Raise the Hammer
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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. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.
Email: editor@raisethehammer.org
Justice for Indigenous Peoples is Long Overdue - It is past time for settlers in Canada to begin to reckon with the genocidal legacy of colonial oppression. Published June 30, 2021 in Commentary
Did Doug Ford Test the 'Great Barrington Declaration' on Ontarians? - Deliberately or not, the Ontario Government conducted a large-scale test of a pseudo-scientific pandemic response cooked up by right-wing billionaires. Published June 29, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
An Update on Raise the Hammer - Some thoughts on RTH's origin, development, legacy and next steps. Published June 28, 2021 in Site Notes
Right-Wing Extremism is a Driving Force in Modern Conservatism - Dangerous right-wing extremism has taken over the mainstream of the Republican Party - and the same dynamics are at work in Canada as well. Published February 18, 2021 in Special Report: Extremism
Challenging Doug Ford's Pandemic Narrative - The actual facts about Ford's handling of the pandemic do not fit into the prevailing narrative of a scrappy fighter for the 'little guy'. Published January 25, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
The COVID-19 Marshmallow Experiment - The public health experts have been pretty clear all along about what we should be doing. But really listening to them would require self-discipline and restraint - qualities of which we have not demonstrated a great abundance. Published December 22, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
We Can Prevent Traffic Deaths if We Make Safety a Real Priority - As we reel from another incomprehensible tragedy, we must ask: how many more lives need to be sacrificed before we decide that enough is enough? Published December 08, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Ontario Squanders Early Pandemic Sacrifice - The goodwill Premier Ford earned this past spring has evaporated as his government has reverted to prioritizing business interests over public health in the intervening months. Published November 18, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
Councillor Threatens Integrity Commisioner Complaint Against Charity, Private Individual - The Integrity Commissioner was supposed to have been established to hold Council accountable for their conduct, not for Council to use in order to punish its critics. Published October 02, 2020 in Special Report: Council Conduct
Low Hospitalization Numbers Today Are No Cause for Complacency - As long as each person who gets COVID-19 in Ontario infects on average more than one other person, that means we are on track for runaway exponential growth in cases again. Published September 23, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
Silence is Acceptance for Colleagues of Bullying Councillors - It is time for Council to decide that the bullying and abuse will no longer be tolerated. Published September 14, 2020 in Special Report: Council Conduct
Predictions of Chaos and Doom for Herkimer, Charlton Bike Lanes - Fear of change is a powerful reactionary force. It's time for Hamiltonians to learn from our own experience that making streets safer and more inclusive won't cause the sky to fall. Published September 08, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Answering the Obstructionists: The Case for Traffic Calming on Aberdeen - We can take concrete steps to make it harder for people to drive at dangerous speeds on Aberdeen, while physically protecting the sidewalks. Published September 04, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Collins' Police Budget Stunt is Cynical Anti-Leadership - Anti-leaders don't just fail to lead, they go beyond failure to actively undermine, obstruct and sabotage efforts at leadership. Published June 16, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
Don't Be So Quick to Dismiss the 'Defund the Police' Argument - The defund argument is about our priorities as a society. Do we favour harm reduction or retribution? Do we seek to support people in crisis or punish them? Published June 04, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
There Are No Neutral Bystanders to White Supremacism - It is impossible to be neutrally or passively not-racist in a racist system. You are either working to dismantle the racist system or else you are supporting the continuation of that system. Published June 02, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
Bike Share a Victim of Anti-Urban Identity Politics - Strategy only makes sense if we're all trying to build on our common values and interests, and the zero-sum politics of resentment are antithetical to common values. Published May 28, 2020 in Special Report: Cycling
Things You Can Do to Flatten the Curve - There are two essential ways you can help slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 through the community: personal sanitation and social distancing. Published March 20, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
Reflections on a Pandemic: Where We Are and What It Means - The only thing I think I can state with any confidence is that anyone who thinks things will go back to normal in a couple of weeks does not understand the gravity of the situation we're in. Published March 19, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
Light Rail Transit in Hamilton: The Story so Far - Adapted from notes for a recent talk. Published March 13, 2020 in Special Report: Light Rail
Try This if You Don't Think Our Politics Have Shifted to the Right - None of the public services we rely on and take for granted would stand a chance of being implemented in our current political climate if they didn't already exist. Published March 09, 2020 in Politics
Public Health Cuts are a Deadly False Economy - If you don't think you need Public Health, that's because it's working. A political leader or party that doesn't understand this is by definition unqualified to lead the government. Published March 04, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
Who Changed the Total for Hamilton's LRT Project Cost? - The third-party cost summary actually finds Hamilton's LRT fits within the Treasury Board-approved 30-year budget. Published January 14, 2020 in Special Report: Light Rail
Yes, You Can Shop on a Bike - Being an effective City Councillor requires humility to recognize you don't know everything, openness to others' lived experience, imagination to see possible alternative futures, and compassion for people who aren't exactly like you. Published January 14, 2020 in Special Report: Cycling
Mulroney's Hamilton LRT Numbers Just Don't Add Up - None of the detailed numbers in the Minister's six-page LRT cost breakdown add up to the totals. Published January 07, 2020 in Special Report: Light Rail
Taking a Hammer to Steeltown - The entire process in which the Ontario Government cancelled Hamilton's LRT project has been profoundly unfair to Hamilton. Published December 23, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
There is No Billion Dollars - Don't be distracted by the dubious promise of $1 billion in stocking stuffers: there is no money without the transformative public investment to generate the money that will pay for it. Published December 19, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Deserves Fair Treatment on LRT Investment - Hamilton is being treated differently than every other Ontario city that is receiving transformational rapid transit investment, based on spurious numbers that have no clear provenance and conflate capital and gross operating budgets. Published December 19, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillor Nann: Reject LRT Cancellation, Ask Feds for Funding - The Ward 3 Councillor is requesting an emergency Council meeting to reject the Provincial cancellation or the Hamilton LRT project and to request federal funding. Published December 17, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillor Wilson Requests Ontario Government LRT Cost Analysis - Hamilton's Ward 1 Councillor has requested a copy of the 'third party analysis' that formed the basis for the Ontario Government's sudden decision to cancel the Hamilton Light Rail Transit project. Published December 17, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
Province Abruptly Cancels Hamilton LRT - With no advance notice, the Ontario Government abruptly canceled Hamilton's light rail transit (LRT) project yesterday, citing absurdly over-inflated budget overruns. Published December 17, 2019 in Special Report: Light Rail
Alberta's Oil Tantrum Masks a Desperate Cry for Help - Alberta's entire political economy is built on resource extraction, corporate capture and rampant denial of reality. Published October 24, 2019 in Special Report: Climate Change
The Staggering Mediocrity of Andrew Scheer - Scheer never apologizes for anything. Not for his dual citizenship hypocrisy, his homophobia, lying about his résumé, lying about carbon pricing, pandering to Yellow Vest bigots, or anything else. Published October 18, 2019 in Federal Election 2019
No Good Reason to Platform or Sanitize Far-Right Extremists - We cannot afford for our daily newspaper to play any role, however inadvertent, in the creeping normalization of violent extremist ideology. Published September 04, 2019 in Special Report: Extremism
The Real Danger is Right-Wing Extremism, Not 'Mass Immigration' - The radical, extremist right are desperate to gain power by hijacking conservative politics and migrating into the mainstream. It's already happening, right before our eyes. Published August 29, 2019 in Special Report: Extremism
Hamilton Failing to Confront Rising Right-Wing Extremism - Ignoring fascists doesn't make them go away. Bland, generic press releases don't deter them. Calmly treating with them while bringing the hammer down on anti-fascists emboldens them. Published August 27, 2019 in Special Report: Extremism
Modern Conservatism Hijacked by Right-Wing Extremists - It's easy to dismiss Maxime Bernier and his openly racist breakaway party, but the same paranoia and extremist hatred are widespread within the mainstream Conservative Party. Published August 26, 2019 in Special Report: Extremism
Whitehead Concern Trolling Aberdeen Traffic Calming Recommendations - Will Ward 14 Councillor Terry Whitehead ever stop being wrong about what makes our city streets safe and functional for everyone? Published June 26, 2019 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
People are Finally Noticing Ontario's Spending Was Not 'Out of Control' - Once a particular narrative takes hold in the public mind, no matter how divorced it is from reality, it can be extremely hard to dislodge. Published May 30, 2019 in Politics
The Sky is Not Falling Over Ontario's Debt - When you plot Ontario's debt on an inflation-adjusted, per-capita basis, the picture is not nearly as stark as you might expect. Published May 29, 2019 in Politics
Right-Wing Populists are Immune to Hypocrisy - Pointing out the hypocrisy of right-wing populists and their supporters misses the movement's central premise. Published May 23, 2019 in Politics
With Climate Action, the Middle Ground Between Success and Failure is Failure - We need a massive, comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck mobilization of our entire country to transition rapidly and decisively to a decarbonized economy if we have any hope of saving the planet for our children and grandchildren. Published May 17, 2019 in Special Report: Climate Change
Addressing the Twin Crises of Global Warming and Neoliberalism - A Green New Deal offers a blueprint for a rapid transition to a sustainable economy that brings everyone along, delivering more prosperity to Canadians and guaranteeing that no workers will be left behind in the transition. Published May 10, 2019 in Special Report: Climate Change
Speaking Notes from my Magill-Pearl-Kent Greenway Jane's Walk - On Saturday, May 4, I led a Jane's Walk along the proposed route of a new neighbourhood greenway that may be coming to Hamilton next year. Published May 06, 2019 in Special Report: Cycling
After 30 Wasted Years, the Climate Emergency Demands Drastic Action - We have known about the climate emergency for the past 30 years and did nothing, cowed by a fossil fuel industry more interested in profit than human survival. Now it's too late to play nice if we want a future for humanity. Published April 24, 2019 in Special Report: Climate Change
Right-Wing Politicians Are Encouraging Stochastic Terrorism - Instead of helping to stem the tide of hatred, Canada's Conservative leadership at all levels is actually enabling and pandering to it. Published February 22, 2019 in Special Report: Extremism
Merulla: Notice of Motion to Address Area Rating for Transit - The motion would direct staff to report back on addressing area rating for transit in a way that will "align with the overall city Transit strategy." Published February 15, 2019 in Special Report: Transit
We Deserve to Know the Truth About the Buried Red Hill Parkway Report - A consultant report finding that the pavement is too slippery was buried for five years before staff revealed it yesterday. Published February 07, 2019 in Commentary
Partridge has Blocked at least 32 People on Twitter - The Waterdown Councillor told the Hamilton Spectator she has only blocked 'around ten' people. Published November 16, 2018 in Commentary
Anchor Institutions: 'Full Speed Ahead on Hamilton LRT' - The letter calls on the City and Province to continue implementing the BLAST transit network, to complete the process to select a bidder that will build and operate the system, and to prioritize approval of the operating agreement. Published November 02, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
How Right-Wing Radicals are Gaslighting Liberal Democracy - We have the power to save ourselves, but only if we wake up and notice that the house is on fire before we are consumed by it. Published October 31, 2018 in Special Report: Extremism
Eisenberger Won 189 out of 222 Polls - Countering the narrative that the election result represents some kind of urban/suburban divide, the poll-by-poll results show that Fred Eisenberger won 85 percent of the polls across the entire city. Published October 26, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Eisenberger Won 13 out of 15 Wards - Eisenberger's support was citywide. In addition to the lower city, Eisenberger also won the mountain wards, Stoney Creek overall, Ancaster, Dundas and Glanbrook. Published October 26, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Eisenberger Re-Elected Decisively in 'LRT Referendum' Election - LRT opponents insisted this election was a referendum on the project. Now it's time to put the never-ending debate to bed and get the shovels into the ground. Published October 23, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Sgro Joined by Bratina, Skelly in Anti-LRT Conference Call - Character matters. Any mayoral candidate who embraces the backing of such unprincipled, obstructionist, visionless politicians should be viewed with concern. Published October 04, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Remembering Herman Ohrt - Herman deserved better. His family deserves better. His community deserves better. No one should have to go through this. So what are we going to do about it? Published October 04, 2018 in People
Brad Clark Flip-Flops on LRT ... Yet Again - In what is becoming a habitual act of pure cynicism, the Ward 9 candidate keeps reversing his LRT position. Published October 02, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Vito Sgro's Platform is a Stack of Falsehoods - His plan sacrifices the most transformative opportunity this city has had in decades on the altar of anti-urban resentment and cynicism. Published October 02, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Ontario, It's Time for the Resistance to Get Serious - If there was ever a time for all Ontarians of good conscience to wake up, get organized, rise up and actively resist the ransacking of our most cherished civic values, that time is upon us now. Published September 28, 2018 in Politics
Two-Way Conversion of Park Street Between Cannon and Barton - The piecemeal conversion of Hamilton streets continues today with another 650 metre section Published September 27, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Cyclist Seriously Injured on Street With No Cycling Facilities - If we're going to talk about contributing factors in a collision, why would we not focus on the one factor that the City actually has the power to control? Published September 25, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
LRT: Let's Reduce Traffic - Light Rail can carry up to four times as many commuters per lane as automobiles. Published September 18, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
$137 Million Spent or Committed to Hamilton LRT Project: Metrolinx - Metrolinx has spent or committed $137 million on the Hamilton LRT, with $105 million spent and $45 million spent on property acquisitions. Published September 12, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillor Illegally Tweets Photos While Driving to Score Phony Point About Traffic - In a misguided attempt to score a rhetorical point yesterday, Whitehead appears illegally taken and posted two photos of backed-up traffic on Queen Street South in violation of Ontario's Distracted Driving law. Published September 12, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Council Demonstrated their Values in Emergency Road Funding - Can you imagine if our civic leaders were as upset about people being maimed and killed on our streets as we are about people in cars being slightly inconvenienced? Published September 10, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
People Keep Getting Crushed on Hamilton's Dangerous-By-Design Streets - Year after year after year, we fail to act on the urgent, pressing need to make our streets safer. Published September 05, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Phase Out Area Rating and Boost Transit Revenue - Council has punted on transit area rating for 17 years. With an election this October, it's long past time to put this crutch to bed and start really investing in ridership growth. Published August 28, 2018 in Special Report: Transit
Anti-LRT Candidate Accidentally Emails Secret Plan - It appears Ward 1 candidate Carol Lazich accidentally blind-copied the other candidates on an email detailing her plan to have anti-LRT material distributed through an intermediary. Published August 24, 2018 in Municipal Election 2018
Deranged Cycling Facilities on Repaved Scenic Drive - Instead of creeping incrementally toward a local maximum, we need to seize these opportunities to do something truly inspiring and transformative. Published August 20, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
The Essential Unseriousness of Conservative Politics Today - Conservatives present their own policies as better solutions, then reject both the solutions and even the existence of the problems after the centre-left agree to compromise and try to adopt them. Published August 10, 2018 in Politics
Missed Opportunity to Improve Hunter Bike Lanes - After repaving Hunter Street between James and Bay, the City repainted the lanes exactly the same as they were before instead of making room to physically protect the bike lanes. Published August 10, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
Ford Government Cancels Cycling Fund But Claremont Access is Already Funded - The Province is cancelling the cycling infrastructure fund that was going to help pay for the Claremont Access Cycle Track, but the City has already received the funding for the 2017 approved projects. Published July 09, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
Change is Scary but LRT Plan is Sound - Every city that builds LRT goes through the same angst. Soon we will look back and wonder how we could have ever been so scared. Published June 22, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Setting the Record Straight on Common Anti-LRT Lies - The anti-LRT group uses fearmongering and misinformation to try and undermine the case for LRT. Here is the truth. Published June 21, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Lively Transportation Panel Discussion Unpacks Historic Challenges, Opportunities - After 30 years of blundered opportunities to make our communities safer, healthier and more prosperous, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has a shot to get it right - but it will take lots of citizen engagement and political leadership. Published June 18, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Cannon Cycle Track a Success: Staff Report - A new staff report recommends making the Cannon Cycle Track permanent and enhancing its physical protection. Published June 14, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
A Sad Day for Ontario - Doug Ford won the election with a lazy, scandal-ridden campaign fueled by lies and cheap slogans. No one, not even Conservatives, should be particularly happy about this. Published June 08, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Ontario Has a Revenue Problem, Not a Spending Problem - When Ford says Ontario's spending is out of control, he's lying. When he says he can cut spending without cutting service, he's lying. Published June 05, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
The Ontario PC Party is a Moral Shambles - Doug Ford's PC Party openly panders to bigots, refuses to explain how they will pay for their promises, and can't even run nominations without chaos. Does anyone seriously think they're fit to govern? Published June 01, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Skelly Denounces Hate Website She Promoted at Christmas Event - White supremacist hate groups and their sympathizers on the alt-right are lining up to endorse Doug Ford and the PC Party, and rote statements of disavowal are not good enough. Published May 30, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Donna Skelly's Shameless Trail of Broken Promises - Skelly's short, nasty political career is characterized by empty demagoguery, lack of basic preparation, backroom dealing, interfering in other wards, undermining professional staff and using voters as a stepping stone. Published May 29, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
An Inconvenient Bollard - The poor beleagured knockdown bollard on the northeast corner of Herkimer and Queen has had quite a ride in a short time. Published May 25, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Privatization a Bigger Risk than Service Cuts Under Doug Ford - A Doug Ford Government is extremely likely to cut public services - but it is even more likely to privatize them. Published May 22, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Horwath Opens Door to Reallocating LRT Funding, then Backpedals - The Ontario NDP leader said Hamilton could use the $1 billion LRT funding on another transit-related project, triggering a sharp backlash from Hamilton LRT supporters. Published May 18, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Stop Grading Doug Ford on a Curve - Doug Ford is historically unqualified for the job he seeks, but the media keep applying a lower standard to his performances. Published May 11, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Doug Ford is a Dignity Wraith - For as long as Doug Ford remains leader the PC Party, we can expect the sad, inexorable humiliation of formerly-respectable party members to continue. Published May 04, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Doug Ford is a Dangerous Right-Wing Populist - Populists are dangerous because they use their popularity as a cudgel to attack and scapegoat their enemies, accusing those enemies of engaging in shadowy conspiracies to undermine and betray "regular folks". Published April 25, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Hamilton Needs LRT to Grow Out of Our Infrastructure Hole - Without LRT, we are a city adrift with no Plan B to get our finances in order. Killing LRT now would send a devastating message to the world that Hamilton is a reckless and unreliable place to invest. Published April 19, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Comparing Space Efficiency of an Automobile Lane and an LRT Lane - A lane of LRT can carry up to several times as many people as a lane of cars. Published April 17, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back on Hamilton LRT - With the Provincial election coming in June and the municipal election following in October, we all need to pitch in to make sure LRT stays on course. Published April 16, 2018 in Special Report: Light Rail
Cap-and-Trade is Not a Carbon Tax - Doug Ford is a classic shameless right-wing populist, and his indifference to basic facts should alarm all of us. Published April 16, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Another Day, Another Serious Collision on Aberdeen Speedway - It's Groundhog Day at the intersection of two horribly dangerous urban arterials that Council has steadfastly refused to fix, year after year. Published April 06, 2018 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Doug Ford Said Some Crazy Things at the Budget Media Scrum - The idea that this man could become Ontario's premier should frighten everyone who believes in responsible government, no matter where you sit on the political spectrum. Published March 29, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Ward 1: Vote for Neighbourhood Greenway on Magill-Pearl-Kent - This active transportation infrastructure is gentle, integrates nicely into an existing neighbourhood, balances the needs of different modes, and provides significant improvements for walking, cycling and local quality of life without inconveniencing any Published March 22, 2018 in Special Report: Cycling
