Raise the Hammer

Aaron Newman is the proprietor of Newman's Menswear on King Street East, a family business that has been in operation since 1927.

Abdallah Al-Hakim has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Currently he is a research fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto where his research focuses on understanding how cells respond to the damage caused to DNA by radiation, chemicals and other factors. He maintains a personal website.

Adam Sobolak is an executive of the Toronto Architectural Conservancy, but writes here as an individual, so as not to make undue claims.

Adele Konyndyk is a freelance writer living in Hamilton, a city she first explored while pursuing a BA in English at Redeemer University College. After completing a MFA in creative writing through Seattle Pacific University, Adele made Hamilton her home. She adores books, Chilean wine, and almost any cheese in the world. Her blog can be found at adelekonyndyk.wordpress.com.

Adrian Duyzer is an entrepreneur, business owner, and Associate Editor of Raise the Hammer. He lives in downtown Hamilton with his family. On Twitter: adriandz

Aidan Cooper is 12 years old. She lives at home with her Mom and Dad, four brothers, and beloved dog Molly. She is currently homeschooled.

Ainsley Lishman is currently a starving student, finishing her Journalism course at Mohawk College this summer, and then off to Carleton University in Ottawa. She likes Buddy Holly, aerosol whipped cream, and traveling.

Al Cormier is the President and CEO of the Centre for Sustainable Transportation, based in Mississauga.

Alasdair Rathbone is a first year McMaster University Kinesiology student. Although he lives on the Mountain he still maintains an interest in the lower city where he spent his early years. He follows politics at all levels and likes to comment to anyone that will listen.

Albert DeSantis watches a lot of movies and TV and has been since childhood. More recently, he has written movie reviews for View Magazine in Hamilton for a few years (This may have warped his mind). The two best flicks ever are The Empire Strikes Back and Aliens. Both are sequels. Go Cats!

Amanda N. Nesbitt is a McMaster graudate with a double major in English/History and a minor in Theatre and Film Studies. An avid writer/photographer, she thrives being a part of Hamilton's theatre/arts movement and has been very active in the theatre community since 2003. Writing for the Fringe marks her third year participating with this amazing group of people that make up the festival and she hopes you enjoy the shows. Thank you for promoting the arts!

Amy Gringhuis and Christopher Godwaldt are the owners of Café Oranje, a Dutch-styled coffee house planned to open in Hamilton.

Amy Kenny graduated from Ryerson University's journalism program in 2004. She is currently a Hamilton-based freelance writer who loves the arts and the outdoors. In addition to Raise the Hammer, she writes for H Magazine, The Corktown Crier and TorontoPlus. She cycles everywhere, all the time and urges you to do the same.

Andrew Allen is a Hamilton resident and student at Mohawk College in his final year studying to be Biotechnology Technician.

Andrew C. Bome is a lawyer practicing in Hamilton with McQuesten Legal & Community Services. He is a self-described trivia and political geek. He traveled to New Hampshire to observe the 2008 Presidential Primary taking place in the 'Granite State'.

Andrew Hughes has been living in the downtown area for over 20 years. He lives with this wife and two daughters.

Andrew Iler is a Hamilton lawyer, practising in the areas of litigation, administrative law and family law. He is the former President of the National Cycling Centre Hamilton. Andrew is also presently working towards his Level 4 National Coaching Certification at the National Coaching Institute in Toronto.

Andrew McKillop is a writer and consultant on oil and energy economics. Since 1975 he has worked in energy, economic and scientific organizations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. These include the Canada Science Council, the ILO, European Commission, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and South Pacific, and the World Bank. He is a founding member of the Asian chapter of the International Association of Energy Economics. He is also the editor, with Sheila Newman, of The Final Energy Crisis (Pluto Press, 2005).

Anne Van Dyk earned her Professional Writer's Certificate at Mohawk College and is currently working on two non-fiction books. One is a biography on the life of her godmother, and the other is a history of the last high school she attended in England, of which she is also the Alumni Secretary.

Anton Lodder is a Masters Student in Electrical Engineering at University of Toronto. He previously worked at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Ashleigh Bell is a designer, project manager and historic property consultant. She will graduate in April 2013 from the acclaimed Heritage Conservation program at Willowbank. Ashleigh has been working on various restoration and adaptive reuse projects in Hamilton since June 2012 and has a background in contemporary design and development, which led her to work in the cities of Toronto, Halifax and Calgary before she committed to an education in conservation. After a few idyllic years of the country life in Niagara, she has found herself a sunny spot in a grand old building of the North End and looks forward to working with businesses and property owners, creating articulate contemporary spaces within reimagined historic settings. She has a profound respect for traditional craftwork and materials, and sustainability, authenticity and local motives are at the core of her design philosophy. Follow her on twitter @AshleighMBell.

Barry Magrill holds a doctoral degree from UBC and he is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Victoria studying Muslim architecture. He specializes in architectural and cultural history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko is a member of the dedicated team at Environment Hamilton.

Ben Bull lives in downtown Toronto. He's been working on a book of short stories for about 10 years now and hopes to be finished tomorrow. He also has a movie blog: http://bullysmoviereviews.blogspot.ca/

Betsy Agar, B.Eng., M.A.Sc., P.Eng. is a research engineer and sessional lecturer at McMaster University who has a passion for the environment and concern for socioeconomic inequalities.

Biljana loves strawberries, dark chocolate, all things caffeinated, and living in downtown Hamilton. She likes shopping for groceries without fearing for her life.

Bob Bratina is the Mayor of Hamilton, Ontario.

Bob Green Innes is a retired engineer and resident of Ward 4. His interests include blogging, roof gardening, solar energy, material and political sustainability, politics and enjoying the life of a curmudgeon.

Bob Robertson, Ph.D. is a consultant and professor of international business. He was the City Manager for the City of Hamilton from 2002 to 2004.

Bob Wood has worked with youth, in housing, and freelance writing primarily on politics. He is a recovering politician, having served from 1991-97 and again in 2006 as a municipal councillor in Burlington and Halton. He is a community worker at the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic.

Brian Hatch was was born at St. Joe's and raised in Hamilton, first in the north end and then on the mountain. He went to Hill Park, then graduated from MacMaster with a B.Eng. (Mechanical). He worked in various management positions at Stelco for 30 years until his retirement in 2002.

Brodie Chree is a local Hamilton bon vivant and boulevardier. You can catch him head banging at rock shows, scanning negatives and stamping envelopes at the library as well as encouraging you to please place the item in the bag at Fortinos.

Candace Iron is a PhD student at York University, Toronto. Malcolm Thurlby, PhD, FSA, is Professor of Visual Arts at York University, Toronto.

Cherise Burda directs research and implementation strategies for transportation solutions in Canada, including policy initiatives for urban form. In addition to her role as transportation director, Cherise leads the Pembina Institute's Ontario policy program, focusing on research to advance renewable energy solutions, and is a regular spokesperson on transportation, renewable energy and Ontario policy issues.

Since joining the Institute in 2007, Cherise has written dozens of energy, transportation and urban development publications, including: Behind the Wheel, Live Where You Go, Making Tracks to Torontonians, the RBC-Pembina Home Location Survey, and Plugging Ontario into a Green Future.

Cherise's 17-year career as a policy specialist and senior manager includes past experience as a program director with the David Suzuki Foundation and a senior researcher with the Polis Institute at University of Victoria's Faculty of Law.

Follow her on twitter @CheriseBurda.

Cheryl Hills is the owner of a graphic design business that specializes in providing complete graphic design solutions to the fitness industry in Hamilton.

Chris is 38 years old and married with one child. While he lived in Hamilton/Stoney Creek very early on, he now lives in Burlington and commutes to work in Toronto daily.

Chris Erl, a born and bred Hamiltonian, is a sophomore student at McMaster University. From student politics to municipal issues, he is always looking for opportunities to get involved and make a difference in his community.

Chris Erskine is a labour and community activist. He is also a print artist, exploring historic landscapes and building themes using lino-cut and woodblock printing methods. You can visit his website.

Chris Farias is creative director at Kitestring Creative Branding Studio in Hamilton.

