Port Fuels 'confident' gasification plant will pass environmental review

Port Fuels, the company behind a controversial waste-to-energy "gasification" plant proposal for Hamilton's waterfront, says it welcomes a third-party review of the potential environmental impacts of its project.

That comes after the city's consulting engineering firm WSP Canada sent a letter to city officials on Thursday, expressing concerns about the scale of the operation and the technology that would be used.

In particular, the letter outlined differences between Port Fuels' test plant in Swinton, England and the facility being proposed in Hamilton, which the company says would turn some 200,000 tonnes of waste into electricity each year.

'We're very confident that when people get into the technical review that there will not be an issue.'- Robert Clark, COO of Port Fuels and Material Services Inc.

Robert Clark, the Chief Operating Officer of Port Fuels and Material Services Inc., told CBC Hamilton that his company welcomes the WSP Canada review and his company is already working with the consultant to address concerns.

"We're more than anxious and willing to work with them in their review process," Clark told CBC Hamilton.

"They need to get into a little bit more detail and focus their questions," he said, noting he wouldn't consider the document provided to the city this week a detailed report.

Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Green, an active critic of the plan, said WSP's letter was another "red flag" about environmental risks of the proposed plant. He plans to use the letter as part of a city hall motion asking the province to do more environmental reviews.

Clark said he'll wait to see what Green requests, but said the environmental screening process his company produced is equivalent to a full environmental assessment.

"We have added so much in depth to the technical reporting," Clark said.

"We're very confident that when people get into the technical review that there will not be an issue."

NDP Leader Andrew Horwath also called for a full environmental assessment on Friday, after the WSP letter was made public.

"All the assumptions, all the projections, all the precautions proposed for this unproven technology were based on one tiny pilot project in England," Horwath said in a news release.

"This energy-from-waste plant will have a huge unknown environmental impact, but Hamilton's environmental protections are being determined based on little more than a science fair project."

Clark said Port Fuels will continue to follow guidelines laid out by Ontario's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. There is also set to be some level of federal oversight, he said, as Pier 15 is land controlled by the Hamilton Port Authority, which is governed by the Canada Marine Act.

"We are following exactly the requirements," he said.

Clark said he's hopeful WSP Canada's full review won't take long because the data is already in place.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

GO Transit to up fares on Sunday

Hamilton-Toronto fare set to rise by 50 cents

CBC News Posted: Jan 30, 2015 4:50 PM ET Last Updated: Jan 30, 2015 4:50 PM ET

External Links

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

GO Transit users will have to pay more for their daily bus or train trip as of Sunday.

The agency announced that a series of price increases, based on distance travelled, will begin on Feb. 1. Metrolinx approved the increases at a meeting in mid-December, but the prices only coming into effect now. Metrolinx, a provincial agency, oversees transit in Hamilton and across the GTA.

The increases are as follows:

• 10 cent increase on the minimum fare of $5.20.
• 30 cent increase on fares between $5.21 and $6.50.
• 40 cent increase on fares between $6.51 and $8.25.
• 50 cent increase on fares greater than $8.25 (the Hamilton-Toronto trip costs $11).

The same increases will also apply to children, seniors and students, who pay slightly less on the service. 

GO Transit said the fare increase is going toward a series of improvements including adding more bus trips in the Hamilton, Milton and Stouffville corridors while also adding more trains on several lines including the Lakeshore East and West lines. 

In most years, GO fares increase by about 5 per cent.

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

Stay Connected with CBC News

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Super mailboxes will likely cost city nearly $2M, report says

Canada Post's plan to cancel door-to-door mail service and install community mailboxes will likely cost Hamilton millions, a new city report shows. But the Crown corporation says it shouldn't cost nearly that much.

Canada Post plans to install community mailboxes on the Mountain as early as this spring, and roll them out to the rest of Hamilton over five years.

Reviewing each location Canada Post chooses for its 4,000 community mailboxes could cost the city as much as $522 per location, shows a city report coming to the general issues committee on Wednesday. 

That amounts to $2,088,000 in costs. Canada Post will provide $50 per mailbox, bringing the cost to Hamilton taxpayers down to about $1,888,000.

'There shouldn't be any cost to us, quite frankly.'- Coun. Terry Whitehead

The city will also have to hire the full time equivalent of one to 1.5 staff members to do the site evaluations, says the report.

The cost estimate is based on what it currently costs to review utility permits. That comes with concerns such as parking and transit conflicts, crosswalk locations, potential upcoming construction, lighting and drainage.

John Hamilton, spokesman for Canada Post, says $50 per mailbox covered costs for the 11 other communities who converted to the new system last year.

"We've done this in many communities," said Hamilton.

Canada Post looks at factors such as community response, street lighting, sidewalks and accessibility with each mailbox location, he said.

"We've been able to move forward with ($50 per mailbox) in each community."

But the report suggests the city's costs will be more complicated than that. The mailboxes could bring ongoing requests for sidewalks and ramps, signs, waste containers for unsolicited mail and other factors.

The mailboxes also expose the city to increased liability in the event that someone is injured on the sites, said Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8. Wards 6, 7, 8 and 9 are the first to be converted to the new system.

'Good faith' offer of $50 per site

City council has already passed a motion to try to prevent the installation of the super mailboxes. Whitehead doesn't like the idea of the mailboxes costing the city anything.

"There shouldn't be any cost to us, quite frankly," he said. "It's supposed to be 100 per cent their cost."

Any money from Hamilton taxpayers "is unacceptable," he said. "We have to get some clarification on that."

Canada Post surveyed communities before locating the mailboxes on the Mountain, Hamilton said. 

'Municipalities are being asked to subsidize a profitable corporation.'- Terry Langley, president, Canadian Union of Postal Workers local 548

"We're looking to be as respectful as possible and not require (the city) to do a lot of work," Hamilton said.

"We've put forward an offer in good faith of $50 per site to cover additional costs."

The city will have to pay to maintain the boxes, said Terry Langley, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers local 548.

Factor in that Canada Post saw millions in profits in the latter half of 2014, and "municipalities are being asked to subsidize a profitable corporation," he said.

"The reality is pretty shocking."

Job losses likely

The new city report also recommends:

• That Canada Post consult with residents about eliminating home delivery.
• That the federal government amend the Mail Receptacles Regulations to recognize the city's authority to regulate and maintain the mailboxes on public roadways.
• That community mailboxes be added to a bylaw that regulates installing such infrastructure on road allowances.

Whitehead, Coun. Scott Duvall of Ward 7, Coun. Tom Jackson of Ward 6 and Coun. Doug Conley of Ward 9 will hold a community information session on Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sackville Hill Seniors Centre about the changes.

"We're getting lots of questions and lots of complaints," Duvall said.  

The new plan will likely mean job losses for local Canada Post employees, although none are planned immediately. About half of the routes will disappear, Langley said.

Under the current collective agreement, Canada Post can't lay off workers. That agreement expires in January 2016, said Langley, who represents about 1,300 local workers. He expects the work stability clause to be one of the key items of contention during the next round of negotiations with the corporation. 

The general issues committee meets at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton's new stadium to miss yet another completion deadline

Hamilton's stadium won't be done by Jan. 31, missing yet another deadline after it was supposed to be finished last June. 

The city's head of public works, Gerry Davis, said the $145-million Tim Hortons Field will definitely miss Saturday's deadline and will now likely be completed sometime in February.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is building the stadium, which cost Hamilton about $40 million. It is home base for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and will also host the soccer games for the 2015 Pan Am Games. IO hired Ontario Sports Solutions, a construction consortium, to build the stadium.

Davis said he expects to hear early next week from Infrastructure Ontario on how much is still left to do. 

"When you go by the stadium, it looks done," Davis told CBC Hamilton earlier this month. "But it's the stuff inside that still isn't finished."

Initially, crews were supposed to finish the stadium by June 30. It wasn't finished throughout the summer, so the Ticats played their home games at McMaster University's Ron Joyce stadium. It was close to finished for the CFL team to play its Labour Day Classic there and the rest of its home games through the fall.

The city takes possession of the stadium whenever it is substantially completed.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Streaming music: a villain or saviour for local labels?

The CD is lying in a shallow grave, and the music industry is about to dig another one for digital downloads.

That's because people just aren't buying music the way they used to, according to the 2014 Nielsen Music Canada report, which tracks music sales.

And those sales are down across the board in Canada: CD sales dropped seven per cent from 2013 to 2014, while digital album sales dipped five percent and individual digital track sales sank 12 per cent. Those stats slipped even father in the U.S. last year.

'Vilifying Spotify and Pandora is lunacy.'- Mike Renaud, Hidden Pony Records

But in an industry that has floundered for years while searching for stable, legal delivery methods, digital streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, Grooveshark and Rdio have emerged as behemoths that are about to eclipse all the traditional ways we've been listening to music.

