Ward 15 Newsletter - June 2003

Clappison’s Corner Is Attracting Big Business: There is an application at City Hall right now to rezone the south-east corner of Clappison’s Corners to allow substantial business development there in the near future. Some of you may remember Flamborough Council dealing with a potential “big box” development on that corner before we were pulled into the supercity and all plans were put on hold. Four years later, the plans are back now. Right now, the proposed development would see a 135,000-square-foot food store, as well as numerous department store type merchandise (DSTM) outlets. However, those uses still have to be zoned. Right now, a Canadian Tire is allowed and expected under the current zoning – that is, the zoning that is left over from Flamborough Council’s approval. DSTM examples would be stores such as Winners, Old Navy or HMV. However, back when Flamborough was dealing with it, there was also a movie theatre components going in. Right now, the builder has pulled plans for a theatre. So I’m pushing them to get one in there. In the age of 14-screen multiplexes, Cineplex Odeon has a subsidiary called Galaxy Theatres, which sets up little four and five screen theatres and I’m hoping to at least get a Galaxy Theatre in there.

The entire project has gone through the peer review process, which means simply an independent audit and review by professional consultants who specialize in this area. Among the other issues that have to be dealt with are the effects a project of this magnitude has on the existing businesses in Waterdown, either positive or negative. But at this point, the peer review has come out in favour of the new development.

What’s Going On With the Mid-Peninsula Corridor Highway?: At the moment, there is no definitive route for the Mid-Pen Corridor although the option that cuts directly through Flamborough is still on the table. It’s one of four or five serious contenders for the highway route.

To that end, there has been good news and bad news. I’ll start with the bad news. As most Flamborough residents know now, this matter did come to Hamilton City Council. Although Dave Braden and I fought it as hard as we could, Council voted to let the Province locate the highway wherever they wished. Granted, it’s pretty easy to do so when it doesn’t cut through your ward but then again, a number of Hamilton councillors have always been clamouring for an increase in trade routes, as they call them. In fact, Hamilton Council was so insistent on this, they wouldn’t allow Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac to even speak to them on the matter, knowing he is an opponent of the route that cuts through Flamborough and then Burlington to connect with Highway 407.

However, that’s also where my good news comes in. MacIsaac, Burlington Council and Halton Regional Chair Joyce Savoline are so adamantly opposed to the route that they are launching a legal challenge against it. If they succeed, Flamborough wins and they have done our work for us – the work our own Hamilton Council wouldn’t let us do. (I could write an entire newsletter on the frustration of being handcuffed by the numbers game at Hamilton Council.) But to that end, both Braden and myself wrote MacIsaac a letter, saying that we would do anything we could to help his fight and that while he did have our council’s support, he absolutely had ours. He wrote back instantly, graciously thanking us for our support.

On a personal level, I think the Province should step back, do a full environmental assessment that fully examines the social, economic and natural land effects of this highway. They should seriously look at all the potential routes. My choice would be the one that ends at Highway 403, even if it means widening it to a certain degree. The Province should look at boosting railway transit. But most of all, they should rethink their shortened environmental assessment of this highway. A little extra effort now could mean a lot in the future.

The 2004 Budget Does Not Look Much Better: As many of you probably read in the local newspapers, Hamilton Council sat down a couple of weeks back and looked at the 2004 budget. To let you know, not every councillor was happy with that and the reasons were clear. While we got hammered with a 12.9 per cent average increase up here, the old City of Hamilton saw average tax increases of 1.7 per cent and in fact, some wards saw tax decreases. For them, it would have probably been nice to ride the good news a bit longer. It’s not like ‘good news’ is in large supply around City Hall most days. Regardless when the 2003 budget was over, Finance Staff worked quite diligently on mitigative measures to decrease the tax hikes of the most affected – that’s us in Flamborough, as well as Ancaster and Glanbrook. Eventually, we saw Flamborough’s hike drop to 9.8 per cent – certainly not good and I know not acceptable but not what was originally figured. I am glad to say that every Hamilton councillor voted to go ahead with that, even though it meant small tax hikes in their own wards. I made a point of publicly thanking them all for that, as did Dave Braden.