Planning Staff Recommend Denying Television City Proposal - The project is consistent with provincial planning directives and the city's own Official Plan, but staff argue the design is incompatible with its surroundings. Published March 19, 2018 in Downtown Bureau
The Tower Has Finally Issued a Statement and It's Problematic - It's easier to throw a rock through a window and feel pleased with yourself for a few minutes than it is to work toward building a better world. Published March 07, 2018 in Commentary
Police Link Locke Riot to Anarchist Bookfair - Hamilton Police say they have evidence linking the riot last Saturday night to the event at Westdale Secondary School. Published March 06, 2018 in Local News
Gang of Vandals Attacks Locke Street - 30 black-clad, masked vandals smashed windows and lit firecrackers in a path of property destruction down Locke Street. Published March 05, 2018 in Local News
Nothing Unfair About Brown's Fall from Grace - Presumption of innocence is a legal term referring to criminal charges. In civil matters, we evaluate allegations based on the balance of probabilities. Published January 29, 2018 in Ontario Election 2018
Another Four Months Down the Drain - The debate about whether the HSR should operate the LRT was an important one to have. The problem is that it should have happened two years ago. Published December 20, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Compromise Motion to Ensure LRT Workers are ATU Members - Under the proposal by Councillor Green and ATU President Eric Tuck, Metrolinx would continue the current procurement process but agree that LRT workers will be organized by ATU Local 107. Published December 15, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Joey Coleman and The Public Record Deserve Your Support - Strong, principled, independent media voices like Coleman's are more important than ever as the epochal convulsion of the global media landscape continues to surge through Hamilton. Published December 15, 2017 in Media
OMB Overturns Council's Ward Boundary Vote - The decision determines that Council's choice fails the test of reasonableness, and imposes Option 2 from the Watson & Associates final report. Published December 13, 2017 in Special Report: Ward Boundaries
City Opens Gate Blocking Chedoke Path - It goes a long way to building and reinforcing trust with the community when councillors and staff are responsive to feedback and make the necessary changes to fix problems and improve our civic infrastructure. Published December 11, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Province Punts on Hamilton's LRT Operations Request - Letter from Metrolinx leaves door open to having City operate LRT, but strongly argues against it. Published November 28, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Transport Trucks Do Not Belong in the City - We should not be deforming our communities and denying the potential for traffic calming, just so that a transport truck driver can save a couple of minutes shortcutting through the heart of the city. Published November 23, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Traffic Calming Changes to Slip Lane at Queen and Aberdeen - A bumpout has been added on the north edge of the slip lane to discourage speeding into the slip lane, and the wedge of raised curb on the intersection side of the slip lane has been widened to create a neckdown for cars turning onto Queen. Published November 17, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Motion to Convert Queen to Two-Way Amid Regular Traffic Carnage - Councillor Whitehead's motion would refer the two-way conversion of Queen to the 2018 Capital Budget process. Published November 08, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
New Life for Long-Delayed Queen Street Conversion - The status quo on Queen Street is both dangerous and pointless for everyone in its current configuration: motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, commuters and local residents alike. Published October 31, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
This is What Happens When You Don't Protect Bike Lanes - The inevitable frequent presence of parked vehicles blocking the Bay Street lanes will act as a serious deterrent to a great many people who might otherwise be willing to use them. Published October 27, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Block-by-Block Preview of Bay Street Bike Lanes - The design is far from perfect, but it's pretty nice to finally see a continuous, two-way bike connection between Aberdeen and the Waterfront. Published October 24, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
New Stone Church Parking Makes Bike Lanes Less Safe - In the new design near Upper Paradise, the bike lane widths have been narrowed from five feet to four, and the westbound bike lane now runs right through the 'door zone' of any cars parked on the curbside. Published October 10, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
This is an Excellent Time to Talk About Global Warming - There are still people who believe that the science is ambiguous, or that the scientific community is divided, or even that there is some kind of evil conspiracy on the part of scientists to dupe the public into believing that global warming is happening. Published September 08, 2017 in Special Report: Climate Change
Piecemeal Two-Way Conversions on Hughson, King William - Hughson Street North will be switched to two-way between Wilson Street and Barton Street East, and King William Street will be switched to two-way between John Street North and Mary Street. Published August 23, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Waterfront Trail Has Re-Opened - Hamiltonians can once again use the Waterfront Trail between Bayfront Park and Princess Point again after three and a half months of closure. Published August 21, 2017 in Local News
Ministry Approves Hamilton LRT Environmental Report - With this approval as part of the Environmental Assessment process, the project can move forward to a request for proposals to build and operate the line. Published August 03, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Bike Share Launches Everybody Rides Initiative With New Bikes - ERI funding adds 12 new bike hub stations across the the under-served east end of the bike share serviced area, plus 75 new bikes added to the existing 750 bike fleet. Published July 28, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Risky 11th-Hour Motion to have HSR Operate LRT - The best time to have had this discussion over who should operate the system was two years ago, when Council was signing the Memorandum of Agreement. Published July 05, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Review: Canadada: Take Two - Released in time to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Constitution Act, this album tugs on the messy cultural threads that collectively make up the Canadian tapestry. Published June 26, 2017 in Reviews
Everyone Deserves Safe Streets - It's great that Councillor Lloyd Ferguson recognizes the value of safe streets in Ancaster. He just needs to extend the same understanding to residents in the rest of the city. Published June 06, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Minimum Wage Increase a Modest But Welcome Policy Change - Don't let the naysayers and dogmatic opponents of fair labour policy bury this opportunity in fearmongering and overly simplistic claims about "basic economics" or "common sense". Published May 31, 2017 in Commentary
Criticism is Essential but False Fact Claims Don't Help - Thoughtful criticism is essential for good public policy and the newspaper is absolutely right to publish a variety of arguments looking at any given issue from different perspectives. Published May 15, 2017 in Media
Hamilton Spectator Should Fact-Check Op-Ed Submissions - Anyone who is unwilling to ensure that the fact claims they make are actually true doesn't deserve to be published in a newspaper in the first place. Published May 04, 2017 in Media
Letter from Transport Minister Confirming LRT to Eastgate - Minister Steven Del Duca sent Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger a letter on April 26 confirming that the Province will extend LRT to Eastgate, contingent on Council support and available funding. Published April 28, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Council Takes a Leap of Faith and Reaffirms Support for LRT - After months of turmoil and dysfunction, Council made history last night by voting to move the city's Light Rail Transit forward with a Provincial commitment to extend the line to Eastgate. Published April 27, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Province Clarifies Yet Again That LRT Funding is for LRT, Not Whatever Hamilton Feels Like This Week - It is simply false to claim that Hamilton can turn down LRT and still hang onto the money in a placeholder until we decide what we want to do with it. Published April 24, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Province Should Commit to Eastgate Funding - Once again, Hamilton needs the Provincial Government to step in and protect us from our own pettiness, short-sightedness and kneejerk fear of change. Published April 24, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
City at High Risk of Financial Liability if Council Cancels LRT Implementation: Report - If Council cancels the already-approved LRT Plan, local taxpayers are likely on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in money already spent and committed to the project. Published April 24, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
It All Comes Down to This Coming Wednesday - If there was ever a time to speak up and make your voice heard loud and clear, it is between now and the Council meeting on April 26. Published April 21, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
We Need Light Rail to Grow Our Tax Base, Reduce Our Infrastructure Liability - Please don't fool yourself into thinking Council can kill the goose and keep collecting the golden eggs. Published April 18, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
A Line-By-Line Critique of Whitehead's Latest Fearmongering Anti-LRT Form Email - Shame on Whitehead for abusing his power and circulating this scaremongering nonsense. Published April 10, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Cannon Cycle Track: Growing Year-Round Ridership and Smoother Traffic - The Cannon cycle track proves that with high-quality infrastructure design and routine maintenance, it is possible to dramatically increase the number of bicycle trips without any downside for other road users. Published April 10, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Anti-LRT Misinformation and Fearmongering is Getting Ridiculous - LRT opponents are relying on the classic Obstructionist Playbook of false claims, misinformation and fearmongering to try and sabotage this transformative, once-in-a-lifetime public investment in Hamilton's future. Published April 07, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Vote Now in Ward 1 Participatory Budget - Ward 1 residents have an immediate and direct opportunity to participate directly in choosing which local infrastructure improvement projects to support with $1.5 million in local capital dollars. Published April 05, 2017 in Participatory Budget
About That 'There Is Only One Taxpayer' Line - The number of taxpayers depends on which level of government is spending the money, and that makes a big difference in how much a given project will cost you. Published April 05, 2017 in Commentary
LRT Director Debunks Operating Cost Fearmongering - If the LRT opponents in the community and around the council table are honest, they will stop trying to frighten and misinform Hamiltonians about the 'unknown' LRT operating cost. Published April 04, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Flamborough Councillor Spins Misleading Claims to Oppose LRT - Councillor Partridge needs to explain why she would reject an investment that will pay for infrastructure replacement, increase Hamilton's property tax assessment and improve its net transit operating cost obligations. Published March 31, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Time to Start Gearing Up for April 19 - The work of LRT supporters is not over. Between now and April 19, we need as many voices to speak up in favour of this transformative opportunity as possible. Published March 31, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Loomis: Rejecting LRT 'Would be Breaching the Duty of Good Faith' - The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce president pulled no punches in a recent interview with Bill Kelly on CHML. Published March 27, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Shocking Letter from Former Anti-LRT Activist - A letter from a former No Hamilton LRT activist apologizes for stirring 'fear and doubt' and 'scheming' to 'disrupt' LRT project and also notes collaboration with Councillor Donna Skelly. Published March 24, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
LRT Support Letter from Anchor Institutions - The letter expresses support for the benefits of transit investment and urges Council to continue implementing its rapid transit plan. Published March 22, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Major LRT Milestone Under Threat - We Need Your Help - This vote should be a mere formality, but LRT opponents want to use it to obstruct, delay and ultimately kill the project. Published March 21, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Angry Right-Wing Populist Whitehead Smears Movement for a More Inclusive City - Whitehead wants the best of both worlds: to be seen magnanimously doing the right thing at a policy level, while at the same time dog-whistling the bitterness and resentment of cynical anti-urbanists who see the lower city as 'nowhere'. Published March 15, 2017 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Vague, Arbitrary Tribunal Broadcast Policy Enables Abuse - The city's broadcast policy for quasi-judicial tribunals should be clear, it should be consistent, it should strike a reasonable balance between competing rights, and it should be applied fairly and consistently. Published March 10, 2017 in Media
Hydro Rate Cut a Missed Opportunity for Grown-Up Policy Discussion - Electricity pricing has become yet another wedge to drive between different parts of the province while the economic system that leaves so many people vulnerable to rising electricity prices in the first place persists mostly unchallenged. Published March 02, 2017 in Commentary
Flamborough Chamber: Make LRT the Best it Can Be - The executive director of the Flamborough Chamber of Commerce argues that if Hamilton is going to go ahead with its LRT plan, Council should do what it can to ensure the plan is successful. Published February 22, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Some Uncomfortable Truths about Shameless Dishonesty - People who tell lies will always be two or three steps ahead of people who are dedicated to the truth. This bodes ill for the future of our civilization. Published February 22, 2017 in Special Report: Extremism
Stoney Creek Chamber: Reconsider Vote Against Bay LRT Station - A letter from the executive director of the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce calls on Stoney Creek Councillors to support a Bay Street LRT station at Council. Published February 20, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Letter: Please Support LRT Bay Street Station - Even - indeed, especially - if you are not sure that LRT will be successful, you should be doing everything in your power to set it up for the best possible outcome. Published February 16, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillors Punish LRT with Vote Against Bay Station - The LRT opponents on Council can't kill LRT outright, but they are willing to do their damnedest to undermine, sabotage and cripple the system that does get built. Published February 16, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Time to Stop Rewarding the Whitehead Circus - The angry, right-wing politics of hatred and resentment is a troll that gets bigger and stronger when we feed it. It's time to stop feeding the troll. Published February 10, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Province Confirms A-Line Bus Rapid Transit - The Ontario Government has cancelled the two-kilometre Light Rail Transit (LRT) spur on James Street North in favour of a 16-kilometre Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will run between the waterfront and the airport. Published February 02, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Replace York Bike Lanes With Protected Cycle Track - If Hamilton is serious about making cycling a viable, attractive choice for more people, we should be investing in protected cycle tracks everywhere we can. Published February 01, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Planning Committee Capitulates to NIMBY Classism, Rejects Stoney Creek Apartment Building - The expressed fears, in addition to hand-waving about traffic and the sewer system, centre on low income families, criminal activity, "illegal dumping" and declining property values. Published January 31, 2017 in Commentary
Some Proposed Cycling Improvements for Westdale and Ainslie Wood - Following is a set of suggestions for how we might end up with a cycling network through Westdale and West Hamilton that leaves us in better shape than what we have today. Published January 30, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Letter from Horwath to McMahon: Preserve Gore Buildings - The Hamilton-Centre MPP has called on Ontario's Culture Minister to intervene and protect 18-28 King Street East from a Council-approved demolition. Published January 30, 2017 in Special Report: Heritage
Council Caves and Approves Demolition for Gore Heritage Buildings - The last chance to save these buildings is to appeal to the Province to step in and save us from our own short-sightedness. Published January 26, 2017 in Special Report: Heritage
Some Proposed Cycling Improvements for Strathcona Neighbourhood - If the City and Metrolinx insist on removing bike lanes from York and Dundurn, let's make sure we end up with a network that is better than the one we're losing. Published January 26, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Cycling Infrastructure Threatened to Accommodate Automobile Traffic with Light Rail - The City is considering sacrificing bike lanes to maintain automobile traffic flow, undermining the goal of leveraging LRT to transform how Hamiltonians live and get around. Published January 26, 2017 in Special Report: Cycling
Annotated Transcript of Skelly's Library Budget Comments - The Councillor only formally stated her opposition to an increase in the budget, but her full remarks strongly implied that she thinks the budget is too high and the library services are no longer relevant. Published January 25, 2017 in Commentary
Dear Leader Donald Demands Your Obedience - This is a classic authoritarian cult-of-personality dictatorship power grab tactic, and it is not at all clear that America's legal, political and civil institutions will be able to survive it. Published January 24, 2017 in Special Report: Extremism
Save 18-28 King Street East from Short-Sighted Thinking - If we destroy what makes us distinct - particularly now, just as the rest of the world is discovering what we have created and sustained here - we will be sabotaging our own revival. Published January 13, 2017 in Special Report: Heritage
Province Considering Alternatives to A-Line LRT Spur - CBC Hamilton reports that the Province is considering possible alternatives to the A-Line LRT spur on James Street North. Published January 12, 2017 in Special Report: Light Rail
Right-Wing Populism and the Disappearance of Shame - What happens to a liberal democracy when its leaders have no sense of shame? What happens to civil politics when politicians simply refuse to be civil? Published December 09, 2016 in Special Report: Extremism
Bike Licencing is Just Fundamentally Bad Policy - It would take 810,000 people riding bikes to do as much cumulative damage to the road as one person driving an SUV. Published December 02, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Why I Joined the Conservative Party of Canada - We need all of our parties, including the Loyal Opposition, to remain committed to the fundamental civic principles of equality, fairness, openness, inclusion and pluralism that should be universal and non-negotiable. Published November 28, 2016 in Politics
Fully Signalized Intersection at King and Pearl - This is an encouraging sign that staff increasingly regard the city as a work in constant progress, susceptible to continuous incremental improvements. Published November 18, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
That Non-Story About Catenary Poles in LRT Renderings - For a better sense of what we might expect along Hamilton's urban LRT corridor, here is a recent photograph of the Spadina LRT in Toronto. Published November 07, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Eleven Hours and Forty Minutes of Sound and Fury, Signifying One Very Important Thing - Because Council has definitely voted to approve the LRT project, it would require a "reconsideration motion" and a two-thirds majority vote to overturn that decision. Published October 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Light Rail Delegation to Oct. 25, 2016 General Issues Committee - Council specifically and repeatedly voted to ask the Province to approve and fund this plan, and we were elated when the Province delivered in 2015. Published October 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillor's Letter to Transport Minister is Reckless Political Theatre - By asking and re-asking the same ridiculous questions that have already been answered, the west mountain councillor aims to sow uncertainty, confusion and skepticism about the project as a whole. Published October 21, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillor Brenda Johnson's LRT Opposition is Absurd - Is the former environmental project manager seriously prepared to reject a billion-dollar investment in electric rapid transit because the City and Province are on schedule with their negotiations? Published October 19, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Chad Collins vs. Chad Collins - The Ward 5 Councillor said he was "not going to try to kill" LRT, and then decided to try to kill LRT. Published October 04, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Murray: Two-Thirds Majority Council Vote Needed to Kill LRT - The City Manager has reconfirmed that Council would need to approve a reconsideration motion with a two-thirds majority to cancel the Hamilton LRT project. Published October 01, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Herkimer, Charlton Bike Lanes Balance Local and City-Wide Needs - A tone-deaf editorial in the Mountain News accuses the lower city of not paying enough attention to how the Herkimer and Charlton bike lanes will impact cut-through traffic. Published September 30, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Hamilton is Not 'Nowhere' - I can't think of a better illustration of the pessimism and civic self-loathing that drives the most ardent LRT opponents than this empty, cynical figure of speech. Published September 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Concern-Trolling Councillor Bullies Staff with Impunity - What will it take for Hamilton City Council to start enforcing its own Code of Conduct? Published September 21, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
City Opens First New Pedestrian Crossover (PXO) - The new PXO at Limeridge Road East and the Escarpment Rail Trail is the first of more than thirty to be installed before the end of 2017. Published September 19, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Opposition to Herkimer, Charlton Bike Lanes Based on Ludicrously False Claims - The west mountain councillor wants to wind these streets back to a time when cut-through traffic tore through these urban neighbourhoods at 80-80 km/h at all hours of the day. Published September 09, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Vehicle Speed and Stopping Distance - Vision Zero calls for a commitment to 30 km/h speed limits on most city streets in part because a vehicle's stopping distance increases dramatically with its speed. Published August 29, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
All Saints Church Demolition - Like the building itself, the promises of benefits from demolition - affordable housing, preserved features - are being stripped away. Published August 25, 2016 in Special Report: Heritage