According to the Nielsen report, there were six billion streaming plays in the second half of 2014 alone. Considering the best selling digital track of 2014 — Pharrell's hit Happy — had just 538,000 downloads, it's not hard to see where we're headed when it comes to music consumption.

There's been plenty of discourse from major labels and big artists on streaming music: Beck, Thom Yorke and will.i.am have all vilified it as a method that pays distributors huge amounts at the expense of artists.

But lost in all that noise are Canada's smaller, independent record labels. They operate on a love for independent music — but with a small staff and even smaller profit margins.

Digital streaming has changed almost every facet of the business. So where does that leave the little guy?

Adapt or die

In music, like most other industries undergoing any kind of "digital revolution," it means adapt or die. Lane Dunlop, a partner at Hamilton's Sonic Unyon records, says it's about tempering your expectations and knowing what's realistic in 2015.

"Everyone's expectations need to be scaled back, and do what you can to make the best of a pretty dismal situation in the music industry," he said. Not so long ago, a mid-level indie band could sell 10,000 albums in Canada. "Now, selling 1,000 is a major achievement," he said.

It's unlikely that Sonic Unyon could exist simply as a traditional record label in 2015, but the company's owners have found success by branching out their business. Hamilton's Supercrawl festival has become one of the biggest in Southern Ontario with Sonic Unyon as the organizers, and the company's new Because Beer festival shows signs of promise, too.

"The label work is still incredibly important to us," Dunlop said, but it's clear the company has been bitten by the festival bug, and business is growing in a way traditional album sales simply aren't anymore.

Mike "Parkside" Renaud is the president of Hamilton's Hidden Pony Records and Management, another company that has shifted priorities away from what the public might see as a "traditional" indie record label.

"Really, we're managers who happen to have a record label," Renaud said. "But the album is gone. That's it. The album from a commercial perspective is dead."

Branching out

While management might be Hidden Pony's bread and butter, keeping the record label side just makes sense. Having a label designation opens up more crucial arts funding through the Canadian government, and it makes sure Renaud doesn't have to go looking for a record label for each new band Hidden Pony represents.

Other small to mid-sized record labels, like Arts and Crafts, Dine Alone and Six Shooter records, are using alternative methods outside of straight record sales to keep profits coming in.

"It's those sorts of things that sustain us," Renaud says.

So are music streaming services actually generating any revenue for content creators? That all depends on who you talk to.

Dunlop says for Sonic Unyon, the profits are pretty negligible. "Nobody is going out for dinner on it, put it that way," he said.

"But it's the direction music consumption is going in – and as a label or artist, you have to make it work. There's no point in complaining."

Renaud on the other hand, welcomes streaming because he doesn't see it as comparable to traditional record sales or radio play royalties. If anything, cash made from streaming is money that would've been lost in the pirated ether of torrents and illegal downloads, he says.

"They've figured out a way to compete with free," Renaud said. "It's now easier to stream something than it is to buy something. There's whole generations of people who have never paid for music – so this is a good thing."

'They're not the villain'

It's not a perfect model. Canadian labels and bands make less on streaming plays than bands in the U.S. because of copyright law, but several organizations are lobbying the government to change that. Still, Renaud says, Hidden Pony's artists make more from using digital royalty services like Sound Exchange than they would have from selling 20,000 copies of an album.

So what about all the press slamming Pandora's royalty payouts when Happy only reportedly made $2,700 in royalties for Pharrell after being streamed some 43 million times on Pandora in the first quarter of last year?

The majority of the public sees the streaming entities as the villain, but the bulk of their expenses come in the form of royalties, to the tune of 70 per cent, Renaud says. Artists should be looking at them like a "discovery tool" for their music, he added, to drive up fan engagement and push more people into shows who might also buy merchandise.

"They're not the villain. It blows my mind," he said.

"Vilifying Spotify and Pandora is lunacy."

adam.carter@cbc.ca | @AdamCarterCBC

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barton St. apartment fire is under investigation

Tenants of seven-storey apartment building evacuated Thursday evening

CBC News Posted: Jan 30, 2015 8:32 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 30, 2015 8:32 AM ET

A fire in a seven-storey apartment building on Barton Street East forced tenants to evacuate the building and wait in HSR buses around 7:30 Thursday evening.

Hamilton Fire crews extinguished the fire quickly and worked to clear the building of smoke. They contained the fire to one unit. Damage was estimated at $100,000, according to Hamilton Fire spokesman Claudio Mostacci. 

The Ontario Fire Marshal has been asked to investigate the fire's cause. Hamilton Fire recommends tenants in apartment buildings review the posted emergency information in their buildings.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Report warns Hamilton gasification plant needs independent review

A consultant's report to the city warns that the potential environmental impacts of the proposed gasification waste-to-energy plant for Pier 15 "may not have been appropriately assessed."

WSP Canada, hired by the city to review the environmental screening report produced by the Port Fuels and Materials Services, Inc., says its warning is because the screening was based on the operation of a small-scale pilot project in the United Kingdom.

WSP questions whether the conclusions in the company's environmental report from the pilot project would apply to the larger scale operation proposed for Hamilton. The plant proposed for the waterfront will be the first commercial scale operation of the technology in the world. 

The proposed gasification plant would be on a site of leased land on Pier 15 on the Hamilton waterfront. (Courtesy of Port Fuels and Materials Services Inc.)

Port Fuels says the plant — which would convert some 200,000 tonnes of imported waste per year into electricity — is based on proven technology used at a similar plant in Swinton, England. But WSP's report questions whether it is appropriate to consider it a "proven" technology, and says there are major differences from that operation and what's planned for Hamilton.

"The currently proposed process combines two different technologies (Gasplasma and direct plasma)," the report states.

The plant would be "the first commercial implementation of this type in the world … there is no similar scale operational system using this technology," the report continues.

The report says the Swinton plant is different because it operates under a special license as a research and development facility, it operates only periodically and is significantly smaller than the Hamilton proposal — the U.K. operation only processes 625 tonnes of waste per year.

WSP Canada recommends the city perform a detailed review of the proposal.

The report says that review should aim to find out whether environmentally, "sufficient monitoring and/or mitigation measures have been identified."

WSP also wants to dig further into the studies and analyses done by Port Fuels.

Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Green, who has been calling for an independent review since seeing the plant proposal, said the report confirms the worries expressed by numerous community members.

"As has been outlined by the consultants this should not have been fast-tracked," Green said.

"This is not a common technology," he added, noting what's being proposed in Hamilton is a far cry from the Swinton operation. 

He plans to introduce a motion at city council as soon as possible formally asking for the province to conduct an independent environmental review, something he hopes will provide "empirical, evidence-based" facts about what the plant's impact would be. 

Green said he's hopeful the province will commit to the assessment, especially as local provincial leaders including the NDP's Andrea Horwath have also raised the issue at Queen's Park.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Paid duty policing costs are 'killing' us: Hess Village bar

Another Hess Village nightclub was hauled before the city's licensing tribunal Thursday, as businesses in Hamilton's entertainment district struggle to cope with a controversial bylaw that forces them to hire paid duty police officers.

Social Bar and Nightclub is the latest establishment in danger of losing its license for falling behind in payments for those officers, and joins a steady parade of bar owners in Hess who have said in tribunal hearings that the city's current bylaw is unfair and oppressive.

The Gown and Gavel, Viva, Ceilidh House, Hush, Che and Sizzle/Koi have all been before the tribunal over past due paid duty fees in recent years.

"In 20 years of business I've never been in this position – where a city was billing me for a service I didn't request," said owner Darwin Tchir, who along with his brother Darryl took over the bar last January.

'The paid duty program is financially killing us.'- Darwin Tchir, club owner

The bar has only been billed for about a cumulative four months, Tchir says – but they've still managed to amass over $11,000 in paid duty police fees and interest in that time.

"Merchants in Hess Village can't afford to do this," Tchir said. "The paid duty program is financially killing us."

Some city councillors have publicly denounced the bylaw, and another bar owner has launched a lawsuit against the city to have it struck down. But for now, it remains.

Attendance numbers dropping

Hess Village, as an entertainment district, can be a trouble spot and requires an increased police presence, especially during the warmer part of the year when it attracts more patrons, police say.

The current bylaw says Hess Village club operators must "retain a minimum of 10 special duty police officers for the Hess Village Entertainment District each Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. beginning April 15 and ending Nov. 15 each calendar year."

Darwin Tchir is one of the owners of Social Bar and Nightclub in Hess Village. (Adam Carter/CBC)

But sagging attendance numbers in Hess Village mean that there are more officers than necessary in Hess now, Tchir said during the tribunal hearing. "You're basing that off attendance numbers from five years ago," he said.

Club owners soldiered through a very slow summer season this year, he says, and repeatedly tried to contact police officials to lower the number of officers hired in conjunction with the sagging attendance.

But police didn't heed that request until September, he says, meaning owners in the entertainment district were paying for too many police officers with fewer customers in their bars to help pay for it.

