that incidents like this are very rare."

Police did not disclose his name, but a family member told CBC Hamilton that the shooter's name was Fred Pearce. In an obituary for Pearce, his mother, Tammy Fletcher, said, "Fred was very loved but did not realize how much." 

Hamilton said he's not sure whether the shooter knew any of the people at the party but said he expected he and the victim who lived in the apartment "crossed paths at some point." 

Hamilton said the police have not "seen any documented information that there's any past mental health issues" with the deceased. "We're hoping that going through the deceased's computer will shed some light on what his state of mind is, why he felt this way to come to this point."

Hamilton said the police have talked with each of the four victims but said they haven't yet taken any formal statements from them.

One of the victim's fathers says they all remember "every terrifying moment."

Former city councillor Brad Clark's son Brandon is in a medically induced coma in intensive care after undergoing his third surgery to repair damage from a shotgun blast to the back, Clark wrote in a statement.

Just before the surgery he was taken off a respirator and was breathing on his own, and that meant he could finally communicate with his parents.

"Sadly, all of the victims including Brandon remember every terrifying moment," Clark wrote. "It's been another emotional day, but he is alive!"

According to police, a man showed up at a third floor apartment with a shotgun during a gathering at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire.

Clark and his friend Scott Morin were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds, while another man and a woman were injured jumping off the third-floor balcony to escape.

Police say a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire. (David Ritchie/CBC)

Many questions remain surrounding the incident. 

In a previous statement, Clark called the incident a "random act of violence."

Pearce's cousin Danielle Barwell told CBC Hamilton that partying and noise might have caused things to escalate. "Nobody knows what happened," she said.

"He was a good person who kept to himself," she said. "That's not like him at all."

Resident Edye Carpenter heard the events unfold from her apartment down the hall.

"I don't know who phoned 911, I was going to, but I was afraid to go to the door," said Carpenter.

"I heard a guy say, 'I'm going to bash your head in the wall.' After that it kind of quieted, and then it escalated again."

"And then I heard 'pop pop' and a woman scream twice."

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Budget airline NewLeaf Travel wants to make Hamilton a hub

An Ontario businessman with a career in airlines and hotels says he hopes his ultra-low-cost airline, NewLeaf Travel Co., will have its eastern stop in Hamilton. 

"The idea is that we are trying to lower the airfares," said Jim Young. "We're focusing on secondary airports. We don't like high-cost airports like Vancouver, Calgary, (Toronto) Pearson." In the west, Young is aiming to fly into Abbotsford, B.C., instead of Vancouver International.

Young said he hopes to launch this summer on "unserved and underserved routes." 

The idea comes as Air Canada is preparing to launch discount "Rouge" flights between Hamilton and Calgary in June. 

Jim Young released the company logo. (NewLeaf Travel Co.)

NewLeaf is one of several ultra-low-cost airlines in Canada trying to leap from the backs of napkins to the runway.

Young should know; for six months he was head of Canadian Jetlines, another aspiring ultra-low-cost carrier that has said it wants to make Hamilton its eastern hub. There's a difference, he says. 

Jetlines is starting from "a clean sheet of paper, whereas [Newleaf has] taken a more partnership approach," Young said.

The company is partnering with Kelowna, B.C.-based Flair Airlines, a private charter airline, for aircraft, maintenance and crews. Rather than buying planes from scratch, partnering with Flair will cut out some of the operational hurdles to getting a new airline off the ground, Young hopes.

Lauren Yaksich, director of marketing for the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport said discussions with NewLeaf are so far confidential, but said the airport is hoping to be the southern Ontario home for a low-cost airline like NewLeaf or another. 

'Fly local, pay local'

The company hopes to look like the budget Ryanair in Europe, or Spirit or Allegiant airlines in the United States. 

The company will sell packages with hotels and rental cars to Canadian and U.S. holiday destinations. But it will also hope to fill a low-cost flight niche for barebones customers looking for "a seat and a seatbelt" for casual travel. 

Young eyes the market for Ontario residents who drive past Hamilton's airport on their way to fly from Buffalo and Niagara Falls in the U.S. He pegged that contingent at more than 5 million people annually, and said he hopes that NewLeaf could help convince them to "fly local, pay local."

Young has had tenures at Frontier, Canadian and Continental airlines. He started an outfit in Chicago called Festival Airlines that was eventually taken down by high oil prices and the financial collapse. He was also an executive at Frontier Airlines. He spent some time in England at a hotels group. 

Having built, restructured and even closed airlines, Young said he admits there's cynicism about would-be airlines. 

But for about nine months, he and the NewLeaf team have been strategizing their entry into the market, potentially this summer. They flew skiers from the GTA out to B.C. resorts in ski season. 

'Hey, we're thinking of starting an airline!'

NewLeaf has tried to fly under the radar while recruiting investors, talking with the Hamilton airport and running some test flights. 

"We just haven't come out and said anything," Young said. 

Young said after 25 years in the airline and hospitality industries, he didn't want to come on too strong at the outset. 

"I've seen so many of these 'Hey, we're thinking of starting an airline!' and then it's 'Wait for it, wait for it...'" he said. 

He said flight regulators won't allow him to release exact routes or prices until they're actually for sale.

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Hamilton human trafficking kingpin Domotor deported to Hungary

The kingpin of what has been called Canada's largest human trafficking ring was deported to Hungary on April 10, the Canada Border Services Agency announced Tuesday.

Ferenc Domotor, Sr., was deported to Hungary on April 10.

The deportation of Ferenc Domotor, Sr., came a year after 20 others involved in the ring were deported. 

Public safety minister Steven Blaney commended the agency for working to ensure "that Canadians are safe from a despicable crime that preys on the most vulnerable."

"This investigation has come to a fitting conclusion with the removal of those responsible for the misery of others," said Steve Martin, inspector in charge for the Hamilton/Niagara RCMP detachment said. 

The Domotor-Kolompar criminal organization brought as many as 19 victims from Hungary to the Hamilton area, forced them to work against their will from dawn to dusk, held them in basements and fed them food scraps.

In April 2012, Domotor was sentenced to nine years after he pleaded guilty to being part of a criminal organization, conspiracy to traffic in human beings and coercing victims to mislead immigration authorities. 

Domotor's brother, Gyula Domotor, has not been deported because he is the only member of the criminal organization with Canadian citizenship.

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Police not answering questions as victims recover from shotgun attack

Hamilton police are not answering questions about last weekend's tragic shotgun attack that left four people injured – but one of the victim's father's says they all remember "every terrifying moment."

Former city councillor Brad Clark's son Brandon is in a medically induced coma in intensive care after undergoing his third surgery to repair damage from a shotgun blast to the back, Clark wrote in a statement.

Just before the surgery he was taken off a respirator and was breathing on his own, and that meant he could finally communicate with his parents.

"Sadly, all of the victims including Brandon remember every terrifying moment," Clark wrote. "It's been another emotional day, but he is alive!"

According to police, a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire.

Clark and his friend Scott Morin were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds, while another man and a woman were injured jumping off the third-floor balcony to escape.

Police say a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire. (David Ritchie/CBC)

Many questions remain surrounding the incident, but police did not answer multiple calls or emails requesting information on Monday.