Chris Healey is an artist and online publishing professional living in Hamilton, Ontario. He has had an interesting 20 years in the art and media scenes of Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. http://chrishealey.me/

Chris is currently a copywriter at Burlington ad-agency JAN Kelley Marketing. He has worked in the Canadian advertising industry for over 10 years, providing communications for blue-chip brands such as Labatt Breweries, Toronto Blue Jays, Johnson & Johnson, Navistar/ International Truck & Engine, H&R Block, Firkin Group of Pubs, among others. Chris was born in Hamilton, spent his childhood living in Dundas, has lived downtown and currently resides in Lloyd Ferguson-land.

Christopher Kiely is a "middle class white guy" who was raised to believe certain things and has watched the world do the complete opposite for 30+ years. He attended Mohawk College in the 1990s, has traveled around some since and now lives with his family in Hamilton.

Connie Kidd is a retired educational researcher and supporter of the Six Nations land reclamation in Caledonia. She believes that the solution to our environmental issues rests in part in settling aboriginal land claims and returning land to the care of traditional indigenous people, and has recently started a discussion board for Canadians who support aboriginal rights: http://cfar.proboards104.com.

Connie Stefanson was born in Hamilton and has spent most of her life here, having collected a dozen diverse addresses within the City boundaries. She and her family recently moved to the Strathcona neighbourhood and have fallen in love with everything that their new 120-year-old home and historic, vibrant location offers.

Craig is a staff lawyer at McQuesten Legal & Community Services in Hamilton. In 2006, Craig reprsented Hamilton's Income Security Working Group in presenting a brief to the United Nations Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights in Geneva on the right to an adequate standard of living. Craig lives in central Hamilton with his wife and daughter.

Craig Hermanson is the president of Concrescence Design and the editor of LockeStreet.com. He lives in Kirkendall Neighbourhood and is involved in community development.

Dan Chiras is a leading authority on green building and renewable energy options for home construction. He paid his last electric bill in June of 1996, and is has written 21 books, including Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Suburbs, co-authored with Dave Wann. He currently is a Melon Visiting Professor at Colorado College where he teaches courses on renewable energy, ecological design, and sustainable development. He lives in Evergreen, Colorado.

Dan Jelly is a life-long resident of downtown Hamilton and occasional blogger. You can visit his website.

Daniel Rodrigues was born and raised in London, Ontario, where he was an active community member in East London. He moved to Hamilton in late 1996, residing on the East Mountain. He has been married for 23 years, with a son attending Mohawk College and a daughter attending UWO commencing in September. He is an active community volunteer, sitting on a number of committees and Boards, as well as coaching soccer. His professional life includes food & beverage industry sales and consulting, building industry sales, human resources consulting, and transportation consulting. Daniel's diverse skills inventory allows for fuller discussion and better understanding of individual and community concerns.

Many of us have our own take on what it means to be green. For Darren, "green" goes beyond just the mechanics of living lightly on the earth, to a more soulful understanding of ourselves as part of nature. He authors a weekly blog, Raise a Little Green, where he highlights the "mis-adventures of turning green," challenges our cultural ideologies and assumptions, and asks the deeper questions of purpose and fulfillment. Darren is a TV director and filmmaker who lives in downtown Hamilton with his wife and two children.

Dave Heidebrecht is an independent consultant working directly with academic, non-profit, and community organizations to help them work towards their goals. You can visit his website.

Dave Kuruc is co-owner of Mixed Media, an art shop on James North. He is also publisher of H Magazine, a monthly magazine dedicated to celebrating Hamilton's beauty and charm.

Dave Serafini was born and raised in Hamilton. He lived in some other places, but returned to Hamilton for family and friends. Traditionally, his extracurricular activities have been sport related, but recently, he has been looking for ways to get involved with broader civic issues.

David Appleyard is an aspiring music journalist and musician, attempting to chronicle some of the more experimental acts in Hamilton. Whether crafting his next review or intently focused on the coda of his next song, he puts his all into the loves of his life. David has written for Newscliptv.com and hopes to become a mainstay in the Hamilton music scene.

David Brace is an artist who lives and works in Hamilton.

David Cohen is a freelance writer and a part-time teacher. He has worked as a journalist and a communications officer (promoting workplace health and safety). He served on the Dundas Town Council from 1991 to 1994.

Architect and urbanist David Greusel is committed to the restoration of American cities. With over 25 years experience in architecture, David has had the opportunity to help design many of the buildings that make up a city, from schools and supermarkets to ballparks and office buildings. Some of those projects have contributed to suburban sprawl, while others have helped to heal the wounds of central cities. A project David worked on of which he is particularly fond was helping to design PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, which has been rated the best ballpark in America by several publications and websites.

Over the years, David has come to value the "messy vitality" of cities, and has focused his work on projects that help restore the urban fabric. When he is not practicing architecture, David performs in a syndicated radio comedy program "Right Between The Ears," which is produced by Kansas Public Radio. He is the author of the book Architect's Essentials of Presentation Skills, published by Wiley. David and his family live in the Kansas City area.

David Harvey is a retired lawyer living in Burlington. For 20 years, he represented people who had become infected with HIV and hepatitis C through blood and blood products in Canada. He represented patient groups at the Commission of Inquiry into the Blood System in Canada (the Krever Commission). He won damages for people infected with HIV, including precedent setting cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, and negotiated a $1 billion compensation package from the federal government for people infected with hepatitis C. Follow him on Twitter @davidharvey.

David Holmgren, co-originator with Bill Mollison of the Permaculture concept, is an innovative environmental design consultant based at Hepburn Springs in central Victoria, where he maintains one of Australia's best-known permaculture demonstration sites. David has written several books, conducted numerous workshops and courses on sustainable living, and developed several properties himself using permaculture principles. The following feature is adapted from a public lecture given at the Aldinga Arts EcoVillage in Adelaide in January 2005. You can check David's website: http://www.holmgren.com.au.

David Steele is an award-winning architect currently practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He is a graduate of both Buffalo State College and The State University of New York at Buffalo. While these fine institutions provided him with the professional tools necessary to excel in the architectural field it was the city's rich history, manifested in its treasure trove of great buildings, that fed and informed an early interest in the built environment.

As a kid, David endlessly wandered the city streets soaking up architecture with each step. Although life's unpredictable paths have led him away from Buffalo, this city remains as a major influence on his life. Many of David's Buffalo Rising stories highlight the city's architecture and urbanism, shining a light on this often under appreciated and fragile asset.

He recently published a photo book on Buffalo architecture titled Buffalo: Architecture in the American Forgotten Land. It can be seen in its entirety online at www.buffbuildings.com. It is available for purchase online at www.blurb.com, search word "Buffalo".

David Thompson is an independent consultant specializing in environmental and energy policy and organizational development. His clients include research organizations, corporations, government, First Nations and non-profits.

David Van Beveren is a Hamilton native. He grew up in Ancaster and now lives in Ward 1.

David-James Fernandes is a filmmaker, small business owner, driver, pedestrian and cyclist.

Derrick Jensen is an activist, author, small farmer, bee-keeper, teacher, and philosopher whose speaking engagements in recent years have packed university auditoriums, conferences and bookstores nationwide. He has authored or co-authored a number of books that examine western civilization, including The Culture of Make Believe, a finalist for the 2003 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, A Language Older than Words, and Walking on Water: Reading, Writing and Revolution. Visit his website: http://www.derrickjensen.org

Don McLean is chair of Friends of Red Hill Valley and coordinator of Citizens at City Hall, a volunteer group that has monitored city affairs for nearly eight years and distributes free news articles via email. The group can be contacted at info@hamiltoncatch.org.

Douglas E. Morris is the author of five books, a magazine columnist, and an international entrepreneur who has lived for 14 years outside the US in a variety of safe, community-oriented urban areas in seven different countries. His newest book, Its a Sprawl World After All, has just ben published by New Society Publishers. Visit his website: http://www.ItsaSprawlWorld.com.

Duncan O'Dell lives on Flatt Avenue in the Kirkendall neighbourhood with his wife and their 2.5 year old son. He has lived in many other countries including England, Israel, the Netherlands, Qatar and Scotland. He moved to Hamilton from Toronto in 2007. He works at McMaster University where he teaches and does research in physics.

Dwayne Ali recently completed an MA at McMaster University in Communication and New Media with a focus on the convergence of online and real space through "urban interface design".

twitter: @interestica

Elizabeth Parker moved to Hamilton permanently in 2000. She grew up in Toronto's west end, then went to McMaster University and studied English, Religious Studies and Psychology. She worked for over ten years in the film industry as a locations scout before moving to Hamilton fulltime. She is currently a real estate agent living a short walk from Downtown with her husband and two boys.