Hamilton police did not immediately respond to requests for comment about their staffing levels in Hess Village, or if they have noticed a dip in attendance.

Bylaw needs review, councillors say

Coun. Terry Whitehead, who is the chair of the licensing tribunal, finds himself being pulled in two directions on the bylaw issue.

As a councillor, Whitehead has been vocal in opposing the bylaw as it stands, and says it needs to be reviewed. But as the chair of the committee, he's bound to enforce the city's bylaws as they're written.

"I'm not a great supporter of the bylaw itself, but as the chair of the licensing tribunal, I have an obligation to enforce what's before me," he said. "But I don't know of any examples in Canada where that is currently being done."

In most centres, policing is paid for by property taxes – and Tchir says he has never been behind on those. From May to August last year, his paid duty fees were 20 to 22 per cent of the bar's gross sales, he told the tribunal.

Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr has also denounced the bylaw, and will be part of consultations between the city, police and Hess club owners about the bylaw later this year.

"There are no other examples of this level of private policing costs in any major city that I can find," he told CBC Hamilton. "The approximately $150,000 annual costs to fewer operators in Hess Village is impacting our economic development numbers and ultimately public perceptions."

'There's no accountability for this program'

Dean Collett, one of the owners of Sizzle/Koi and Diavolo, has launched a lawsuit in an attempt to strike down the city's paid-duty policing cost policy. Where that situation stands in the courts is unclear. City solicitor Janice Atwood-Petkovski told CBC Hamilton it was adjourned without a return date at the end of last year after the city resisted an injunction application.

She would not respond to requests to comment further on the matter. Collett also did not respond to requests for comment.

The city's licensing tribunal agreed to allow Social to apply for a license renewal at the end of Thursday's hearing – under some strict conditions.

Tchir has to pay off the $11,000 the bar owes in four instalments starting next month, and can't renew his license until the first payment is made. Failing to make a payment would mean his license is automatically revoked.

Now, Tchir and his brother will try to shift around the funds to pay off the city and keep the business running.

"This has caused a burden and a hardship," he said. "There's no accountability for this program."

adam.carter@cbc.ca | @AdamCarterCBC

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton weather, traffic and more: Daystarter Friday

If you needed more of a reason than just "it's a snowy Friday and I feel like it" to eat a croissant this morning, you can indulge in solidarity with others celebrating National Croissant Day today. 

Mmm, croissants. Where's the best place in town to get one?

There have been several problems on the QEW this morning heading to and from Fort Erie. Leave yourself extra time for the delays. As of 7 a.m., the QEW was closed in both directions -- from Lyons Creek to Sodom Road on in both directions.

And further up the road there's been two more crashes on the Toronto-bound QEW, one at Highway 10 where two vehicles are blocking the left lane and one at Northshore Boulevard in Burlington, blocking the right lane. 

In town, Hamilton Police are reporting a collision at Strathearne Avenue and Burlington Street with unknown injuries. No traffic delay reported. 

Several roads have snow and slush on them, so drive carefully. And if you need to fill up on gas, check the bottom of this post for your cheapest options.

The city has issued a cold alert. If you see anyone in need of shelter, the city asks you to call Salvation Army at 905-527-1444 ext 0.

It's cloudy and windy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries this morning, expected to become a mix of sun and cloud around noon. The temperature will fall to -11 C this morning, dropping to a low of -17 C tonight.

We're impressed by the strength of this yogi, or "snowgi" as Instagram user @meandherphoto calls him. But it looks a little cold for his outfit. 

McMaster University will be testing its emergency systems today, so don't be alarmed if you hear alarms in the neighbourhood around 10:20 a.m. today.

The city hired consultants to review the plans for a proposed waste-to-energy gasification plant. Their report is out, and it warns the plant is the first of its kind in the world and more environmental reviews should be done. 

Hess Village bars are required to pay for extra duty police officers -- 10 of them -- every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. The costs to pay for the officers are "killing" the business owners there, one told a licensing tribunal on Thursday. 

A Hummer crashed into a Hamilton home on Thursday.

You can make friends in unlikely places, this surfer discovers.

Here are your cheapest places to fill up on gas today:

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Almost 3,000 Ontario health workers go on strike

The Ontario Nurses' Association says almost 3,000 community health workers are on strike today.

The union says nine of 10 bargaining units of workers with the province's Community Care Access Centres have voted to strike.

The workers include registered nurses, nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists, among other health professionals

The units on strike are listed as the North East, North West, Central East, Central, North Simcoe Muskoka, Waterloo Wellington, South East, South West and Erie St. Clair.

However, the union says workers at Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant have ratified a new agreement.

The union says it has been seeking wage increases equal to the percentages given to the other 57,000 members of ONA in the hospital, public health and long-term care sectors. 

It says CCAC members had a two-year wage freeze in their last contract, which expired March 31, 2014.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ride the bus to work? Councillors say they can't or won't

Environment Hamilton has set up an online fundraiser to persuade city councillors voting on important transit-related matters to ride the bus to get a better feel for what the service is like.

With a title of "Throw Council on the Bus," the campaign challenges councillors — who recently voted to remove a downtown transit lane — to commute by bus for a week.

"What would you pay to see your favourite councillor ride the HSR?" asks the website. The donations will be used to buy transit passes for Hamiltonians in need. 

'If five days by bus out of 40 is too difficult for our city councillors, this not only reflects poorly on the transit system as a whole, but points to the extent to which some councillors may be disconnected from the daily reality of thousands of Hamiltonians.'- Ned Nolan, Environment Hamilton

The campaign is one day old and has raised about $3,000 by late Wednesday afternoon.

But already, councillors with the most pledges say they can't — or in one case, won't — take the bus for a week.

Coun. Chad Collins of Ward 5, who is leading the pledges after moving to kill the downtown transit lane last week, says he can't take the bus every day because of family obligations.

"I drive my kids to school every day," he said.

Coun. Sam Merulla of Ward 4 says he works out of his car, so "that would be like telling me not to go to work."

Environment Hamilton says the five days don't have to be in a row, just five days over a two-month period. Merulla says he'll try to do that, and is donating $350 to the cause. 

"I'm a strong supporter of public transit," he said. "I'm not sure why people would want try to convert the converted."

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says he'll do the challenge. Coun. Judi Partridge of Ward 15 in Flamborough can't access transit where she lives. Whitehead was angry about the campaign, saying he won't bow to pressure from one small group of political activists.

Coun. Tom Jackson of Ward 6 wasn't sure either. "My schedule is very hectic at this time of year."

The campaign comes on the heels of a 9-7 vote last week to dismantle a two-kilometre transit-only lane along King Street. Council is also grappling with the notion of a 13-kilometre light rail transit line from McMaster University to Eastgate Square. Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Monday that the province has pledged full capital funding for it. 

The Environment Hamilton campaign is the latest in a series of community-led pro-transit actions. About 60 transit riders gathered to form a union ahead of the bus lane, and about 150 of them wore yellow as they gathered to hear the vote. The group also started a petition.

So far, Whitehead has garnered the most pledges, followed by Collins.

Coun. Matthew Green of Ward 3 takes the bus every day. He's fortunate to live near a convenient transit line, he said.

"I couldn't imagine a councillor from Flamborough having to take the trip in, although I can understand why the public would want council to have a lived experience perspective of transit."

Green said he uses the time on the bus to unwind. He doesn't have kids, he added, and that he "completely understands" Collins's explanation.

Ned Nolan of Environment Hamilton says the organization is sensitive to the fact that most councillors rely on cars for their daily routines.

"We're asking that councillors make an effort to choose just five days in a two-month period to use the bus instead," he said. "That is not a particularly onerous task and we have intentionally allowed for the bus-only days to be non-consecutive and for drop-offs and pick-ups at the nearest stop to their homes.

"If five days by bus out of 40 is too difficult for our city councillors, this not only reflects poorly on the transit system as a whole, but points to the extent to which some councillors may be disconnected from the daily reality of thousands of Hamiltonians." 

On Monday, Eisenberger said that Premier Kathleen Wynne, in a meeting with him, pledged full capital funding for LRT. But some councillors worried that Wynne didn't say that herself, instead using "rapid transit" publicly. Others don't want LRT even with full capital funding.

The effort is also using the Twitter hashtag #BusaMove.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police risk contaminating evidence without more forensics space: chief

Hamilton's police chief says the service needs a new investigative services building to guarantee that evidence doesn't get contaminated, among other factors.

Chief Glenn De Caire told councillors on Wednesday that there have been no court cases lost over Hamilton Police Service not having enough forensics space. He also doesn't know of any cases where forensic evidence has been contaminated.

But in a presentation asking city council for a $5-million contribution to the new building, police service staff called it a risk.

'These are all very live issues that need to be addressed, and need to be addressed now.'- Chief Glenn De Caire

"There is a separation of drying areas so evidence is not contaminated," De Caire said during a city hall budget session. "There is a risk that presents itself if our forensics people do not handle these items in a particular way to protect against accusations of contamination."