Yes, Brampton is Still a Cautionary Tale - The city that turned down Provincial LRT funding has delayed any possible rapid transit by several years - and still has no guarantee of funding. Published August 24, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Lucked Out With Bike-Share - If just one little thing had happened differently with the request for proposals for a Hamilton bike-share, it might have been a disaster. Published August 23, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
The Little Engine that Must - It is precisely the transformative potential of LRT to change how this city grows and develops over the next 50 years that has the staunchest guardians of the status quo running scared. Published August 15, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Analysis: Most Bike Share Trips on Cannon Cycle Track are Short, Local - The City's bike counters on Cannon are missing more than half the bike trips that use the cycle track. This has implications for how we measure and evaluate its success. Published August 10, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Brown Says Tories Will Honour LRT Funding Commitment - With this announcement, every major Ontario political party supports Hamilton's LRT plan and is committed to funding it. Published July 29, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Eyes on the Street: Inception Train at Main and Gage - From time to time, a CP train engine passes diagonally right through the intersection of Main and Gage. Published July 26, 2016 in Eyes on the Street
Canada Post Corporation's Manufactured Crisis - The Corporation is threatening to lock its union workers out over declining volumes of mail and parcels that are the direct result of its threat to lock the workers out. Published July 07, 2016 in Commentary
Hamilton Deserves Better than Whitehead's Constant Spiteful Posturing - Councillor Whitehead compared moving administrative jobs to "raping" his community, then sort-of apologized, then retracted his apology. Published July 05, 2016 in Commentary
Work Underway for Charlton and Herkimer Bike Lanes - Staff have started installing bike lanes and new zebra crosswalks on Charlton and Herkimer. Published June 30, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
At Long Last, Installation of Charlton, Herkimer Bike Lanes - Starting this Sunday night, staff will install parking-protected bike lanes on Herkimer and Charlton between James and Dundurn. Published June 24, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Go Explore Hamilton's Trails - Far too few Hamiltonians take full advantage of the Niagara Escarpment, which winds through Hamilton along its meandering course across the landscape and provides a rich marbling of forest paths. Published June 16, 2016 in Commentary
Clarifying what 'LRT or Nothing' Means - No city gets to make up a transit plan on the back of a napkin and expect a funding commitment - especially not a city with a capricious track record. Published June 09, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
The Real LRT Choice: Leadership or Anti-Leadership - The real issue hiding behind the noise machine is a strategic mission for changing how people will be able to live, work and travel and invest in Hamilton over the next 50 years, vs. remaining with the status quo. Published June 03, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Eyes on the Street: New Ward 2 Dog Park - City staff have been working on creating a new dog park in the annex east of Corktown Park. Published June 02, 2016 in Eyes on the Street
Patrick Brown Has Opportunity to Restore 'Progressive' to PC Party - Playing urban and suburban/rural resentments against each other has been an ugly, noisy, harmful distraction from our common interest in thriving communities of all kinds. Published June 01, 2016 in Politics
Eyes on the Street: Traffic Calming at Locke and Stanley - The foundation of good urbanism is a willingness to carefully observe city life in order to understand how we can make it better. Published May 27, 2016 in Eyes on the Street
Premier: 'I Honestly Thought That the Conversation Was Done' - A flustered Premier Kathleen Wynne was "surprised" to learn that suddenly Hamilton City Council is not sure whether it wants the LRT funding it spent the past eight years requesting. Published May 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Vranich: Light Rail Uncertainty 'Extremely Concerning' to Developers - Property developer Darko Vranich calls on Council to move forward with LRT initiative. Published May 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
McMeekin on LRT: 'There's No Economic Future if You're Disconnected' - Ontario Minister Ted McMeekin spoke with Bill Kelly on AM 900 CHML about LRT and new rules banning corporate and union donations in elections. Published May 25, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton is Not a Bedroom Community - Nearly 70 percent of Hamiltonians work in Hamilton, and another 38,000 people commute into the city. Published May 25, 2016 in Special Report: Creative City
How Councillors Have Voted on Light Rail Transit - Vote breakdown on all major LRT votes since 2011 vote asking for confirmation of Provincial funding. Published May 24, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Remembering WHY Hamilton and the Province Chose Light Rail Transit - Without LRT, we are stuck with a stock of infrastructure we can't afford, a band of under-performing urban properties, and a cost/revenue model that puts us $200 million further into deficit each year. Published May 19, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Full List of Rapid Transit, Light Rail Transit Votes Since October 2006 - Council has voted 45 times on rapid transit and light rail transit related motions in the past decade. Published May 18, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
New Hamilton Light Rail Engagement Campaign - Now, more than ever, citizens need to demonstrate the vision, courage and leadership to look past the politicking, hand-wringing and fear-mongering and see this once-in-a-generation opportunity for what it is. Published May 16, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Whitehead Withdraws Divisive Motion, Introduces Different Divisive Motion - An otherwise sensible motion to look at adding sidewalks to suburban streets without them turns into yet another attack against the lower city. Published May 13, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
New Merulla Motion Threatens to Revisit Area Rating for Transit - The Ward 4 Councillor has struck back with an email notice of motion threatening to push a vote on area rating for transit if Council rejects provincial LRT funding. Published May 12, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
On LRT Reaffirmation Vote, Cowardly Council Defers Decision - Are there seriously some councillors who have yet to make up their minds whether they will accept the Provincial money that Council asked for? Published May 12, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association Responds to 'Divisive and Sarcastic' Motion - Neighbourhood association calls on Council to remove negative language, ensure any proposed solution is balanced and inclusive, and avoid duplicating staff work already underway. Published May 10, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
An Annotated Tour of Councillor Whitehead's Latest Traffic Motion - The motion is a jumble of narrow, mean-spirited, divisive noise that presumes its own conclusions, pits different parts of the city against each other and does nothing to move the city forward. Published May 09, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Revised Merulla LRT Motion - Ward 4 Councillor Sam Merulla has revised the text of his LRT motion, which he will present to Council on Wednesday, May 11. Published May 05, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Merulla: Motion to Reaffirm Council Support for Light Rail - Councillor Merulla's motion will flush out how much company Councillor Collins has in his desire to turn down a billion-dollar provincial investment. Published May 04, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Light Rail Alignment Renderings - Renderings of the proposed LRT alignment were presented at yesterday's Sub-Committee meeting. Published May 03, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Whitehead: Notice of Motion to Close Queen Street, West 5th Accesses - Angry about a housekeeping motion to fix an amendment missed from a Council-approved motion on Aberdeen Avenue, Councillor Whitehead proposes closing the Beckett Drive and James Mountain Road accesses. Published May 02, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Easy Improvement for Cycling Connection from Cannon to York - A bike box on Cannon at Hess would be an easy, inexpensive change that would significantly improve the westbound connectivity for cyclists transitioning from Cannon to York. Published April 29, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
LRT Design Goes Public Today - Today, the City will publish an information report detailing the alignment and design of the Hamilton light rail transit lines. Published April 27, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Highway 403 Interchange No Barrier to Main Street Two-Way Conversion - Having the highway exits meet Main at intersections rather than on-ramps would allow two-way traffic on Main and also de-velocitize drivers coming off the highway. Published April 26, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Province Announces $295K Funding for Bay Street Cycling Facility - The Ontario Government is providing up to half the cost of a new two-way facility on Bay between Aberdeen and Strachan. Published April 21, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Why Vision Zero Calls for a 30 km/h Speed Limit - The short answer is: because physics. For the longer answer, we need to review some classical mechanics you may remember from high school. Published April 18, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Paul Graham's Advice to Pittsburgh Also Applies to Hamilton - The things a city like Pittsburgh should do to become a tech hub are things the city should be doing anyway, since they will all make it a nicer place to live. Published April 15, 2016 in Special Report: Creative City
Hamilton Bike Share Used for Commuting - Public policy should reflect the real potential for cycling to accommodate people's daily transportation needs. Published April 08, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
WHO Diabetes Report Calls for Active Transportation Infrastructure - The solution to this crisis is not to tell people to be more careful but rather to combine education and policy to create an environment in which a healthy lifestyle becomes the default rather than a defiant act of will. Published April 07, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
New Study Seeks to Understand Why Bike Share is So Safe - People riding bike share bikes have significantly lower risk of crashes, collisions and injuries than the general cycling population. Published April 05, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Vision Zero Bolted Onto Road Safety Status Quo - Vision Zero is not just some hand-wavy "principles and values" you can say you support and then go back to doing what you were already doing. Published March 31, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Loomis, Whitehead Clash Over Complete Streets Policy - The Chamber of Commerce President and west mountain Councillor exchanged strong words over motions that undermine the goal of a more balanced transportation system. Published March 30, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
City to Present LRT Communication Strategy after Preliminary Plan Leaked - When important operational decisions are released through media leaks rather than developed in an open, inclusive process, it feeds into the knee-jerk fear and cynicism that drives opposition to change. Published March 24, 2016 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Has a Dangerous Speeding Problem, Not a Congestion Problem - It is not a coincidence that we have among the lowest levels of traffic congestion and among the highest rates of injury risk for people walking and riding bikes. Published March 24, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
New Ward 7 Councillor Faces Great Challenges and Opportunities - Ward 7 is at a crossroads: it can slide deeper into inequality, crisis and disinvestment, or it can begin to recover and flourish. Published March 22, 2016 in Ward 7 By-Election 2016
Review: Sonoluminesence Trio and Dave Gould at Art Gallery of Hamilton - The music was incredibly rich, nuanced and lively, and the musicians exhibited a palpable rapport, carefully tuned into each other to improvise music that sounded at once assured and exploratory. Published March 21, 2016 in Reviews
Citizens' Jury on Transit Report: Reasonable People Reaching Reasonable Conclusions - Instead of their mandate being fractured by parochialism and divisiveness, the Jurists were able to come together and arrive at a consensus that supports the best interest of the city as a whole. Published March 09, 2016 in Special Report: Transit
Terry Whitehead's Cute War Against Safer Streets - Whitehead's covert war on safe, inclusive streets aims to tie staff's hands and passively block the City from being able to achieve the goals that Hamiltonians have repeatedly called for and Council has repeatedly set. Published March 07, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
No Good Reason Not to Include Cycling Infrastructure on West 5th - From east to west, West 5th north of Fennell could have: a northbound vehicle lane, a centre turn lane, two southbound vehicles lanes and a protected two-way cycle track. Published March 04, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Our Raging Roads Are Dangerous By Design - No amount of education or enforcement can overcome the predictable effects of streets that are designed to maximize the likelihood, speed and severity of collisions. Published March 02, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
A Community Perspective on Citizen Involvement in City Planning - Never doubt that you can make a difference, even if you seldom hear the stories of regular citizens getting organized and standing up to powerful interests. Published March 01, 2016 in Commentary
Active Transportation Growing Pains as City Piles Snow on New Walkway - It's very encouraging that Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr has shown active support for this improvement, both in the construction phase and through its operational maintenance. Published February 18, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Councillor Issues Quasi-Apology for Colombia Comments - Instead of just owning his mistake, apologizing and promising to learn from the experience, Ferguson couldn't resist stirring in a dollop of rationalization. Published February 18, 2016 in Special Report: Transit
Ferguson's Stereotyping Hurts Hamilton's Ability to Learn - When a civic leader is so arrogant and prejudiced against another country that he flatly refuses to acknowledge that country's successes, our city as a whole inevitably ends up poorer for it. Published February 03, 2016 in Special Report: Transit
Ideas for Connecting Top of Claremont Cycle Track - There should be multiple points of entry/exit to the Claremont cycling facility, especially given how badly the Claremont Access has fragmented the upper city neighbourhood where it originates. Published January 27, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
Even Walkable Streets Dedicate Most Space to Cars - Even streets that are regarded as urban and walkable still allocate the lion's share of space for the exclusive use of cars, squeezing everything else to the margins. Published January 20, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Councillor Green to Introduce Vision Zero Motion - Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Green has introduced a notice of motion to establish a Vision Zero-style commitment to road safety in Hamilton, particularly for people walking and cycling. Published January 19, 2016 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Ideas for Connecting Bottom of Claremont Cycle Track - There should be multiple points of entry/exit to the Claremont cycling facility, especially given how badly the Claremont Access has fragmented the lower city neighbourhood where it originates. Published January 18, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
No Sense of Urgency for Claremont Cycle Track - According to a new staff report, it will be close to two years before the City builds a protected cycling facility on the Claremont Access. Published January 15, 2016 in Special Report: Cycling
13-Year-Old Pedestrian Struck at Mud Street and Winterberry Drive - We need to stop blaming people for being human and start blaming our streets for punishing normal, predictable human behaviour with tragedy. Published December 21, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Yet Another Pedestrian Fatality: When Will Council Commit to Safe Streets? - It is not a coincidence that senior citizens are disproportionately represented among the victims or that so many of these deadly collisions happen on wide, multi-lane thoroughfares designed to maximize the flow of automobile traffic. Published December 14, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Hamilton Bike Share Exceeding Membership, Ridership Expectations - Hamilton Bike Share has already generated 7,500 active members, almost 200,000 trips and 426,000 kilometres since it launched this past March. Published December 08, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Enough Platitudes: We Need Safe Streets Now - I honestly don't know how many more ways we can come at this to try and make the point that Hamilton needs to change how it designs its streets. Published December 07, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Claremont Cycle Track an Important First Step - Now is the time to commit to a city-wide transportation network that is safe, equitable and inclusive, and makes it easy for everyone to choose healthier, cleaner, more sustainable and enjoyable ways to get around. Published December 06, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
How Many More People Have to Die? - Enough is enough. It's time to stop using endless plans and studies as an excuse to keep delaying necessary action to make Hamilton safer for everyone. Published December 03, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Releases Higher-Resolution Version of Ferguson-Coleman Video - The City has released a higher-resolution, non-edited version of the February 23, 2014 video recording of Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson shoving journalist Joey Coleman. Published November 30, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
Complete Streets Opposition the Same Old Political Fear and Loathing - This war on the lower city comes from the ugly political tradition of stoking contempt to manufacture a phony crisis and score cheap points at the expense of the city's overall well-being. Published November 30, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Whitehead's Proposed Complete Streets Moratorium is Nakedly Cynical - It is Whitehead's job as a Councillor to lead for the good of this entire city, not to play this childish game of divisive political theatre. Published November 26, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Victim Blaming By Police After Pedestrian Struck on Sidewalk - The police can't fix what ails Hamilton's streets, but they can stop adding insult to injury - literally - by conceiving and describing collisions in language that blames the pedestrian for daring to get in the way of a car. Published November 25, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
How to Let Upper Wellington Become a Local Commercial Centre - Modest changes initiated now could make a huge difference over the next decade. Published November 24, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Ferguson Coleman Shove Partial Surveillance Video Released - The first 15 seconds of a video of Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson shoving Joey Coleman has been released. Published November 23, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
Shift: Changing Direction in City Building with Dr. Pamela Blais - Dr Pamela Blais explains how we need to align our pricing, planning and infrastructure policy to achieve our goal of sustainable, prosperous re-urbanization. Published November 23, 2015 in Events
Wentworth Stairs Survey Results - More than half of the 276 people who responded to the Wentworth Stairs online survey chose a safe crossing at the Sherman Access as their top priority for improvement. Published November 18, 2015 in City Life
Notice of Motion to Put Aberdeen on a Road Diet - Updated - Ward 1 Councillor Aidan Johnson is bringing a motion to review Aberdeen Avenue for a complete street redesign to today's General Issues Committee meeting. Published November 18, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Ferguson/Coleman Incident Reaches Canadaland, Boing Boing - There is nothing like the perspective of an outside third-party report to demonstrate just how freaking absurd this whole fiasco has been. Published November 17, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
New Cannon Bike Lanes Between Gage and Britannia - All in all, the new bike lanes are a major improvement in cycling infrastructure on a street that had both a large number of cyclists and a real surplus of right-of-way that was totally unnecessary for the volume of vehicle traffic it needs to carry. Published November 11, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
The Push: Comprehensive Documentary Unpacks Ferguson/Coleman Fiasco - Director Coty Lanktree uses the incident and its aftermath as the point of entry for a more far-ranging examination of Hamilton's toxic political culture. Published November 09, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
Zoning Rules Produce Inferior Outcomes, Variance Needed for Good Design - Every infill project faces the barrier of Zoning rules designed for low-density suburban develompents. Published November 06, 2015 in Downtown Bureau
Speed Radar on Beckett Drive Belies Gridlock Claims - On Beckett Drive, even the rush hour traffic is not congested by any reasonable definition of congestion. Published November 06, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Parkway Traffic Study Needs Broader Scope - The motion to study widening the Linc and RHVP must be expanded to include the full range of policy options with their respective costs and benefits. Published November 05, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
Cycling Improvement on Dundurn South a Small but Important Step - The fact that staff are circling back to this bike lane to improve it holds out hope that other poor connections can also get retrofitted to work better. Published November 05, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Notice of Motion to Widen Red Hill, Linc to Six Lanes - The motion completely neglects to acknowledge that the very act of widening the highways will by itself generate additional traffic, eliminating the congestion-reducing benefits of the widening. Published November 02, 2015 in Suburban Bureau
Review: Lake Road Restaurant - The food, service and atmosphere are uniformly excellent: playful, delicious and highly attentive. Published November 02, 2015 in Reviews
Some Design Ideas for Making Aberdeen a Safer, More Inclusive Street - Aberdeen can easily accommodate that traffic volume with one lane in each direction and a centre turn lane. That gives us some room to play. Published October 30, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Queensdale Bike Lanes: A Farce in Three Acts - This is what happens when policy decisions are overtaken by narrow parochialism and the reflexively conservative rejection of meaningful changes to the unsustainable status quo. Published October 21, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Get Out and Enjoy Hamilton's Gorgeous Trails - Wherever you live and whatever your politics, make some time to get out and enjoy your city! Published October 20, 2015 in City Life
Federal Election Sweeps Liberals into Majority - The Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau managed to galvanize Canadians eager for a change from nine years of Conservative rule into a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Published October 20, 2015 in Federal Election 2015
City to Install New Crosswalk at Queen and Herkimer - The new crosswalk will be a Pedestrian Crossover (PXO) based on new designs recently approved by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Published October 15, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Debating Councillor Whitehead on Aberdeen Road Diet - Hamilton has an amazing opportunity to repurpose its excess lane capacity, built during our industrial heyday, to create a rich, safe, high-quality active transportation network. Published October 06, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Complete Streets Presentation for SPN Workshop - Our streets are our collective property, our shared public resource. Ultimately, we can choose to do what we want with them. Published October 02, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Bicycle-Friendly Paris Refuses to Stand Still - The alacrity with which Paris went from being utterly inhospitable for cycling into a place where it has become widespread should light a fire of urgency under Hamilton, a city with much less to lose from letting go of the status quo. Published September 25, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