Emma Cubitt is an architect with Invizij Architects in downtown Hamilton. She is a co-founder of the Hill Street Community Garden and a member of the Community Food Security Stakeholders Committee for the City of Hamilton. As a founder of The Mustard Seed Co-operative Grocery, she has participated in the overall project management, design, volunteer co-ordination,and community-building necessary in the development of Hamilton's non-profit grocery co-op. She loves Hamilton, foraging, and laneways and lives in downtown Hamilton with her husband, Graham.

Environment Hamilton (EH) was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 2001 with a central mandate to facilitate the ability of people in the Hamilton area to develop the knowledge and skills they need to protect and enhance the environment around them. Visit the Environment Hamilton website.

Eric Britton was the founder of EcoPlan in 1966, formed to create an effective forum of international collaboration and independent counsel on issues regarding the management of technology as it affects people in their daily lives. In recent years he has turned his attention to sustainability, land use and urban planning, particularly in response to the challenges of climate change.

Eric Gillis is a born-and-raised Hamiltonian, and a student at McMaster University who is very passionate about politics.

Eric McGuinness is a writer and editor who worked for many years at the Hamilton Spectator. He lives downtown.

Francie O'Flynn is a Hamilton writer with a degree in Fine Art from University of Toronto. A collector and art aficionado for most of her life, she is now taking classes at Dundas Valley School of Art. As a child, she lived in pre-revolutionary Havana with her parents. She is no stranger to the country and its people, although it took them 47 years to find each other again. Since returning from her first visit, Francie has designed a Cuban art tour with Tom Robertson of Cuba 1 Tours, a pioneer of specialized small-group tours for ten years.

Frank Borger is an engineering technologist who lives in Stoney Creek. He moved to Hamilton when he was 18 and has lived in East Hamilton, the West Mountain and Downtown. He grew up in Beamsville.

Fred Eisenberger was Mayor of the City of Hamilton from 2006 to 2010. Mayor Fred was first elected to Hamilton City Council as the representative for Ward 5 in 1991. He was re-elected in 1994 and again in 1997. In addition to local and regional council boards and commissions, including the Hamilton Port Authority, Fred has also served on several charitable and corporate boards in recent years. As the Mayor of Hamilton, Fred has been a proponent of the Next Hamilton Vision, which aims to make Hamilton a clean, green and prosperous city. He is a strong believer in the community model of leadership, which incorporates ideas from all stakeholders in the community in seeking solutions for the City's common problems.

Gary Santucci is the co-owner, with Barbara Milne, of The Pearl Company theatre and arts centre.

Gavin Schulz is an open data activist and entrepreneur. He is the creator of Bus Ticker. You can follow him on tumblr and twitter.

George Patrick is a retired civil servant living in Oakville. He is firmly of the opinion that most people are wrong most of the time, and tends to question his own judgment when too many people agree with him.

Gerard V. Middleton is a retired professor of geology, who taught at McMaster from 1955 to 1996, his field of specialization being sedimentary rocks. Since 2005 he has been compiling a set of notes on the sources of building stones using in the nineteenth century in southern Ontario. For a more complete bio, see his entry in Wikipedia.

Glenna Jones is a retired dancer, choreographer and actress. She has lived and worked in numerous countries, starting in 1953 with CBC TV Toronto and including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Sydney Australia. She came home to CBC in the 1960s and spent many years as a resident choreographer and performer for the Wayne and Shuster Shows, as well as many Norman Campbell specials as a dancer and numerous guest appearances as an actress. She moved to Hamilton nine years ago and lives in a super old Victorian house with attached studio near Sanford School. Her husband is visual artist Robert Carley.

Graham Crawford was raised in Hamilton, moving to Toronto in 1980 where he spent 25 years as the owner of a successful management consulting firm that he sold in 2000. He retired and moved back to Hamilton in 2005 and became involved in heritage and neighbourhood issues. He opened Hamilton HIStory + HERitage on James North in 2007, a multi-media exhibition space (aka a storefront museum) celebrating the lives of the men and women who have helped to shape the City of Hamilton.

Graham is an architect practicing in Hamilton with an interest in urban design and issues.

Grant Ranalli lives in Hamilton and works as an elementary school teacher.

Greg Galante is 46 years old, a life long Hamilton resident, and business owner. He is also a 22-year member of the Toronto Fire Service and holds the rank of Acting Captain.

Greg Tedesco is a proud Hamiltonian for the past 10 years. Greg is finishing up his second go-around at McMaster University in social work and feels privileged to work with some amazing individuals and groups all across the city. He is interested in talking anything Hamilton related, as well as issues around social policy, community development and social justice. Connect with Greg on twitter @greg_tedesco.

Harold Stebbe is a Chartered Accountant. He spent 21 years working for the Office of the Auditor General in Ottawa. After leaving the OAG, he worked as controller for a small business in Ottawa before retiring to Vancouver Island in 1993.

Harry Stinson is a real estate developer whose projects include the Candy Factory Lofts and One King West in Toronto. In 2008, Stinson relocated his business and family to Hamilton. His current projects include Stinson School Lofts at 200 Stinson Street.

Herman van Barneveld is editor of The Wood Duck, the magazine of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club. Herman teaches Science (and students) at Guido de Bres High School near Upper Wentworth and Stonechurch Road.

Ian Graham is a community chaplain, activist, retired entrepreneur and resident of Burlington. He had 25 years in business up to 2000, then steered himself into a religious education masters degree, asking, What is the future of community and role of religion in that? He is a Quaker, with strong social activist tendencies.

Jack Santa-Barbara is a retired business executive, and former Co-Chair of Action 2020. He is the co-director of Hamiltonians for Progressive Development, an organization dedicated to articulating and supporing a progressive approach to city planning.

Jacob Matthan is a writer, activist, and retired technology consultant who lives in Oulu, Finland with Anniki, his wife of 39 years. He maintains a political blog at http://jmpolitics.blogspot.com/.

James Arlen, CISA, is a senior consultant at Leviathan Security Group providing security consulting services to the utility and financial verticals. He has been involved with implementing a practical level of information security in Fortune 500, TSE 100, and major public-sector corporations for 18+ years. James is also a contributing analyst with Securosis and has a recurring column on Liquidmatrix Security Digest. Best described as: "Infosec geek, hacker, social activist, author, speaker, and parent." His areas of interest include organizational change, social engineering, blinky lights and shiny things. http://jamesarlen.net/ * Note: his RTH username is "Myrcurial" *

James Howard Kunstler was born in New York City in 1948. He moved to the Long Island suburbs in 1954, and in 1957 he returned to the city where he spent most of his childhood. He graduated from the State University of New York’s Brockport campus, worked as a reporter and feature writer for a number of newspapers, and finally as a staff writer for Rolling Stone Magazine. In 1975, he turned to writing books on a full-time basis, writing nine published novels. In 1994 Kunstler published The Geography of Nowhere, a landmark book that traced America's evolution from a nation of coherent communities to a wasteland of placeless architecture and parking lots. He continued his exploration of American architecture with Home from Nowhere and The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition. His most recent non-fiction book, The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, describes the changes that American society faces in the 21st century.

Janet MacLeod is the operations coordinator of Grand River Carshare and Hamilton Carshare.

Jason Allen is a sales and customer service trainer who lives with his wife, kids, cat and veggie garden in Kirkendall in Hamilton, but commutes by GO to Toronto. Jason loves Hamilton because it is just on the cusp of not making all the mistakes that his hometown of Calgary made when he was growing up there in the 1970s and '80s. Jason is pathologically hopeful. His blog can be found at jasonaallen.blogspot.com.

Jason Leach was born and raised in the Hammer and currently lives downtown with his wife and children. You can follow him on twitter.

Jeff Griffiths lives in the north end of Hamilton with his wife and two young children. He instructs the Workshops with Local Writers continuing education course at Mohawk College. His short fiction, poetry, and book reviews have appeared in Front and Centre, Hammered Out, The Puritan, Qwerty, The Nashwaak Review and various on-line journals. He also received the Arts Hamilton award for short fiction in 2007 and 2008.

Jeff Mahoney is a columnist for the Hamilton Spectator and an all-around great guy. We paid him a lot of money to write nice things about us.