The matter, he said, "could easily be raised in court."

Police say they need 53,500 square feet of new space, and hope to get it in a new $15-million investigative services building downtown. The building will include three forensics labs – one for evidence from victims, one for the accused and one for the crime scene.

They hope to fund it, in part, with a federal-provincial infrastructure grant, with a third of the money coming from the city and two-thirds from upper levels of government.

But the other grants hinge on the city contributing.  

The building is part of $43,259,000 in new capital projects the service says it needs over the next decade, including a $4-million expansion to their marine facility, $19,674,000 for a new division four station and $1 million for new horse stables.

Coun. Jason Farr of Ward 2 singled out the mention of contaminated evidence.

"Can you expand on what 'risk to prosecutions' and 'risk of contamination' means?" he asked.

De Caire said forensics staff are skilled, and work diligently in the cramped space they have.

But "these are all very live issues that need to be addressed, and need to be addressed now." 

The capital contribution will be included in the city's overall budget, which council approves in April.

Councillors had little argument over the operating budget on Wednesday.

Police presented a budget that was a 2.95-per cent increase over 2014, the lowest increase in 16 years. The budget increased $4.3 million to $158.5 million.

The budget included adding five constables to the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, which specializes in mental health calls. The team expected to see 250 calls in 2014, and ended up taking 624 calls in 11 months.

The budget also asked for two trainers for Conductive Energy Weapons (CEWs), better known by the brand name Taser.

But the biggest increase was salaries and benefits, which accounted for nearly 90 per cent of the budget. Employee-related costs accounted for $4,85 million, or a 3.35-per cent increase over 2014.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

2025 Hamilton is an oppressive dystopia in new Toronto web series

Welcome to 2025 Hamilton – where cash is king, corporations rule, and the city has become a "special economic zone" where companies violate environmental and wage laws in the name of profit.

That's the world Toronto writer Jim Munroe created in Haphead, an eight-part, 'neo-noir' web video series that's rolling out online over the next couple of months.

So why is a Toronto writer creating a dystopian version of his city's sometimes-maligned neighbour? "Hamilton has had this history as a factory town – it seemed vulnerable to those kinds of political backroom deals," Munroe told CBC Hamilton.

Haphead is the story of a near future woman named Maxine, who becomes empowered by video games. (Brendan Adam-Zwelling)

Haphead's story centres around Maxine, a young woman who is working in a Hamilton factory building a new breed of video game system that is so immersive that players actually feel what happens in the game and develop real martial arts skills based on how they play. Maxine steals one of the prototypes and predictably, things go south, fast.

Though it's only airing online in eight to 12 minute shorts, the show is well produced and professional looking, thanks to $175,000 worth of grants and Kickstarter backing.

Munroe says he could have set the near-future story in a purely fictional location, but felt it was important have a sense of "specificity," and play off the real cultural underpinnings within southern Ontario.

Hamilton has long had a chip on its shoulder about its relationship with Canada's largest city, and Munroe says he was cognizant of that as he was writing the city's leaders as more or less morally bankrupt.

"One of the reasons I felt OK about it was because Hamilton is on the way up at the moment," he said, mentioning the city's art scene and friends of his moving to the area.

"And it's not like we painted a picture of Toronto as a boom town, either."

The city's place as a "special economic zone" is another take on an issue that's grounded in reality – just less so in Canada. These zones can be found in the world today in different countries like China, India and Russia.

"There's a tendency to look at that as something that would never happen here," Munroe says. "But I don't believe it's as far fetched in the future as you would think."

The first two episodes of Haphead have already been posted online, with the third coming Thursday.

You can watch them on Haphead.com.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton weather, traffic and more: Daystarter Thursday

If you don't know the term Alberta clipper, you might after today.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement stating the weather system may bring 5-10 centimetres of snow as the day goes on, something the forecaster warns could snarl the afternoon commute.

But first, this morning's conditions.

The morning commute is set to be problem-free, save for normal congestion, but driving conditions will deteriorate throughout the day.

The OPP is already warning motorists to make sure they're prepared for a slippery drive in the snow later today.

So, what's this Alberta clipper all about? According to Environment Canada it's a fast-moving weathermaker that will drop snow everywhere from the Muskoka region to southern Ontario. The snow's set to start falling sometime this morning, the agency says.

The temperature is set to rise as the snow starts to fall on Thursday. (CBC)

"Driving conditions will deteriorate after the snow arrives this morning, motorists should expect to deal with poor winter driving conditions," Environment Canada says, noting they're monitoring the system as it develops.

"Occasional blowing snow may also contribute to the poor winter driving conditions."

Hamilton may get as much as 10 centimetres of snow. If that's not bad enough, the system will drag in some cold Arctic air in its wake, making for frigid evening temperatures. 

Currently, the temperature is around -6 C with a wind chill of -10 C but as the snow falls the mercury is set to rise to -1 C.

Instagram user @cyhmpilot posted this terrific image of a different kind of traffic at the Hamilton airport.

Hamilton will play a drab dystopia in a new webseries called Haphead. Find out why the Toronto director is casting the city in that light here. 

Hamilton police want a new investigative services building. 

And a 17-year-old was arrested for brandishing a pistol during a kidnapping and car-jacking. 

Yesterday, Canadians tweeted using the #Bellletstalk hashtag more than three million times. In total, Bell reported more than 109 million messages — texts, calls, tweets and shares — on the special fundraising day, meaning it will donate $5,472,585.90 to Canadian mental health initiatives. 

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pat Quinn to receive special memorial mass in Hamilton

New

Hockey legend would have turned 72 today

CBC News Posted: Jan 29, 2015 9:51 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 29, 2015 9:51 AM ET

Pat Quinn, the Hamilton-born Canadian hockey icon, would have turned 72 today and this weekend he will be honoured with a special ceremony at a church near his childhood home.  

Quinn died in B.C. just over two months ago after a long battle with illness. His official funeral, attended by many prominent NHL personalities, was held in west Vancouver.

Now, Quinn will be remembered at a memorial mass at St. Eugene's Parish, in the Parkdale area of East Hamilton where he grew up.

Several members of the Quinn family who are parishioners at the Catholic church still live in the area and requested the local service, which will be held at 1 p.m. The memorial will be a traditional mass, a parish staff member said.

St. Eugene's is just across Parkdale Park from Pat Quinn Arena, which was re-named after the hockey great in 2005. 

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

OPP name two men killed Tuesday in crash south of Hamilton

The Ontario Provincial Police tweeted this picture just before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, just a few hours after a fatal collision on Highway 6 south of Hamilton. (Twitter @OPP_GTATraffic)

Ontario Provincial Police have released the names of two men who died in a fiery crash south of Hamilton early Tuesday that also sent two others to hospital.

It happened just before 7 a.m., said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, when a Volvo crossed into the oncoming lanes of Highway 6. Police originally thought the SUV has crossed over into the opposing lanes.

Then the Volvo caught fire. Hamilton fire spokesperson Claudio Mostacci said when firefighters got to the scene, one vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. Its driver, 18-year-old Nolan Harding of Caledonia, was pronounced dead in hospital.

The driver of the SUV, 53-year-old Walter Chamberlain, also of Caledonia, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two men from Dunnville, aged 19 and 44, who were in a third vehicle involved in the crash, were both taken to hospital with minor injuries.

It took fire crews about 15 minutes to douse the car fire, Mostacci said. "You try to put it out before it gets to the gas tank," he said.

Schmidt told CBC News that the roads in the area are wet and it's snowing. "But you can still see the highway lines quite clearly," he said. "The roads weren't a huge factor."

Investigators are now trying to figure out what caused the crash. No cause has been determined. Speed and alcohol have not been ruled out.

With files from the Canadian Press.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

U.S. Steel pensioners at risk: City report

About one of every 72 Hamiltonians is a U.S. Steel pensioner, and a new report outlines just how much they —and the city— stand to lose depending on the outcome of the company's bankrupcty protection process .

City staff issued a report Tuesday examining the "worst case scenario" of U.S. Steel Canada (USSC) going bankrupt with a significant funding shortfall in its pension plans. The economic impact study raises concerns about how underfunded the pensions are, how much less money pensioners will have in the city and the shrinking tax footprint of USSC itself. 

For now, all pensions and benefits are being paid while USSC continues to restructure. USSC sought bankruptcy protection under the Companies' and Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) in mid-September. 

The company is currently examining exactly how much it owes pensioners, out of the public eye. But the city report, based on older data, has some firm estimates. 

Hamilton pensioners represented by United Steelworkers Local 1005, who make up more than 65 per cent of all USSC pensioners, draw an average pension of $16,355, the report says.

If USSC goes bankrupt, it could only afford to pay 73.4 per cent of pensions, meaning pensioners would get $4,354 less each year, or $363 less per month.