The gunman was also shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, police say. Police did not say if someone had returned fire or if the gunman's fatal wound was self-inflicted. They are not, however, seeking any suspects.

In a previous statement, Clark called the incident a "random act of violence." The gunman's cousin Danielle Barwell told CBC Hamilton that partying and noise might have caused things to escalate.

She didn't know how her cousin died. "Nobody knows what happened," she said.

"He was a good person who kept to himself," she said. "That's not like him at all."

Police have not yet said whether or not mental health issues were a factor.

Resident Edye Carpenter heard the events unfold from her apartment down the hall.

"I don't know who phoned 911, I was going to, but I was afraid to go to the door," said Carpenter.

"I heard a guy say, 'I'm going to bash your head in the wall.' After that it kind of quieted, and then it escalated again."

"And then I heard 'pop pop' and a woman scream twice."

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Tightest Hamilton rental market since 2002 halts condo conversions

A two-year moratorium on apartment building conversions to condos is in place after Hamilton's apartment vacancy rate dipped to its tightest level in more than a decade, a report presented Monday at a council committee advised.

The vacancy rate for two-bedroom apartments in the city of Hamilton was 1.6 per cent in 2014, according to numbers generated specifically for the city by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. 

2014 was the lowest vacancy rate for Hamilton apartments since 2002. (City of Hamilton/CMHC)

City policy stipulates the vacancy rate has to be higher than 2 percent when an apartment is converted to a for-sale condo, and must still be above 2 per cent after the conversion. A healthy rental market has between 2 and 3 per cent of its apartments sitting vacant. 

That 1.6 per cent vacancy for two-bedroom apartments means that condo conversions of buildings holding many two-bedroom units will "not be permitted for 2015 and the next 24 months," according to the report.

There is one exception as of 2013. The landlord can convert the units if 75 per cent of the tenants support the conversion. City staff say that exception is warranted because the converted units can provide some affordable homeownership options. But they are working on a policy to "make sure the tenants know their rights" and that addresses a "fear of coercion," said housing policy analyst Kirstin Maxwell. 

A map of the city shows average market rents and vacancy rates. The highest average rent is $1,002 in Ancaster, Glanbrook and Flamborough. The lowest rent is $712 in central-east Hamilton. (City of Hamilton/CMHC)

'Greater risk of homelessness and of general hardship'

Nearly 2,000 apartments have been taken out of the rental stock over the past decade as developers have converted them into condos, the report said.

Since the 1980s, private market developers have not found it profitable to build apartments, according to the city. "Almost all of the new rental units that have been built in Hamilton since that time (813 affordable units) have been supported by government programs," the report said.

New condos and some apartments are coming to the market, but they'll mostly target the top end of the price spectrum, city staff said.

Hamilton's overall rental vacancy rate fell sharply to 2.3 per cent in 2014 from 3.9 per cent the year before, according to new numbers from CMHC released to city officials. The only parts of the city with more than 2 per cent vacancy were west, central and central-east Hamilton. 

That tightness leads to less choice, rising rents and a lengthening wait list for subsidized housing. "More people are at greater risk of homelessness and of general hardship," the report said.

City staff warned councillors Monday it's becoming more difficult for housing workers to find affordable housing for their low-income clients. Landlords who were willing to rent to recipients of city housing subsidies "no longer want to refill subsidized units and it is difficult to attract new landlords to the programs," according to the report.

And the city may have to reevaluate its "housing allowance" program that gives a flat $200 to eligible households. In the past, "historically low rents" meant that amount was enough to help "many people to remain housed." 

Average rent for all apartment types across the city of Hamilton was $813 in 2014, according to CMHC. (City of Hamilton/CMHC)

'Adds to the impetus'

Maxwell said the stark numbers underscore the city's need to take the actions prescribed in its Housing and Homelessness Action Report, passed in 2013.

"This just adds to the impetus to do those things," she said. "It's a concern."

The CMHC data does not count the "secondary rental market," which means a large portion of what makes up the rental market in Hamilton — duplexes, split-level houses, rented private condos — is left out. The vacancy and price data in this report reflect only the vacancy and rents charged in buildings with six units or more built specifically to be rented as apartments. 

Still, the numbers paint a tough picture for low- and moderate-income renters. Average rent in all unit types was $813 across the city in 2014, up from $793 in 2013.

That 2014 number is a steep 15.8 per cent higher than the $702 it was in 2009. Landlords can only raise rents incrementally for the same tenant from year to year, but when they rent to a new tenant the rents can rise more significantly. 

Buildings with fewer than six units make up about one-third of Hamilton's rental housing stock. Councillors voted down a measure in 2013 that would have required landlords to register their units with the city. 

kelly.bennett@cbc.ca | @kellyrbennett

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Brad Clark's son facing third surgery after shotgun attack

Former city councillor Brad Clark's son has pulled through two surgeries after being shot at close range in the city's east end early Sunday — but he's now facing a third operation after his internal organs were "blown to bits."

Clark issued a statement about his son, Brandon, and Brandon's friend Scott Morin Monday morning. The two were hit with a shotgun blast in a seemingly random attack at Morin's apartment when another man showed up with a gun.

"Scott has pulled through his surgeries and is in stable condition," he said.

Brandon's injuries are more severe, but luckily, said Clark, there is no damage to his spinal chord. Clark issued a second statement Monday afternoon saying his son was now breathing on his own.

"His spleen, kidney, and upper and lower colon have been severely damaged," Clark wrote. "He remains in serious but stable condition. We were advised last night that he will need at least one more surgery scheduled for tomorrow to try and repair the organs that were blown to bits."

Police say a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire. (David Ritchie/CBC)

According to police, a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire. 

Clark and Morin were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds, while another man and a woman were injured jumping off the third-floor balcony to escape.

The gunman was also shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, police say. Police did not say if someone had returned fire or if the gunman's fatal wound was self-inflicted. They are not, however, seeking any suspects.

Clark called the incident a "random act of violence."

"These four friends are wonderful, hard-working citizens, who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Please pray for our son, Brandon and all of the victims," he said.

"We've been told that the deceased assailant was a mentally ill young man. Please pray for his family as they struggle with this personal tragedy."

Danielle Barwell is the dead man's cousin, and she told CBC Hamilton an act of violence like this wasn't characteristic of him at all.

"He avoided people in general, [and] kept to himself," she said. "[It] must have been all the partying and noise and he just couldn't handle it after while."

"He wasn't a bad person. Kept to himself and didn't like people in general. Nobody knows what happened."

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Transit deal: A cap on physiotherapy for bus drivers' bumpy rides

Among the most contentious pieces of a tentative deal struck between the city and Hamilton Street Railway bus drivers union to avoid a strike last week: A cap on the amount of physiotherapy the drivers can get.

The curb lane's potholes and storm drains make for a rough ride for the drivers, said Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107 president Eric Tuck. ATU 107 members will vote Wednesday whether to ratify the agreement, struck in the wee hours to avoid a strike last Thursday.

"As you can imagine if you've ever driven home in the curb lane, those lanes are just brutal," Tuck said. "It's like riding a bucking bronco. You do that for 8-10 hours a day over 10, 15 years, it really plays havoc on your back and your skeletal frame." 

The new, tentative agreement puts a yearly cap of $1,500 a year on the treatments, which at around $85 or $90 per session could mean the drivers get one physio appointment every month covered, Tuck said. Some drivers he knows rely on the appointments weekly to deal with the impacts of driving the bus. 