Jeff Reid attended Humber College for journalism before starting an internet development firm in the 90s. As a proud Ward 3 homeowner, Jeff lives, works and has three children in school on Wentworth St with his wife Heather, in the city of Hamilton, ON, Canada. In 2010, launched Hamilton-ON.ca to expand mobile news coverage.

Jeff Strong is a pastor at Grindstone Church in Waterdown Ontario. He’s a graduate of Redeemer University College and McMaster Divinity College. A Hamiltonian for 15 years, Jeff and his wife Heather live with their four children in Westdale.

A low-key Hamiltonian who has been amassing poetry since about the age of 15, Mr. Stewart has worked in various careers including managing the classical department at the downtown Sam the Record Man, operating a catering company, and managing an out-of-print bookstore. Mr. Stewart enjoys life with his wife and family of cats.

Jen Dawson is a local community activist and freelance writer. She is a volunteer with the Hamilton 350 Committee.

Jenn Nelson is an experienced public historian and museum professional. She is the owner of The Social Studio and can be found at jennnelson.com.

Jenny Dunlop is an Oakville housewife and mother to three teenagers. Her favourite past job involved dressing up in a pioneer costume and teaching children how people used to live in the early nineteenth century.

Jeremy Compton is a father and husband, and has been a Hamilton resident for five years. He enjoys gardening, motorcycling and working with his hands and is interested in urban farming and self sustainability. He is a manager in the warehousing/distribution industry.

Jeremy Parsons is a Hamilton resident living in Westdale and working downtown. He is deeply interested in municipal issues that involve questions of justice and environmental stewardship. He is unflinchingly non-apathetic in his political involvement and would like to see more young people get involved in city-wide issues.

Jessica Mace is a PhD candidate at York University in Toronto, specializing in nineteenth-century architecture in Canada.

Jim Ruxton is an electronics engineer and media artist. He is director of programs for Subtle Technologies Festival.

Jim Sweetman is currently the Chair of the Finance Committee of the Hamilton Civic League. He is a retired Chemical Engineer. He has lived in Dundas, Ontario since 2006.

Joe Minor is a biologist and lives in Westdale. Both of his children attended GR Allan.

Joel Pierce is the father of five children. He and his family currently reside in an old farmhouse in Bloomfield, New Brunswick on the border with Maine. Mr. Pierce has been a forest-thinner, a farm-hand on a religious commune, a carpenter, and, recently, a teacher's assistant at McMaster University. He hopes to return with his family to live in Hamilton.

Joel S. Hirschhorn, Ph.D., is the author of Sprawl Kills - How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health, and Money. He can be reached through his website: www.sprawlkills.com. Check out Joel's new book at www.delusionaldemocracy.com.

Joey Coleman loves pinball and journalism. His journalism experience includes over two years at Maclean's Magazine as a reporter/photographer and two years writing for The Globe and Mail's higher education site GlobeCampus. Following this, he returned to Hamilton to pursue online journalism. Today, he's Canada's first crowdfunded journalist and Hamilton's only full-time dedicated City Hall reporter. Read his work at http://www.joeycoleman.ca/, and follow him on Twitter for the latest news in Hamilton @JoeyColeman.

John Milton a local writer and activist. He is the administrator of Hamilton Indymedia.

John Neary lives in Beasley Neighbourhood and practices general internal medicine at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He would like Hamilton to develop an urban environment that creates less gainful employment for his profession.

John Rawlins is a retired nuclear physicist who lives in Washington with his wife (a psychologist). He teaches physics at Whatcom Community College. They live on ten acres of mostly wooded land about sixteen kilometres (ten miles) northeast of Bellingham and enjoy bicycle trips on the islands, skiing (near Mt. BGaker), sea-kayaking in the Sound, and occasionally some river kayaking. Prior to his retirement, Rawlins worked for 19 years for Westinghouse-Hanford Co, but took early retirement because he wanted his work to make a difference. Visit his website: http://faculty.whatcom.ctc.edu/jrawlins/.

John-Paul Danko is a professional photographer and an amateur engineer. He has lived in Hamilton his entire life - although he has attempted to escape several times. For more information visit www.blurmedia.ca or blurmediaphotography.blogspot.com He also facilitates the Facebook Page "Stop Kittens - Wind Turbines are Awesome", which boasts three members.

Jonathan Dalton runs a small music shop on a two way street in downtown Hamilton. He is a board member of the Durand Neighbourhood Association, and volunteers with Transportation for Livable Communities.

Jonathan Lambert is an additional returnee to Hamilton, Ontario. In between studies at the University of Toronto and stellar pick-up soccer, he enjoys taking in Monday night Hamilton Red Wing home games.

Joseph Sneep is currently finishing his Masters of Arts in Philosophy at McMaster University. He is the former gardener for the Dundas Butterfly Gardens, where he was equally inspired by two very different forces of nature: lepidoptera and Joanna Chapman.

Joshua Weresch lives in the neighbourhood of Centremount with his wife and daughter. He tends vegetables, writes songs and sings, and is only beginning to care about community.

Judi Partridge is the City Councillor for Ward 15 - Flamborough.

Judith Bishop is the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Trustee for Wards 1 and 2.

Judith Sandiford is a theatre designer, a visual artist, and Managing Director of Artword Theatre. With partner playwright and director Ronald Weihs, she created and operated a performance facility in Toronto, where, for over 12 years, they created, fostered and presented many original works of theatre and dance. In 2008, Artword relocated to Hamilton where it has just completed its season of four original works with a Hamilton theme. Artword is currently working on its plans for its 2009-2010 season here.

Julia Kollek lives in Dundas and considers herself one of our city's environmental guardians. For more info visit www.juliakollek.ca.

Julie Cole is a co-founder of Mabel's Labels. She blogs at www.mabelhood.com/JulieCole, and you can follow her on twitter @juliecole.

Justin Jones is a project manager, sustainability professional and rabble rouser with nearly a decade of experience in the sustainability field. His work with student groups, municipal governments and NGOs has taken him all over the country, but there is no city that he'd rather call home than Hamilton. He is passionate about civic engagement, with a special focus on active transportation issues and the creation of liveable cities through better infrastructure and education. While not working, volunteering or out on his bike, he enjoys spending time out and around Hamilton with his wife and dog.

Kabir is a Toronto area activist organizing with the Toronto Haiti Action Committee and other anti-war and community outreach projects. Kabir also co-hosts the radio program "Voices of the Movement" on CIUT, University of Toronto community radio. He just started his first year of high school.

Kara Weiler is a teaching assistant at McMaster University.

Karen Burson is a self-trained chef living in Hamilton. She established the Bread & Roses Café that operated out of the Sky Dragon Community Development Cooperative in downtown Hamilton. This organic/fair trade café won a major national award from Canadian Organic Growers in its first year of operation, on a shoestring budget, with no paid advertising or marketing. Karen went on to establish Kidzfood, the city's only local/organic healthy school lunch service, which now serves three area schools. Karen is now the new Project Manager for Hamilton Eat Local, under the wing of Environment Hamilton. She administers three busy blogs, writes for two monthly publications (H Magazine and Mayday), and is founder and a current Co-chair of Slow Food Hamilton.

Katie Stoneman is currently in her first year of journalism at Mohawk College after transferring out of UWO. She was born but not raised in Hamilton and has since come back to the city to which she has a connection.

Katrina Simmons is a freelance journalist in Dundas, with a background in horticulture. She grows flowers and vegetables organically, has taught other gardeners to do the same, and is an active member of Canadian Organic Growers. Visit her website: http://www.2020studios.com/.

Kayla Jonas is a graduate from the University of Waterloo in Environment and Resource Studies with a joint major in Anthropology. Kayla works as a Heritage Planning Specialist at the Heritage Resources Centre, a research centre that specializes in built, cultural and natural heritage.

Her professional experience has focused on the documentation of historic places including individual sites, heritage conservation districts and cultural heritage landscapes.

Her blog Adventures in Heritage can be found at: www.kaylajonas.wordpress.com.

Keanin Loomis is the Chief Advocate of the Innovation Factory, a non-profit accelerator located at MIP that provides mentorship and resources to Hamilton's start-up technology enterprises. A recovering Washington, DC attorney, he moved to Hamilton with his boomeranger wife and young children to pursue a more rewarding career path and lifestyle. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and College of William and Mary School of Law.