The projected impact on pensioners not having a 2 per cent cost of living adjustment, meanwhile, is a loss of about $100,000 per employee over 25 years.

Hamilton salaried employees, a group outside 1005, would get 88.5 per cent of their pensions, translating to the loss of about $2,643, or $220 per month. 

Ontario's Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund — which protects members and beneficiaries of privately sponsored single-employer defined benefit pension plans in the event of plan sponsor insolvency — may help soften the blow for pensioners.

The city suggests PBGF payments could increase the average pension funding level, but pointed out the total liabilities that could reach into the hundreds of millions is far beyond what's available in PBGF.

The province has standing at USSC's CCAA proceedings, and a government spokesman said the Ministry of Finance is working with USSC to get the "best possible outcome for pension members and other stakeholders under the circumstances."

USSC has stated its goal is to sell off its Canadian operations by October. If the company is indeed sold, or it goes bankrupt, it's unclear how much money pensioners will get.

City would feel affects of pension cuts

Any reduction to steelworkers' pensions would be noticed in Hamilton, where pensioners contribute some $24 million in property tax each year. 

Between 7,000 and 8,600 USSC pensioners live in Hamilton, many of whom are seniors, the report says. Some 6.3 per cent of the Hamilton's 60-plus population are former U.S. Steel employees. More than 70 per cent of those pensioners own detached homes.

The report also points out the potential health risks associated with pensioners having their budgets strained, including stress, depression and the risk of heart disease.

Seniors, the report says, will be especially hard hit.

"It is hard for seniors to cope with sudden changes in their economic status, due to the limits of a fixed income," states the report.

Tax footprint shrinking

The city says tax revenues generated from U.S. Steel have been declining since 2000. In 2000, the company paid some $22.5 million in taxes, but it was expected to pay just $6 million in 2014.

In the big picture, U.S. Steel makes up less than 1 per cent of the city's tax base.

Water-related revenues are also down as the company has scaled back its work. While the company once accounted for 3.8 per cent of water sales, its 2014 total is set to be just 1.3 per cent of the city's total.

"A worst case scenario," when it comes to property tax and water revenue, the report says, "would be a further reduction of approximately $3.9 million annually, reducing the current annual revenues from approximately $6.6 million to $2.7 million."

Hamilton city council's steel committee is set to discuss the report and other issues at its Feb. 5 meeting. 

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fully funded LRT? Half of Hamilton council still won't say yes

Judi Partridge and Brenda Johnson talk to reporters about the LRT announcement 1:33

Judi Partridge and Brenda Johnson talk to reporters about the LRT announcement 1:33

Hamilton's mayor announced Monday that the province is willing to fully fund the capital costs of light rail transit here, but the news did little to sway the minds of councillors unsure about LRT.

Fred Eisenberger told reporters that Premier Kathleen Wynne pledged 100-per cent capital funding for LRT in Hamilton. In her own media appearance, Wynne confirmed commitment to "rapid transit," but declined to say light rail.

'We still don't have any information. We still don't have a commitment. We still have confusion, but that's about it.'- Coun. Judi Partridge

Those opposed or uncertain about LRT continued to raise objections and reiterate their opposition Tuesday.

The news didn't convince Coun. Judi Partridge of Ward 15 in Flamborough, who says she's uncertain on LRT even if it does get full provincial funding.

"There is no change," she said. "We still don't have any information. We still don't have a commitment. We still have confusion, but that's about it."

Only eight of council's 16 members confirmed a commitment to a $1-billion LRT system on Tuesday if it's fully funded. Others say they have questions.

Eisenberger is still a fan, as are councillors Aidan Johnson, Jason Farr, Matthew Green and Sam Merulla, all from the lower city. Coun. Scott Duvall of Ward 7 called the Wynne meeting "great news" and says he still supports LRT with full provincial funding. Coun. Brenda Johnson also supports it with full funding, as does Coun. Maria Pearson of Ward 10, although "I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling right now," Pearson said.

Coun. Tom Jackson of Ward 6 reserved comment on his LRT stance, saying he needed to know more about Monday's meeting.

But some others quizzed by CBC Hamilton say they have serious reservations about LRT, even if the province fully funds the capital costs.

'My husband collects train sets. I can tell you that the train and the track are the cheapest part, and that's just toys. That's not the reality of transit for this city, which is so important.'- Coun. Arlene VanderBeek

Partridge and Coun. Arlene VanderBeek of Ward 13 in Dundas cited unknown below-ground infrastructure costs as reasons they're hesitant.

"My husband collects train sets. I can tell you that the train and the track are the cheapest part, and that's just toys," VanderBeek said. "That's not the reality of transit for this city, which is so important."

Coun. Rob Pasuta of Ward 14 in Flamborough says he opposes LRT even with full capital funding because his residents will end up paying to operate it. He was against it before Monday and he is now.

Coun. Chad Collins of Ward 5 has become a vocal opponent since the fall election, saying his residents don't want it and that it will hurt business. He also took an active role in killing a two-kilometre downtown bus lane seen as a precursor to LRT. He said on Monday that the Eisenberger and Wynne news didn't sway him.

Coun. Doug Conley of Ward 9 wants a transit system that benefits everyone, and he doesn't think LRT does.

Citizen panel vote coming

"It's 13 kilometres and it doesn't even take care of a lot of stuff we want to take care of," he said. "The LRT doesn't serve everybody."

Eisenberger plans to introduce his citizens panel idea sometime in February. With the panel, the city will assemble citizens from various wards, but council has to approve its creation first.

'I think we've made our decision…and I'm not sure why we'd want to necessarily move back on that.'- Coun. Matthew Green

A brief survey of councillors show the panel may be a tough sell. Some anti-LRT councillors, such as Collins, have no issues with the panel, while Green, a pro-LRT councillor, doesn't see the need for it.

The city engaged citizens extensively when creating its Rapid Ready report, Green said.

The city voted unanimously in favour of the report in 2013, which recommends eventual LRT, and nearly unanimously to back up its support for LRT last year.

'I think we've made our decision'

When it comes to question marks about LRT, "I'm not sure that those are answers we can expect to get from our citizens," he said. "I think they're answers we need to get from our province."

"I think we've made our decision…and I'm not sure why we'd want to necessarily move back on that."

Farr and Aidan Johnson were heartened by Monday's news. Both cited the economic growth stemming from LRT and its benefits to the entire city, which have gotten "muddied" over the last few months, Farr said.

The panel, Farr said, "is a good, I think, in serving a purpose to remind folks of all of those reasons why it wasn't that long ago that we were all unanimous."

Farr reasons that Wynne may not have said LRT because she's balancing the politics of dealing with other cities too.

"Perhaps it has to do with all of the catchment area of the Big Move when she speaks as opposed to when our mayor speaks, it being about Hamilton," he said. "I can't put myself in her head. I thought it was a productive use of time and it was good for all Hamiltonians." 

Merulla planned to introduce a motion to reaffirm council's position of LRT with full capital funding. Merulla says he will hold off on that until the result of the citizens panel.

---

Who spoke in favour of the citizens panel: Fred Eisenberger, Aidan Johnson, Jason Farr, Sam Merulla, Chad Collins ("I'm not against but I don't see much coming from it because most people around the table have already made up their minds"), Scott Duvall

Undecided or leaning toward no: Tom Jackson ("I need to analyze exactly what transpired from yesterday"), Doug Conley ("I'll have to find out what the advisory committee is going to advise on"), Maria Pearson, Brenda Johnson, Arlene VanderBeek, Robert Pasuta ("as far as I'm concerned, we still need to wait and see if there's money"), Judi Partridge, Matthew Green

Unavailable: Terry Whitehead, Lloyd Ferguson

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lanes reopen after death on eastbound 403 in Burlington

CBC News Posted: Jan 28, 2015 7:26 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 28, 2015 8:04 AM ET

The eastbound Highway 403 lanes at Waterdown Rd. in Burlington have reopened after a more than five-hour investigation into collision that killed a 23-year-old Burlington woman. 

It's the third traffic fatality in two days, following Tuesday's three vehicle collision in Mt. Hope on Highway 6 that killed two men.

The woman was ejected from a red Suzuki after crossing over between the westbound to eastbound lanes near Waterdown Rd. at approximately 2 a.m. Wednesday.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the woman "lost control went through the centre dip. The (lone) female driver was ejected from the vehicle she landed on the eastbound lanes of the 403 where she subsequently struck by another vehicle."

He said it's unclear if she was wearing a seat belt at the time, or if alcohol or any other substances played a factor. 

One of the westbound lanes was closed in the early hours of Wednesday for an investigation, but all lanes on the eastbound side were closed until shortly roughly 7:45 a.m., snarling the morning traffic from the Hamilton and Niagara areas towards Toronto. Before the lanes were reopened, traffic was parked for 8 kilometres behind Waterdown Rd., near the Aldershot GO Station.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton weather, traffic and more: Daystarter Wednesday

Good morning, Hamilton. Traffic was snarled this morning, backed up nearly eight kilometres for an investigation into a traffic accident that killed a 23-year-old Burlington woman. 