Tuck presented the terms of the new agreement Sunday to the drivers. The meeting "went fairly well," he said. 

But he expected and understood the measured response, he said — it's tough news to receive "anytime you're giving something up or you're getting a cap."

The committee also tentatively agreed to a four-year contract. That term, four years, was contentious as the drivers wanted to have a shorter or longer contract that wouldn't coincide with the next municipal election. 

Under the tentative deal, the drivers would receive a 1 per cent raise in the first year, with 2 per cent raises in the second, third and fourth year, with some "additional vacation improvements," according to city spokesman Michael Kirkopoulos. The top level driver in the four-step wage scale earns $29.44 per hour currently. 

The city also inserted language committing to provide "safe and reasonable schedules" for the drivers, and opened a pipeline for driver committees to submit suggestions and changes to make routes and passenger loads safer and more reasonable, Tuck said. New drivers would receive a $500 signing bonus under the tentative agreement. 

"From the City's perspective, we believe this is a fair deal and are grateful to the ATU for their hard work and in helping us collectively reach this agreement," Kirkopoulos said.

Part of what tipped the scales for the ATU negotiating committee to accept the deal was city council's recent commitment to invest $6 million in improving transit service. It showed the drivers that "yes, they're serious" about improvement transit, Tuck said.

"We've had 10 years of them running the system into the ground, and now council is finally ponying up," Tuck said. He said he hoped more money would come from provincial and federal governments. He said he hopes the city will reintroduce an idea to install onboard cameras.

The drivers will vote at the HSR Mountain garage between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Tuck said. "I'm hopeful it will pass."

If the vote passes, council will meet either in a special meeting this week or regularly scheduled meeting next week to ratify the agreement. 

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Tiny airline seats and tight rental market: Daystarter Tuesday

The rapidly shrinking airline seat may be profitable for the carriers, but the discomfort for passengers has drawn the attention of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An advisory committee will hear testimony today from expert witnesses, including the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, and the inventor of the Knee Defender, a gadget designed to prevent airline seats from reclining.

And it's tough times for people searching to rent in Hamilton. The vacancy rate for two-bedroom apartments in the city was just a 1.6 per cent in 2014, according to numbers generated specifically for the city by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. 

There are some slight delays on the Lakeshore West GO Train line this morning, and construction at Union and Burlington stations.

The intersection at Upper James and Rymal is expected to reopen at 7:30 a.m. after a collision downed a hydro pole.

Today's forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 17 C.

It will dip down to 3 C tonight with a few clouds, before heading back up to 13 C Wednesday.

Expect showers for much of the rest of the week.

Today's shot comes courtesy our own Adam Carter:

Among the most contentious pieces of a tentative deal struck between the city and Hamilton Street Railway bus drivers union to avoid a strike last week: A cap on the amount of physiotherapy the drivers can get.

The curb lane's potholes and storm drains make for a rough ride for the drivers, said Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107 president Eric Tuck. ATU 107 members will vote Wednesday whether to ratify the agreement, struck in the wee hours to avoid a strike last Thursday.

And a two-year moratorium on apartment building conversions to condos is in place after Hamilton's apartment vacancy rate dipped to its tightest level in more than a decade, a report presented Monday at a council committee advised.

The vacancy rate for two-bedroom apartments in the city of Hamilton was 1.6 per cent in 2014, according to numbers generated specifically for the city by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. 

Thanks for taking us to space, NASA:

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Ancaster woman, 82, hit by car near Brantford

CBC News Posted: Apr 13, 2015 9:15 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 13, 2015 9:15 AM ET

An 82-year-old woman from Ancaster, Ont. was hit by a car at this gas station on Saturday April 11, 2015. (Google Maps)

An 82-year old Ancaster woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle at a Pioneer gas station in Cainsville near Brantford on Saturday afternoon.

Brant County O-P-P are investigating. They say the vehicle was driven by a 28-year old Huron Park area man, but there's no word whether charges are pending.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. 

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'Demolition by neglect': Gore buildings rotting away

A strip of historic buildings lining Gore Park has endured two frigid winters exposed to the elements without heat, and now it's just a matter of time before they rot away, says the city's former head of heritage planning.

This lengthy saga between the city and Wilson Blanchard is turning into just what some feared – demolition by neglect, says Philip Hoad, the city's former manager of Heritage Facilities and Capital Planning.

"Leaving a building vacant and unheated is going to exponentially increase its deterioration," Hoad told CBC Hamilton. "The constant freeze-thaw cycle just blows apart the building materials."

'Now we build cheap so we can rape and pillage as much out of this stuff as we can – and then we die.'- Philip Hoad, former city manager of Heritage Facilities and Capital planning

"These century buildings are what gives a city its heart and soul. Well, the whole character and heart of the city has been ripped out and we're still ripping it out."

Hughson Business Space Corporation owns 18-28 King Street East, and bought the historic 19th century properties in 2000. The developer tried to demolish the buildings back in 2013, but a sudden city heritage designation halted the process.

Since then, it has been a back and forth between the city and developer David Blanchard over what to do with the buildings, and if pieces of them can be saved.

They've sat vacant since then, and time has not been kind. The old-growth wood and hand-built stone with its original mason signatures have faced two of Hamilton's harshest winters on record.

Pieces of the building's facades were removed and put in storage with the intention of saving them. Now moisture has started creeping into the buildings. There are broken, uncovered windows in some buildings, and pieces of the ceiling have collapsed and sent chunks of wood and plaster cascading to the floor in another.

Water running through buildings destroying them

That moisture and the freeze-thaw cycle will continue to eat away at the buildings, Hoad says, damaging the masonry and the wood while the interior finishes go moldy. Blanchard has said water has been running through the buildings for years, and now they're so moldy that it's unsafe to send his staff into them.

The city says the buildings are monitored every three months as part of the vacant buildings that municipal law enforcement officers check in on. Those officers, however, were not aware until Friday that one of the ceilings had collapsed.

The city also wouldn't divulge what is in the officer's reports from examining the Gore buildings.

"We have had ongoing talks with David Blanchard about obtaining access to look at the structural stability of the building," city spokesperson Ann Lamanes said in an email. Blanchard did not respond to requests for comment.

Lamanes declined to comment further, citing the ongoing dispute between the city and Blanchard that is before Conservation Review Board.

The matter is before the board because of Blanchard's exception to the city's vote to designate the strip as heritage properties.

Prehearings to start just before next winter

The Conservation Review Board is tasked to conduct hearings on the matter and make a recommendation to council on whether the designation should proceed.

The next prehearing conference is set for Dec. 3, 2015, by phone – just before the buildings will sit through yet another winter. There's no word on when the actual hearings would start.

The city has pre-approved $1.1 million in grants if the developer would accept the heritage designation, but Blanchard has said it would take double that to preserve them and he isn't interested unless someone else comes up with the additional cash.

"The buildings are collapsing as we speak," Blanchard said in a previous interview, while reminding that the city itself approved the initial demolition permits. "They want to keep the facades, fine. Someone will have to pay for that."

Hoad says the city has a responsibility to plan better than this. The old Gore buildings were made in a way that just isn't possible today, he says, from craftsmanship to materials.

