Larry's Corner

Sundry Winter Reflections

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted February 28, 2008)  

On City Hall Leaks:

Last week I wrote about the inevitability of City Hall leaks. I cited some past ones which were not in the public interest, indicating that the St. Elizabeth Nursing Home leak of more than ten years ago might fit this descriptor. I heard from several Hamilton Spectator reporters disagreeing with me and my analysis. In fact, I heard from the reporter involved who showed resolute courage in not revealing his source even under penalty of jail. The newspapers stood by this reporter and the case has become a bit of a cause celebre involving high-minded causes including freedom of the Press issues, and the public’s right to know.

I stand by my assertion that leaks bedevil Mayors and there are some, maybe most clearly NOT in the public interest. Since my article however, I have also spoken with the lawyer representing the city during the ten year law suit which was successfully defended by the city. Let me just say that this specific leak may not have been the best example for me to use. I was not at the region during the initiation of this issue, so my information was from newspaper reports and my involvement when the lawsuit was finally won by the City during my tenure. I am not now convinced that the information would have come out if the Spectator had not revealed it. It may have, but I just can’t be certain. There were, apparently, aspects of the story not told in the original reportage, but the essential concerns which were reported needed to be publicly told. So, the big lesson for me is that even when sharing opinions, it is always important to check the facts.

The Lister Blister:

A blogger called the Lister block, the Blister Block because it is a sore that refuses to go away. Today, I heard Councillor Brad Clark say on radio that the cost of the new iteration is close to $48 per square foot. He stated his opposition to this deal, indicating that it is not in the taxpayer’s best interest to go forward. It would be hard to disagree with the savvy and experienced Councillor. When questioned by Bill Kelly whether the earlier deal to replicate the building rather than restore it was a better deal, Councillor Clark said something along these lines, “That deal was eminently more doable.”

So, the memories now come rushing back. Compare the $48 per square foot with the $24 per square foot that I recall we negotiated and Council adopted when I was Mayor. True, the building would not be ours at the end of the 15 year lease, as it will be under this new proposal. But after the 20 years being proposed, the Lister may not be worth anything much without injecting many more millions in its future restoration. City Hall does belong to Hamilton. It now needs to be restored too. And Council can’t seem to find the money for that. Would the Lister 20 years hence be any different?

I recall when I spoke with the Chair of the Heritage Committee, Dr. Diane Dent. She told me that she was going to ‘save’ the Lister. My prophetic words to her were that her efforts might just save a ruin in our city core. I am not into “I told you so!” gloating. But I may just have been right. Similarly, I thought the same thing when another preservationist who recently won an award for his role on preserving the Lister- a Mr. Head, whom I got to know on the committee we put together to see the cost implications of preservation- that this talented man’s best interests may not yield the results he wanted. Or, for that matter Councillor Brian McHattie’s intervention with the province to save the Lister, have so far produced zero. What will all of these people say to the downtown merchants or the people waiting to see the downtown transformation? Will they say, we preserved heritage, but the price is that no one can develop it? This is the unfortunate result of letting idealism trump practicality. I hope to still be proven wrong, but time is not on the Lister’s side.

The Royal Connaught:

Another downtown icon, The Connaught Hotel is also in the news today. The controversial Toronto condo developer Harry Stinson has reportedly purchased the Connaught for over $9M dollars. He plans to put a boutique hotel and condominiums on the site. His plans are similar to those of the current ownership group. Apparently financing has always been a roadblock to redeveloping this hotel. I hope Mr. Stinson has better luck. He seems to be a man of vision. He has had success and failure in Toronto. Let’s hope that Hamilton brings him the success he wishes and our downtown deserves. The Connaught is an iconic building, much like the Lister. Its façade is in far better shape than the Lister’s and its potential is also considerable. What I really liked was hearing Mr. Stinson say that he would not go to the city for money, other than the normal grants that the city makes available to downtown developments. This is great news. The market with its private money must be injected in downtown projects if we are to make a go of things. I will track this story to see how it develops, but wish it all the best.

The Federal Budget:

I may have missed the city’s reaction to this budget. The budget itself was unspectacular as has been reported. The good news for municipalities is that the Liberal government’s infrastructure initiative for cities has been finally made permanent by this government. This will mean more than $30M each year in perpetuity for infrastructure assistance for our city. Thank goodness Prime Minister Martin had the foresight to address city issues. Okay, as a nominated Liberal candidate, who else did you expect me to credit for this initiative? Well, to be fair, there is enough credit to go around!

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