Raise the Hammer

It's time for the City of Burlington to stop destroying naturalized landscapes and to devise a plan to educate residents on the benefits of getting rid of their outdated, high-maintenance, grass-covered yards.

Our city's front porch is considered a threatening environment, and our inertia in the face of rising extremism has allowed this threat to grow.

While Hamilton Police continue to make an example of anti-fascist demonstrators, the crisis of escalating white supremacism is on our doorstep and things aren't getting better.

Despite declaring a climate emergency, the City of Burlington continues to threaten a property that has been naturalized to sequester carbon and support local widlife threatened with extinction.

What I saw and heard continue to make me question the judgment used in dealing with marginalized communities by Hamilton Police.

Once again, the police arrested an anti-fascist counter-protester while standing by as a fascist drove a bus onto the sidewalk and assaulted someone.

We can and must do everything in our power to speak up for love and inclusion, and intervene whenever possible to protect targets of hate.

HBCN has an exciting opportunity to pressure for real change: decent work, inclusionary housing, and community-driven demands for investment in the people of Hamilton, not just property.

There's a lot more to transportation-related carbon emissions than tailpipe exhaust, and merely swapping electric vehicles for internal combustion will not be enough to save our civilization.

From water extraction in Wellington County to quarrying in Milton, citizens are standing up to corporate interests and demanding legislation to protect our natural shared assets.

Promised Land takes audiences on a journey across America, utilizing novelist John Steinbeck's artistic and personal musings on the struggle to realize the American dream.

Several shows playing at this year's Hamilton Fringe Festival are international in origin.

If you're looking to be an ally to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, supporting the work of Neighbour to Neighbour may be a good place to start.

The community crisis over rising fascism can be addressed by meeting with the Mayor, councillors, police representatives, and other key people who can work together on a plan of action.

Society has grown more accepting of trans and non-binary people, but the issues they face are still often neglected or misunderstood.

Public art events like Concrete Canvas can lead to a multitude of benefits for Hamilton. However, it requires aligned policy and investment for the impact to be long-lasting.

Everything has been happening so fast, it is difficult to stay on top of what has been going on with respect to Pride, fascism and the political response in Hamilton.

We need to continue struggling for what is right for our whole community and ensure we take care of our most vulnerable.

Those who remain complacent in the face of hatred and violence show their tacit approval of the status quo. Period.

This year I encourage Canadians to spend the next 17 days exploring and understanding Indigenous life in Canada.