"Now we build cheap so we can rape and pillage as much out of this stuff as we can – and then we die."

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Spring is (finally) here: Daystarter Monday

Though it has been weeks since our calendars officially flipped over to spring, this week it'll finally feel like it.

That's right: double digit temperatures for the entire week – and over 20 C forecasted for today!

It was a violent weekend in the city. One man is dead and others are injured – including the son of former Hamilton councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Clark.

Police are still investigating what happened.

Operational issues have caused some delays on the Lakeshore West GO train line.

There's also construction at the Burlington GO station and at Union station.

Here's what police are reporting on the roads:

• Collision: QEW Toronto bound at Niagara Street, St. Catharines - Fire on scene, left lane blocked. 7:23 a.m.

Today's forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud, becoming cloudy this afternoon with a few showers. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon.

Wind becoming south 20 km/h late this morning then southwest 40 gusting to 60. High 21 C. UV index 6 or high.

A few showers ending this evening then clearing, with a risk of a thunderstorm early this evening.

Tomorrow should be sunny with a high of 15 C.

Today's image comes courtesy Naief Almalki:

The son of former Ontario MPP and Hamilton city councillor Brad Clark is in serious condition after a shooting in the city's east end that left the gunman dead. 

Brandon Clark, 26, was one of two men injured when, according to police, a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire. 

Three people were sent to hospital according to police and paramedics — two men, aged 26 and 34, with bullet wounds and a 26-year-old woman who injured herself while jumping off the third-floor balcony with another man. 

And a strip of historic buildings lining Gore Park has endured two frigid winters exposed to the elements without heat, and now it's just a matter of time before they rot away, says the city's former head of heritage planning.

This lengthy saga between the city and Wilson Blanchard is turning into just what some feared – demolition by neglect, says Philip Hoad, the city's former manager of Heritage Facilities and Capital Planning.

Here's 12 pounds of unstoppable dog pulling power:

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Former Coun. Brad Clark: Son 'blown to bits' in Sunday shooting

Former city councillor Brad Clark's son has pulled through two surgeries after being shot at close range in the city's east end early Sunday — but he's now facing a third operation after his internal organs were "blown to bits."

Clark issued a statement about his son, Brandon, and Brandon's friend Scott Morin Monday morning. The two were hit with a shotgun blast in a seemingly random attack at Morin's apartment when another man showed up with a gun.

"Scott has pulled through his surgeries and is in stable condition," he said. Luckily, there is no damage to his spinal chord.

"His spleen, kidney, and upper and lower colon have been severely damaged," Clark wrote. "He remains in serious but stable condition. We were advised last night that he will need at least one more surgery scheduled for tomorrow to try and repair the organs that were blown to bits."

Police say a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and opened fire. (David Ritchie/CBC)

According to police, a man showed up with a shotgun during a gathering at a Queenston Road apartment at about 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire. 

Clark and Morin were rushed to hospital with bullet wounds, while another man and a woman were injured jumping off the third-floor balcony to escape.

The gunman was also shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, police say. Police did not say if someone had returned fire or if the gunman's fatal wound was self-inflicted. They are not, however, seeking any suspects.

Clark called the incident a "random act of violence."

"These four friends are wonderful, hard-working citizens, who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Please pray for our son, Brandon and all of the victims," he said.

"We've been told that the deceased assailant was a mentally ill young man. Please pray for his family as they struggle with this personal tragedy."

Danielle Barwell is the dead man's cousin, and she told CBC Hamilton an act of violence like this wasn't characteristic of him at all.

"He avoided people in general, [and] kept to himself," she said. "[It] must have been all the partying and noise and he just couldn't handle it after while."

"He wasn't a bad person. Kept to himself and didn't like people in general. Nobody knows what happened."

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Hamilton man stabbed several times walking home from work: police

CBC News Posted: Apr 13, 2015 10:26 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 13, 2015 10:32 AM ET

While walking home from work on Sunday, in the area near Hughson Street North and Wilson Street, police say a Hamilton man was stabbed several times.

At around 9:45 p.m., police say, the man was assaulted and stabbed suffering injuries to his body and neck.

The man was taken to hospital where he remains in stable condition. Police are unable to speak with the victim as he receives treatment for injuries.

As the investigation continues, police are asking the public to contact Detective Majewski at 905-546-3821 with any information relating to the crime.

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Stoney Creek's Reilly Webb selected by Bulldogs in OHL draft

When the Hamilton Bulldogs debut their Ontario Hockey League (OHL) roster next season, after the American Hockey League (AHL) leaves town, there will be a hometown hero to cheer for.

Stoney Creek's Reilly Webb, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound 16-year-old, was selected in the second round of the OHL's draft Saturday, as the 33rd pick.

"It's awesome," Reilly said of staying close to home. "Best feeling of my life going to Hamilton. Staying nice and close."

The right-handed blue liner spent last season with the AAA Toronto Titans.

The 'Dogs will inherit the Belleville Bulls after a bit of musical chairs sent Hamilton's AHL team to Newfoundland, and Belleville's OHL team to Hamilton. It's a change that puts Hamilton hockey fans a step further away from professional hockey, but in a better position to select hometown players.

Webb was one of three Hamilton players to be selected by the Bulldogs, which also included a pair of Hamilton Huskies in defenceman Brandon Scanlin and winger Issac Nurse, as well as plenty of players from the Greater Toronto Area.

In the first round, Hamilton selected winger Matthew Strome with the eighth overall pick.

If that Strome name sounds familiar, he's got NHL in his blood — his brothers include Ryan Strome of the New York Islanders, and Dylan Strome of the Erie Otters.

In picking Strome, the Bulldogs passed on Hamilton's Hayden Davis, a blue-chip defenceman who played for the Hamilton Huskies, and was picked in the 13th round by the nearby Niagara IceDogs.

Davis's family didn't seem to care, with this video showing the reaction to the draft.

Take a look here for the full draft results.

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3 new Ontario songs you need to hear this week

It's that time of the week again – CBC Hamilton reporter Adam Carter is back with his three picks for new Ontario music that you need to listen to this week.

Adam is on the air each week on CBC Radio for In the Key of C, hosted by Craig Norris. He'll choose three Ontario bands or artists that are releasing new music for your listening pleasure. Here are this week's picks:

Beth Moore: OK OK

St. Catharines' Beth Moore sings with the kind of ease that only happens when someone truly knows their own voice.

And that comes from relentless touring — Moore has played over 600 live shows in the last few years, and it shows.

This is a great indie rock track that's punctuated by smart horn flourishes.

Lee Reed: Bad Gas

Hamilton's resident hip-hop curmudgeon Lee Reed is back with this new track that actually isn't about bloating, despite what the title sounds like.

He refers to himself as Canada's "oldest and grumpiest radical-lefty loudmouth" — and though the man might be grumpy, he knows his way around a microphone.

Reed just put out a new record, and it's full of intensely socially aware hip-hop. It's the sort of music that only comes from an MC with real lived experience and an ear for social justice.

Stuck on Planet Earth: We'd Kill the World

Vaughn's Stuck on Planet Earth won't win any awards for uplifting titles this year.

But though they might feel a little misanthropic, these guys play a catchy kind of alternative rock and power pop mix.

There's a Jimmy Eat World influence here, but with more grit.