Driving a red Suzuki, the woman was ejected from the vehicle after driving through the centre dip from the westbound to eastbound lanes. Then she was hit and killed by another car at 2 a.m. Wednesday. After that the highway remained closed for more than five hours.

It's the third traffic-related death in two days in the Hamilton area, following Tuesday's Mt. Hope crash. 

Stay safe on the roads, and don't forget your sunglasses — the sun will be out in full force Wednesday, with a high of -4 C by the afternoon.

There are no reported delays on GO Transit routes related to Hamilton Wednesday morning.

Here's what's being reported on the roads:

• Collision: 3 vehicles on the right shoulder on the QEW Toronto bound at Mississauga Rd. 7:55 a.m.
• Collision: Eastbound 403 lanes at Waterdown Rd. were closed from 2 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. for a fatality investigation. 

The sun is going to shine over Hamilton today, but don't expect things to heat up to the high of -4 C until the late afternoon. 

The morning will be a bitter -18 C, but by noon temperatures are expected around -10 C with winds under 10 km/h. 

The overnight will drop to -9 C with the sun setting at roughly 5:26 p.m. 

Rob Porter Tweeted this great picture of a coyote in the Dundas Valley:

The news that the Province would fully fund LRT did little to sway some Hamilton city councillors. Half of council's 16 members said they were fully committed to LRT, while some councillors have reserved judgment or remain skeptical about a free public transit network from the Province. 

One of ever 72 Hamiltonians is a U.S. Steel pensioner, according to city report that outlined the "worst case scenario" should U.S. Steel declare bankruptcy on the Canadian operations. 

A new Kickstarter campaign to keep the Grant Avenue recording studio alive is giving people a chance to take a class from a pair of Canadian legends in producer Danial Lanois and Gordon Lightfoot. 

In case you missed it, scientists have finally figured out how to unboil an egg:

And here's your full list of gas prices:

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

2015 Juno Award nominations to be announced today

New

Watch the announcement being livestreamed here from Toronto, starting at 11 a.m. ET

CBC News Posted: Jan 27, 2015 9:53 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 27, 2015 10:15 AM ET

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is revealing today from Toronto the artists in the running for the 44th annual Juno Awards.

Tuesday's announcement by CARAS will be part of a special presentation from The Danforth Music Hall starting, at 11 a.m. ET.

Watch a livestream of the announcement here or on mobile here.

The Junos recognizes excellence in popular Canadian music in 41 categories, including best songwriter, album and single of the year.

Calgary's Kiesza is one of four performers announced to play the 2015 Juno Awards ceremony in Hamilton, Ont. in March. (Adam Gasson/MTV Europe/Getty Images)

The awards will be handed out in a a star-studded gala on March 15 from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.

A number of big Canadian acts are slated to perform, including:

More announcements on Juno performers and hosts are expected in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the 2015 awards gala range from $39 to $149, and can be purchased at FirstOntario Centre, by phone at 1-855-872-5000 and online at Ticketmaster.ca.

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Province will fully fund LRT capital costs, mayor says

Fred Eisenberger on the LRT promise 1:01

Fred Eisenberger on the LRT promise 1:01

Fred Eisenberger on how he'll get council on board with LRT 0:43

Fred Eisenberger on how he'll get council on board with LRT 0:43

Fred Eisenberger on the LRT meeting 1:48

Fred Eisenberger on the LRT meeting 1:48

Chris Murray and Fred Eisenberger answer questions about the LRT meeting 3:06

Chris Murray and Fred Eisenberger answer questions about the LRT meeting 3:06

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says Premier Kathleen Wynne has committed to fully funding the capital cost of light rail transit (LRT) in Hamilton.

But in a press conference Monday afternoon, the premier stopped short of specifying that she meant LRT, and wouldn't give a dollar figure.

Eisenberger said in a later afternoon press conference that Wynne's office approved him saying publicly that Ontario will commit to LRT in Hamilton, particularly as it ties in with regional GO transit. 

But when the premier answered media questions an hour previously, she held off on using the "L." 

"We've committed to the capital cost for Hamilton, absolutely," she said Monday in her press conference after the meeting with Eisenberger. "But I'm not going to put a number on that because we don't know what that number will be."

Eisenberger met with Wynne on Monday morning, and met with Transportation Minister Steve Del Duca Monday afternoon.

'We remain committed to fully funding the capital costs of a Hamilton rapid transit project.'- Patrick Searle, Ministry of Transportation spokesperson

"The premier as well as Minister Del Duca…both confirmed their commitment to 100-per cent capital funding for LRT," he said. 

The next step, he said, is his proposed citizen engagement panel that will help decide the future of LRT. The city will meet with the province in the next couple of months to discuss a time line.

Wynne didn't nail down a dollar figure, he said, because it will vary according to the design. But the commitment was firm.

"We did clarify the message that we were going to deliver to the media with the premier before we left and it's consistent with what I just told you."

City manager Chris Murray agreed.

"In the next couple of months, we're going to hear more specifically from the province in terms of their schedule in terms of when projects will unfold," Murray said.

"But in terms of the question that council has asked for many months, 100-per cent funding for the capital costs of B-line LRT, we heard that that is the plan."

Rapid transit game changer?

It was a day of excitement, confusion and scraps of information shared and debated over social media regarding the question Hamilton has waited years to have answered. 

"This really clarifies the issue for Hamilton," said Ryan McGreal, a local transit advocate who called it "a game changer."

"If Premier Wynne has been correctly quoted saying that, this is an exciting new development. One of the arguments against LRT has been the province hasn't really committed to full capital funding."

Eisenberger hopes to strike his citizens' panel in the next couple of months. Without it, he said, he worries that council won't vote for LRT.

That's the case for Coun. Chad Collins of Ward 5, who doesn't want LRT even with full capital funding. Investment in GO Transit is a safer bet, he said, and he worries about the implications of LRT funding on improvements to the rest of the transit system. 

"I would suggest there are more strategic investments the city can make than to put all their eggs in one basket," he said.

Part of province's $15 billion?

The city's Rapid Ready report proposes a 13-kilometre light rail transit line from McMaster University to Eastgate Square. Metrolinx estimated the capital costs to be $1 billion in 2013.

The province has committed $15 billion over 10 years for transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. That includes the electrification of the GO service, which some suggest will take up the lion's share of the money. Wynne did take pains to indicate Hamilton's RT had to be looked at in conjunction with the regional transit plan.

Eisenberger says he has no reason to think that Hamilton's share won't come out of that $15 billion.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is "fully funding the capital costs of a Hamilton rapid transit project," an MTO spokesperson said in an email on Monday. It did not specify whether that meant LRT or just rapid transit in general.

"We continue to work closely with Metrolinx and the City of Hamilton to move forward with a rapid transit plan that makes sense for the people of Hamilton and the entire Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA)," Patrick Searle said in an email.

'We need to find out if council is still on board to go on to the next phase.'- Coun. Sam Merulla

"We have been very clear that we remain committed to fully funding the capital costs of a Hamilton rapid transit project, and currently Metrolinx and the City of Hamilton are working closely together on outstanding technical questions."

In light of Monday's news, Coun. Sam Merulla of Ward 4 will bring a motion to city council to reaffirm its commitment to LRT. "We need to find out if council is still on board to go on to the next phase."

He remained skeptical of the LRT funding news on Monday.

"The devil is in the details," he said. "We don't have a time frame. We need to put this in perspective. At this point, no cheque has been signed. Right now it's simply 'at some point,' and that's not good enough for me."

Eisenberger said he would rather Merulla's motion come after the citizen engagement process.

The province has flirted with saying it would fully fund LRT before, said McGreal. 

Rapid transit, but with the L?

Last year, Del Duca met with councillors and talked about full funding but used the more generic term "rapid transit," which could also mean bus rapid transit (BRT). The Liberals also pledged two rapid transit lines in Hamilton in a 2007 media release during a provincial election campaign.

Wynne and then-Transportion Minister Glen Murray also mentioned full funding during the last election campaign.

City has a history of 'snatching the defeat from the jaws of victory'

City council unanimously supported the Rapid Ready report in 2013, which mentions improving transit leading to eventual LRT. But some councillors have been vocal against light rail in the last year, and last week, voted to remove a two-kilometre transit lane from downtown Hamilton.

McGreal doesn't put it past council to walk away from LRT anyway.

"This is a city and this is a council that has a long history of snatching the defeat from the jaws of victory," he said.

But "I see this as a really exciting opportunity for all those councillors who said 'we support transit' but voted against the bus lane to support LRT."

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce applauded Wynne's words in a media release Monday. The membership isn't unanimously pro-LRT, but the chamber is in favour of the project because of the potential economic benefits.