Kelly Foyle and Simon Kiss have recently moved to downtown Hamilton. Kelly is an astrophysicist at McMaster and Simon is a political scientist at Wilfrid Laurier. They've enjoyed watching Hamilton grow even in the short time they've been here.

Ken Sills is a physicist and engineer who works and studies at McMaster University. He also is the bass player and singer for the Hamilton band Wednesday's Engine. He served as member-at-large representing Wards 1 and 2 on the Citizens' Forum on Area Rating.

Ken Stone is a veteran trade unionist, environmentalist, and an anti-racist and anti-war activist, resident in Hamilton. Currently, he is the Chair of the Community Coalition Against Racism (Hamilton) and Treasurer of the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War. He is also active in Environment Hamilton, the 350 Committee, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, and Independent Jewish Voices. He is a retired teacher and postal worker and father of four children.

Kenneth Moyle is an analyst at McMaster University, sometime photographer and occasional writer. He has come to love Hamilton. His website is http://kenneth.moyle.ca.

Kent Lee is a urban planning technician currently living in Toronto, but with intentions to return to Hamilton.

Kevin Browne organizes events to connect and help grow Hamilton's technology community such as DemoCampHamilton and StartupDrinks. He is currently a PhD Candidate in computer science at McMaster University researching user interface design for educational tablet software.

Kevin Carmona-Murphy is currently pursuing his Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering at McMaster University. A Toronto native, Kevin came to Hamilton not only for the excellent educational opportunity, but because the city beckoned him in a seductive way. The waterfalls, the red brick houses, the burgeoning arts sector, and numerous brown-field redevelopment sites screamed come to the Hammer! One of his goals in life is to make Hamilton a more recognized and appreciated city.

Kevin Hollingworth is a young Professional Engineer currently employed in the Land Development industry working as a consulting engineer. He studied at McMaster and originally set up shop in the downtown core where he fell in love with the City of Hamilton but eventually drifted out to the suburbs to begin a family.

Kevin Somers is the author of a satire, I'm Gretzky, You're Gretzky - find it here. He is the editor of The Hobo Line, a magazine by and for Fred Heads. He also writes about fashion for The Women's Post.

Kevin Wiens is an engineer by day, an amateur filmmaker and a resident of the Strathcona Neighbourhood in Hamilton. He recently moved back to the Hammer after a few years living in Vancouver. The move seems to be suiting him well.

Kieran C. Dickson is a partner with the downtown Hamilton law firm Evans, Philp LLP. He is the Vice President, External Affairs and Government Relations, of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and has carried out his own heritage property redevelopment projects in the downtown core.

Lakis Polycarpou writes about energy depletion and society on his blog at http://www.nea-polis.net. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Larry Pattison is a local blogger, life-long resident of Hamilton, and father to two amazing girls. His blogging projects include Save Ivor Wynne Stadium, A Beautiful Night for Football, Hockey Night in Hamilton, and his main blog, Shaking the Tree.

Larry Pomerantz is the Chair of Hamilton Civic League.

Larry Strung was trained as a mechanical engineer, and worked in that field for 20 years before following his heart and launching a second career as a commercial photographer. Originally from Toronto, Strung and his family moved to Hamilton in the fall of 2006 following a four-year stint in Liverpool, UK. Best known for his Hamilton 365 project, where he created a portrait of a different individual in this city each day throughout the 2008 calendar year, Strung remains passionate about the revitalization of his adopted city.

Laura is a community advocate specializing in social policy, shifting attitudes and economic revitalization. She is proud to be a collaborative member of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

Laura Farr was born and raised in Hamilton, and loves living downtown. She currently works at City Hall, is volunteering with a few campaigns, and is an engaged citizen who ethically and professionally walks the line between employee and citizen every day.

Entrepreneur by day, waitress by night, passionate Hamiltonian at any hour. Loves old books, small dogs and Dundurn Castle.

Les Szamosvari was born and raised in Hamilton. He has held down many jobs, from lumberjack to massage therapist, across Canada. Presently, Les works as a chef and as a musician/songwriter and has used writing to promote businesses and in a role as socialist activist. Les returned to Hamilton in 2005 and has been exploring this peaceful, active city as well as lobbying for a Hamilton CarShare network since returning.

We welcome feedback from our readers and invite you to send a letter to the editor. Please read our submissions policy for details.

Lindsay Soomet is a Hamilton-based freelance writer who enjoys dog-walking, latté-sipping, magazine-flipping and more. She holds a joint B.A. in Cultural Anthropology/Philosophy as well as a Certificate in Magazine Publishing.

Lisa Marie DiLiberto is a professional actress and clown and the Artistic Director of FIXT POINT, a theatre company with a mandate to inspire audiences to imagine change. FIXT POINT has a home studio in Parkdale, Toronto but the company has toured original work across Canada, (Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) to Graz and Vienna in Austria, to the Prague International Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe and the Isle of Whyte (UK). Lisa Marie is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School, an alumus of Second City and has trained in character, mask, vaudeville and clown with Philippe Gaulier in Paris, France. Lisa Marie animates neighbourhoods through her work in community arts where she is Associate Artistic Director for Jumblies Theatre, and the Artistic Director of Arts4All. This fall, FIXT POINT will be producing THE TALE OF A TOWN in studio and then in association with Theatre Passe Muraille in May 2010. FIXT POINT: DREAM BIG, start small...

Lisa Marie Williams is a research assistant at the Wellesley Institute, a research and policy think tank that focuses on issues of urban health.

Lisa McGlade grew up in Ottawa and has lived in Toronto for the last ten years. She currently works at the Royal Conservatory of Music to pay for her writing habit.

I have one mission and it is to proliferate human Inspiration.

Summon Heroes; Inspire Greatness; Share Legends.

Leadership, Support, Community, Prosperity and Resilience. These are my vales, and they shape all actions I take. I seek to surround myself with the people and energy that synergize with this my purpose.

You are awesome.

Lorne Opler is a freelance writer on the side, and has recently moved to Hamilton from Toronto. Coming from a city where anonymity is a way of life, Lorne is amazed by how friendly and approachable people are in Hamilton, and finds himself always telling people from Toronto (who don't know better) what a great place Hamilton is.

Lorne Warwick is a retired high school teacher who spends his time reading, traveling, doing crosswords, volunteering, and becoming increasingly concerned about the state of democracy in Canada.

Lorraine Johnson's most recent book is 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, published by Whitecap Books. Contact the yard improvement helpline at garden@greenventure.ca or (905) 540-8787 x18 for answers to your lawn and garden questions. Take a natural approach. With simple steps, you too can transition your yard into an attractive pesticide-free landscape.

Lucien Steil, Nikos A. Salingaros, and Michael W. Mehaffy are the President, Vice-President, and Secretary, respectively, of Katarxis Urban Workshops. Visit the website: http://luciensteil.tripod.com/katarxis/. Nikos A. Salingaros is also a Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Texas at San Antonio. Visit his website: http://www.math.utsa.edu/~salingar/

M Adrian Brassington is the author, editor and publisher of the blogs My Stoney Creek and [Town Halls Hamilton] (http://townhallshamilton.blogspot.com/).

Madeleine Verhovsek lives in Kirkendall neighbourhood. She works as a physician at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Maggie Fox lives and works in Dundas. Co-owner of a small custom publications firm specializing in print and web content, she's new to the activist game, and hopes she can make a positive difference in her neighbourhood.

Maggie Hughes hosts The Other Side, a weekly independent podcast. The Other Side looks at the issues that mainstream media tends to downplay or ignore, using interviews and lectures to show the effects that economic, corporate and political policies have on society.

Mahesh P. Butani is a non-architect, and a developer by default. He is involved in re-developing properties in downtown Hamilton; and has an MA in Arts Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC (1986), and bachelors in Architecture from Bombay, India (1982). Currently he is not an architect in Ontario on account of not having enough Canadian Experience; and does not qualify to teach as he carries too much baggage to fit into the Canadian education system. He refuses to be re-trained to fit in, on a matter of principle, and is a passionate disbeliever of icons and self-regulation of professions in Canada - but still maintains his belief in collective self-organizing behavior; and feels that the large swath of intellectual brownfields across Ontario are far more harmful to the economy than the brownfields left over from deindustrialization - and in response has set up a social network called Metropolitan Hamilton. http://metrohamilton.ning.com/

Malcolm Thurlby, PhD, FSA, is Professor of Visual Arts at York University, Toronto.