Thanks for listening this week. You can hear Adam during In the Key of C every Saturday evening at 5 p.m. on CBC Radio. In the Key of C can be heard across the province, except for the GTA. Hamilton listeners can hear this segment in the audio player above.

Are you in an Ontario band and would like to be featured on this program? Send your stuff to adam.carter@cbc.ca for consideration — and like In the Key of C on Facebook.

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Artists hope to dress up Barton Street for the Pan Am Games

It's the 2015 Pan Am Games. People from across North America are visiting your city's new stadium. And one block away is a street marred with vacant storefronts and derelict buildings. What do you do?

If you're the city of Hamilton, you turn to art.

A group of artists, armed with government grants, are planning art installations in at least seven of the vacant storefronts along Barton Street to dress it up for the Pan Am Games.

Stretches of the street are known for their vacant buildings and absentee landlords. And those stretches are dangerously close to the new Tim Horton's Field, which will host the soccer matches for the Pan Am Games July 10 to 27, which is expected to draw thousands of international spectators.

'There's this perception that if you need a sex worker, you go to Barton Street. If you need some drugs, you go to Barton Street. It's time to say that's not all Barton Street should be known for.'- Rachel Braithwaite, president, Gibson and Landsdale Neighbourhood Association

Ingrid Mayrhofer from Centre 3 is co-ordinating a project that includes art installations on Barton Street's vacant and boarded-up storefronts.

She's also co-ordinating three multimedia installations as part of a themed exhibition called "Pop-Up Store." An event on July 12 called ArtMatch — tentatively planned for St. Anthony's Church — will include soccer-themed poetry and art from local artists.

It serves a dual purpose of bringing Hamilton art and culture to the games, and beautifying an area that isn't exactly camera ready right now.

"There is that aspect, I guess, of not necessarily beautification, but of introducing a visual aesthetic to an area that may not have had that exposure before," she said.

Ingrid Mayrhofer from Centre 3 on James North is co-ordinating efforts to put art installations in vacant storefronts on Barton Street for the 2015 Pan Am Games. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Mayrhofer's group received $30,000 from the Canadian Council for the Arts, and additional grants from the city and the Ontario Arts Council.

Still trying to contact landlords

It's been a challenge to contact some of the landlords, she said. Some are enthusiastic and some are elusive.

"We're still working on it," she said.

Visual artists from Hamilton, Brantford, London, Toronto and elsewhere will do storefront installations.

'I don't know why it couldn't have happened sooner, but I'm thankful it's happening.'- Rachel Braithwaite

Barton Street will be a main thoroughfare for the games, said Shelley Merlo, the city's cultural co-ordinator for the Pan Am Games. So it's important that it looks good.

"We're hoping residents, combined with horticulture and the owners of the buildings, can take pride in that area and showcase it a little bit," she said.

Could be 'a legacy project'

The art will only last for the duration of the games, but as for a lasting impact, "you never know," she said.

"It could become a legacy project, or it could have the impetus for someone to say 'we'd better do this again.'"

Mayrhofer sees it as bringing "positive attention" to the area.

"We're not going to claim that we're going to revitalize Barton Street, but I can't see how having art exhibitions in empty storefronts is going to harm the neighbourhood."

The Pan Am group isn't the only one trying to breathe new life into the street. A new Barton Village Festival is planned for June 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The annual event will include three stages of music, vendors and other attractions.

Much like James North has Art Crawl and Ottawa Street has Sew Hungry, Barton Street needs an annual event, said Rachel Braithwaite, one of the organizers.

The good parts of Barton Street 

"It's got a bad rap, unfortunately, and that tends to stick," she said.

"There's this perception that if you need a sex worker, you go to Barton Street. If you need some drugs, you go to Barton Street.

"It's time to say that's not all Barton Street should be known for. There's so much more. This is us standing up and saying 'no, thank you.'"

Braithwaite is happy with the attention the Pan Am Games are bringing to the street too.

"It's ironic that it needs Pan Am for that to happen," said Braithwaite, who is president of the Gibson and Landsdale Neighbourhood Association.

"I don't know why it couldn't have happened sooner, but I'm thankful it's happening. It's about time."

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Canada's Nexxice crowned world champion in synchronized skating

Canada's Nexxice did just enough in the free skate program on Saturday to claim the gold medal at the 20-country ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships.

The top-seeded Canadian team, representing Burlington, Ont., finished the competition with 214.73 points after performing to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Finland took silver with 214.06 points while Russia scored 203.48 points to win bronze in front of 7,600 fans at FirstOntario Centre.

"I don't think it has sunk in that we are world champions," said skater Lee Chandler. "It was just a surreal experience with the crowd. In the end they really lifted us. This is a program we have been practicing since September and the girls came together today and performed it better than ever."

Finland won the free skate portion but couldn't catch up to Nexxice, who entered Saturday in top spot after winning the short program on Friday.

Skating for Nexxice were Chandler, Shannon Aikman-Jones, Maria Albanese, Ellicia Beaudoin, Emma Bonafiglia, Kelly Britten, Courtney Broadhurst, Alessia Chiovitti, Carla Coveart, Samantha Defino, Courtney Gray, Yu Hanamoto, Renata Khuzina, Victoria Kwan, Kristen Loritz, Nichole Manahan, Kerrin Caitlin McKinnon, Victoria Smith, Kiersten Tietz and Gillian Tyler.

It is Canada's first world crown since 2009, when Nexxice also took gold.

The second Canadian entry, Les Supremes from St-Leonard, Que., produced the fourth best free program to climb from seventh to sixth overall.

Skating for Les Supremes were Elodie Marie Acheron, Audrey Bedard, Jessica Bernardo, Lou-Ann Bezeau-Tremblay, Joannie Brazeau, Sara Irma Corona, Alexandra Del Vecchio, Laurie Desilets, Jacqueline Hampshire, Maria-Victoria Langon, Clemence Lea Marduel, Agathe Sigrid Merlier, An-Kim Nguyen, Minh-Thu Tina Nguyen, Anne-Louise Normand, Genevieve Rougeau, Marina Rousseau, Laurra Olivia Sena, Claudia Sforzin and Yasuko Uchida.

"It was incredible, the crowd showed us so much love," said Desilets. "We didn't feel any added pressure being in Canada. We were really pleased with both our programs and we achieved our goals for this season."

This was the third time Canada has hosted the event in its 16-year history. Canada has now reached the podium in 11 of those 16 years.

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1 dead, 3 in hospital after Queenston Road shooting

New

One woman suffered injuries after jumping out of 3rd floor apartment

CBC News Posted: Apr 12, 2015 10:56 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 12, 2015 10:56 AM ET

Paramedics responded to an Queenston Road apartment shooting that left one dead and three in hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries early Sunday morning.

Hamilton EMS duty officer Ben Ross said three men were shot, one fatally, and a woman was being treated for injuries after she jumped from a third floor apartment.

The building is located at the Red Hill Valley Parkway and Queenston Road.

Hamilton Police did not return phone calls asking about the shooting. Hamilton EMS said they were called to the building just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

What they found was one man between 20 and 30 years old with no vital signs, a 34-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his back, a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his left abdomen, and 26-year-old woman with "injuries to her head, hip and lower back," Ross said.

"She apparently jumped from the third floor, I have no information as to why she would jump," Ross said.