Still, it didn’t take long for further frustration to creep in when we were presented with the 2004 Budget news. With the 2003 Budget, we were faced with a $56 million shortfall, which we hammered down with cuts to bureaucracy, cuts to service delivery, cuts to programs and the creation of new user fees. The 2004 Budget is almost as bad. Finance staff is already projected a $45 million shortfall for 2004 and, as most of you have read, a $500 million shortfall over the next 10 years for capital projects. In all honesty, if we were a corporation in the private sector, we would be hanging an “Out of Business” sign on our front door.

But here’s the thing. We know that we’re facing a $500 million shortfall for the next 10 years – it’s been verified by Finance staff. So why are any councillors still pushing for unnecessary big ticket projects such as the Red Hill Creek Expressway at a cost of (at least) $180 million? Why are we still pushing our bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, another big-money ticket but unnecessary expense in my view.

Seeing as we know we will come up short $50 million a year for the next 10 years, Dave Braden and myself will be petitioning whatever party leads the next Ontario government to withdraw the Provincial cash for the Red Hill Creek Expressway and sink it into Hamilton’s failing infrastructure itself, saving the City about $95 million. Of course, one of the problems is that we know the Progressive Conservatives are in favour of the Red Hill Creek Expressway, as is Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty. Only the NDP is opposed and the oddsmakers aren’t betting they’ll form the next Ontario government. So again, we’ll have our work cut out for us – no matter which party wins, we’ll have to fight either one.

As well, we need council to form an united front when it comes to reducing the high costs of the labour unions salaries within the City, which have been spiraling out-of-control for years. It’s surprising but even now, Hamilton continues to be a union-controlled, union-dominated city and even knowing the financial hardships we are facing, the unions have never backed down on their demands, especially when it comes to salaries. That’s why I have been a vocal advocate of Alternative Service Delivery and instituting a “back to basics” approach for service delivery, such as garbage collection, snow removal and infrastructure programs like roads and sewers. In order to deal with our skyrocketing budget pressures and the programs that we are legislated to provide, councillors must ask themselves, among other things, what services are provided? Who are the customers for this service? Are we in the right services? Do other providers deliver these services? Can we partner to deliver these services better and at a lower cost? Any successful business or corporation looks at exactly the same cost-saving measures on a regular basis. We have to do the same. We have to identify and measure all components that we currently provide and what they cost. We shouldn’t own golf course or ski hills – we should be selling them to the highest bidder or let the Hamilton Regional Conversation Area takes them over and finance them.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon… Of all the various campaigns and battles we’ve seen over the years, it’s tough to remember one as colourful as the Yellow Ribbon campaign, being waged by the Free Flamborough Committee.

Thanks to our friends from Kawartha Lakes, who are fighting the same battles themselves, there was a lively meeting on May 17 at Rockton where Voices of Central Ontario (VOCO) officials Lynne Boldt and John Panter, Kawartha Lakes councillor Faye McGee and Canadian Taxpayers Federation official John Williamson all spoke to the gathered crowd and pushed the movement ahead. Despite the seriousness of the cause, everyone in attendance applauded their lively and at times humourous anecdotes as they related the hurdles they have had to jump through at this point. And you can’t argue with success – so far, Kawartha Lakes is the only municipality in all of Ontario which has been allowed to have the de-amalgamation question on November’s municipal ballot. But it was these folks who originally started the yellow ribbon campaign and if you take a drive around town, you can see that it’s been a campaign that has captured Flamborough’s attention.

And speaking of the Free Flamborough Committee, they have a website set up at: www.freeflamborough.org and deserves kudos for organizing the local drive to distribute the yellow ribbons that have been cropping up all over town. Here’s wishing them all the success they seek. An independent Flamborough has always been and continues to be, in my mind, the best scenario for our community.

A Final Note: I have switched my Constituents’ Days at Flamborough Town Hall from Friday to Thursday. Anyone who wishes to meet with me can now stop by on any Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. No appointments are necessary – just drop in. As well, if you want to contact me through the week, I am available at 905-546-2713. My e-mail address has also changed (though the old one still works) to: mmccarth@hamilton.ca My assistant, Don, is also available at 905-546-3944 or at: dredmond@hamilton.ca. I hope everyone has a happy and safe summer.

Sincerely,