Golden Horseshoe award-winning artist & mid-career author. Blog: http://canadadaPHOTOGRAPHY.blogspot.com. Available for paint commissions and freelance writing gigs: 'mlhpro at hotmail dot com'.

Maria Topalovic lives in Hamilton and works as an environmental coordinator. She completed a Masters of Engineering and Public Policy at McMaster University where she focused her studies on healthy communities and complete streets. She is an avid runner, part-time cyclist and all around nature lover. She volunteers with the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Hamilton CarShare and the Bay Area Restoration Council. She is a first time contributor to RTH and an optimist about what the future of Hamilton holds - she's hoping for more Complete Streets!

The advent of wireless communications has made it possible for Mark to hold down a day job while spending quantity time out beyond the limits of something approaching a general conscensus about what's important in post-industrial society. In addition to working as a product demonstrator at Sobeys, Mark has worked as an ID photographer for a community college, a Kelly Girl, a Legal and Consumer Counsellor for an Auto Club, a Hall Director for a Southern Ontario University Residence, and an Aviation Analyst. He is the co-author of a television pilot called Bad Hall Director, which is unproduced but was once (and for all he knows may still be) seriously considered by serious producers, and he is the sole author of the e-novel of the same title on which it is based, and which must still exist on a CD at the bottom of a bottom drawer of his desk. He makes his home in Hamilton, Ontario.

Mark Richardson has lived in Hamilton since 1993. He is a Stationary Engineer and is one of Hamilton's many Industrial Nomads. He currently is employed at US Steel.

Martin Hering is a political scientist and preservationist who is interested in architecture and Hamilton's heritage buildings.

Marvin Caplan is a former member of Hamilton Council where he served Ward One for nine years. Prior to his election to City Council he was a retailer of fine men's clothing in downtown Hamilton. He was a founding member and past chair of the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area (BIA), president of the Social Planning and Research Council, while on Council he served as Chair of the Public Health Committee, member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission, Chair of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa), member of the board of directors of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), member of the board of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, he founded the Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Committee and the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Advisory Committee (GLBT)and was active on the Status of Women Committee, the Disabled Advisory Committee and the Race Relations Committees. He currently practices as a Real Estate Sales Person for Coldwell Banker Pinnacle Real Estate.

Mary Louise Pigott is a Co-Chair of the George R. Allan School Home & School Association, and a member of the George R. Allan School ARC Sub-Committee.

Jelly is a local artist, graphic designer and map maker living in Downtown Hamilton, Ontario in the Central Neighbourhood. Matt is an advocate for built heritage, toxic waste eradication and the revitalization of downtown Hamilton. www.mattjelly.com

Matt McPeak is the Art Director at factor[e] design initiative, a local design, strategy and technology. He lives and works in downtown Hamilton. On Twitter: https://twitter.com/matt_mcpeak.

Matt Moir is a teacher and journalism student at Sheridan College.

Matthew Sweet is a graduate of Mohawk's Transportation Engineering Technology program and is also a McMaster alumnus. He currently works in Mississauga and lives in Dundas. If you run into him in public at various transportation related events, please don't bring up his ramblings on RTH comment threads, everyone knows such things don't count in real life.

Matthew is the RTH film and culture critic. He runs The In Between: Moving Pictures and Culture, which you can find inside Sky Dragon at 27 King William Street.

Maxine Kendall is a very busy stay at home Mom of three, plus husband, dog, hedgehog and bearded dragon. Too many years ago, she was in the fashion business, but put it aside to take care of her family. She kept my creative side busy making clothes for the children and creating artsy stuff for the house. A couple of years ago, Maxine discovered writing and never looked back. She writes poetry and short fiction, and has almost completed a children's novel.

Megan and Mike host myboytheriotgirl, a weekly indie/alternative radio show on McMaster University radio station 93.3 CFMU. Megan began hosting myboytheriotgirl as a student in 2003, and in 2004 Mike came to McMaster and joined her on-air. They have been (happily) collaborating ever since.

You can email them at: megan@myboytheriotgirl.com or michael@myboytheriotgirl.com.

Meredith Broughton is a pastor to students and board member of the Hamilton Civic League. She is completing two graduate programs, one in theology at McMaster Divinity, another in echocardiography at Mohawk. Meredith lives downtown with her husband Jarod and loves showing visitors and newcomers all the good things Hamilton has to offer.

Michael Black is a print and media journalist and a soon to be graduate of the Mohawk College 3-year Print and Broadcast Journalism program. You can visit his website.

Michael Borrelli is a social researcher living in the Beasley neighbourhood of Hamilton with his partner Megan. Together they co-hosted My Boy the Riot Girl on CFMU 93.3FM, and Mike still tweets @myboyriotgirl.

Michael Cumming is a designer, writer and photographer concerned about sustainable design and urban development. He has training in Architecture and Computational Design and has lived in several cities in Canada, the US and Europe. He is delighted to have settled with his wife and two children in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Hamilton. You can view his website or follow him on Twitter.

Michael Desnoyers is co-chair of Hamiltonians for Progressive Development. He is also the founder, president and CEO of Etratech, a successful high tech business.

Michael Desnoyers and Jack Santa-Barbara are the Chair and Co-chair, respectively, of Hamiltonians for Progressive Development, an organization dedicated to a progressive approach to city planning and development with an emphasis on Vision 2020.

Michael Druker is from the US, but now makes his home in Kitchener-Waterloo after completing two degrees at the University of Waterloo. He is active on urban issues in Waterloo Region, including as part of the Tri-Cities Transport Action Group (TriTAG) and as a co-founder of Open Data Waterloo Region. Michael has served on the board of Community CarShare since 2010, and currently is Treasurer as well as chair of the Kitchener-Waterloo Action Committee.

Michael P. Clarke is a lawyer in Hamilton. He has been involved in several successful renovation projects on James Street North, including the redevelopment of the Hotel Hamilton into artists studios and a thriving coffee shop.

Michelle Hruschka is a member of the CAWDB (Campaign for Adequate Welfare and Disability Benefits) co-chair of the sub committee, Food Security Issues, and involved with the Income Security Working Group. She has been actively trying to organize temp workers and is the chair for the Temp Workers Rghts/Action Group. Her dream is to have a Workers' Centre here in the city.

Michelle Martin and her husband are watching their ten children reach adulthood one by one in Hamilton, where they relocated from Toronto 10 years ago. She has been published in both the Hamilton Spectator and Raise the Hammer, as well as in the online edition of the National Post. Michelle has worked in the developmental services sector for many years, most recently as coordinator of the Community Access to Transportation project. However, the opinions she expresses in Raise the Hammer are her own.

Natalie Bull is the Executive Director of the Heritage Canada Foundation. She is happiest when doing porch repairs or glazing windows at her 1840s farmhouse in New Brunswick, which was saved from demolition by her first act of heritage activism.

Nicholas Kevlahan was born and raised in Vancouver, and then spent eight years in England and France before returning to Canada in 1998. He has been a Hamiltonian since then, and is a strong believer in the potential of this city. Although he spends most of his time as a mathematician, he is also a passionate amateur urbanist and a fan of good design. You can often spot him strolling the streets of the downtown, shopping at the Market. Nicholas is the spokesperson for Hamilton Light Rail.

Nick Tomkin is a web developer who works and lives in Hamilton with his wife, a few cute pets and a robot or two.

Nik Garkusha is an open data and open source geek, technology evangelist and consultant. He is the founder of OpenHalton.ca. He is also the Open Source Strategy Lead at Microsoft (Port25.ca).

Nikos A. Salingaros is a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as a noted urbanist and architectural theorist. You may visit his website.

Noelle Allen is the publisher of Wolsak and Wynn and the chair of the board for gritLIT: Hamilton's Literary Festival.

Norma LaForme is a person with disability who lives on Hamilton Mountain. Norma works with people with disabilities and is a trained counsellor. Norma is involved in the Chamber of Commerce.

Paris Rutherford IV, AICP is the Vice President of Planning and Urban Design at RTKL Associates, an architecture firm based on New Urbanist principles.

Patrick Brennan is the artistic director of Public Utility Performance. Public Utility Performance wishes to support a broad variety of performance in Hamilton, Ontario and the surrounding area. PUP grew out of Patrick Brennan technical, managerial and design practice. Recent projects span theatre, film and dance in the professional, community and educational arenas. A need for support of site specific and community arts has arisen out of his involvement with the Downtown Arts Centre. PUP hopes to provide dance and performance artists in Hamilton with both the opportunity to develop new skills and explore new areas of expression and design.

