LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

The Politics of Division At City Hall

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted December 12, 2008)

In a recent article by CATCH, the anti-business lobby at Hamilton City Hall, the polemicist author writes a critical piece about a presentation made by the well-respected planner and past Chairman of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Ed Fothergill. Ed was presenting to a committee of Councillors, on behalf of the Chamber, about the need to look 60 years into the future and set a template for the city on lands that are not currently within the Province's protected Green Belt. Mr. Fothergill was not recommending moving ahead with the development of these lands immediately, rather he was encouraging certainty about their planning status. It would be this certainty about designations, argued Mr. Fothergill, which would prevent sprawl and speculation.

Whether one agrees with that viewpoint or not, one thing is for certain, CATCH, a group that has never met a business idea it liked, unless that idea was to stop business in its tracks as it is trying to do with the Airport Development lands, is sure to be opposed. And CATCH in the referenced article which it entitled "Plan to Urbanize More Farmland", quotes one of its favourite philosophical collaborators on Council, Brian McHattie who said to Mr. Fothergill and the Chamber:

"McHattie argued that planning for 30 years is already very challenging given unknowns such as population growth, peak oil, and the extent of reliance on local food, and that debating what might happen beyond that time frame would "set off the speculation in that land, [and] eat up more farm land, and I can't think that would be good planning."
And the Councillor added according to CATCH:

"I'm just trying to get a sense of who the Chamber's representing here," questioned McHattie. "It sounds to me like a group of land owners who have land, probably speculating in that area, or [who] are considering speculating in that area."

This unwarranted attack by the Councillor forced Mr. Fothergill to deny that the Chamber was 'fronting' for anyone, its only interest being good planning for the city.
What is a citizen to make of this? A Councillor insults the motives for a citizen delegation just because it disagrees with that delegation. This is the kind of bullying and divisive comment that should be reported to the integrity commissioner, if that person is still around. Council doesn't have to agree with delegations, but it surely should not insult them. This community can no longer afford to be divided into camps that oppose or support initiatives and business opportunities. At a time when the world is trying to heal itself and confront global economic hardship, we all need to work together rather than apart. When we don't, chaos ensues. Look no further than the shenanigans in Ottawa prompted by a divisive Prime Minister for proof.

The other points made by Councillor McHattie deserve some attention. For sure, planning for a longer term than the 5 to 10 year horizon that Councils of the past usually dealt with, is challenging. But the provincial policies are forcing a 25 to 30 year window of planning. That is what the city has been involved with in the GRIDS planning process. However, to suggest that a 60 year window is impossible denies what environmentalists around the country have been advocating: that Councils and cities should plan for a sustainable future in making their plans today.

In fact when I was on Council, even before becoming Mayor, I attended a Sustainable Communities conference in Vancouver headed up by Lloyd Axworthy and other notables on planning Vancouver's development for the next 100 years. This plan, sponsored by the Greater Vancouver community initiated a program called "CitiesPlus".

"citiesPLUS (or cities Planning for Long-term Urban Sustainability) developed the 100 year sustainability plan for Vancouver Canada in a project that involved 500 experts and participants from 30 cities across Canada. This 2-year long exercise, culminated in Team Canada being awarded the Grand Prix at the international Sustainable Urban Systems Design competition in Tokyo June 2003. Since the win, the citiesPLUS legacies continue to live on through a number of activities and initiatives coordinated by the original partners."

Hamilton was one of cities in the grouping described above and I was the proud participant and presenter along with some staff. So, if planning for 100 years is good for Vancouver, it certainly can be good for Hamilton. I am surprised that Councillor McHattie, a noted environmentalist would deny this.

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