Former Mayor Larry Di Ianni and Mr. Ecklund's daughter Erika

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LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

former Mayor of Hamilton, Larry Di IanniAldershot: We Hardly Know You

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted September 23, 2009)

Isn’t it a nice change that Burlington is falling under the watchful eye of the local daily lately?  First it was the ill-fated pier and the falling cranes and cost over-runs that the Spectator columnist Joan Little said might be an election issue next fall.  As I read the opinions of that poorest of columnists for the Spectator who always seems to pick the insignificant to write about, I thought to myself how peaceful Burlington is to have a pier as its main election issue!

But lately, of course, we have been reading about the travails of the Aldershot neighbourhood.  I know Aldershot well.  It has an interesting issue and even a Hamilton park in its territory.  You see, during my educational days, I was principal of Aldershot High School, nestled in the neighbourhood overlooking the Hamilton/Burlington Bay.  I loved the drive up to the school each morning as I negotiated the curves along the mansions next to the water, leading up to the high school.   The trees, the water, the view of the bay as well as the sight of Stelco spewing its steely fumes made the daily trip worthwhile.

Aldershot was a great neighbourhood which, at one time was meant to be part of Hamilton.  In fact, when Regional government was set up, there was talk of Burlington being part of the Hamilton-Wentworth region.  Imagine how different things would have been if that had actually happened.  None other than the legendary George Kerr, at the time Cabinet minister in Mr. Davis’ Conservative provincial government, was reputed to have put a stop to that discussion.  You see, Hamilton was a steel-town, gritty and made up of working people, some of whom were immigrants.  Burlington was genteel, made up of professionals who hailed from across the pond, some of whom were indeed immigrants, but of the Anglo-Saxon variety as opposed to the Continental type.  It was ensured that the two communities would remain separate.  And yet Aldershot, in my estimation was very different.  Unlike the rest of Burlington which had a distinct GTA flavour even in the 1980’s, Aldershot’s orientation was more Hamilton than any other part of the community.  Many of the residents were professors at the University, for example; or were doctors in Hamilton’s medical system.  The RBG straddles both communities and the high level bridge connects them as well.  Also, Waterdown, part of Hamilton, is just a stone’s throw from Aldershot; and when I was at the local high school, students would be bussed down because of lack of facilities in their home community.  I truly enjoyed my stay in that neighbourhood.

Now, as I read Aldershot’s ‘revolt’ aimed at their ‘pain’ clinic, I wonder just how disparate that community is from the city of Hamilton.  You see, the pain clinic will apparently also dispense methadone.  This means that recovering heroin addicts will walk along Plains Road to access the clinic.  And Burlington apparently cannot deal with the reality that some of its citizens are addicts.  Hamilton has methadone clinics.  One of them is on John Street, across from some of our historic restaurants.   It irked me to see it there, I must confess.  However, I can’t say I ever heard of any problems arising out of this facility.  We all must share in the efforts to rehabilitate those who are trying to change their lives. 

I can tell the people of Aldershot, that as vice-principal and principal of their neighbourhood school, I ran into many children of well-to-do families who had problems with drugs.  Some of them might have gone on to more serious addictions and may still live in the community.  Are they to travel to John Street for assistance?  What if Hamilton said no to these needy folks?

The stated objection to the ‘pain’ clinic is the proximity of Holy Rosary School.  This is smoke and mirrors.  The real objection is the thought of there being an underbelly to the gentrified lives of the citizens of this wonderful neighbourhood.  What the good citizens of Aldershot need to understand is that methadone isn’t the problem.  It is an attempt to be a solution to the problem of addiction.  It is the non-methadone users who still live in the community, perhaps next to schools and churches that are the greatest danger.


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