Patti Turnbull grew up in Binbrook. After traveling the world and living in the USA and Europe, decided to come home and again become a resident of Ward 11. She's actively involved in the Right to Play Charity, Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce and Solar Renewable Energy.

Paul J. Bedford FCIP, RPP is the Chief City Planner Emeritus for the City of Toronto and a passionate advocate of transit and city building throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Paul Bedford is an Adjunct Professor of City Planning at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University and an Urban Mentor with Paul Bedford & Associates in Toronto, which includes proactive involvement in a wide variety of public planning issues in numerous capacities primarily within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

He is a member of the Waterfront Toronto Urban Design Review Panel, a member of the National Capital Commission Planning Advisory Committee in Ottawa, and a futures columnist in the Ontario Planning Journal and a Senior Associate of the Canadian Urban Institute. He is also a member of the CAMH Property Committee guiding the long-term redevelopment of the Queen Street Mental Health and Addiction Facility.

He is a member of the Metrolinx Board of Directors.

Paul Glendenning is a Hamilton writer and activist.

Paul Johnson is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Citizens' Forum on Area Rating. In his day job, he is the executive director of Wesley Urban Ministries.

Paul Shaker is an urban planner and a co-founder of the Centre for Community Study, a Hamilton-based urban research organization.

Paul is the founder of Ward 3 Residents Association, Parade of the Pumpkins and other community-based events. He lives in Ward 3 close to Ivor Wynne Stadium/Scott Park and ran in the 2010 Hamilton Municipal Election, finishing second to incumbent Councillor Bernie Morelli.

Paul Vicari lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a web developer in Toronto.

Peter Hill has served on the Boards of Hamilton Children's Aid Society, Amity Goodwill Industries, Haldimand & Area Woodlot Owners' Association, Ontario Woodlot Association, and others. He is a Past-President of the Durand Neighbourhood Association, Hamilton Public Relations Society, Lupus Society of Hamilton and was the founding Business Co-chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth Training Board. He served as President of the Dundas Valley Orchestra in 2009-2010 and 2012-2013. He has served on the city's Urban Advisory Committee and most recently was a member of Hamilton's Rapid Transit Citizens' Advisory Committee.

Among his many contributions to social justice and environmental sustainability, Peter Hutton represents the Hamilton Social Justice Coalition at the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction, is the treasurer of Hamiltonians for Progressive Development and the Hamilton Transit Users Group, serves as a member of the city's Transit Steering Committee, volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail and is also involved with the city's low-income transit subsidy program.

Peter lives near Bayfront Park in Hamilton's historic North End. He enjoys writing about sustainable possibilities and the local benefits that result. Peter is the Green Party of Ontario Candidate for Hamilton Centre.

Praesto Presto is a political analyst working in the non-profit sector at the federal level. Formerly residing in Ottawa, she has returned to Hamilton, where municipal affairs are once again grabbing her attention. She understands the minefield of federal politics well enough to prefer a pseudonym.

Ramzy Baroud is an author and editor of www.palestinechronicle.com. His work has been published in many newspapers and journals worldwide. His latest book is The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle (Pluto Press, London).

Randy Kay is a volunteer with OPIRG McMaster's Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC) working group. http://www.tlchamilton.org/

Ray Fullerton is a Hamiltonian for life. Educated at Barton S.S. and McMaster University, he enjoyed a life-long learning career at Dofasco as a Research Engineer. Ray has recently retired and become an engaged citizen in civic politics.

Ray Lawlor is a professional student living in downtown Toronto who follows urban and particularly transit issues in his free time. He is also an avid cyclist, environmentalist, reader and film fan.

Reg Beaudry was the owner of THREE 16 lounge in downtown Hamilton and publisher of Urbanicity Magazine.

Toronto-born, Hamilton-raised, Rene has been a Hamilton and area resident for over 35 years. He has been politically engaged for over 20 years and is continually looking at the world around him. The Mohawk College graduate currently works as an independent IT consultant. Visit his blog.

Richard Register is an internationally-recognized urban design specialist and activist. He is the founder and President of Ecocity Builders, a non-governmental organization dedicated to environmentally-responsible urban development through public education and consulting with governments and planners.

Robert Fick is a local health and social economics/policy researcher and author.

Roger Lambert was born in Hamilton in 1947 and lived most of his childhood years in the north end. Six years after high school, he was hired nto the Woodward Ave. wastewater treatment plant. He completed a certificate program for environmental studies at Mohawk College and passed the fourth class operator's exam from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy. He is presently retired, but still active in the environmental field, particularly, wastewater treatment.

Roland Dube is married with two children. He was born and raised in Hamilton. He has lived in the North End, East End, and Mountain, and now resides in Stoney Creek Mountain. He attended St Jean de Brebeuf High School and attended a professional "Organizational Behaviour" program at McMaster University. Professionally he has worked most of his adult life in sales, marketing and business develompent, and worked as VP of business develompent with an international health care recruiting firm. His last job before starting Rolly Rockets BBQ was with a development company researching and negotiating the purchases of developable property in Ontario, so he is somewhat familiar with the business practices of various municipalities in Southern Ontario.

Rosario Marchese is the MPP for Trinity-Spadina and the Ontario NDP Critic for Urban Transportation. You can follow him on Twitter @RMarcheseMPP.

Roy J. Adams, McMaster University Emeritus Professor, is Executive Director of the Hamilton Civic Coalition a group of community leaders dedicated to realizing the city's potential.

Read about our contributors.

Rudo de Ruijter is an independent analyst based in The Netherlands.

Ryan Danks is a Project Engineer for a wind engineering consulting company. After living in Stoney Creek for many years he and his fiancée are now enjoying all Ward 2 has to offer.

Ryan Klamot is a lifelong Hamiltonian, recent university graduate, and entrepreneur and business owner. His company, Klamot Global, in partnership with Netfuel, a Toronto design agency, recently launched RateMyGovernment.ca across Canada.

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Several of his essays have been published in the Hamilton Spectator, and he occasionally blogged for OpenFile Hamilton. Ryan also maintains a personal website and has been known to post passing thoughts on twitter.

Ryan Moran was born and raised in Hamilton, after obtaining an MBA in strategic marketing at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, where he also did a Bachelors of Arts in a combined major of Political Science and Theatre & Film, he joined the staff of factor[e] design initiative as their Marketing Communications Specialist.

Professionally, Ryan has been engaged with a number of consulting projects, particularly pertaining to topics of youth community development, marketing and social engagement, through both electronic and interpersonal means. He has previously worked for the McMaster Students Union, and ArcelorMittal Dofasco, and is currently the chair of the Hamilton Hive.

Sam Merulla is the City Councillor for Ward 4 in Hamilton.

Sam Nabi is studying Planning and International Development at the University of Waterloo. He has researched transportation, housing, and civic engagement issues in Hamilton and Toronto. An occasional Hamilton resident, he loves biking the escarpment trails.

Sara Mayo is a Social Planner, Geographic Information Systems with the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton.

Sarah Wayland researches and writes for a living, mostly focusing on social issues such as immigration and settlement, employment, and poverty. She grew up in the southern United States and came to Canada the way most Americans do, by marrying a Canadian. She has been a proud Hamiltonian since 2001 and an avid RTH lurker since the advent of the Great Stadium Debate.

Sean Burak was born in Hamilton but raised elsewhere in Ontario. He returned to his birth town at the turn of the century and has never looked back. Sean is the owner of Downtown Bike Hounds.

Sean Hurley is new to Hamilton and is exploring the city with his dog and camera.

Shawn Selway is a Stelco trained millwright who runs a consultancy in the interpretation and conservation of historic machinery. He lives in the North End with his family.

Sheena Sharp is the president of the Ontario Association of Architects. She is a principal at Coolearth Architecture Inc, specializing in environmentally sustainable design.

Shekar Chandrashekar is a Canadian of Indian decent and has lived in Hamilton for over 50 years. For over 34 years he worked in local Government. He has been married to his Canadian wife for over 43 years. They have two daughters. Shekar continues to be very interested in local, national and international politics, literature and art.

Sheri Selway is a long time resident of the North End and current President of North End Neighbours. A retired elementary public school teacher in central Hamilton, Sheri currently is a fitness instructor at the YWCA Hamilton.