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Police street stops: Making the case for keeping race data

Hamilton Police will soon consider recording details about race when they stop people on the street who aren't under investigation and take their ID or record information. They say they'll be discussing it at an upcoming, yet so-far-unscheduled, Police Services Board meeting, the services community relations coordinator Sandra Wilson said last month. 

And rather than deeming it law enforcement overreach, anti-racism advocates think this is a good idea. 

CBC Hamilton talked to experts who've closely followed the tensions elsewhere in police interactions with people on the street who aren't under investigation, known commonly in Toronto as "carding." Here are some of the reasons they make in the case for collecting racial data:

Provides a benchmark

It's a way to measure the incidence of racial profiling — by collecting the race identifiers, police can establish a baseline for how much or how little race seems to come into play in whom they stop.

In Toronto, racial identifiers in so-called "carding" stops showed the practice was affecting black and brown young men at higher rates, first identified after a years-long Toronto Star investigation. Had the Toronto force not kept and turned over that race data, that disproportion might still be unknown. 

"I think it allows communities to see how their institutions are treating them, it's a mechanism for people to know whether or not there is bias in their institutions," said Desmond Cole, a staff writer for Torontoist who has also reported on carding for other publications. "I don't think that the first part about whether or not there is bias is even a question anymore. The reason we need the stats is because a lot of us are still in denial that this is a problem."

University of Toronto criminologist Scot Wortley said it's not enough for the forces to just keep the data -- they must commit to analysing and sharing the results. He noted the Star stories involved a "vigorous and expensive freedom of information process."

"That data was not turned over without a fight," Wortley said. 

Increases transparency

Wortley has studied police racial bias across Ontario and "carding" in Toronto. He oversaw a project in Kingston to formally collect race in street stops and evaluate police performance. The 2005 report, the first racial profiling study in Canada, found police stopped a disproportionate number of black and aboriginal men. 

The report proved controversial. But keeping the data was the first step in sparking the conversation.

"I think if you engage in this type of activity you're showing the public you have nothing to hide," Wortley said. Otherwise, he said, "you either have something to hide, or you're very paternalistic and you're saying, 'You can't handle the data.'"

Cole wrote about race-based data for this month's issue of The Walrus, encouraging institutions and the public not to fear keeping and turn over data like this across systems, not just in law enforcement.

"By crunching the numbers, we might be disturbed by what we find—whether it's discriminatory cops or poor performance by black students," he wrote. "We might be forced to have some difficult discussions. But we might also learn how to do better."

Wortley said just knowing the data is being kept could have an in-the-moment impact on why an officer decides to stop someone. 

"The data collection itself can actually reduce racial bias," Wortley said. "If officers know that they're being monitored, [perhaps] they spend more time deciding whether they want to stop and search someone."  

kelly.bennett@cbc.ca | @kellyrbennett

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OHL Bulldogs name George Burnett head coach and GM

Former Belleville Bulls coach and GM George Burnett is moving with the team, and has been named the head coach and general manager of the new Hamilton Bulldogs.

Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer made the announcement Friday, and said he's excited because Burnett is one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the league.

"As head coach and general manager of the Belleville Bulls for the past 11 seasons, he has a track record of developing great young talent and winning teams," Andlauer said. "His familiarity with the existing roster and organizational depth will be integral to the success of the Hamilton Bulldogs going forward."

Burnett, 53, began coaching back in the 1989-90 season as an assistant with the OHL's Oshawa Generals. In 26 seasons, he's also worked with the Edmonton Oilers, the (formerly mighty) Anaheim Ducks, the Guelph Storm and then the Bulls for over a decade.

He's also coached internationally with Canadian junior teams.

"I'm excited for the opportunity that lies ahead in this new chapter of junior hockey in Hamilton and continuing to develop a strong working relationship with Mr. Andlauer," Burnett said. "We look to build upon the existing foundation in place and expect to have a young, exciting team on the ice for the upcoming season."

The formerly AHL Hamilton Bulldogs sold their AHL franchise to the Montreal Canadiens and bought the OHL's Belleville Bulls last month. The Canadien's AHL franchise will be moved to St. John's, Newfoundland for the next two seasons.

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This is why your tax bill is now $99 higher

Hamilton city council approved its 2015 operating budget this week. 

Here's what that budget means to you, by the numbers:

2.7 per cent

The amount that the operating budget has increased since 2014.

$99

That's how much property taxes are increasing per year on the average home assessed at $284,600. That's $8.25 per month.

$1.7 million

That's how much the budget includes for more ambulances and paramedics to lower response times, increase ambulance availability and make life easier for paramedics who say they're overworked and missing breaks.

The city will spend $481,864 this year and $1,158,954 in 2016 to add 30 paramedics and one supervisor. It's also poised to approve a capital cost of $1.2 million over the next two years to buy five new ambulances.

The province funds half of ambulance costs in Hamilton. 

$1.2 million

That's how much this budget includes to improve transit service in Hamilton. It's part of a plan to spend $6 million over the next two years for improvements to the system, including new employees and 25 new buses to deal with overcrowding.

The city has asked the province for $302 million over the next 10 years to improve the transit system, including $200 million for a new maintenance facility.

$500,000

That's how much more in grants the city will provide artists and arts organizations over the next year. The arts community pushed for this increase, saying that the arts are a valuable cultural and economic driver for Hamilton.

$100,560

The city will spend that amount on two new positions to deal with air quality. One will be a senior project manager dealing with air quality initiatives. The other will be a project manager. They'll work in Public Health and compile air quality data in Hamilton and use it to advise council on policies. The annual cost will be $201,110.

Not all councillors were in favour of the hires. The final vote was 9-3. Those opposed say the city is veering into doing the province's job. 

$261 million

The city has three annual budgets — operating (the largest), capital and rate supported. This year's capital budget is $261 million. That includes $82.6 million for roads maintenance, $16.6 million for growth-related road improvements, $13.1 million for buses and $14.4 million to fix corporate and recreation facilities.

$24

That's how much more per year the average household consuming 200 cubic metres of water will pay for water and wastewater/storm water services as part of the 2015 rate-supported budget.

The city has outlined how the water rate increases will impact homes on its website. 

• $27,787,600 — planning and economic development
• $11,091,620 — public health
• $230,837,000 — community and emergency services
• $213,865,510 — public works
• $12,966,400 — city manager
• $20,559,880 — corporate services
• $4,050,000 — Hamilton entertainment facilities

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$500K in arts money shouldn't just go to the usual places: advocates

As the city prepares to grant an additional $500,000 in its new arts funding program, artists and organizations outside of the mainstream are hopeful the gates will swing open to include them. 

The new fund will be $500,000 bigger this year and city staff hope to add another $500,000 over the next two years. As they make the pot bigger, city staff have identified new streams of funding in the program they want to give to less established artists and organizations.

That can't come soon enough, said musician and producer Kojo Damptey. 

"That's always been an issue here in Hamilton, where you have bigger arts groups that tend to get all the resources and then as a musician, artist, you don't get the opportunities to access some of those resources," he said. "I've had discussions with other artists in the city. There was the concern that we hope we spread the wealth around."