A Case for a Protected Cycle Track on Park Street in Dundas - A cycle track on Park Street would provide a crosstown cycling link through the downtown and link closely to the commercial centre on King Street. Published September 10, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Easy to Turn Britannia and Cannon East into Bike Friendly Streets - Britannia would make an excellent neighbourhood greenway, and Cannon should extend the cycle track east past Sherman. Published September 02, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
A New Urban Agenda with Bill Freeman - With clear, no-nonsense prose and well-organized chapters, Bill Freeman's new book calls on the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area's civic leaders to be bold and ambitious. Published September 01, 2015 in Events
Motion to Waive Road Widening is Welcome But Should Not Be Necessary - No urban commercial district can thrive next to a five-lane highway. The absolute minimum we can do is agree that our five-lane highway does not need to become a six-lane highway! Published August 28, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Easy Missed Opportunity to Improve Cycling on Bay South - It would take only a very minimal change to move the bollards at the start of the bumpout so there is room for a person on a bike to ride behind them. Published August 26, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Why 'The Shove' Is Not Going Away Any Time Soon - The fact that the Basse report has been allowed to stand as the official word on what happened is a major reason why The Shove hasn't gone away just yet. Published August 24, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
City to Install Parking-Protected Bike Lanes on Charlton, Herkimer - Next month, the City of Hamilton plans to install parking-protected bike lanes on Charlton Avenue West and Herkimer Street between Dundurn Street South and James Street South. Published August 17, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
LRT Report Charts Course for City to Implement Light Rail Successfully - A new report calls on Council to approve a multi-disciplinary LRT Office that will work with Metrolinx and engage with Hamiltonians to ensure LRT success. Published August 06, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Uber Ridesharing Service Launching Today in Hamilton - The fast-growing upstart taxi service launches in Hamilton today at 2:00 PM, despite a Council warning that it will charge Uber with violating the City's taxi regulations. Published July 23, 2015 in Local News
Bike Trip to Limeridge Mall Highlights Hamilton's Transportation Dysfunction - The desire for safe, inclusive streets is pretty universal: no one wants to live, work or play on an ugly, dangerous, hostile street. Published July 16, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Wheels Editor Endorses Universal Bike Lanes - It's time for the City of Hamilton to be at least as progressive about cycling infrastructure as the editor of a magazine for driving enthusiasts. Published July 10, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Provincial Funding to Expand Toronto Bike Share, Boost Cycling in Other Municipalities - Hamilton has an opportunity to apply for funding through the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program. Published July 08, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Speaking Notes from Media Panel - Speaking notes from my presentation at the first annual Hamilton Independent Media Awards panel discussion on media and democracy. Published June 24, 2015 in Media
Shifting Shifting Gears into Higher Gear - If we are to get serious about making cycling a viable option for more Hamiltonians, we need to make some significant changes to our Cycling Master Plan. Published June 22, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
New McMaster Report: Shaping Hamilton with Complete Streets - A new report by the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics reviews the opportunities for Hamilton to adopt a street design approach to make our streets safer, more inclusive and more economically prosperous. Published June 15, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Chance to Comment on Reviews of Municipal Legislation - Ontario's Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is undertaking reviews of two important statutes: Municipal legislation and Municipal Elections legislation. Published June 05, 2015 in Policy
Stone Church Road East Inhospitable to Human Beings - These environments are not dangerous because of some immutable natural law. They're dangerous because we built them that way. Published June 03, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Making Ontario's Roads Safer Act Passes - The Ontario Government has passed a new law that provides additional protection to vulnerable road users and beefs up penalties for distracted and impaired driving. Published June 02, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Reflections on the LRT Announcement and Next Steps - LRT is a game-changer for Hamilton - as long as we truly seize the opportunity and muster the political courage to make the policy changes that will ensure success. Published May 29, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Liberals Announce $1 Billion Funding Commitment for LRT, GO Expansion - Full capital funding for an LRT line running between McMaster and Queenston Traffic Circle with a link to the waterfront and expanded GO service to Stoney Creek. Published May 26, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Liberals to Announce Rapid Transit Funding for Hamilton - Phased LRT, a spur connecting the James North GO Station and expanded GO service to Stoney Creek are expected in today's announcement. Published May 25, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Anti-LRT Letters Demonstrate Need for Public Engagement - With the imminent announcement of LRT funding, the first order of business for the City is to elevate the level of a public debate mired in fear and misinformation. Published May 25, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton's Choice: Endless Induced Traffic or Transit-Oriented Development - We quite simply can't afford to keep approving and building low-density sprawling developments and servicing them with ever-widening highways and streets, which generate yet more low-density development. Published May 25, 2015 in Special Report
Intersection Pavement Markings on Cannon Cycle Track - It is good that the City of Hamilton is finally adding markings on Cannon, but it would be nice to see us follow the lead of cities painting really high-visibility markings. Published May 15, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
A Recent History of 'The Hammer' in Print - These days it is common to refer to Hamilton as 'The Hammer', but the term has not been in use for very long. Published May 07, 2015 in Media
More Illegal Parking on Building Footprint at 20 Jackson Street West - The city has ordered the owner of the vacant property to comply with an order not to park any cars on the footprint of the demolished office building. Published May 07, 2015 in Downtown Bureau
Magnificent Magnolias and other Beautiful Blooms - These flowers are here for a good time, not a long time, so you need to hurry if you want a chance to appreciate them in person. Published May 07, 2015 in Gardening
New Downtown Parking Lot is Illegal, Owner Issued Order to Comply - A new parking lot just north of the Pigott building seems to violate the bylaw against operating a parking lot on a building demolished after 1999. Published May 04, 2015 in Downtown Bureau
Doors Open and Jane's Walk This Weekend - This will be a fantastic weekend to discover more of your city through these two exciting series of events. Published May 01, 2015 in Events
Letting Go of Rust-Belt Thinking - As downtown has undergone a revival, Council has lost its sense of urgency and now refuses to follow through on the revitalization initiatives it started in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Published April 27, 2015 in Events
Mississauga-Brampton LRT Surges Past Hamilton to Funding Approval - Province announces full capital funding for $1.6 billion, 23-km Hurontario-Main Light Rail Transit line. Published April 22, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Crossing at Wentworth and Cumberland Only an Interim Measure: Farr - A safe crossing at the Rail Trail is still a long-term goal but that will take a long time to achieve, since Canadian Pacific Railway needs to be part of the process and that tends to take a long time. Published March 30, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Charlton-Wentworth Traffic Calming Proposal a Cop-Out - This back-handed recommendation is typical of a city that does everything it can to avoid inconveniencing people in cars for the sake of people not in cars, even when people are being killed. Published March 25, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Hamilton Bike Share Officially Launches - The new bike share network will have 750 bicycles at 110 hub stations across the city, spanning Dundas to Gage Park and the waterfront to Concession Street. Published March 20, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Chasing Sydenham Creek Upstream from Cootes Drive - There's nothing like following a creek upstream through a traditional neighbourhood to make you fall in love with your city all over again. Published March 20, 2015 in Photo Essay
No Need to Remove Curbside Parking on Bold and Bay - Removing curbside parking spots will only result in higher vehicle speeds, less protection for people walking, and needless opposition from people concerned about the loss of parking. Published March 13, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Councillors Approve $300M Change to Provincial Transit Request - This new plan accomplishes two politically palatable goals simultaneously: it lets the City off the hook to invest local money in local transit, and it lets the Province off the hook to invest Provincial money in rapid transit. Published March 09, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Mayor to Introduce Motion for Citizens Forum on Transit - Proposed Focum will be modeled after the 2011 Citizens Forum on Area Rating and will consider rapid transit and local transit plans. Published March 06, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
Ken Seiling Explains Why Waterloo Region Chose LRT - What Waterloo did is both a blueprint for Hamilton and a painful reminder of what we were doing until we suddenly, unaccountably stopped. Published March 05, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
HSR Ten Year Strategy Very Different from What Council Requested - Council needs to push back on this plan and start asking some hard questions about how the city's transit strategy has drifted so far from what staff were directed to produce. Published March 04, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Don't Let Rapid Transit Be Decided Behind Closed Doors - Council has an opportunity to demonstrate that Hamiltonians can count on its leadership to ensure that we do not slam the door on the transformative investment we need. Published March 03, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Ten Year Transit Strategy: LRT Delayed is LRT Denied - Remind Council that the only way to transform Hamilton's transit profile is to invest in rapid transit, but the Ten Year Transit Strategy effectively pushes even the beginning of rapid transit construction out beyond the ten-year horizon. Published March 03, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Merulla to Call for Police Investigation in Ferguson-Coleman Incident - Merulla wants to remove Ferguson from Police Services Board while outside police agency investigates. Published March 02, 2015 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
Farr to Hold Off on Market Curbside Parking Motion - Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr has decided to shelve a contentious motion to restore curbside parking to the south curb of York Boulevard in front of the Farmers' Market, between Park and MacNab Streets. Published February 27, 2015 in Special Report: Farmers Market
An Evening With Waterloo Regional Chair Ken Seiling on City Building and Transportation Investment - Seiling will be in Hamilton to discuss how Waterloo Region is using LRT to help shape future growth more affordably and sustainably. Published February 25, 2015 in Events
Letter: Keep Mountain Secondary Open - The School Board has high schools that provide specialized learning programs for students who do well in school, but nothing for students who will struggle once Mountain Secondary School is closed. Published February 24, 2015 in Special Report: Education
More Correspondence With Councillor Whitehead - Councillor Terry Whitehead doubles down on his claim that downtown transit activists are trying to hijack the city's transportation plans. Published February 23, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Open Letter to Councillor Whitehead on 'Hijacking' and Engaged Citizens - We need to stop pretending that there is any part of this city to which we do not all have a shared responsibility to govern with fairness and insight and respect. Published February 20, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Area Rating Keeps Us Divided - We cannot unite this city until we end area rating for transit and establish a single, unified funding policy across the urbanized area with service improvement costs and benefits shared equally by everyone. Published February 13, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
What Does Hamilton Know that Waterloo Region Does Not? - The Province offers to pay the capital cost for a transportation investment that will concentrate new development within the already built-up area and increase the city's property tax revenue per unit of area. Published February 10, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
HSR Ten Year Plan: Preliminary Review - The plan is modest and offloads most new capital and operating revenue to the Province and riders, but it represents a break from the status quo of constant stagnation. Published February 06, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
Hamilton Deserves a Straight Answer from Province on LRT - The Liberals have been bobbing and weaving around the LRT issue ever since former Premier Dalton McGuinty first backpedaled from his government's funding commitment. Published February 06, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
What Can We Expect From a Citizens' Forum on Rapid Transit? - Mayor Eisenberger's proposed Citizens' Forum is expected to be similar to the 2010 Citizens' Forum established to find a solution to area rating. Published February 02, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Vancouver's Extraordinary Transportation Statistics - Vancouver's traffic outcome is the predictable result of a deliberate policy to change the context in which people make transportation choices. Published January 30, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Unraveling the Question of Who Subsidizes Whom - The opportunity for councillors like Whitehead, who persist in driving a wedge between the downtown and the suburbs, is to recognize that a thriving downtown serves the best interests of his constituents. Published January 30, 2015 in Downtown Bureau
Merulla to Introduce Motion to End Area Rating for Transit - Councillor Sam Merulla is challenging his Council colleagues to address a long-standing failure of amalgamation by ending area rating for transit. Published January 28, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
Throw Council on the Bus - A cheeky new campaign is collecting pledges to encourage Councillors to commute by transit for a week. Published January 28, 2015 in Special Report: Transit
Mayor, Premier Out of Sync on Rapid Transit Funding Commitment - I really want to believe the Province is acting in good faith on the LRT file. However, if they are just being prudent there seem to be less confusing ways to go about it. Published January 27, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Has an Auto-Immune Disorder - We need leaders who can lead. Last night, Council chose not to lead. Published January 22, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Bus Lane Cheat Sheet - To help provide clarity to people who are still confused or unsure about it, here is a boiled-down list of facts about the bus lane. Published January 21, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Most Hamiltonians Support Keeping, Improving Bus Lane: Independent Survey - A new survey found 53 percent of Hamiltonians support keeping the bus lane and 67 percent support keeping the bus lane and making the staff-recommended modifications to mitigate problems with the lane. Published January 21, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Make Your Voice Heard: Support Hamilton Transit and the Bus Lane - None of the claims of bus lane opponents stand up to scrutiny. Published January 21, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Whitehead's Bus Lane Survey is a Methodological Swamp - When you combine bad data with misrepresentation of the sort that Whitehead has been engaging in, it becomes more difficult for our elected leaders to make well-informed decisions. Published January 20, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Both King and Main Had High Collision Totals in 2014 - The fact that both Main and King had higher collision totals in 2014 than in previous years strongly suggests that the bump had more to do with our long, hard winter than with the bus lane. Published January 19, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
My First Experience Using Hamilton Bike Share - All in all, my first experience using Hamilton Bike Share was fantastic: convenient access, easy operation and a very comfortable ride. Published January 19, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
A Pedestrian's View of King Street in the International Village - Thanks to the effect of 'platooning', people have very different experiences on our lower city one-way arterials depending on whether they are inside or outside a car. Published January 16, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Some Good News in Business on King Street - While some long-time business owners are fingering the bus lane for lost sales, new businesses are opening along the route and developers are investing in renovations. Published January 16, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
We Now Have a Transit Director Who Supports Transit - Without overstepping his bounds, David Dixon modeled precisely the kind of leadership on transit that Council needs to adopt if Hamilton is to achieve prosperity. Published January 15, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Council's Bus Lane Choice: Fear or Vision - Council's choice is between retreating into a status quo we know we cannot afford to sustain or taking a small but meaningful step toward achieving its own vision for the city. Published January 13, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Standing Up to the Power of Power: A Demonstration Against Bill Cosby - Anne Bokma is organizing a demonstration tonight against Bill Cosby on behalf of the 30 women who say he has sexually assaulted them. Published January 09, 2015 in Events
James North Road Reconstruction a Missed Opportunity to Add Bike Lanes - Every time we reconstruct a road, we need to challenge the unspoken assumption that the default status-quo allocation of scarce right-of-way is the best way to use that public space. Published January 09, 2015 in Special Report: Cycling
Bus Lane Foes Double Down on Decline - Collins and Whitehead want to sacrifice the enormous promise of high-quality rapid transit just so that drivers can roar through a ghostly downtown core a few minutes faster. Published January 08, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Staff Report Recommends Keeping Bus Lane, Addressing Concerns - The report recommends keeping the lane and making changes to improve overall traffic flow, provide transit signal priority and restore curbside parking on the north curb west of Bay Street. Published January 07, 2015 in Special Report: Bus Lane
A Pedestrian's View of Main Street West - As long as Main Street continues to be five lanes of roaring high-speed automobile traffic, none of the elements of a pleasant, human-friendly environment will be possible to achieve. Published January 07, 2015 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Light Rail and Citywide Transit Improvement Support Each Other - We can - and should - be ramping up the discussion about LRT while also pursuing the city-wide transit improvements that staff already identified and Council approved (in principle) when it approved the Rapid Ready plan. Published January 05, 2015 in Special Report: Light Rail
RIP Eric McGuinness - Eric McGuinness lived a life of quiet dignity on his own terms, right to the end. Published December 22, 2014 in People
Review: A Very Leila Christmas - Etamadi inhabits Leila's character with such dedication, fluency and infectious charm that the audience can't help but be smitten with her naive self-confidence and her stumbles over the bizarre gotchas of Western culture. Published December 21, 2014 in Reviews
Waterdown Widening Another Example of Fiscal Double Standard - I can't help but wonder whether the city's fiscal watchdogs and scolds will raise the alarm about spending over $20 million to widen a single street. Published December 19, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Mohawk Road East Residents Call for Safer Pedestrian Crossing - 63 residents have signed a petition for a safer pedestrian crosswalk at Mall Road and Mohawk Road East. Published December 16, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Fix Problems With Bus Lane: Mayor - Mayor Fred Eisenberger plans to bring forward a motion at the December 17 Council meeting that would ask staff to look at options to address problems with the King Street bus lane. Published December 12, 2014 in Special Report: Bus Lane
City Clearing Bike Lanes After Snowfall - Hamilton is making slow but encouraging progress in building a cycling network, and they have also been maintaining it so far this winter. Published December 12, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Planning Meetings With Home Builders Will Go Public - The Planning department will start holding its meetings with the home building industry in public forums. Published December 12, 2014 in Policy
My Letter to Council on the Bus Lane, and a Reply from Councillor Whitehead - You're a "whiner" if you acknowledge the problems with the bus lane and advocate fixing them, but not if you advocate scrapping the bus lane altogether. Published December 10, 2014 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Bus Lane Set Up to Fail? - The city refuses to incorporate changes that would help ensure success while mitigating the issues with parking and automobile traffic flow. Published December 08, 2014 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Another Bike Collision on Cannon - Given the number of collisions that have taken place at Cannon and Wellington, it makes sense to add high-visibility pavement markings. Published December 05, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Meeting with Transportation Managers Heralds a Culture in Transition - Over the past few years I have gotten the sense that the culture in Public Works is changing, and that culture change was in full evidence last night. Published December 05, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Bike Collisions on Cannon Highlight Unmet Need For Intersection Markings - The City persists in choosing to implement inferior made-in-Hamilton design decisions instead of just following evidence-based best practices. Published December 03, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Repurpose a Lane of Claremont Access for a Protected Two-Way Cycle Track - If we want to change the way people choose to get around, we need to change the way we design our streets. Published December 02, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Traffic Chaos Demonstrates Need to Diversify Our Transportation Network - When the supply of lane capacity increases, the quantity of traffic increases to fill it, eliminating the surplus. Published December 01, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Video: HSR Bus Movements Over a Day - This short video maps the movement of HSR buses throughout the city over an average day. Published November 25, 2014 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Snow, Ice Still on Bike Lanes Two Days After Snowfall - Updated - Two days after this week's light snowfall, the city's bike lanes are still covered in ice. Published November 19, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Fragmentary New Painted Bike Lanes on Cannon - New painted bike lanes don't connect to the cycle track and only run for a few blocks. Published November 12, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Bratina Reflects on His Legacy - Accomplishments include obstructing the city's LRT plan and, um, bringing back the CP Holiday Train. Published November 12, 2014 in Politics