"The chamber and its membership applaud the leadership shown by Mayor Eisenberger and Premier Wynne in championing a project that will completely transform this historic city and form the foundation of Hamilton's future economy," said Keanin Loomis, chamber president, in the release. 

Eisenberger also discussed U.S. Steel and affordable housing during his half-hour meeting with Wynne.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

City making contingency plans in case of Pan Am labour disruptions

The city is working on back-up plans in case one of more of its unions — including transit drivers, landscapers, garbage collectors, and others — are on strike for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

And right now, that's a possibility.

'Hopefully we don't have any form of disruption, but we are planning.'- Gerry Davis, head of public works

Most of the major city unions, representing thousands of city workers are without contracts, including the members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) local 107, which represents about 700 staff, including the city's bus drivers and mechanics.

The city is working on "contingency plans" in case one or more of the unions is in the midst of labour unrest during the Games, scheduled for July 10 to 26, said Gerry Davis, head of public works. He wouldn't say what the plans are.

"Hopefully we don't have any form of disruption, but we are planning," he said.

At least four other unions are also bargaining with the city right now. Their contracts all expired on Dec. 31. That includes all outside and inside employees such as roads workers, recreation services workers and administrative workers, 3,072 of which are represented by CUPE 5167. CUPE 1041 represents front-line foremen and supervisors.

The Union of Operating Engineers is also without a contract. That includes electrical, refrigeration and maintenance workers, among others.

The city is in regular meetings with the groups. It started meeting with the ATU last week, said Eric Tuck, president of local 107. The two sides meet again on Feb. 2.

"It should never have been left as long as it was," Tuck said.

'Without getting into any specifics, we've got a lot of issues to be resolved.'- Eric Tuck, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 107

The union wanted to start meeting in the fall, he said, but the Oct. 27 municipal election delayed it. Tuck wants to see an agreement "long before" the Pan Am Games.

"Without getting into any specifics, we've got a lot of issues to be resolved," he said.

The transit workers want the city to look good for the Pan Am Games too, Tuck said, and he says the union has no plans to use the games as a bargaining chip.

Sandra Walker, president of CUPE 5167, doesn't think it'll be a problem. There are months left to negotiate, she said.

"They always prepare a contingency plan any time a unit goes into bargaining," she said.

"I don't see it as being a worry at this present time."

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will handle parking and shuttle service during the games. The city asked to be part of the ministry's procurement to handle seven Pan Am venues, said spokesperson Bob Nichols. But he said it had nothing to do with labour issues.

"Possible labour unrest was not a factor," Nichols said.

Coralee Secore, the city's manager of Pan Am initiatives, agrees that the labour unrest had nothing to do with the provincial contract. It was cheaper for the city to be included in a broader procurement package than to offer the service itself, she said. 

The city was eyeing First Student Canada to provide the service, Secore said, and the province contracted that company anyway. It wouldn't have been provided by HSR drivers.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

5 photos that help tell the story of Hamilton's sex workers

Andrea Carlton knows the kind of isolation sex workers can feel from their community and their neighbours.

She spent nine years in the sex trade at the street level. It wasn't a choice – it rarely is on the street. It was a necessity to fuel an addiction and to stay alive.

Carlton left sex work seven years ago after her second child was born to work as a social worker and help women who wanted out, just like her.

"They're real. They're humans. They have a heart, soul and emotions," Carlton said.

Now, she's part of a new project from the Social Planning and Research Council (SPRC) that aims to bridge the gap between sex workers and their communities and fix problems surrounding the sex trade collaboratively.

It's a two-fold project – one element is artistic, and one is research based. On Tuesday night, a host of community groups including the SPRC and the Elizabeth Fry Society are presenting the Photovoice exhibit, which explores sex worker's experiences through photos.

You can see those photos in the gallery above. Carlton was one of those photographers. She felt some sadness going back to the places she used to work – but not regret.

"It was something I had to go through to gain compassion for myself and others," she said.

On the research side, there's the SPRC's report on the community engagement process on street level sex work in the Sherman Hub. The report will be available Tuesday night.

The report recommends several steps to make life easier for street level sex workers, from creating more walkable streets in the Sherman neighbourhood to increasing opportunities for counseling for youth who experience sexual abuse and violence.

Report author Deirdre Pike says one of the most important things people can take from her research is that as a community, we should focus on the underlying issues that cause women to turn to the street level sex trade rather than pointing fingers at people who are perceived as a problem.

"Poverty breeds addiction and desperate measures," she said. "You do what you have to to feed your kids."

The exhibit runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Gile's Church at 85 Holton Avenue South.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

2 dead after fiery Mt. Hope crash

Two men are dead after a fiery, multiple car crash in Mt. Hope near Hamilton Tuesday morning.

Ontario Provincial Police say Highway 6 will be closed for several hours while they investigate the collision at Chippewa Road West, south of Airport Road.

It happened just before 7 a.m., said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, when a Ford SUV going southbound on Highway 6 crossed over and slammed into a Volvo in the northbound lanes.

One person is dead after a car crash near Hamilton Tuesday morning. (Tony Smyth/CBC)

Then the Volvo caught fire. Hamilton fire spokesperson Claudio Mostacci said, when firefighters got to the scene, one vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. He couldn't say if anyone was still inside.

Another car then plowed into the two vehicles, sending all three spinning sideways, Schmidt said.

The 53-year-old driver of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 18-year-old who was driving the Volvo was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he then died.

The driver and passenger of the third vehicle were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

It took fire crews about 15 minutes to douse the car fire, Mostacci said. "You try to put it out before it gets to the gas tank," he said.

Schmidt told CBC News that the roads in the area are wet and it's snowing. "But you can still see the highway lines quite clearly," he said.

Investigators expect to be on scene for quite some time. "It'll be three or four hours for sure," Schmidt said.

An Ornge air helicopter was originally called in because of the crash, but then cancelled.

This map shows where the crash took place. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while three others have been taken to hospital - one in critical condition and two with minor injuries. (Google)

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

City making contingency plans in case of Pan Am labour disruptions

The city is working on back-up plans in case one of more of its unions — including transit drivers, landscapers, garbage collectors, and others — are on strike for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

And right now, that's a possibility.

'Hopefully we don't have any form of disruption, but we are planning.'- Gerry Davis, head of public works

Most of the major city unions, representing thousands of city workers are without contracts, including the members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) local 107, which represents about 700 staff, including the city's bus drivers and mechanics.

The city is working on "contingency plans" in case one or more of the unions is in the midst of labour unrest during the Games, scheduled for July 10-26, said Gerry Davis, head of public works. He wouldn't say what the plans consist of.

"Hopefully we don't have any form of disruption, but we are planning," he said.

At least four other unions are also bargaining with the city right now. Their contracts all expired on Dec. 31. That includes all outside and inside employees such as roads workers, recreation services workers and administrative workers. CUPE 5167 represents them. CUPE 1041 represents front-line foremen and supervisors.

The Union of Operating Engineers is also without a contract. That includes electrical, refrigeration and maintenance workers, among others.

The city is in regular meetings with the groups. It started meeting with the ATU last week, said Eric Tuck, president of local 107. The two sides meet again on Feb. 2.

"It should never have been left as long as it was," Tuck said.

'Without getting into any specifics, we've got a lot of issues to be resolved.'- Eric Tuck, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 107

The union wanted to start meeting in the fall, he said, but the Oct. 27 municipal election delayed it. Tuck wants to see an agreement "long before" the Pan Am Games.

"Without getting into any specifics, we've got a lot of issues to be resolved," he said.

The transit workers want the city to look good for the Pan Am Games too, Tuck said, and he says the union has no plans to use the games as a bargaining chip.

Sandra Walker, president of CUPE 5167, doesn't think it'll be a problem. There are months left to negotiate, she said.

"They always prepare a contingency plan any time a unit goes into bargaining," she said.

"I don't see it as being a worry at this present time."

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) will handle parking and shuttle service during the games. The city asked to be part of the ministry's procurement to handle seven Pan Am venues, said spokesperson Bob Nichols. But he said it had nothing to do with labour issues.

"Possible labour unrest was not a factor," Nichols said.

HSR staff couldn't have operated Pan Am Games shuttles anyway, Tuck said. They are too busy with their daily work.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Morphine too risky for kids after sleep apnea surgery: researchers

Clinicians are being asked to rethink post-operative care for children with sleep apnea, and avoid prescribing morphine, following clinical trials that revealed the drug can cause life-threatening breathing problems. 

Midway through 2014, researchers from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and Hamilton's McMaster University halted trials about the adverse effects of morphine as a pain reliever for children who had their tonsils or adenoids (commonly called a nose tonsil) removed after one child needed to be resuscitated because of a lack of oxygen. 

Each hospital's ethics board, as well as Health Canada, was notified as a result. The general findings showed the adverse affects of morphine, and an alternative that managed pain just as effectively. 

Researchers found morphine should not be given to children following sleep apnea operations, except in monitored or extreme cases, and that standard doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen helped ward off pain in the three weeks of discomfort children tend to have after the operation. 

