LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

The Church of the Universe and Hamilton Politics

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted April 29, 2009)

A staple during the last 6 municipal elections has been the presence of Michael Baldasaro as candidate for mayor. Michael Baldasaro and his colleague Walter Tucker, both self-proclaimed clergy in the Church of the Universe, the pro-marijuana denomination, have bedevilled authority and the courts, while entertaining the citizens of Hamilton for generations now. Say what you will about their political positions on drugs, one thing is undeniable: they have demonstrated grit and perseverance in pushing their perspective on life and its attitudes towards cannabis. And as the years have gone by, society’s views on marijuana are certainly more moderated now than they were at the beginning of their campaigns. As a former principal in many high schools, I regret this liberalization; even though I believe that time is probably on the side of even greater liberties being shown towards marijuana. Who knows? Baldasaro and Walters may turn out to be right. But for now, according to the local newspaper, the Courts have finally caught up with the two and have seized their ‘church’; and have imposed some stiff jail time for their marijuana selling. Baldasaro is quoted as saying that all of this is happening because of “$70 worth of pot.” I rather suspect that. You don’t get jail time and lose your house for a small amount of marijuana. The question is much more complicated than that, I’m sure. For example, I remember the duo riding very expensive looking Harleys to a political debate. They were dressed in the finest motorcycle leathers. I complimented them on their vehicles; I was told that the bikes belonged ‘to the Church.’ Hmmm!?? Source of money aside, I can’t help but feel sorry for Walter and Michael over their legal troubles and impending jail time.

When I first personally met the hirsute hemp-clad duo, I was on the newly amalgamated city Council as a member of the Conservation Authority. Michael and Walter were having a fight with the Authority over the home they were kicked out of which they called Clearwater Abbey in Flamborough. The ‘Abbey’ was actually an old abandoned quarry site which had been taken over by the CA as part of its land holdings. The duo, I think, professed to have been given title for the lands by the company which owned the quarry, but they lost that battle and were evicted. However, it didn’t stop their Church members’ use of the quarry to camp, probably use their ‘sacrament’ and swim in the pond on the quarry site.

The issue which had brought the Brothers to make a presentation before the Board was in protest of the CA’s plans to dynamite the pond in order to destroy the swimming hole, thereby ridding the quarry of its major attraction and the cause of vandalism, littering, potential liability and inappropriate behaviour. I listened carefully to Michael and Walter who cheekily positioned the problem and solution to the vandalism and endangerment caused by the swimming hole as being lack of supervision, which would be remedied if the Authority restored their stewardship of the site. They would live there, swim there, partake of the sacrament there and all would be well with the world. Needless to say, the Authority was not sympathetic. Nor was I, as I said to the pair, but for entirely different reasons. They were asking the Board to sanction pot-smoking on the site, and pot being, for the time, illegal, we just couldn’t do that. However, I was one member of the Board who felt that blowing up the site was a radical step to take. I sympathized and liked Michael and Walter’s ‘charm’ and different point of view. Because of their impassioned plea, I even visited the quarry and was impressed with the tranquillity of the place. I did see a nude bather or two just walking about and a whole group of students presumably skipping high school to frolic in the waters of the swimming hole on a warm September afternoon. I thought that a better solution for the pond would have been to sanction it as a recreational area and provide some supervision. The quarry, however, was eventually dynamited.

The next encounter with Michael was during the Mayoralty campaign of 2003. Because of the endless debates during that election, I saw Michael many times for a month or two in the run-up to the vote. I found him to be smart, honest with his responses about drugs, even telling a group of farmers in Flamborough that to make money they should plant marijuana, and knowledgeable about the city. (The political departure from his honesty was the time we met an OPIRG group at McMaster where Michael, a strong proponent of the Red Hill road, disavowed it. When I asked him why he had done that, he told me that you would have to be crazy to support the road with that particular group of road-haters!) Throughout the campaign, we remained respectful. I even appreciated that Michael stayed away from his ‘pro-marijuana’ stump speech when we were in front of elementary school students. I had cautioned him privately about this and to my relief, he indicated that he knew where he was. When I won, Michael gave me his wizard’s hat telling me I’d need it. And Walter donated to all candidates, a MacKay cartoon immortalizing our caricatures. I have it on my wall to this day.

I don’t know what the future holds for Walter Tucker or Michael Baldasaro. They have apparently run afoul of society’s rules and will have to pay whatever price is meted out. I can’t help but think that Hamilton has in a quirky way been enriched by their involvement in the city’s political life. They have created an almost Tolkienish world with their “Church of the Universe”. They have taken an advocacy for the legalization of marijuana to perhaps regrettably prescient heights. They have clowned around a bit, and have been deadly serious a lot. In all of their endeavours they have somehow endeared themselves to the media and many Hamiltonians who might not support their stands or their activities but appreciate their individualism. Good luck, Brothers!

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