Rebecca Conversion No Longer Losing 13 Curbside Parking Spots - Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr confirmed in an email to RTH this morning that most of the parking spots will be retained. Published November 10, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Should Not Remove Curbside Parking on Rebecca - Updated - Rebecca is just as wide as several other lower city streets that have two-way traffic and curbside parking and work perfectly fine. Published November 05, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Pedestrian Dies after Collision on Cootes Drive - As long as we continue to deform our built environment to accommodate high-speed, high-volume automobile traffic, people will continue to die. It's really that simple. Published November 03, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Active Transportation Roundup, October 2014 Edition - It has been a beautiful autumn in Hamilton, but with cold weather approaching, the City is winding down its outdoor Public Works so this will probably be the last roundup until next spring. Published October 30, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Eisenberger Elected Mayor, All Incumbents Re-Elected - Former mayor Fred Eisenberger will return to office this December after winning with 39.9 percent of the vote. Published October 28, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Every Single Vote Counts - The outcome of this election will shape Hamilton's future for literally decades to come. Published October 26, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
People Are Not Stupid: Calgary's Mayor on Making Extraordinary Change - The core of Naheed Nenshi's political philosophy is that everyday people can do extraordinary things when they are respected and given the information they need to act. Published October 24, 2014 in Events
Challenges to Citizen Advocacy for Healthy Communities - Notes from a talk I gave at the 2014 Health Summit on Aging, Chronic Disease and Wellness, organized by the Conference Board of Canada. Published October 24, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Mayoral Candidates on Two-Way Complete Streets, Cycling, Traffic Fatalities - Municipal candidates respond to RTH policy questions related to the city's street infrastructure. Published October 21, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Mayoral Candidates on Light Rail Transit - Raise the Hammer reviews the mayoral candidates' various positions on the City's Rapid Ready LRT plan. Published October 21, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
October 2014 Brad Clark vs. May 2014 Brad Clark - Clark's latest policies are a total repudiation of his analysis in May, when he understood that investing in urban intensification is more economically sustainable than low-density, high-cost sprawl. Published October 16, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Roundup of Pro-LRT Spectator Op-Eds - It's nice to see some coherent, evidence-based contributions to this crucial debate in the city's daily newspaper. Published October 16, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Chris Higgins Sets the Record Straight on Cable 14's Trending - The lead author of a much-abused LRT study makes clear what the report actually says about whether LRT is a good idea for Hamilton. Published October 15, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Brad Clark Keeps Saying Things About Rapid Transit That Aren't True - The mayoral candidate's recent comments on both light rail transit and bus rapid transit continue a pattern of being just factually wrong. Published October 14, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Herkimer and Charlton Bike Lane Installation on Hold - The City of Hamilton has halted the installation of new bike lanes on Herkimer and Charlton Streets after the Durand Neighbourhood Association raised serious safety concerns about their designs. Published October 10, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
City Fixes Broken-By-Design Crosswalk on Hunter at MacNab - Deciding that we can't design for walkability because it will disrupt our previous designs to optimize driving is a recipe for preserving the status quo indefinitely. Published October 03, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Anti-LRT Oped Based Entirely on a False Premise - Updated - The author's whole argument is that Hamiltonians will see their taxes go up to fund LRT under the Metrolinx Investment Strategy - but that strategy was rejected from the approved 2014 Ontario budget. Published October 01, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Crosswalk at Hunter and MacNab Deformed to Maintain Automobile Traffic Flow - After local residents organized to dedicate money to new walkability infrastructure, they are now faced with the prospect of spending another few months trying to get the city to fix the broken-by-design implementation of that infrastructure. Published September 30, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
An Evening With Transit Activist Benjamin Ross - His book concludes that more democratic land use planning, combined with strategic investment in high quality rail-based transit, act to transform a city's use of land to create complete, high-quality neighbourhoods that meet a variety of needs. Published September 26, 2014 in Events
Active Transportation Infrastructure Roundup, September 2014 Edition - Multi-use paths, bike lanes, speed humps, crosswalks and bike share, oh my! Published September 26, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
LRT More Cost Effective to Operate, Attracts More Investment than BRT - It's clear from some of the comments about BRT that many people are unclear about what it means. Published September 24, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
No One Said LRT is a Magic Bullet - LRT must be contained in a comprehensive strategy that includes land use planning, two-way conversions and street calming - all objectives we have been advocating for years. Published September 22, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
BRT is Not Just Express Buses - BRT is a transportation system in which high-speed, high-capacity buses run on physically separate dedicated lanes between transit stations. Published September 19, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Next Steps for Cannon Cycle Track - The two-way cycle track officially opened last Friday, but work continues on installing the finishing touches and monitoring potential issues. Published September 17, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
It's Official: Cannon Street Cycle Track is Open - The three-kilometre protected two-way cycle track is the first of its kind in Hamilton, running continuously along Cannon Street between Sherman Avenue North and Hess Street North. Published September 12, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Clark Reverses Position on All-Day GO Trains, Light Rail Transit - Three years ago, Brad Clark was adamant that there was no business case for all-day GO train service and that Hamilton would be crazy not to hold the Province to their promise of full capital funding for LRT. Published September 11, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Pedestrian Killed at Highway 8 and Green Road - We need to transform all our streets into accessible, inclusive public places that bring people into contact safely and accommodate a variety of ways of getting around. Published September 10, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Yet Another Developer Asking for Two-Way Streets - We have a classic opportunity for education and leadership, not stalling and cowardice. How much more trauma, injury, death and lost potential will we endure while we wait to act? Published September 09, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Mayoral Candidate Demands Purchase in Exchange for Comment - A mayoral candidate has told RTH he will not respond to requests for comment unless we buy products from his company. Published September 08, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
No Evidence to Support Clark's New LRT Position - Clark's new transit position is to ask the Province for less money than they offered to build a more modest system that will cost us more money to operate while generating less revenue and attracting less new private investment. Published September 05, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Cannon Street Cycle Track Coming Together - The cycle track runs continuously between Sherman and Hess, and it is physically protected from the automobile traffic by both a space buffer and physical barriers. Published September 03, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Yet Another Disappointment for Parkview Students - At the last minute, the School Board has reneged on its promise to transition Parkview Principal Paul Beattie to Mountain Secondary, where Parkview students are attending while a new North high school is under construction. Published August 29, 2014 in Special Report: Education
Bratina Has Makings of a Good Backbencher - Given his track record as Mayor of Hamilton, he has the potential to make a good backbench Member of Parliament as long as he holds his tendency to manufacture drama in check. Published August 28, 2014 in Federal Election 2015
Harper Government is Terrified of Data - If the evidence contradicts the ideology, your choice is either to change the ideology or suppress the evidence. Published August 27, 2014 in Editorial
Active Transportation Infrastructure Roundup - Reviewing the good, the not-so-good, and the downright bizarre in recent additions to the city's network of active transportation infrastructure. Published August 18, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Busy Council Agenda Today - Today's Council meeting will give councillors the chance to ratify a number of important decisions made by committees this week. Published August 15, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
Newer Renderings of 467 Charlton Development - New renderings of the planned development at 467 Charlton Avenue East more accurately reflect the size, shape and placement of the buildings and trees on the site. Published August 14, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
Strategic Road Safety Program Part of New City Commitment to Safe Streets - After decades of stonewalling efforts to make neighbourhood streets safer, the Public Works Department finally seems to be taking complete streets seriously. Published August 13, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Residents Concerned About 467 Charlton Development - It's a bit strange that so much opposition should well up against a five- and six-storey residential infill development on the former site of a one-storey taxi/limo/ambulance depot. Published August 11, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
King and Dundurn Needs Better Than Suburban Development - The plan the gets the most elementary stuff spectacularly wrong - and on a site that needs to be far more urban in its basic design. Published August 08, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
King Street West in Dundas: Opportunities for Improvement and Lessons for Hamilton - We have compelling examples of how a lively urban street works right in our own city, but we stubbornly refuse to draw the obvious conclusions. Published August 08, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
We Are Already Well Past 'Peak Driving' - If we truly seek a prosperous future, it lies in a real commitment to revitalized urban centres that set us on a path to economic sustainability and social inclusion. Published August 06, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Bratina Continues to Sow Misinformation on LRT in Radio Interview - The Mayor who has spent his term incomprehensibly trying to confuse and undermine that same LRT plan stayed in form on Wednesday. Published August 01, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Much-Needed Improvements Coming to Hunter Street - Hunter Street is becoming a little bit safer and more accommodating for pedestrians and cyclists, but there are still low-hanging opportunities for further improvement. Published July 29, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
No LRT Funding Announcement After Meeting With Minister Del Duca - The Transport Minister acknowledged that Council has submitted a comprehensive LRT plan but would not provide an answer on whether full capital funding for rapid transit will apply to the city's plan. Published July 25, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Don't Let the City's Future be Decided Behind Closed Doors - The worst thing that could happen as a result of today's meeting between Mayor Bratina and the Transport Minister is that the Province ends up making the City an offer it can't accept. Published July 25, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
More Head-Scratching LRT Responses From Mayor Bratina - Through his consistent pattern of misinformation, the mayor has utterly squandered any moral authority to speak on Hamilton's behalf with respect to LRT. Published July 24, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Ward 2 Residents Vote for Safe Crossing at Charlton and Wentworth - A pedestrian-activated traffic signal for trail users across Wentworth at Charlton will be funded by the Ward 2 area rating fund after voters picked it as a winning proposal in the participatory budget. Published July 24, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Mayor Replying to Letters of Support for LRT - We cannot afford to let Bratina continue to hijack the agenda for transformative change in Hamilton. Published July 23, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Show Your Support for LRT - The City's LRT plan is ready for provincial funding. Tell the Province to keep its promise to fund LRT. Published July 21, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
LRT Meeting with Transport Minister Must be Open and Public - It is totally inappropriate for Mayor Bratina to hold a secret meeting with Minister Del Duca on a Provincial commitment to LRT, especially after Bratina's own history of misrepresenting Council's LRT position. Published July 16, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Open Streets: People Enjoying Public Space - Open Street is different from events like Supercrawl: it's not a highly organized festival, it's a public space that everyone can enjoy. Published July 15, 2014 in Events
Hamilton's LRT Plan is Already Comprehensive and Detailed - We have been ready for a funding commitment since early 2013. The time for confusing and delaying the issue is over. Published July 09, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Comparing LRT and BRT For the B-Line - If we are going to invest in rapid transit, we should aim to maximize the potential for net benefits. Published July 09, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Cyclists Do Not Get a Free Ride - It's wrong-headed to claim that investing in high quality cycling infrastructure is some nice-to-have luxury that we can't afford. Published July 03, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
RTH Retires Blog Entries, Continues Articles - For years we have had separate articles and blog entries without a particularly good reason for the distinction. Published July 02, 2014 in Site Notes
Open Streets Hamilton a Chance to Experience a City Made for People - Let's celebrate our community on Sunday, July 13, and then let's get to work on making Open Streets a weekly celebration of our shared humanity. Published June 27, 2014 in Events
Design Charrette and Public Meeting for City Motor Hotel Site - The City is hosting a design charrette and public meeting to present and discuss the preliminary redevelopment plans for the site. Published June 26, 2014 in Events
Next Steps for LRT in Hamilton, Part 2: Council Needs to Stay the Course - If ever there was a time for our Councillors to remember the evidence presented before them, trust their own legacy of support, uphold the courage of their convictions and reiterate their commitment to LRT, that time is now. Published June 18, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Next Steps for LRT in Hamilton, Part 1: Time for Province to Keep its Promise - With a new majority in the Ontario Legislature, the Liberal Government no longer faces any external barrier to fulfilling its commitment to fund LRT in Hamilton. Published June 17, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hold Your Nose and Vote - Our steadfast endorsement is for the act of voting itself, whoever you decide you can bear to vote for. Published June 12, 2014 in Ontario Election 2014
James Street Baptist 'Alteration' in Pictures - Most of James Street Baptist Church is coming down. Only the eastern facade and tower will be saved. Published June 06, 2014 in Special Report: Heritage
First Look at Restored Royal Connaught - The developers behind the new Residences of Royal Connaught held an official launch to showcase the Royal Connaught's beautifully restored main lobby and a showcase model suite. Published June 05, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
Hunter Street Bike Lanes Are Not Good Enough - Should we cheer for the fragmentary, half-broken, mediocre implementation of what is increasingly understood to be essential urban infrastructure? Published June 04, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Gore Park Promenading on a Lovely Friday - At some point, even the most die-hard squelchers have to admit that the downtown they love to hate is not the place they think it was. Published May 30, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
Two-Way Bike Lanes Coming to Hunter Street - This Monday, staff will begin installing two-way bike lanes on Hunter Street between Liberty and Catharine, and between MacNab and Queen. Published May 28, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Edinburgh to Enforce 30 km/h Speed Limit on All Residential Streets - With more than three decades of clear evidence, there is no excuse for any city to continue dragging its feet on implementing a safe, humane speed limit for the most dangerous objects on the road. Published May 23, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Downtown Hamilton Has a Glut of Parking, Not a Shortage - With 68% peak usage and falling, the last thing downtown needs is more parking, but that hasn't stopped some of our leaders from deciding we have a shortage. Published May 21, 2014 in Downtown Bureau
BRT Presentation an Unfortunate Artifact of Absent Leadership and Lost Focus - The problem is not that Council and staff do not know this stuff. In the absence of leadership, Council and staff have lost the courage of their convictions. Published May 09, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Ontario Liberals Confirm 100 Percent Capital Funding for 'Rapid Transit', Whatever That Means - The Ontario Liberals are promising 100% capital funding for "rapid transit" in Hamilton but won't confirm whether "rapid transit" means light rail transit. Published May 07, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Another Senior Citizen Dies after Automobile Collision - Pedestrians are disproportionately at risk of injury and death on high-volume thoroughfares where the physics of high vehicle speeds means collisions are both harder to avoid and more likely to result in serious injury. Published May 07, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Notes from James Street South Jane's Walk - Some people asked for my notes from this past Saturday's Jane's Walk along James Street South. I added some photos for those who would like to follow the tour from Gore Park to Ballinachinch. Published May 05, 2014 in Architecture
Get Ready for a June 12 Election - Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath said she has lost confidence in the governing Ontario Liberals and will vote against the 2014 Ontario Budget the government released yesterday. Published May 02, 2014 in Ontario Election 2014
Still Time for Leadership on LRT - LRT could be a reality for Hamilton if our leaders have the understanding, vision and political courage to champion it, stick-handle it through opposition, and forcefully negotiate a good funding arrangement. Published May 02, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Visionary Leadership Usually Looks Like 'Going Rogue' - Thank goodness for those few politicians who are willing to step outside the status quo and take calculated risks to achieve transformative change. Published April 25, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
City to Spend Tens of Millions on Road Reconstruction - Before freaking out about the next cycling investment, we need to put our our very modest investments in walking and cycling infrastructure into perspective. Published April 23, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Yet Another Anti-LRT Argument Based on Nonsense - Without strong local leadership on LRT, a steady stream of nonsense is slowly but steadily displacing the sound, evidence-based reasons why we cannot afford not to invest in LRT. Published April 15, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
City Council/Committee Meeting Website is an Unusable Quagmire - The website for meeting agendas sucks. It gets almost everything wrong, from proprietary technologies to obsolete, inaccessible formats. Published April 08, 2014 in Feature
Recall Our Streets By Lowering Speed Limits - Cities and towns around the world are moving to a 30 km/h speed limit for residential and urban streets. Published April 07, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Baby-Steps Citizens Panel on Two-Way Conversion Scares Councillors - Even an all-wards citizens' panel to consider the two-way conversions that Council already approved over a decade ago is too radical for some councillors. Published April 03, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Hamilton Deserves Better than Knee-Jerk Populism - This is not just some "culture war" drama but a life-and-death struggle to make this city safe for its own citizens - and particularly its most vulnerable residents. Published April 02, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Entire City to be Converted to One-Way - Council votes unanimously to close the book on the failed two-way conversion experiment and revert every street citywide to one-way. Published April 01, 2014 in Fiction
City to Conduct Traffic Safety Review on Queen Street - After two serious vehicle collisions with pedestrians in less than a month, city staff will review Queen Street to identify potential improvements. Published March 31, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
No More Queen Street Carnage - Any politician who continues to defend and excuse this city's insane legacy of deadly cars-first-and-cars-only road infrastructure against all evidence to the contrary has the blood of these preventable pedestrian injuries and deaths on their hands. Published March 28, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Council Approves Cannon Street Cycle Track - This project has been bottom-up rather than top-down from the beginning, and its approval last night is a huge success for citizen engagement in Hamilton. Published March 27, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
City Finally Notices that Traffic Volumes are Falling - For years, we at RTH have been arguing that Hamilton has too much lane capacity and that the excess roadway should be put to more productive use. Published March 26, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
High Quality Cycling Infrastructure Saves Money - The amount of scrutiny placed on the public investment in a three-kilometre protected bike lane would never apply to the much larger costs the city routinely shoulders for automobile infrastructure. Published March 20, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Councillors Approve Cannon Street Cycle Track - Hamilton City Councillors voted unanimously to approve the detailed design and implementation of a protected two-way bike lane on Cannon Street. Published March 19, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Council Asked to Approve Cannon Street Cycle Track - We have an exciting opportunity to join a movement across North America and around the world of cities recognizing the tremendous economic, social and environmental value that comes from investing in high quality cycling infrastructure. Published March 17, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Flâneur for a Day in Downtown Hamilton - In which the fruits of idleness are considered to be more precious than the fruits of labour. Published March 12, 2014 in Photo Essay
Bratina Digs in Deeper in Radio Interview - Hamiltonians deserve better than Mayor Bob Bratina's childish games. Published March 07, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Mayor's Latest LRT Comments are More of the Same Nonsense - Bratina's latest dispatch is just another in a long succession of childish "gotcha"-style games calculated to sow confusion and doubt about Hamilton's LRT planning process. Published March 05, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Light Rail Generates Highest Return on Investment: Transport Minister - Speaking at a luncheon at Sarcoa Restaurant organized by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Murray presented an evidence-based case for investment in great civic infrastructure, explaining that beautiful, well-made infrastructure in the right locations del Published March 03, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