'That's always been an issue here in Hamilton, where you have bigger arts groups that tend to get all the resources.'- Kojo Damptey

Here's who got top funding under the city's old program last year, according to the city's finance director:

• Art Gallery of Hamilton: $937,000
• Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra: $113,700
• Brott Music Festival: $90,000
• Festival of Friends: $85,000
• Supercrawl: $80,000
• Theatre Aquarius: $75,300

Damptey, who was born and raised in Ghana, said it was not readily apparent where he fit in the previous arts funding framework. 

"This is an issue that I have personally with Hamilton. Everything that's done in the arts tends to be white," he said. "It doesn't depict other cultures that are in the city. So that's another issue."

Filimone Mabjaia started Matapa, a non-profit company that presents world music concerts, three years ago. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Filimone Mabjaia started Matapa, a non-profit world music company that puts on concerts and a summer festival in Gage Park, a few years ago. Despite not receiving formal city grants yet, Mabjaia is a passionate booster of Hamilton's arts scene, preaching its charms to the artists he brings in and to those he'd like to at European and North American world music conferences. (Matapa will have some city support this summer for the Pan Am Games.) 

He collaborates with world music promoters in London and Kitchener-Waterloo to tell audiences there about concerts happening in Hamilton, and vice versa. 

He said he hopes the city can reach out to groups and artists who might not otherwise be in the loop.

"We know what's going on in James Street North," he said. "But we don't know what's going on in Centennial Park, for example." 

Another barrier Mabjaia identified is language. Some artists and organizations he knows won't apply for the city program because they speak only French, he said. 

'There's way too much to do for that money'

Tim Potocic runs Sonic Unyon and Supercrawl and chaired the committee that hosted the Juno Awards in Hamilton this year. He's spent the last few years convening roundtables and working as part of the lobbying effort to bring the new funding strategy to city hall. 

He thinks the $500,000 boost will certainly go to some increases for established operating institutions, but that wasn't the main point of growing the pot. 

"It's a huge win," he said. "I hope the money gets split out to many more organizations and developing artists." 

But Lorne Lieberman, director of Festival of Friends, is skeptical of a program that promises to both boost existing grant levels and open the gates to more grantees.

"If they're going to implement the recommendation and expand the level of things the city funds, and they're going to open to those who never qualified before, half a million doesn't even come close," he said. "There's way too much to do for that money. If you make the pie bigger and just slice the pie a whole lot more then it doesn't work."

Have to find other money too

But Carol Kehoe, director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, hopes the new money will be able to do both — fund the major organizations as well as "trickle down" to the less established artists who may find income from some of the larger groups.

"It helps the entire ecosystem of arts in the community," she said.

In addition to making the process fairer and more stable, the city hopes new arts funding program becomes the one-stop-shop for arts organizations seeking city funding. Supercrawl got a base level of $80,000 from the city arts program but cobbled another $20,000 from other city sources. The goal is that groups will get funding from one source and not also seek extra from ward councillors or the economic development department, and will help arts organizations avoid the kind of hoop-jumping Supercrawl had to in 2013. 

Mabjaia hopes arts groups continue to push for the city's funding to be inclusive and fair. But he emphasized artists and groups need to persevere on their own, too. 

"We cannot expect the city to do everything," he said. "Artists will always exist. We'll always be here."  

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Canada loses 28,200 full time jobs in March, adds 56,800 part time

Hamilton's unemployment rate stayed the course between February and March at 5.6 per cent

CBC News Posted: Apr 11, 2015 10:36 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 11, 2015 10:36 AM ET

New Statistics Canada numbers say Canada gained 29,000 jobs in March by adding 56,800 part time jobs, and losing 28,200 full time workers, leaving the national unemployment rate at 6.8 per cent, or 1.3 million people who are looking for work.

Hamilton's unemployment rate is better than the national number, holding at 5.6 per cent between February and March 2015.

Statistics Canada numbers show a labour force of roughly 19.2 million, with 1.3 million people unemployed, 3.5 million in part time work and 14.5 million in full time work.

Healthcare, education and the public sectors saw the largest percentage gains in employment, while agriculture and natural resources (such as mining, fishing, forestry, oil and gas) saw the largest job losses by percentage.

Youths aged 15 to 25 who are looking for work have an unemployment rate of 13 per cent, a relatively unchanged number in the last month according to Statistics Canada.

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10 months overdue Hamilton's Pan Am Games stadium still isn't ready

The Pan Am Games are in less than three months, and construction crews are still likely weeks away from finishing the new stadium that will house the events' soccer games.

The initial deadline for $145-million Tim Horton's Field stadium was June 30, 2014. City inspectors will likely issue an occupancy permit for the entire building next week, said Coun. Lloyd Ferguson.

'Ten months late is unconscionable.'- Coun. Lloyd Ferguson

But he anticipates it will be the end of April before the building is substantially completed and handed over to the city.

Time is running out before the Pan Am Games on July 10 to 26, when Hamilton will host the soccer games. Hamilton police have to get into the stadium by May 1 to rehearse security plans, Ferguson said.

"Ten months late is unconscionable," said Ferguson, who chairs the Pan Am subcommittee. "It's just unbelievable that they let it run this long."

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is in charge of the project, which cost the city $45 million. IO hired the construction consortium Ontario Sports Solutions (ONSS) to build the stadium.

The city cancelled some private events in April because the stadium wasn't finished, Ferguson said. More events are planned for May.

Jon McKendrick, executive vice-president of IO, was supposed to be at the subcommittee meeting on April 9. But he said in a letter that he couldn't come because of a scheduling conflict.

Ferguson thinks IO wasn't there because it's embarrassed by the ongoing delays. He wants McKendrick to attend the subcommittee's April 27 meeting.

McKendrick wrote that the stadium is "99 per cent complete and remains on budget."

"With less than 100 days until the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, the finish line is in sight and the push is on to complete the final elements of the project," he said.

IO is withholding $89 million from ONSS until the project is finished. There is no other financial late penalty in the contract. Ferguson said the city wanted one.

"It was out of our control," he said. "We suggested it."

Also at Thursday's meeting, city staff updated committee members on security and tourism plans.

Hamilton will host three per cent of the Pan Am Games events, said Superintendent Dan Kinsella of Hamilton Police Service. But those events will account for 30 per cent of the spectators.

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Making the case for carding data and cheap gas: DayStarter Friday

Welcome to Spring, Hamilton.

With a pair of double-digit sunny days ahead, it's gearing up to be a beautiful weekend. Add in the fact the price of gas dropped five cents overnight, and well, you've got a reason to get outside after Friday's rain. The cheapest gas is in Flamborough, at Hwy 6 & 8th Concession Rd East for 93.9 cents. The Ancaster Costco is at 95.9 cents, if you're looking for cheap gas closer to the city.

GO Transit is reporting several delays out of Hamilton and Aldershot specifically, due to a disabled freight train. The 6:13 a.m. train into Hamilton was delayed at Burlington for 15 minutes while the train east out of Aldershot is delayed 10 minutes.

Provincial police are reporting any collisions on the roads, but drive carefully with the rain.

It's raining Friday morning, but it's going to stop and clear up for the weekend.

With thunderstorms still threatening Friday morning, the commute may be a wet one with a 60 per cent chance of rain, while winds will be blowing at 50 km/h, gusting to 80 km/h. Friday's high will be 8 C, while the overnight low could fall to 0 C.