"It is safer, treats the pain just as well and should be considered the main treatment," Dr. Doron Sommer, clinical professor of surgery at McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and a surgeon at McMaster Children's Hospital, said of the alternatives.

Sommer and researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children were looking into alternative pain management options for children getting tonsillectomies.

Some 14,000 tonsillectomies are performed in Ontario every year, and according to Sommer, many are to prevent sleep apnea in children.

In 2009 and 2012, major studies revealed codeine caused adverse reactions and even death when used in pediatric post-operative care for sleep apnea patients, suppressing the brain's signalling to breathe while sleeping. It's one part of what causes apnea, along with physical blockages in the breathing pathway.

"It works on the brain directly to decrease the respiratory drive," Sommer said.

Since codeine is metabolized into morphine in the body, Sommer said, researchers looked at removing the metabolic stage to give a more uniform pain management delivery, essentially skipping the middle man. However, similar negative effects were found when morphine was give to children following surgery. 

"The evidence here clearly suggests children with obstructive sleep apnea should not be given morphine for post-operative pain. We already know that they should not get codeine, either," says Dr. Gideon Koren, another author of the study and senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children.

"The good news is that we now have evidence that indicates ibuprofen is safe for these kids, and is just as effective in controlling their pain, so there's a good alternative available for clinicians to prescribe."

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Province needs to fix psych test funding: school board

It's up to the province to alleviate the oppressively long wait times students are facing for special education testing in Hamilton, says the school board's chair.  

It's a systemic problem that's been on the board's radar for years, says Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board chair Todd White, but trustees haven't been able to properly tackle it because of unequal funding per student from the province.

'No one kids themselves – this is not a perfect system.'- HWDSB chair Todd White

"No one kids themselves – this is not a perfect system," White said. "We know there is a gap. Trustees have been screaming for additional resources for years."

In a system that's supposed to be equal for all children, there is a growing problem with wait times for what's called psycho-educational testing. The tests are conducted by board psychologists and are used to determine if a child has a learning disability. Without one, a student can't access vital special education resources.

Hundreds of kids are on the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board's waiting list to be tested – but wealthier parents can pay for the testing themselves at a private clinic and buy their way out of the line. The testing is available for a fee of $2,000 to $3,500 – but many parents can't afford that.

That raises issue of unequal access for kids who are most vulnerable – those with learning disabilities in low-income areas who can't afford to pay for private tests.

Board doing what it can with budget, chair says

The board says it does what it can with the resources it has, and has chosen to funnel more money into programming than testing itself. The HWDSB receives $65.1 million a year for special education programs from the ministry, and budgets another $2.8 million in resources on top of that for things like staffing, social workers and educational assistants, White says.

But the longstanding way the Ministry of Education has distributed funding has been crippling Hamilton for years, he says. According to a memo sent by the ministry to the province's directors of education and superintendents of special education, there are vast gaps in the amount of funding each school board receives on a per student basis.

White says the HWDSB has a high level of special needs students compared to other school boards. About 18 per cent of the board's students are considered special needs, he says, compared to about 11 per cent in the city's catholic board.

But the ministry's funding doesn't scale to match that need. In the memo, funding is broken down in terms of how much money is available for each "high needs pupil." The Algoma District School Board, for example, receives the equivalent of $740.53 per student. The Toronto District School Board receives $522.93 per student.

Hamilton's public board, by contrast, receives $443.28 per student – decidedly lower than some school boards that receive over $1,000 per student, but higher than some boards like Peel, which only receives $339.58 per student.

Ministry 'committed to new approach'

White says the ministry has noticed the problem, and is taking steps to alleviate it. "The ministry is committed to implementing a new high needs amount funding approach over the next four years," the memo reads.

The ministry of education did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.

White says that the board has taken steps to bridge the gap in the meantime, like providing special needs services to students before they have an official diagnosis from a psycho-educational test. Parents and teachers within the system however, dispute that.

David Pace-Bonello's son Julian waited two and a half years for a test from the board, while struggling in school the whole while. Pace-Bonello says pediatricians, learning resource teachers and experts from Hamilton's Dyslexia Resource Centre all believed he had dyslexia – but there was still no way to access specialized programming without the test.

"Couldn't we just act as if?" he said. "It doesn't make any sense."

A consultation on budget priorities, including special education, will be tabled at the school board's Monday meeting, followed by a 30-day public consultation.

adam.carter@cbc.ca | @AdamCarterCBC

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamilton under snow squall warning

About 5 to 10 cm of snow expected throughout the day

CBC News Posted: Jan 26, 2015 8:19 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 26, 2015 10:04 AM ET

Hamilton is under a snow squall warning, as a blast of winter is hitting the city Monday.

Messy weather that started in Burlington and Oakville this morning is sinking south into the Hamilton area and is expected to continue into the afternoon.

It may then shift south of Hamilton into the northern Niagara region later today.

Expect 5 to 10 cm of snow in the city with local blowing snow, and the possibility of up to 15 cm in outlying areas.

"Driving conditions are expected to be hazardous today," Environment Canada said in a weather alert. "Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas."

Hamilton police warned motorists to watch for shoddy driving conditions as well:

The Hamilton to union route 16 GO bus is experiencing delays around 40 minutes this morning. Hamilton police are reporting several accidents within the city this morning.

Environment Canada issues snow squall warnings when bands of snow form that produce intense accumulating snow or near zero visibilities.

Monday's high is - 6 C.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

City to begin dismantling the bus lane Monday night

The city will start removing the downtown transit lane on Monday night.

Crews will remove the overhead and ground-mounted "bus only" signs along the two-kilometre stretch of King Street.

It's a fast turnaround on the $100,000 removal job. City council only voted on Wednesday to get rid of the lane. It was a tight vote of 9-7 and about 150 bus lane advocates crowded into the council chambers to watch the debate.

Gerry Davis, head of public works, said afterward that his department would get rid of the lane that runs from Mary to Dundurn Streets "as soon as possible."

Crews will take about four days to remove the signs, weather permitting. There will be minor delays to traffic as crews take up the north curb lane, the city said in a release.

"Once these overhead signs are removed, the lane is considered legally open for all other vehicles according to the Highway Traffic Act," the city said.

Removal of the diamond and "bus only" stencils on the road will begin Monday night and continue over the next few weeks, weather permitting. In the spring, crews will repaint the lane lines.

Council is expected to amend the traffic and parking bylaws at a Feb. 11 meeting.

On-street parking on the south side of King Street will only remain until early February, when the city will install new metres on the north side.

In the meantime, the city said, the north curb lane will be a travel lane with no parking.

The city will release more parking information in early February.

The city spent $180,000 of a Metrolinx grant to install and maintain the lane. It was meant to run from October 2013 to October 2014 as a pilot project, but the Oct. 27 municipal election delayed its scrutiny.

Advocates for the lane saw it as part of Hamilton's future as a more transit-friendly city. Opponents said it hurt business and slowed traffic in the downtown core.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police budget will go up 2.95 per cent - if the city says OK

Councillors will vote next week whether to accept a Hamilton police budget that is a 2.95-per cent increase over last year.

Glenn De Caire, chief of Hamilton Police Services, will present at city council chambers on Wednesday, making the case for what the service calls a maintenance budget.

The police services board unanimously passed the $158.5-million budget on Thursday. Lloyd Ferguson, the Ancaster councillor who was reelected chair for 2015, says it's hard to know how his fellow elected officials will react.

"You never know, but I'll do whatever I can to promote it," he said.

"Nobody likes to see an increase, but it's pretty much in line with other services where it's 88 per cent salaries and wages."

The budget, which De Caire touted as the lowest increase in 16 years, represents the anticipated operating costs for 2015. It's $4.3 million higher than last year's budget of $148.9 million.

Board members have spent the last month scrutinizing the budget, said Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8, who is a member.

Whitehead said councillors will have some questions, but he feels good about the operating budget.

"I had some questions I needed to resolve," he said. But he got answers that "I was very comfortable with."

The board also discussed some big-ticket capital items on Thursday, worth a weighty $43,259,000 over the next 10 years.

Among those items:

• Police investigative services headquarters downtown: $16.5 million (2015)
• Expanding the marine facility: $4 million
• Another marine vessel (a rigid hull inflatable boat): $210,000
• Expanding the communications centre: $500,000 (2020)
• A new division 4 station: $19,674,000 (2020)
• New horse stables: $1 million (2021)

Whitehead questioned the need to spend that much on the investigate services headquarters. It'll be a roughly 50,000-square foot facility, and the most pressing need is 12,000 square feet for forensics workers, he said. "We don't need more boardrooms."

The board voted Thursday to reaffirm its commitment to the project, which it first approved in 2010.

City councillors will have a harder time swallowing the capital projects, Whitehead said.

"It's going to be a hard go."

De Caire will present at a city council budget meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 28.

22.46 | 0 komentar | Read More