McHattie to Premier: Hamilton Ready for LRT Funding - Councillor Brian McHattie reiterates Council's position on the east-west B-Line LRT and reminds the Province of its commitment to provide full capital funding. Published February 27, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Ontario Liberals Clarify Position on LRT Funding - Ministers Ted McMeekin and Glen Murray confirm that the op-ed by Liberal candidates Javid Mirza and Ivan Luksic do not reflect Party policy on LRT funding. Published February 26, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Misinformation and Fearmongering in Anti-LRT Op-Ed by Liberal Candidates - Today's op-ed evaluates LRT solely on its role in providing transit and ignores its role in attracting economic development, and goes downhill from there. Published February 24, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Won't be Exempt from Provincial Transit Funding Strategy - Some councillors are trying to redefine the Province collecting revenue to finance Metrolinx projects to mean making Hamilton pay. Published February 21, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Bike Share Coming this Summer - Social Bicycles launches this summer with 750 bicycles across 80 stations. Published February 14, 2014 in Special Report: Cycling
Latest Pedestrian Injury Part of a Depressing Pattern - Street design must begin with the assumption that there will be people on the street - and that those people deserve respect. Published February 12, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Misinformation About LRT Thrives in the Absence of Leadership - These days it's as if no one at City Hall even cares whether the City's already-approved LRT project goes ahead. Published February 10, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Gore Property Owner Accidentally Gets Demolition Order - Wilson-Blanchard received an Order to Comply for 18-28 King Street East instructing them either to fix the property standards violations of their vacant heritage buildings ... or apply for a demolition permit. Published February 07, 2014 in Special Report: Heritage
Urbanism is a Toolkit, Not a Wedge - The principles and benefits of good urban design are not limited to downtown. Published February 04, 2014 in City Life
Stop Blaming Pedestrians for Dangerous Streets - When it is effectively impossible to walk safely from one address on a given street to the next address, there is something fundamentally wrong with the design of that street. Published February 03, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Parsing Parkview's Perilous Position - It is easy to place all the blame for neighbourhood-harming school closures on Trustees, but they are making their decisions in a policy context that makes bad decisions all but inevitable. Published January 30, 2014 in Special Report: Education
Collateral Damage in School Board Machinations - Parkview students are the most immediate, most tragic victims of the Board's outsized game of Monopoly with the city's essential public infrastructure. Published January 22, 2014 in Special Report: Education
Bristol Moves Ahead With 32 km/h Speed Limit - Bristol is moving quickly to establish a safer speed limit over much of the city, while Hamilton insists on a five-year pilot in the North End before considering any other reductions. Published January 10, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Longwood Road Should Follow Complete Street Guidelines - According to Chicago's complete streets design guidelines, Longwood Road is an excellent candidate to be one lane in each direction, not four lanes with a centre turn lane. Published January 10, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Fixed Broken-By-Design Crosswalk at Herkimer and Caroline - City staff installed the crosswalk with a non-functioning button and a long delay for pedestrians. Published January 08, 2014 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Bratina Still Repeating False Information About LRT - Transit ridership on the east-west route of the LRT line is already high enough to justify the line and will only grow when the LRT line opens. Published January 08, 2014 in Special Report: Light Rail
Wilson-Blanchard Complies with No Parking Order on 20 Jackson Street West - The property owner has complied with an order from the City not to use the footprint of the recently-demolished office building as a surface parking lot. Published January 08, 2014 in Special Report: Heritage
Bratina Raises Amalgamation Issue Again - At today's State of the City talk, Mayor Bob Bratina brought up the forced amalgamation of Hamilton with its suburbs. Published January 08, 2014 in Municipal Election 2014
Support Joey Coleman's Crowdfunding for Independent Journalism in Hamilton - The city's best-known independent journalist has made it his mission to cast a bright, steady light on City Hall, and he needs your support. Published January 06, 2014 in Media
The Walkability Dividend and the Age-Old Political Struggle - Every municipal service that cities provide today is the outcome of an earlier argument between people who wanted to improve urban quality of life and people who didn't want their taxes to go up.` Published December 18, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
We Need Better than Demolition for the Sandbar Building - Let's make the restoration of one of downtown Hamilton's most notorious properties a showcase for adaptive reuse, for reinvigorating old buildings with new energy, and for leading by example. Published December 17, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Council Approves Bike Share - Council gave its final approval to the Social Bicycles proposal for a bike share in Hamilton. The program is scheduled to start this coming Spring. Published December 12, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Christmas Miracle: Council Votes to Designate Gore Buildings - City Council just voted unanimously to designate 18-22 King Street East and protect the buildings from demolition. Published December 12, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Illegal Parking Lot at 20 Jackson Street West - Cars are parked on the site of the former office building in apparent violation of a standing moratorium on new surface parking downtown. Published December 06, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
More Details on Bike Share Proposal - Social Bicycles provides more detail on how the bike system works and what they are doing to protect the security and privacy of user data. Published December 04, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Inspiring Talk on The Ambitious City by Toronto's Chief Planner - Toronto Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat shared the timeless principles of great cities, noted the classic mistakes Hamilton has made, and sketched a path to recovery. Published December 04, 2013 in Events
Social Bicycles Chosen to Operate Hamilton Bike Share - The Bike Share will include 65 stations and 650 bicycles using SoBi's next-generation bike share system, in which the functionality is all contained within the bike itself, rather than in specialized stations. Published November 29, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Our Fast, Dangerous Streets are Killing Senior Citizens and Children - The people being killed on our streets are the most vulnerable people in our society. They need to be protected - from us. Published November 22, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
David Crombie on the Future of Cities in Ontario - In an age of vulgar, hyper-partisan absolutism, Crombie gave us a taste of what a politics can look like that is civil, moderate, inclusive and responsive. Published November 19, 2013 in Events
Shifting Gears is a Ceiling - The Cycling Plan should make accommodating cycling a routine part of every street project instead of limiting bike infrastructure to a fixed list of routes that councillors can veto. Published November 15, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
'Courtesy Crossing' Signage Not Finalized Yet - The City should be trying to educate drivers that they do have to yield to pedestrians crossing legally at an uncontrolled intersection. Published November 08, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Yet More Pedestrian Improvements Across Hamilton - With Councillors supporting a new pedestrian mobility plan, let's take a look at some recent pedestrian improvements the city has already made. Published November 07, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Traffic on King While Main Sits Mostly Empty - If Main Street was two-way, it would be able to take some of the overflow from King Street during rush hour. Published November 05, 2013 in Special Report: Bus Lane
The Choice We Face: Easy Motoring or a Prosperous City - We need to do better than knee-jerk opposition to change because it may create some short-term disruption in travel patterns that, frankly, have not been good for this city for a long time. Published November 01, 2013 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Interview with James Street Baptist Church Owner - Louie Santaguida, President of Stanton Renaissance, answers questions about the plan to demolish most of James Street Baptist Church and incorporate the east facade and tower into a new structure. Published October 28, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Bratina Takes Yet Another Potshot at City's LRT Plan - The Mayor never misses an opportunity to undermine and discredit the City's official light rail transit plan, which Council approved unanimously and the Province has promised to fund. Published October 24, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Pedestrian Crossing Coming to Main and Pearl - Traffic lights have been installed and await inspection for a new signalized pedestrian crosswalk on Main Street at Pearl Street. Published October 23, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Heritage Committee Tables James Baptist Demolition Request Again - Committee members were not prepared to take a leap of faith and trust that they will do the right thing in the absence of any legally-binding commitment to do so, or even a plan for what that might look like. Published October 10, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Time to Abandon a Failed Theory of City Building - After decades of applying the theory that economic development in downtown Hamilton depends on making it easy to drive, the verdict is in. Published October 08, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
No Excuse Not to Understand How Cities Work - The lower city and particularly the downtown core do belong to everyone, and that means everyone has a legitimate interest to ensure that it flourishes and thrives. Published October 02, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Traffic Volumes on Longwood Do Not Warrant Multi-Lane Thoroughfare - Five dedicated vehicle lanes for 18,000 cars a day is a 1970s solution applied inappropriately to a 21st century economic development engine the City desperately needs to ensure its future vitality. Published September 30, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Mustard Seed Finds a Home - At a public event on Friday night at The Staircase Theatre, organizers unveiled their location: 460 York Boulevard, on the north side of York between Inchbury and Locke. Published September 23, 2013 in Downtown Bureau
57 Years and Counting: Hamilton's Love Affair with One-Way Streets Needs to End Now - Let's take a sensible leap into the known and start acting like the ambitious city we could be, not the fearful bedroom community to which too many of us aspire. Published September 20, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Cheaper, More Effective Bidirectional Bike Lanes for Longwood Road - With one lane in each direction and a centre turn lane, Longwood could easily accommodate well over 20,000 vehicles a day, albeit at safer speeds. Published September 17, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Downtown Parking Study Recommends More Parking - You can't make this stuff up: a parking study finds that parking utilization has declined since 2005 but we still need a new parking garage. Published September 16, 2013 in Downtown Bureau
Supercrawl 2013 in Pictures - All in all, it was another fantastic festival celebrating an amazing city. Published September 15, 2013 in Events
20 Jackson Street West Slated for Demolition - Wilson-Blanchard has submitted a demolition permit request for 20 Jackson Street West. Published September 11, 2013 in Downtown Bureau
Reasons to Build the Cannon Street Protected Bike Lanes - On Thursday, City Councillors have an exciting opportunity to approve two-way protected bike lanes on Cannon Street. Published September 04, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Who Has the Right of Way at an Uncontrolled Crosswalk? - Many drivers assume they have the right of way at uncontrolled crosswalks, but both drivers and pedestrians have a shared responsibility to accommodate each other. Published August 28, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Cannon Street a Case Study in Disastrous Design - Cannon Street should be full of people walking, cycling, chatting, doing business, socializing and otherwise interacting. Instead, it is desolate, save for the clumps of fast automobile traffic. Published August 22, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Zebrapalooza - Tactical Urbanism, North End Traffic Plan, Code Red Neighbourhood Planning and citizen/Councillor requests boost a limited pilot project into a boom in pedestrian improvements at intersections across the city. Published August 19, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Gore Property Owner Refuses to Share Engineering Report - If the engineering report on 18-28 King Street East showed the buildings are structurally unsound, wouldn't the property owner want to show it off? Published August 15, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
More Details on Planned Hunter Street Bike Lanes - The new bike lane design, which will be installed in segments, preserves street parking but does not physically separate the bike lanes from the automobile lane. Published August 15, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Farr Introduces Motion to Build Two-Way Bike Lanes on Cannon - Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr has introduced a notice of motion to implement a protected two-way bike lane on Cannon Street in time for the 2015 Pan American Games. Published August 14, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Negotiation with Gore Property Owner Should Have Started With Designation - Councillor Farr says it would be 'disingenuous' for Council to change course on its negotiations over the Gore buildings, but that doesn't explain Farr's position of weakness in the first place. Published August 13, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Council Refuses to Exercise its Power to Save Gore Buildings from Demolition - Do Minister Chan and City Council members really want to be remembered as the elected officials who stood by and allowed an irreplaceable part of Ontario's built heritage to be destroyed? Published August 09, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Link Between Sprawl and Inequality - With dense, mixed land use, workers have a bigger pool of jobs within a reasonable commuting distance, and employers have a larger pool of potential employees. Published July 30, 2013 in Special Report: Creative City
Trading Real Value for a Pipe Dream - Thanks to decades of block-busting demolitions, downtown Hamilton is already oversupplied with vacant, paved and gravel-filled lots. We don't need any more. Published July 29, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Enough is Enough: Designate the Gore Now - When heritage is destroyed, its value to the community is destroyed as well, and so the community has a legitimate interest in its preservation. Published July 24, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
New Building at James and Vine is Going Ahead - A new three-storey retail/commercial building at 123 James Street North will have an urban built form that complements the James North streetwall. Published July 23, 2013 in Downtown Bureau
Gore Demolition Forestalled, Province Reluctant to Intervene - Heritage advocates argue that the latest crisis for the Gore buildings highlights the need to designate them under the Ontario Heritage Act. Published July 22, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Photos From the Big Storm - A collection of photos from the storm and the aftermath on Saturday morning. Published July 21, 2013 in Photo Essay
Wilson-Blanchard Starts Gore Demolition Despite Promise to Wait - Updated - It is past time for Council to stop this demolition and start exercising its legitimate civic powers before yet another property speculator destroys yet another irreplaceable part of the City's built fabric. Published July 19, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back on Pedestrian Safety in Hamilton - After years of neglect, there have been encouraging signs in the past couple of months that the City's attitude toward pedestrian safety is starting to change. It needs to change faster. Published July 17, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Congestion $1.5-5 Billion Higher Than Estimated: Study - According to a new C.D. Howe study, the government's GTHA congestion cost estimate does not include the opportunity cost of missed chances to match skills with jobs, share knowledge and conduct mutually beneficial exchanges. Published July 12, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Stay of Execution for Gore Buildings - Blanchard has the opportunity to incorporate the streetwall and lend the new development an instant, tangible connection to the community history. It will have more support, more buy-in, and ultimately, more economic success. Published July 10, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Downtown Property and Business Owners on Gore Demolitions - We will come to regret deeply the narrow short-sightedness that led a developer to decide the buildings aren't worth saving and that led a Council to decide they aren't worth protecting. Published July 08, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Longwood Recommended Alternative Undermines Innovation Park - By sacrificing an optimal pedestrian environment in favour of maintaining five lanes of automobile traffic, the Recommended Alternative will undermine the success of the Innovation Park economic growth district. Published July 05, 2013 in Special Report: Creative City
First Look at New Nations Fresh Foods - All in all, the new Nations Fresh looks very, well, fresh: clean, modern, spacious and stylish. It also successfully avoids looking cheap or cut-rate. Published July 04, 2013 in Photo Essay
Hamilton Cannot Afford Not to Invest in LRT - If we want to make the best policy decisions for Hamilton, we need to choose actual research over hand-wavy unsupported claims, and we need to stop manufacturing false alternatives. Published June 27, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Anti-Bus Lane Petition: Some Legitimate Concerns but Wrong Response - The problems with King Street are not due to its bus service, and blocking a transit-only lane is not going to help. Published June 25, 2013 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Demolition Permit for 18-22 King Street East Still in Effect - Wilson-Blanchard has submitted a letter of intent to revoke the demolition permit for 18-22 King East, but as of today the permit is still valid. Published June 21, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
City Installs Knockdown Sticks at Herkimer and Locke - City workers have installed knockdown sticks to delineate the bumpouts on the corner of Herkimer and Locke. Published June 21, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
It's Oh So Quiet - The closure of Beckett Drive demonstrates just how pervasive through traffic normally is: loud, intimidating, dangerous and relentless. Published June 14, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Pedestrian Use Triples After Crosswalk Installed - According to new data provided by the City, pedestrian crossing at Aberdeen and Kent has more than tripled since a pedestrian-activated crosswalk was installed there. Published June 10, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Bolsters Crosswalks at Multiple Locations - The City has undertaken crosswalk improvements at several locations around Hamilton, suggesting a new commitment to maintaining and improving walkable infrastructure. Published June 07, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Documentary Video Explains Dundas EcoPark - The goal is a park that includes protected natural habitats for the rich diversity of species living around Cootes, hiking trails, boardwalk and visitor centre, and historic preservation of a major part of Hamilton's industrial heritage. Published June 07, 2013 in Special Report: Dundas EcoPark
Hamilton 'Must' Convert Streets Back to Two-Way: Architects - Following a long history of advocacy for livable streets, the Hamilton Burlington Society of Architects has delivered a strongly written demand that Council convert downtown streets back to two-way traffic. Published May 31, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Induced Demand in Action at Aberdeen and Kent - When an intersection is more pedestrian-friendly, more pedestrians use it. Published May 30, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Paints Crosswalks, Bumpouts at Herkimer and Locke - The City has already begun installing the one-year pilot project at Herkimer and Locke to create a more pedestrian-friendly design, after City staff met with Tactical Urbanism representatives. Published May 28, 2013 in Special Report: Tactical Urbanism
Metrolinx Unveils Investment Strategy - The plan finalizes a list of revenue tools to raise approximately $35 billion to pay for a series of planned regional transit investments, including an east-west Light Rail Transit (LRT) line in Hamilton. Published May 27, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
2013 Bike to Work and School Day - A large, diverse group of enthusiastic cyclists congregated in Gore Park this morning to celebrate 2013 Bike to Work and School Day. Published May 27, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Mississauga Mayor Decries Hamilton's Inclusion in The Big Move - McCallion's frustration is understandable, given Hamilton's lack of commitment to the Regional Transportation Plan. Competition and contempt are not how Metrolinx started out. Published May 24, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
We Need to Remember the Case for LRT - The basic question currently kicking around - Is LRT worth it? - has been answered conclusively but we are not hearing these arguments from our leaders or the staff who report to them. Published May 21, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Public Works Committee Rejects Bus Lane Pilot Project - Hamilton Councillors claim to value transit, multi-modal transportation and livable urban neighbourhoods, but they refuse to put those values into practice in any meaningful way. Published May 16, 2013 in Special Report: Bus Lane
Focus on Cycling Infrastructure Before Enforcement - We have a ways to go before cycling is normalized in North American cities. Instead of cracking down on cyclist infractions, let's work on making it easier and safer to ride a bike in the first place. Published May 16, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
NYC Redesigns its Streets for Safety, Vitality and Diverse Use - New York City measures what it wants to improve: improve: more pedestrians, more cyclists, fewer injuries, less speeding, better business. Hamilton measures service level for drivers and calls it a day. Published May 13, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Crackdown on Tactical Urbanism - A memo by Public Works general manager Gerry Davis calls calls acts of tactical urbanism 'illegal, potentially unsafe' and 'vandalism'. Published May 09, 2013 in Special Report: Tactical Urbanism
Invigorating Tactical Urbanism Talk Inspires Action - The essence of tactical urbanisim is to undertake short-term, low-risk, high-benefit actions that precipitate positive long-term changes. Published May 08, 2013 in Special Report: Tactical Urbanism
Interview With Chamber CEO Keanin Loomis - New Chamber of Commerce President Keanin Loomis talks about the Chamber's policy directions, its role in Hamilton's urban economy, changing the status quo, and reinvigorating the city's streets. Published May 06, 2013 in Interviews
Hamilton Deserves Better than the Petulant Machinations of a Childish Mayor - Bratina is cherry-picking Rapid Ready in his latest tactic not to support LRT - the very investment that will create the circumstances for Hamilton to achieve its ridership and development goals. Published April 25, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Bike for Mike 3rd Annual Mike Ride - The 3rd annual Mike Ride, a fundraiser to provide bikes for families in struggling neighbourhoods and make Hamilton a more bicycle-friendly city, will be on Sunday, May 5, 2013. Published April 24, 2013 in Events