The weekend is looking great with 10 C and 14 C temperatures in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday, and no rain in sight.

Justin Bieber is watching over Hamilton - well, sort of: 

In light of a yet-to-be scheduled Police Service Board meeting Hamilton cops will be holding to reconsider recording race in their non-criminal interactions, CBC Hamilton talked to experts who've closely followed the tensions elsewhere in police interactions with people on the street who aren't under investigation, known commonly in Toronto as "carding." Here are some of the reasons they make in the case for collecting racial data.

A new report from a city-hired environmental consultant says there are major gaps in the environmental screening done by the company proposing a controversial waste to energy plant on the waterfront.

Hate algae? Love the Great Lakes? Go aboard the research boat that is trying to understand why the pesky blooms blanket Lake Ontario and other lakes, too. This is important stuff — algae blooms are believed to have caused a drinking water ban in Toledo, Ohio, last year. Take a look here.

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Police street stops: Making the case for keeping race data

Hamilton Police will soon consider recording details about race when they stop people on the street who aren't under investigation and take their ID or record information. They say they'll be discussing it at an upcoming, yet so-far-unscheduled, Police Services Board meeting, the services community relations coordinator Sandra Wilson said last month. 

And rather than deeming it law enforcement overreach, anti-racism advocates think this is a good idea. 

CBC Hamilton talked to experts who've closely followed the tensions elsewhere in police interactions with people on the street who aren't under investigation, known commonly in Toronto as "carding." Here are some of the reasons they make in the case for collecting racial data:

Provides a benchmark

It's a way to measure the incidence of racial profiling — by collecting the race identifiers, police can establish a baseline for how much or how little race seems to come into play in whom they stop.

In Toronto, racial identifiers in so-called "carding" stops showed the practice was affecting black and brown young men at higher rates, first identified after a years-long Toronto Star investigation. Had the Toronto force not kept and turned over that race data, that disproportion might still be unknown. 

"I think it allows communities to see how their institutions are treating them, it's a mechanism for people to know whether or not there is bias in their institutions," said Desmond Cole, a staff writer for Torontoist who has also reported on carding for other publications. "I don't think that the first part about whether or not there is bias is even a question anymore. The reason we need the stats is because a lot of us are still in denial that this is a problem."

University of Toronto criminologist Scot Wortley said it's not enough for the forces to just keep the data -- they must commit to analysing and sharing the results. He noted the Star stories involved a "vigorous and expensive freedom of information process."

"That data was not turned over without a fight," Wortley said. 

Increases transparency

Wortley has studied police racial bias across Ontario and "carding" in Toronto. He oversaw a project in Kingston to formally collect race in street stops and evaluate police performance. The 2005 report, the first racial profiling study in Canada, found police stopped a disproportionate number of black and aboriginal men. 

The report proved controversial. But keeping the data was the first step in sparking the conversation.

"I think if you engage in this type of activity you're showing the public you have nothing to hide," Wortley said. Otherwise, he said, "you either have something to hide, or you're very paternalistic and you're saying, 'You can't handle the data.'"

Cole wrote about race-based data for this month's issue of The Walrus, encouraging institutions and the public not to fear keeping and turn over data like this across systems, not just in law enforcement.

"By crunching the numbers, we might be disturbed by what we find—whether it's discriminatory cops or poor performance by black students," he wrote. "We might be forced to have some difficult discussions. But we might also learn how to do better."

Wortley said just knowing the data is being kept could have an in-the-moment impact on why an officer decides to stop someone. 

"The data collection itself can actually reduce racial bias," Wortley said. "If officers know that they're being monitored, [perhaps] they spend more time deciding whether they want to stop and search someone."  

kelly.bennett@cbc.ca | @kellyrbennett

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Go aboard the floating lab chasing Great Lakes algae blooms

The crew aboard the Limnos, Canada's floating lab in the Great Lakes, spends the season chasing the Great Lake's version of the golf course gopher.

The bacteria better known as a blue-green algae bloom — and to be clear it's actually bacteria and not algae — can rise to the surface or sink below it using specialized cells to control their depth. They're also responsible for swimming warnings in Hamilton Harbour and a drinking water ban in Toledo, Ohio, last year.

'Why are they producing these toxins? That's the million dollar question.'- Dr. Sue Watson

And they're wreaking havoc on shorelines and the ecosystem below the water's surface around the lakes.

Those blooms can also "choke" the marine life below, leaving a sometimes dangerous film on the shore which one scientist strongly advises you avoid, let alone let your dog drink. The blooms can hide below the water's surface out of plain sight, to capture the best sunlight to store nutrients and multiply into the blooms that cover shores — releasing toxins that can cause liver and kidney damage in the process.

"Why are they producing these toxins?" asked Dr. Sue Watson, a research scientist with the Great Lakes Surveillance Program who focuses on algae. "That's the million dollar question."

On Monday, the Limnos will set sail on its 2015 research season in Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. Some of the trips will last five days at sea, others up to three weeks. The 47-year-old ship, captained by Blaine Morton, has a range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km), carries 8,300 litres of fuel, and is nimble enough to be in water just 3.5 metres deep, despite it's 44.8 metre length.

Using satellite images showing the algae bloom locations, which can create blankets greater than 100 kilometres wide, the scientists based out of Burlnigton's Canada Centre for Inland Waters can formulate a plan for the Limnos to study the ancient bacteria.

Bloom believed to be cause of drinking water ban in Toldeo, Ohio

Those blooms, however, don't disrupt Hamilton and Burlington's drinking water. Watson said the area's water is so clean she would drink the water drawn from deep in Lake Ontario before it's treated. On the surface though, she doesn't suggest swimming in an algae bloom.

The scientific voyages are part of the lakes long term monitoring plan, building a base of knowledge  the scientists aboard hope could help explain why the blooms exist, among other things.

"They're not just organisms floating around," says Watson. They can produce the toxin microcystins, which can't be boiled out of the water (it increases in concentration that way) and can cause kidney and liver failure, as was warned in the Toledo water ban.

As for why it's called an algae bloom when it's a bacteria, Watson explained that when scientists first started classifying algae, they started by colour. Under the microscope a much different story is seen — algae are more like plants while cyanobacterial is a more simple bacteria and can produce toxins that disrupt marine life.

From lake to lab in 3 minutes

But blooms aren't the only thing they study. They monitor metal toxins, including mercury, which can bio-multiply — building in mass at an exponential level — as the metal is absorbed up the food chain.

They monitor dissolved oxygen, temperature, nutrient and organic material levels and create depth profiles with specialized sampling tools.

Those tools can take completely sealed samples of water at different depths, up to 300 metres below the surface, and have them analyzed in the small laboratory onboard in under three minutes.

They also measure new synthetic chemicals such as bisphenol a, and the water resistant chemical formerly used in Scotch Guard, which Alice Dove, an environmental scientist who monitors water quality, said is one of "the most persistent compounds known."

Watson, Dove and researcher manager Bob Rowsell, say they need to understand the long term changes in the Great Lakes to make sense of the short term shifts, such as the algae blooms. Their research would also be able to determine what is the cause, such as farming, waste treatment or industrial run off, for example.

And they need to work with the United States, especially in the wake of incidents like last year's Toledo's drinking water ban.

"We share ship space, we share science, and we share expertise," Watson said. "It's essential that we share expertise."

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