On the Hess Street Issues

With respect to the issues of policing the Hess street area, we posed the following questions to Police Chief Girt. Answering on his behalf is Superintendent Mason , who has been working on this issue:

1. Recently, you have cited the inordinate amount of policing thatis required in the Hess Village area and illustrated the point byciting that Hess Village generated 54% of the downtown calls from the period January 1 to September 20th.  You called for continued paid duty policing, albeit in revised numbers. We suspect that most Hamiltonians will recognize the need you are identifying as meritorious and worthy of consideration. Despite that, it continuesto be necessarily a reactive approach to what amounts to a challenging and significant problem.

We are wondering if the police, in partnership with otherstakeholders, has or will engage in tandem, in an alternate approach to the problem which may include meeting with thestakeholders and discussing best practices and preventative strategies to curb the offending conduct in the first instance. Has there been such discussions, or will there be? We envision a range of topics which may include tips from police on how to prevent escalating behavior to possible changes in policy regarding alcohol serving and consumption, (that latter of which obviously would have to come from other stakeholders and not the police.) 

2. Is there anything else you’d like Hamiltonians to know aboutthis issue?

Inspector Mason responded as follows:

Hamilton Police Service works closely with our partners to address best practices and look at preventative strategies to address issues within the community. Most recently, the City of Hamilton facilitated meetings with stakeholders within the Hess Village area to discuss challenges and solutions to ongoing issues. We continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to proactively deal with a variety of circumstances and regularly liaise with other enforcement agencies such as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, City of Hamilton By-Law, Hamilton Fire Department and Public Health to address concerns.

Media Release: City launches Citizen Dashboard in time for Fire Prevention Week

HAMILTON, ON – The first phase for the City of Hamilton Citizen Dashboard launched today at hamilton.ca/citizen-dashboard to provide citizens an opportunity to access information about City service performance and how these services help contribute to quality of life in our city. To showcase Hamilton Fire Department information, in line with Fire Prevention Week, the Hamilton Fire Department is the first municipal service sharing their performance and service information data.

The Hamiltonian asks Questions re: Mayor's Trade Mission to Colombia

The following questions were posed to Mayor Eisenberger in relation to his recent mission to Colombia. We were hoping for more detailed and substantive answers to our questions, which we we thought were fair questions. We have included the Mayor's response verbatim below our questions:

1. Can you tell Hamiltonians what prompted this trade mission and why Colombia, as opposed to any other location.

2. In your media release, you stated : This is a mission to solidify new business connections, nurture investment leads, and ultimately create new jobs for this city.

a) Can you identify which new business connections were made and what did the parties commit to as next steps?

b) Can you explain what measures will be/have been put in place to gauge whether new jobs for Hamiltonians have ultimately resulted from this mission?

3. Who else attended the mission with you, on behalf of Hamilton?

4. Is there a report that has been produced that captures the progress made from this mission. If so, can we receive a copy for our readers?

5. How much did the trip cost, in terms of any monies that are to be paid by Hamilton taxpayers and why was this effort worth the cost?

6. Is there anything else you’d like Hamiltonian to know about this matter?

Mayor Eisenberger replied as follows:

Thank you for your inquiry. The mission was the culmination of bilateral talks that began during the PanAm Games in 2015. The mission consisted of both private and public sector partners, involved investment meetings and events designed to partner Hamilton entities with potential Colombian investors/trade partners, and culminated with the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding with a Colombian technology accelerator.

Media Release: City of Hamilton says “we’re in” to Amazon

In a unanimous vote, the City of Hamilton says “we’re in” to Amazon

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton is throwing its hat into the “Amazon” ring, to be considered for their new, second corporate headquarters dubbed Amazon HQ2. In a unanimous Council vote, the City is sending a clear message to the Seattle-based technology giant that we have the people, the infrastructure, the talent and the resolve to deliver results. HQ2 involves the creation of 50,000 jobs in the next ten to fifteen years and $5 billion in capital expenditures.

“This represents a significant opportunity that our team is focused on pursuing. The economic and creative transformation of our city aligns perfectly with Amazon’s expansion plans. We know we are going to be competing with cities from across North America and we are confident in the value, excitement and energy Hamilton brings to what we believe will be a winning proposal,” says Mayor Eisenberger.

When reviewing Amazon’s request for proposal, the City looked closely, both at the attributes of the type of city they were seeking as well as the technical and land requirements. Considering a number of these key elements, the City sees its strength on a multitude of fronts as a solid match for Amazon’s requirements and business drivers.

The economic development opportunity is deemed a game changer and a solid way to show that Hamilton is investing in the city for future generations.

Welcome Amazon to our city: https://youtu.be/QigA9LD9hCM

CHML. Shout Out

A special shout out to our friends at CHML who are celebrating their 90th anniversary. They will be broadcasting all day until 6pm at the City Hall forecourt. 

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Sips and Bites (and #MadLove): The Departures, Returns and Arrivals Edition.

This week we heard of the sad and untimely passing of Dave Hanley, founder of Popup Hamilton, and a great booster of the city’s chefs and culinary scene. Dave, with his trademark porkpie hat and #madlove tweets, genially took the Hamilton food scene by storm, beginning with a series of Dishcrawls – a precursor to the Popup events – through Hamilton’s neighbourhoods. Food for Thought wrote about him several times beginning in 2013, noting “Dishcrawl was a win for Hamilton.”

Hanley leaves a wife, and young daughter, and a GoFundMe campaign is underway to help defray funeral and other costs. A candlelight vigil is being planned for this coming Saturday, Sept 23, at the East Side of Sam Lawrence Park from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fittingly NOSH, the 2017 edition of Hamilton’s upcoming culinary week, has been dedicated to him. RIP Dave.

In other news, the 5th Annual Flamborough Chillifest takes place at the Waterdown Legion this Tuesday, September 26th 4 – 8 pm. The event – always a fun time for families – is organized by