Simon Geoghegan lives in Hamilton with his wife and three sons. In addition to being active in the community with Hamilton CarShare and Hamilton Out of the Cold, Simon is also a Leadership Coach and Partner in Epiphany Coaches Inc. He is also a member and volunteer with the Green Party of Canada.

Simon Woodside lives a few blocks from where he was born at St. Joseph's hospital. He grew up in Hamilton, and continues to live here while managing his business developing iPhone and iPad software. He co-produces the unconferences BarCampWaterloo and StartupCampWaterloo, promotes Hamilton Light Rail, and enjoys the rejuvenating culture in the city.

Sonja Macdonald is co-founder of the Centre for Community Study (CCS), where she coordinates the Hamilton Media Project and localtelevision.ca.

Sonja Macdonald and Paul Shaker are Co-Directors of the Centre for Community Study, a Hamilton-based, not-for-profit organization focused on the research, development, and implementation of public policy.

Stavros Rougas lives in Hamilton and works in media.

Stephanie Shuster is the Creative Manager at Innovation Factory, heading up their marketing, communications, design, social media, and events. Before coming to iF, she was manager of the marketing and communications department at Theatre Aquarius, wrote op/ed for The Province newspaper, and directed plays for Black Box Fire. Stephanie came Hamilton from Vancouver to study at McMaster University, where she earned a Combined Honours BA in Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Communication Studies, and is proud to have made Hamilton her home, residing downtown where she lives with her husband and her espresso machine.

Stephanie Vegh is the executive director of the Hamilton Arts Council.

Stephen Otto is a Toronto-based historian who once lived in Hamilton and retains a great interest in its history. A former head of Ontario's heritage conservation programs, he has written widely on biographical and architectural subjects, notably in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, and as revising editor of Eric Arthur's Toronto: No Mean City. His most recent book, Robert Wetherell and Dundurn: An Architect in Early Hamilton, was published by Heritage Hamilton in 2004. The preceding piece on F.J. Rastrick is based on a slide lecture he gave to a meeting of the Head of the Lake Historical Society in March, 2003.

Stuart Trew is the Trade campaigner for the Council of Canadians. He lives in Hamilton.

Susana is a former Hamiltonian, mother of four kids, living in downtown Toronto. She is married to regular RTH contributer Ben Bull.

Sylvia Nickerson is Co-President of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association.

T.S. Ritchie was born, raised and educated in Hamilton, Ontario. Over the past 35 years I have become involved in owning and renovating properties in the lower city. I have been quite sad with the state of my city and urban core rotting away. A recent upsurge of creative interest has shown a glimmer of hope; it needs to be nurtured.

Tanya Ritchie is an immigrant who moved to Hamilton ten years ago and lives in Ward 3. She is the co-owner of Hamilton Guest House, Hamilton's only backpackers' hostel.

Ted Mitchell is a Hamilton resident, emergency physician and sometimes agitator who recently completed a BEng at McMaster University. He is fascinated by aspects of our culture that are harmful, but avoid serious public discussion.

Ted Trainer is a professor in the School of Social Work, University of New South Wales. His main interests have been global problems, sustainability issues, radical critiques of the economy, alternative social forms and the transition to them. He has written numerous books and articles on these topics, including, The Conserver Society: Alternatives for Sustainability, Saving the Environment: What It Will Take, and What Should We Do?. He is also developing Pigface Point, an alternative lifestyle educational site near Sydney. Visit his website: http://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/tsw/

Terry Cooke is the President and CEO of Hamilton Community Foundation.

Terry Whitehead is the Councillor for Ward 8 (West Mountain).

Theresa Nicholson lives in the Central neighbourhood of Hamilton. She's been a home based caregiver for the past 10 years and has been President of Central Neighbourhood Association for three years. Before that, she was an active participant in the group.

Thom Oommen is passionate about building truly sustainable communities. But far from technological solutions and other flights of fancy, he believes that the only way to build a just and ecologically responsible community is to embrace frugality and simplicity. He is currently focusing on actively learning the skills that will enable him and his community to face an unknown future with a measure of confidence. Check out his blog.

Bio: Thomas Wilson is songwriter in Hamilton. He released a CD in 2007 with his wife Sarah, entitled Long Songs and Sinner Ballads. His music can be heard on his MySpace page. He also runs a songwriting workshop in downtown Hamilton called Forge.

Tim O'Shea, MD, FRCPC, MPH, is an assistant professor, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at McMaster University.

Todd Litman is founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems. His work helps to expand the range of impacts and options considered in transportation decision-making, improve evaluation techniques, and make specialized technical concepts accessible to a larger audience. His research is used worldwide in transport planning and policy analysis.

Mr. Litman is author of the Online TDM Encyclopedia, a comprehensive Internet resource for identifying and evaluating mobility management strategies. He has worked on numerous studies that evaluate the costs and benefits of various transportation services and activities. He authored Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis: Techniques, Estimates and Implications, a comprehensive study of transport impacts, which provides cost and benefit information in an easy-to-apply format.

Todd is active in several professional organizations, including the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Transportation Research Board (a section of U.S. National Academy of Sciences) and the Centre for Sustainable Transportation. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research A, a professional journal.

Tom Cooper is the Director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

Tom Mackan is Publisher and editor of NEWZY BITZ, an online Community Theatre newsletter in the GHA, with over 200 subscribers. He is a Member of the Board, Theatre Burlington; an actor and director in GHA Community Theatre for fifty years; winner of over 25 awards and citations in the Western Ontario region and beyond; recipient of 2007 City of Hamilton Arts Award (Theatre); a Graduate of Canadian Theatre School (Sterndale Bennett) Toronto, 1955; and a retired teacher of English and Drama in public and private schools in the GHA and abroad.

Transportation for Liveable Communities is an all-volunteer Sustainable Transportation advocacy group, founded in Hamilton in 2000. TLC supports walking, cycling, transit and other alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle use.

Trey lives in Hamilton with his family. He is co-owner of an advertising agency, and develops brand awareness and creative services for the entertainment and tourism industry. His essays have appeared in The Energy Bulletin, Post Carbon Institute, Peak Oil Survival, and Tree Hugger, and he has appeared on Toronto's Goldhawk Live. Trey volunteers with the London Chapter of The Council of Canadians.

Undustrial is a writer, tinkerer, activist and father who lives in Hamilton's North End. He chooses to remain pseudonymous as he frequently works with much of Hamilton's Development industry.

Walter Furlan is a lifelong cyclist and has ridden his bike in many capacities throughout the world. He was born and raised in Hamilton's east end, where he began to work in the steel mills alongside his father. He attended McMaster part-time in the evening and received a BA in social science. He is now a heritage conservation restorer, assessing and restoring historic buildings and landscapes. He is in training at The School of Restoration Arts at Willowbank in Niagara on the Lake. Walter advocates for those who cycle in this city because of choice or circumstance. He believes in the 8-80 idea: that our streets should be safe for an eight- or eighty-year-old to navigate. He is a member of the Hamilton Cycling Committee and serves as its current chair.

Wayne MacPhail has been involved in creating online community, collaboration, conversation since the early 1980s when he created the first hypermedia journalism in Canada. He is a former photographer and managing editor for Hamilton Magazine and a reporter and editor with the Hamilton Spectator. He went on to lead Southam Inc’s exploration of future information products at Southam InfoLab, and helped to design the first polypublishing toolset for newspapers in Canada. He then co-created a comedy site for AOL Canada that had a robust international community and fanbase.

Since then he has created online content for major online network players in Canada (including AOL, CANOE, MSN and Bell-Emergis). As Director of Content for Sympatico-Lycos he introduced rich content and powerful discussion forums for the cross-Canada site. Wayne has also launched discussion forums internal and externally for York University, Centennial College and the Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario (ASO). He teaches online journalism at the University of Western Ontario and Ryerson University and is a published playwright and book author.

Wayne is also an avid runner, cyclist, photographer, videographer and gardener and lives with his wife, Barb, on Ray Street North in Hamilton. He has his own emerging media consultancy, w8nc inc., whose clients include University of Toronto, McMaster University, Random House, The Association of Science and Technology Centres and the Association of Ontario Health Centres.

Yvonne Woodley is a writer, researcher, editor and broadcaster as well as a passionate advocate for her adopted hometown of Hamilton, Ontario.