Letter: Once Again, Council Must Affirm Its Support for LRT - After Mayor Bratina's comments, Council needs to make it perfectly clear to the Province, Metrolinx and the people of Hamilton that Council's unanimous approval of the Rapid Ready report confirms Council's support for LRT. Published April 21, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
It May Be Time For Another Censure - Once again, the mayor is refusing to follow Council's unanimous direction and bringing embarrassment to the city through his antics. Maybe it's time for Council to set the record straight with another censure. Published April 19, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Mayor Manufactures More LRT Controversy - Mayor Bratina claims Hamilton has to choose between LRT and all-day GO service extended to Stoney Creek. The Premier says they're "not competing projects". We've heard this story before. Published April 17, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Cannon Street in Pictures - These photos show how dysfunctional Cannon Street is today. There is no good reason not to convert Cannon into a balanced, complete street right now. Published April 09, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
The GTHA Should Embrace Congestion Pricing - Congestion pricing can raise most of the money we need to pay for The Big Move while providing immediate benefits to drivers and the regional economy. Published April 04, 2013 in Special Report
Bratina Interviews Metrolinx CEO - Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina interviews Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig about the Metrolinx Investment Strategy and how it will impact Hamilton. Published April 01, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
The New Ben Thanh Has Restored Our Faith - The new restaurant location on James North gets everything right - location, decor, service, and of course the magnificent food. Published March 26, 2013 in Reviews
Buffalo LRT Enables Urban Reinvestment - The next few years may just vindicate those elements of the Buffalo LRT that were on the money after all, while drawing sharper attention to the corresponding policy decisions LRT needs to be successful. Published March 25, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Boost Bike Share Success With Complete Street on Cannon - With Council's approval of the Hamilton Bike Share proposal, Cannon Street represents both a severe accessibility challenge and an exciting opportunity for improvement. Published March 20, 2013 in Special Report: Cycling
Streets are for People - A city whose streets are designed for people in cars, but not all the other ways people use to get around - like walking, cycling and public transit - is dysfunctional by design. Published March 19, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
One-Way King Street Strikes Again - People make decisions at the margin, and small differences in accessibility produce big differences in behaviour. Published March 18, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
More Mixed Messaging on LRT Funding - This week, we heard contradictory messages from Provincial officials on whether Hamilton will have to contribute some capital funding toward the B-Line LRT. Published March 06, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Mayor Says He Will Champion LRT Now - Mayor Bob Bratina has just stated that he will now champion LRT with full capital funding in his dealings with the Province. Published February 28, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Moving From a Culture of Fear to a Culture of Innovation - Risk-averse leaders who want to be known as courageous should look for opportunities to take safe bets that look riskier than they really are: unpopular proposals that quickly gain support once people experience them firsthand. Published February 27, 2013 in Special Report: Creative City
LRT, Active Transportation and Bike Share at Epic Transportation Meeting - Councillors approved Hamilton's LRT plan to be submitted to Metrolinx, but punted a vote on a proposed bike share until late march. Published February 26, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Rapid Ready: Staff Recommend a Real Commitment to Integrated Transportation - Councillors will receive a staff report recommending a broad commitment to active, integrated transportation and a submission to Metrolinx for Hamilton's B-Line LRT. Published February 25, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Trustee Accused of Conflict of Interest in School Closure - A West Hamilton resident has filed an application accusing HWDSB Trustee Judish Bishop of violating the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act over her votes to close Prince Philip School while keeping GR Allan and Dalewood open. Published February 25, 2013 in Special Report: Education
Merulla Wants Grassroots Approach to City Motor Hotel Redevelopment - Councillor Sam Merulla wants to engage the community in a grassroots design effort to redevelop the site of the City Motor Hotel into a diverse, mixed-use, mixed-income project. Published February 22, 2013 in Local News
LRT, Bike Share on Agenda at February 25 General Issues Committee - Councillors will consider a 'rapid ready' report endorsing Hamilton's light rail transit plan, as well as an implementation plan for a self-sustaining bike share program. Published February 20, 2013 in Special Report: Light Rail
Downtown Casino Still Not a Bet Worth Taking - Despite yesterday's vote, we may well end up having to watch Council panic in 2014 and chase its losses, with another municipal election coming and enormous pressure to make a fear-based decision. Published February 15, 2013 in Special Report: Casino
Farr: Global Spectrum, Live Nation will Object to Downtown Casino Development - If Council approves a downtown casino/entertainment complex, the companies the City just contracted to run Copps Coliseum and Hamilton Place will seek a change to their contract. Published February 14, 2013 in Special Report: Casino
Everything's Coming Up Merulla - Councillor Sam Merulla's early and vocal opposition to a downtown Hamilton casino is looking less headstrong and more prescient with each passing day. Published February 12, 2013 in Special Report: Casino
Bold Plans for James Street Baptist Church - The Toronto-based buyer is committed to preserving the building's heritage and marrying it with high quality modern design to create a valuable space that enriches the community. Published February 08, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Not Too Late to Stop the Casino - There is still time for engaged citizens to organize and advocate for a smarter, healthier, and saner decision on the proposed casino. Published February 04, 2013 in Special Report: Casino
Architecture Conservancy Calls on Province to Protect Gore Buildings - The Architecture Conservancy of Ontario has formally asked the Province to stop the demolition of 24 and 28 King Street East and to designate the buildings under the Ontario Heritage Act. Published January 21, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
I Want to Believe - Advocates for downtown revitalization may be forgiven for feeling at times like Charlie Brown trying to kick the perennial field goal, our hopes raised again and again, only to be dashed by disappointment and betrayal. Published January 18, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
2012 City Building Permits Total $1.5 Billion - Building Permit Activity in Hamilton more than doubled its 2011 total to $1.5 billion in 2012, riding on strong growth in permits across all five categories of building. Published January 16, 2013 in Special Report
Scant Heritage Protection in Gore Plan - The back of 18-22 King Street East is not the only thing getting ripped off in this so-called preservation victory. Published January 16, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Wilson Blanchard to Preserve Part of Gore Streetwall - Wilson Blanchard has just announced that they will withdraw their demolition permit application and instead preserve the existing facade of its buildings at 18-28 King Street East. Published January 15, 2013 in Special Report: Heritage
Dialogue Partners Apologizes for Mistakes, Defends Qualifications - The company behind last week's public engagement fiasco apologizes for its missteps and defends its qualifications as an internationally recognized communications facilitator. Published January 14, 2013 in Media
City Orders Consultant to Pull Down Our Hamilton Website - The City just announced it has ordered Dialogue Partners to take down the 'Our Voice, Our Hamilton' website over offensive content. Published January 09, 2013 in Media
Does Your Outrage Feel Managed Yet? - A real apology explicitly acknowledges the nature and severity of the error, expresses real regret for causing harm, asks for forgiveness, and offers to make amends. The Dialogue Partners statement fails on all counts. Published January 09, 2013 in Media
City Public Engagement Initiative Triggers PR Fiasco - A brand-new initiative by the City of Hamilton to engage the public on public infrastructure funding has already drawn sharp criticism and ridicule. Published January 08, 2013 in Media
OMB Rejects North End Speed Limit Appeal on James, Burlington - The Ontario Municipal Board rejected a proposal to impose a 30 km/h speed limit on every North End street including James and Burlington, arguing that the City's transportation plan will increase pedestrian safety without sacrificing flexibility. Published January 02, 2013 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Reasons to Designate 18-28 King East as Heritage Buildings - The buildings were constructed between 1840 and 1876 are regarded as 'integral components to the King Street East streetscape and the character of the Gore area'. Published December 28, 2012 in Special Report: Heritage
Ken Greenberg on Casinos - Urban planner Ken Greenberg calls casinos 'the perennial attraction of quick fixes' that do more harm than good by squeezing out the kinds of urban innovations that create value. Published December 27, 2012 in Special Report: Casino
Why Doesn't the Heritage Committee Designate More Buildings? - The Heritage Committee knows that without Council support, they are wasting their time trying to save heritage buildings from demolition. Published December 21, 2012 in Special Report: Heritage
Surprise Demolition Permit for Gore Park Buildings - There is no way to stop the demolition permit for 18-28 King Street East unless Council convenes an emergency meeting before January 9 to designate the buildings. Published December 20, 2012 in Special Report: Heritage
In Chicken Vote, Anti-Urban Bias Trumped Evidence-Based Policy - Ultimately, the matter of urban chickens is not a big deal in itself, but it does reflect poorly on Council's willingness to engage in evidence-based governance or support progressive urban revitalization. Published December 13, 2012 in Special Report
Whitehead: Downtown Commercial Area is Not a Neighbourhood - Councillor Whitehead says that the downtown core exists to provide the service and entertainment needs of the rest of the city, and all Hamiltonians should have a say in what happens to it. Published December 11, 2012 in Special Report: Casino
Tell Council to Support Backyard Hen Pilot Project - Council can still reverse the recent planning committee decision to reject a pilot project for wards 1 and 2 to allow the ownership of a small number of backyard hens. Published December 06, 2012 in Feature
Toronto Chief Health Officer Discusses Problem Gambling on The Agenda - Yesterday's edition of The Agenda with Steve Paikin interviews Dr. David McKeown on the recent public health report recommending against putting a new casino in Toronto. Published December 05, 2012 in Special Report: Casino
More Case Studies in Dysfunctional Governance - A common theme of reflexive fear, heavy-handed bureaucracy and lack of vision runs through several of today's civic governance stories. Published December 05, 2012 in Editorial
Stinson Discusses Hamilton Grand - Condo developer Harry Stinson provides details on the plan, sharing his frustration with the process thus far and his optimism that the project will come to completion. Published December 03, 2012 in Interviews
Pearl Company Heritage Nomination Deferred Due to Legal Issue - The Pearl Company was nominated for a Heritage Recognition Award, but the nomination was deferred because the City is suing the business over an alleged violation of the zoning by-law. Published November 30, 2012 in Special Report: Pearl Company
No New Information in Metrolinx Announcement - Our political leaders need to champion the cause of a fair deal for Hamilton, take the long view on Hamilton's return on investment and shepherd this project to a successful completion. Published November 30, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
Toronto Board of Health Recommends Against Expanding Casino - Toronto's Chief Medical Officer of Health concludes that a new Toronto Casino will increase the risk of problem gambling and exacerbate its serious public health impacts. Published November 21, 2012 in Special Report: Casino
School Board Governance Review Recommends Less Public Input - Anything that restricts the ability of the public to participate in the Board's decision making process will only exacerbate its institutional reflex for secrecy and unaccountability. Published November 17, 2012 in Special Report: Education
Care Facilities at a Crossroads - The ongoing case of Lynwood Charlton Centre exposes serious problems with how the city currently regulates care facilities. Published November 13, 2012 in Special Report: Radial Separation
Enough is Enough: No More Pedestrian Carnage - City streets designed for slow-moving automobile traffic are streets designed to be inherently safe. Published November 02, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Airport Development a Backdoor for More Sprawl - The City's Airport Economic Growth District is a red herring, an excuse to expand the urban boundary so home builders can squeeze a little more money out of sprawl. Published October 29, 2012 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Details on James North GO Station - Metrolinx has sent the City of Hamilton some details and timelines on the planned all-day GO Train station on James North. Published October 25, 2012 in Special Report: Pan Am
Hamilton Bike Box Needs Higher Profile - A year on, it's time for Hamilton to beef up the design of its invisible bike box at Studholme and Aberdeen. Published October 23, 2012 in Special Report: Cycling
Cycling Infrastructure Strongly Influences Injury Risk - A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health using injury data from Toronto and Vancouver finds that street infrastructure has a big impact on risk of injury for cyclists. Published October 22, 2012 in Special Report: Cycling
Lion's Lair Showcases Hamilton Entrepreneurs - Events like Lion's Lair not only help to showcase young businesses, but also bring more attention to the potential for Hamiltonians to become entrepreneurs and start transformative new businesses. Published October 05, 2012 in Special Report: Creative City
Two-Way Street Networks are More Resilient - Too much of the debate over Hamilton's streets is driven by familiarity with the status quo, fear of change and a tendency to rationalize existing beliefs instead of reasoning from evidence. Published September 25, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Two-Way Complete Streets Safer for Pedestrians, Better for Business - My submission to The Hamiltonian's Perspectives Virtual Panel on two-way street conversion in Hamilton. Published September 22, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Coroner's Report on Pedestrians Recommends Complete Streets - The Ontario Coroner's report on pedestrians recommends a "road safety paradigm shift" to reduce vehicle speeds and improve the accessibility and safety of streets for all modes, especially the most vulnerable road users. Published September 20, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Supercrawl 2012 in Pictures - A collection of moments I captured while enjoying the festivities on Friday evening and Saturday. Published September 16, 2012 in Events
Councillors Balk at Implementing Two-Way Streets - Fear of change was the order of the day among mountain and suburban councillors, who backed away from a proposal to implement the 'Putting People First' agenda approved in 2001 and reaffirmed in 2008. Published September 07, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Take Action to Support Two-Way Implementation Team - Take a few minutes to send a letter of support for Councillor McHattie's two-way implementation team before noon on Wednesday, September 5. Published September 04, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
LRT Success Needs Land Use Planning, Street Calming, Political Champion: Study - A new study by McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics concludes that LRT needs sound, long-term land use planning and strong political leadership to be successful. Published August 31, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
Motion to Establish a One-Way to Two-Way Implementation Team - Councillor McHattie's motion would establish a committee to plan and implement two-way conversions across Wards 1 and 2, starting with Cannon and Queen Street. Published August 31, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Province Needs to Honour Commitments to Transit Investment - The Ontario Government cannot afford not to invest in coordinated higher-order transit if we want the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to have a bright future. Published August 29, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
No Straight Answers on Hamilton LRT Funding Commitment - Neither Metrolinx nor the Province seems willing to provide any straight answers on how much municipalities are being asked to contribute to rapid transit projects in the GTHA. Published August 27, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
Staff Recommend LRT Maintenance Yard on Wentworth Street North - Light rail transit planning staff recommend a maintenance and storage facility at city-owned 330 Wentworth Street North, with a spur line running on Sanford, Barton and Birch. Published August 10, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
17 Months Later, Fukushima Daiichi Offers Bitter Lessons in Risk Management - The meltdowns, radiation leaks and ongoing dangers of the stricken nuclear power plant could have been prevented with better risk management, contingency planning, readiness training and communication. Published August 09, 2012 in Commentary
Review: Detours by Thought Beneath Film - Detours is a welcome and encouraging milestone for a band that aims to say something important in a musical language of catchy hooks, warm vocals and thick, gutsy rhythm. Published July 27, 2012 in Reviews
New Building a Milestone in James North Revitalization - If a proposed new building on a vacant lot at James and Vine goes ahead, it will mark an important milestone in the ongoing revitalization of James North. Published July 05, 2012 in Downtown Bureau
Supermarket Debate Shows Council Unwillingness to Follow Vision - When it comes time to implement plans that will actually achieve Council-mandated revitalization targets, Councillors can't muster up the courage to act. Published July 04, 2012 in Downtown Bureau
The Mystery of the Missing Gridlock: Induced Demand, Generated Traffic and Misleading Models - Accurate traffic forecasting must take into account the feedback effects of spare capacity (to increase demand) and congestion (to reduce demand), as well as the broader land-use implications of roadway design. Published June 21, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Traffic Engineers Reorganized into Multiple Divisions - Will the reorganization of the city's traffic engineers into more integrated divisions help to effect the shift in priorities on which our Transportation Master Plan is founded? Published May 31, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
School Board Betrays Urban Neighbourhoods - It's hard to avoid the conclusion that the fix was in from the beginning, that this whole process was mere ceremony to present the illusion of inclusion. Published May 30, 2012 in Special Report: Education
Support Growing for Walkable Streets - Momentum is building among councillors and city staff to revisit Hamilton's 50-year-old commitment to fast traffic flow through the core. Published May 28, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
A Conversation with Councillor Morelli - Ward 3 Councillor Bernie Morelli talks about improving walkability, building an integrated and connected transportation system, and dealing with speeding traffic and the challenges of an inner city ward. Published May 25, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Usability and Usefulness of One-Way Streets - In the design of a city street - the most fundamental piece of public infrastructure - it makes more sense to target the broadest possible use, i.e. everyone. Published May 23, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Update on B-Line LRT Planning - Rapid Transit staff on track to complete their 2012 work plan on the B-Line LRT. Once the work is finished, Metrolinx will make a funding decision. Published May 10, 2012 in Special Report: Light Rail
Second Annual 'Bike for Mike' This Sunday - The goal of the annual Mike ride is to provide a bicycle to every child in Hamilton. Published April 30, 2012 in Events
Cirque du Soleil: Dralion at Copps Coliseum - Dralion is a study in exuberance and dazzling verticality: a thematic melange that strings together one superlative performance after another. Published April 26, 2012 in Reviews
Hamilton Must Become a Learning City - Cities that encourage high levels of education and collaboration are better able to reinvent themselves to a changing world than cities locked into low-skilled labour in monoculture industries. Published April 11, 2012 in Special Report: Creative City
Balancing the Books on the Backs of the Poor - As Canada shuffles slowly out of the Great Recession, public spending isn't the problem and ideological cuts aren't the solution. Published April 09, 2012 in Editorial
2012 Transportation Summit: More Experts for our Traffic Planners to Ignore - Expert after expert continually tells Hamilton to make its downtown streets safe and walkable, but we prioritize automobile through traffic over all other concerns. Published March 28, 2012 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Council Chooses Expediency Over Evidence - Yesterday's vote was all about making a contentious issue go away, rather than actually achieving the City's goal of maximizing waste diversion. Published February 22, 2012 in Special Report: Waste Management
Pattern of Secrecy in School Board Process - It's time for the School Board to rethink its tendency to conduct business behind closed doors and hide their process from constituents who might otherwise bring desperately-needed community perspective. Published February 15, 2012 in Special Report: Education
Crestwood Plan: Bad Decision Based on a Flawed Process - It's not too late for the Board to step back and reconsider a decision on which future Hamiltonians will look back with amazement and disgust. Published February 14, 2012 in Special Report: Education
2011 Census Population Data by Ward - It appears that nearly all of the new growth in population since 2006 has been single family residential sprawl in new suburban greenfields. So much for intensification. Published February 13, 2012 in Special Report
Supermarket Subsidy Spurs Spirited Discussion - Downtown advocates discuss opportunities to establish a new supermarket in the underserved downtown core. Published February 07, 2012 in Downtown Bureau
TO2015 Confirms Milton Velodrome - Milton will receive the Pan Am Velodrome with the help of a $7 million donation from the CEO of Mattamy Homes, millions in additional donations and a possible partnership with Wilfrid Laurier. Published January 31, 2012 in Special Report: Pan Am
Review: Karolina's Restaurant - Homey ambiance, friendly service and generous portions of delicious, home-cooked Polish cuisine make Karolina's a winner. Published January 30, 2012 in Reviews
Put HWDSB Offices in City Hall Tower 2: Farr - Councillor Jason Farr plans to introduce a motion for Council to call on the Board of Education to locate their offices in a proposed second tower built on the south side of City Hall. Published January 27, 2012 in Special Report: Education
Online Protest Against PIPA/SOPA - Several US websites are protesting proposed legislation that would damage the architecture of the web and censor legitimate free speech. Published January 18, 2012 in Special Report
Bi-Weekly Collection More Effective Than One-Container Limit - Cities that collect garbage bi-weekly are more successful at diverting waste out of landfill than Hamilton's approach of weekly collection with a one-container limit. Published January 17, 2012 in Special Report: Waste Management
How New York Decided to Become a Bicycle-Friendly City - A few years ago, New York City decided to get its act together on bicycle infrastructure and is already reaping the net public benefits. Published January 10, 2012 in Special Report: Cycling
The Essential Economies of Cities - If we hope to make good decisions about how to plan and manage our city, we need to understand how cities fulfill their essential role as engines of economic development. Published November 10, 2011 in Special Report: Creative City
Council Calls on Province to Confirm LRT Commitment - Council voted last night to ask the Province to confirm whether it will honour its 2007 promise to fully fund LRT in Hamilton. But what happens if the Province says no? Published September 29, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Clark to Present LRT Motion to Council - Councillor Clark will bring forward a motion at the October 28 Council meeting to call on the Province to commit to funding LRT in Hamilton. Published September 27, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
City Wants Your Comments on B-Line Design Charrettes - The City's Nodes and Corridors planning team have published the results of this summer's design charrettes along the B-Line LRT corridor and want your feedback. Published September 21, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
$17 Million Would Buy a Lot of Bike Lanes - Compared to a velodrome, a continuous citywide bike lane network would produce much bigger and broader public benefits. Published September 15, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
A Short History of LRT Planning in Hamilton - We can't properly evaluate the state of LRT planning in Hamilton today without the context of the four-year history that brought us here. Published September 14, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Clark: Hamilton is Being Played on LRT - In a candid interview, Councillor Brad Clark argues that Hamilton is running out of time to get a decisive commitment from the Province to keep their promise to build two light rail lines in Hamilton. Published September 12, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Making Amalgamation Work for Hamilton - If we can start to imagine ourselves as a region instead of a bickering jumble of competing interests, Hamilton can finally start to assert itself as an important centre. Published September 09, 2011 in Editorial
Jill Stephen Leaving City of Hamilton - The manager in charge of the rapid transit office has resigned from the City of Hamilton after a summer of politicking against LRT by Mayor Bratina and senior management. Published September 08, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Councillors to Continue Velodrome Discussion September 13 - Councillors will meet in a special General Issues Committee meeting on September 13 to continue their discussion on the Pan Am Velodrome proposal. Published August 30, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Troop on Velodrome Risks and Opportunities, Stadium Costs - Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop spoke to RTH today on the phone to discuss the Pan Am velodrome, the stadium, and the decision facing Hamilton City Council. Published August 30, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Councillors to Consider Velodrome Proposal, Change to Pan Am Stadium Plan - Staff reports on a proposed permanent velodrome at Mohawk College and a decision to completely rebuild Ivor Wynne Stadium will give Councillors plenty to discuss at today's GIC meeting. Published August 29, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Council Controversy over Velodrome Proposal - Councillor Ferguson and Clark have objected to the short notice for Monday's proposed General Issues Committee and Council meetings to make a decision on the Pan Am Velodrome. Published August 26, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Fate of Old Revenue Building Starts to Come into Focus - Vrancor plan is to partially demolish 150 Main Street West and incorporate the southwest corner into a new condo development. Published August 17, 2011 in Special Report
Album Review: Hollow by Cut Off Your Hands - If an eighties band had a sensitive, slightly flat baritone singer (and which ones didn't?), you'll hear their influences percolating up throughout this album. Published August 05, 2011 in Reviews
Myths and Facts about Light Rail Transit - A number of common myths about LRT and Hamilton continue to surface in the public debate over the City's proposed east-west LRT line. Published August 04, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
McHattie to Present Open Data Notice of Motion - Councillor Brian McHattie will call on Council to direct staff to prepare a report on the benefits, risks and opportunities associated with a City commitment to open public data. Published July 22, 2011 in Special Report: Open Public Data
McMeekin: City Must Set Rapid Transit Priorities - Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin has said that Hamilton must set its rapid transit priorities and make a good business case for LRT along the B-Line, while Metrolinx reconfirms that Hamilton needs to get its LRT plan ready before any funding decisions are made. Published July 21, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Is Council Going to Stand For This? - Will senior management be allowed to unilaterally shift the city's transportation priorities, or will Council step up and assert its leadership over the city's goals? Published July 18, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Bratina, Murray Cool on Light Rail - On the Bill Kelly Show, Mayor Bob Bratina and City Manager Chris Murry expressed deep skepticism about Hamilton's light rail transit plan. Published July 11, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Council Needs to Advance, Not Punt on LRT - The Provincial decision on which rapid transit projects will get funded is a political decision, and the level of support and enthusiasm - from Hamilton's citizens and politicians alike - will be a significant factor in what the Province decides. Published July 08, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
How Paris Decided to Become a Bicycle-Friendly City - We are where we are today because of a long series of decisions that reflected our values and priorities. If we want our future to look different, we need to make different decisions. It's that simple. Published July 07, 2011 in Special Report: Cycling
Rudderless Council Drifts Aimlessly on LRT - After years of community organizing, extensive study and planning, unprecedented public engagement and a unanimous Council vote of support, Hamilton's LRT bid now seems to be crumbling due to a lack of leadership. Published July 05, 2011 in Special Report: Light Rail
Clean Air Hamilton Annual Report - Automobile exhaust remains a major contributor to air pollution. The biggest thing City Council can do to reduce air pollution is to support walkable streets and improved transit. Published June 29, 2011 in Special Report: Climate Change
Cannon Knitting Mills to be Redeveloped - Forum Equity Partners has commissioned David Premi Architects Inc to redevelop the Cannon Knitting Mills building in Beasley Neighbourhood as a mixed-use facility. Published June 28, 2011 in Downtown Bureau
Canada Post Debate Rife with Misinformation - The public and political debate over the Canada Post labour issue has been fueled by resentment and misinformation instead of factual analysis. Published June 26, 2011 in Commentary
Oh, Hell by Little Foot Long Foot - This is what psychedelic blues rock would sound like if it was performed by an angry band of classically-trained, straightedge punks. Published June 23, 2011 in Reviews
Enough Ideas: Time for Action - How many more times do we need to keep hearing the same message about what needs to change before we muster up the courage to act? Published June 22, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Cirque du Soleil: Quidam at Copps Coliseum - In Quidam, the performers continue to push the limits of strength and balance, but their demonstrations are more exercises in restraint and control than death-defying abandon. Published June 09, 2011 in Reviews
Vrancor Offers to Partially Restore West Side of Revenue Canada Building - Vrancor now plans to preserve part of the west side of the old Revenue Canada building at 150 Main Street West as part of a new structure. Published June 07, 2011 in Special Report
Killing Development Dead - Our building regulations produce a staggeringly perverse incentive: we subsidize and incentivize the neglect, demolition and destruction of value, while punishing and disincentivizing the creation of value through reinvestment and redevelopment. Published June 02, 2011 in Special Report: Creative City
Successful Pedestrian Places Can Inspire Hamilton - Successful pedestrian places provide public space that is attractive and functional, feels comfortable and safe, mixes a variety of uses (including residential), and de-emphasizes the automobile. Published May 26, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Gore Master Plan 'Still On Schedule' Despite Pedestrian Pilot Cancellation - Instead of installing parking meters on an "interim basis", the City could have simply closed the south leg to through traffic on an "interim basis", granted nearby businesses some generous outdoor operating licences and watched what happened. Published May 25, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
First-Past-The-Post Is Unfair - Our current voting system ensures that Canadians do not have governments that reflect what the public actually wants. Published May 04, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Councillors Discard Waste Management Proposal - Garbage collection is a touchy subject, but it is irresponsible for Council not to study its options before dismissing them. Published April 28, 2011 in Special Report: Waste Management
Crump: City Should Offer Red-Tape Navigation - Earth to Table Bread Bar owner Jeff Crump has some suggestions for how the City can make it easier for entrepreneurs to invest in Hamilton. Published April 27, 2011 in Interviews
Uneven Response to RTH Election Questions - Just under half of the Hamilton-area federal election candidates have responded so far to the RTH election questions. Published April 25, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Where Can Pedestrians Cross the Street? - Hamilton Police Constable Claus Wagner has kindly provided some clarification on what pedestrians are and are not allowed to do when crossing the street. Published April 15, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Hamilton Launches Map of City-Owned Properties - The City of Hamilton has just published a comprehensive map and listing of city-owned properties. Published April 14, 2011 in Special Report: Creative City
Walkability Website Launches Local Campaign - A new website provides the ability for community organizers to launch local walkability campaigns. Published April 11, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Forgiving and Unforgiving Road Networks - The only way to achieve a real reduction in pedestrian casualties is through a street network designed to anticipate, tolerate and forgive human imperfection. Published April 11, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
City Plans to Update Website Acceptable Use Policy - The City of Hamilton website acceptable use policy currently prohibits third parties from publishing, copying, linking or otherwise making use of website content without prior written permission. Staff recognize this needs to change. Published April 01, 2011 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Our City, Our Future: A Retrospective - The Our City, Our Future campaign is an interesting case study of how citizens used alternative and social media to mobilize public support and directly engage decision makers. Published March 25, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Pundits Debate Open Public Data - Discussion and debate over the opportunities and challenges of open public debate have moved from the margins of political discourse in Hamilton toward the mainstream. Published March 18, 2011 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Hamilton's Great Places Can Teach Us About Livable Street Design - James Street North, Locke Street South and Ottawa Street North are among Hamilton's most vibrant, livable streets, providing object lessons on how to improve the livability of the rest of the city. Published March 18, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Fast Networks, Slow Networks and Safety Through Negotiation - Safe street design accepts and embraces the idea that a slow network entails connections and interactions between people moving on it. Published March 17, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Taking Steps Toward a Pedestrian Master Plan - The Pedestrian Master Plan is an opportunity for Hamilton to raise the priority of walkable neighbourhoods from 'nice to have' into a real strategic goal. Published March 10, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Faults and Faultlines: On Making Safer Streets - We need an approach to traffic safety that assumes people are imperfect and establishes an environment that is more fault tolerant than our streets are today. Published March 08, 2011 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
We Need Better Oil Price Journalism - The public must confront and understand the forces that drive global oil markets if we are to move beyond nonsensical and counterproductive reactions to higher pump prices. Published February 28, 2011 in Special Report: Peak Oil
What is the Fate of the Old Revenue Canada Building? - It's great that we want to preserve the friezes on 150 Main Street West, but what about the building itself? Published February 11, 2011 in Special Report
Three Music Reviews: Carmen Townsend, Common Grackle, Theset - I've been feeling guilty lately about not having time to write reviews of the new music I've received. Published February 08, 2011 in Reviews
Stadium Deal is Pyrrhic Victory - I'm glad this affair is finally over; but I lament the lost opportunity to parlay a sports stadium into something much more ambitious. Published January 31, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Raise the Hammer Response to Mayor's Accusation - Mayor Bratina has accused RTH of publishing "false and defamatory material" against him and his staff. This is my response as editor, after careful investigation of the story behind the accusation. Published January 28, 2011 in Editorial
Leaving Things to the Last Minute - Rushed planning, confused priorities conspire to mire stadium process in confusion and uncertainty. Published January 25, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
More Questions Than Answers After Ivor Wynne Stadium Meeting - Even Councillors seem unsure just exactly what they agreed to at today's committee meeting, when they approved a proposal to make an Ivor Wynne renovation Hamilton's bid for a Pan Am stadium. Published January 24, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Troop Clarifies Toronto 2015 Position on Pan Am Stadium - Ian Troop reminds Hamilton that the Pan Am Games are to support high performance sport, not provide a Ticat stadium, and warns Burlington to look very closely at the claim an Aldershot stadium won't cost the City any money. Published January 07, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Troop: No Deadline Extension Under Any Circumstances - After all the incredible twists and turns this story has taken over the past year, for Hamilton it comes down to West Harbour or nowhere. Published January 06, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Despite Burlington Play, Hamilton at 2nd and Goal - The Aldershot financing plan depends on $70 million in Pan Am Games funding from Toronto 2015, but the City of Hamilton still has the first shot at securing that money by February 1. Published January 06, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Troop: 6000 Seat Pan Am Stadium is Viable, Feb 1 Deadline is Final - Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop confirmed that a 5,500-6,500 seat stadium for community use will meet the Pan Am criteria, and further that there is no time to extend deadlines. On February 1, if Hamilton does not have a plan, the stadium will go elsewhere. Published January 03, 2011 in Special Report: Pan Am
Burlington Councillors Not Playing Along With Ticat Stadium Play - The Aldershot play is the Ticats' last-ditch attempt to wrangle a stadium that meets their goals of easy motor vehicle access, highway visibility and spinoff investment - or at least to scare Hamilton Council into reconsidering Confederation Park. Published December 30, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Meeting to Re-Think Barton-Tiffany Land Use - A group of North End Hamiltonians has called a community meeting to discuss options for the future redevelopment of the Barton-Tiffany land in the West Harbour. Published December 29, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Failed Compromise Stadium Sites Reaffirm Original Choice - Council needed to be prepared to walk away from a bad stadium deal. That they weren't prepared to do this is why we look like such fools today. Published December 21, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
James North Faultlines Reflect Ambivalent City - If we're serious about providing pathways for people to move out of poverty, we need to get better at supporting and cultivating the kinds of business startups that radicals fear are the vanguard of a yuppie invasion. Published December 14, 2010 in Editorial
A Locke Street Christmas - Perhaps the best time to enjoy Locke is on a cool, crisp day in December, when the street is decorated festively for the Christmas season and browsers line the sidewalks. Published December 13, 2010 in City Life
LRT Plan Needs Two-Way Main and Cannon Streets - Leaving Main and Cannon as one-way streets undermines LRT by resulting in lower levels of investment within the transit corridor, as well as lower rates of ridership growth. Published December 03, 2010 in Special Report: Light Rail
City Abandons Two-Way Conversion in LRT Plan - Staff need to muster up the vision and ambition to build LRT to its full potential, and not cripple it with compromises to entrenched (and empirically failed) ways of thinking about traffic and transformation. Published December 02, 2010 in Special Report: Light Rail
Rejected Market Vendor Plans to Appeal - Julia Serna has launched a petition to support her appeal against the City's decision to reject her Colombian coffee stall at the renovated Farmers' Market. Published November 18, 2010 in Special Report
Rising Gas Prices and the Unnameable Cause - Today, after all the ink spilled on peak oil in the past several years, it's inexcusable for a newspaper report on high oil prices not to identify the culprit. Published November 17, 2010 in Special Report: Peak Oil
London Calling - Downtown London, Ontario felt like a parallel universe version of Hamilton in which Main Street was two-way and McMaster had a proper downtown campus. Published November 08, 2010 in Photo Essay
What to Expect from the Mayor-Elect - Bob Bratina's voting record in ward 2 shows a progressive councillor who chooses consistently in support of the downtown core and urban revitalization. Published October 28, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
After Election, Time for Democracy - Now that the municipal election is over, the real work of democratic engagement begins. Published October 26, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Hamilton Elects Bratina as Mayor, Re-Elects Nearly All Incumbent Councillors - Bob Bratina wins the mayoralty with 37.5% of votes cast. Jason Farr wins in Ward 2, Judi Partridge wins in Ward 15, and the incumbent wins in every other ward except Ward 11, in which Brenda Johnson beat David Mitchell. Published October 25, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Candidates' Ideas on Improving Hamilton's Image - Municipal candidates share diverse ideas on how they will improve Hamilton's image and make the city more attractive to visitors, students, commuters and newcomers. Published October 25, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Candidates Tackle Poverty - RTH asked candidates whether poverty is the most critical issue facing Hamilton. Of the 38 respondents, 37 or 97.4% answered Yes, and one or 2.6% answered No. Published October 25, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Candidates' Ideas on Doubling Transit Ridership - We asked candidates if they support the city's goal of doubling transit ridership by 2020. Of the 43 respondents, 42, or 97.7%, answered Yes and one, or 2.3%, answered No. Published October 25, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Most Candidates Say Council Could Be More Respectful - As at this writing, 51 active candidates, or 61.4% of the total, have responded. Of the 51 respondents, 45 or 88.2% agreed, 3 or 5.9% disagreed, and 3 or 5.9% were undecided or ambivalent. Published October 22, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Most Candidates Clueless About Open Public Data - Looking at the detailed responses, it is clear that even most of the candidates who agree with open public data don't really understand what the concept means. Published October 21, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Incumbents Support AEGD, Candidates Split - Of the 57 respondents, 20 or 35.1% support the Airport Employment Growth District. Another 29 or 50.9% oppose it, and 8 or 14% are undecided or ambivalent. Published October 20, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Most Candidates Support LRT, Mayoral Candidates Split - Of the 65 candidates who responded, 47 or 72.3% support LRT, 13 or 20% oppose LRT, and 5 or 7.7% are ambivalent or undecided. Published October 20, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Candidates Split on Accepting Corporate, Union Donations - Overall, a majority of responding candidates have stated that they will not accept corporate or union donations. However, several incumbent councillors running for re-election defend their 'right' to accept such donations. Published October 19, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Most Candidates Oppose Stadium Funding - Of the 46 candidates who responded as at this writing, 33 or 71.7% answered "No", 6 or 13.0% answered "Yes", and 7 or 15.2% were ambivalent or undecided. Published October 18, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Council Suspends Zoning Enforcement for Culture Industries - A newly approved council motion establishes a Community Improvement Plan for the Creative Cluster and suspends zoning enforcement for existing creative businesses. Published October 14, 2010 in Special Report: Pearl Company
Strong Candidate Support for Bicycle Plan - Most of the respondents to the RTH question about support for the City's bicycle plan strongly support it. Nearly all agree that continuous, safe bicycle routes are important. Published October 12, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Candidates: Hamilton Not Doing Enough to Encourage Urban Reinvestment - Candidates express dissatisfaction with 'antiquated' zoning rules, regulations and charges that deter business investment in older neighbourhoods. Published September 30, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Fletcher: No Alternative to Rezoning for Pearl Company - Al Fletcher explains the City's position on the Pearl Company's zoning predicament. Published September 24, 2010 in Special Report: Pearl Company
Pearl Company Owners Giving Up - Any 'process' that effectively prevents property owners from investing in improving their property and using it for purposes that actually improve their neighbourhood is a failure that needs to be discarded. Published September 21, 2010 in Special Report: Pearl Company
Renovated Market Will Hold Fewer Stalls - With fewer stalls in a renovated Farmers' Market, the City will prioritize which vendors can still fit with a scoring system that encourages local farmers over wholesalers. Published September 13, 2010 in Downtown Bureau
Interview with Mayor Eisenberger on MIP Stadium Site - In a telephone interview with RTH, Mayor Fred Eisenberger shared his thoughts on the McMaster Innovation Park location that has emerged recently as a possible alternative to the West Harbour. Published August 30, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Chamberlain: 'Absolutely Foolhardy' to Build Stadium at Innovation Park - Mark Chamberlain says that building a stadium on lands earmarked for new-economy businesses would actually "detract from the city's economic agenda" in the MIP by crowding out more valuable spinoff investments. Published August 30, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
The First Rule of Bargaining - It may well be that if Council had demonstrated the same solidarity as the Ticats management and been willing, from the start, to walk away from a bad deal, the Ticats might have handled their end of the negotiations differently. Published August 27, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Amid Denials, Questions Remain Over Political Interference - While Mayor Eisenberger parses words over whether the Province made an offer to support the East Mountain, the question remains: why were higher levels of government trying to influence the city's decision? Published August 23, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
West Harbour Still the Right Choice - It's still not too late for the Ticats to partner with the City and the people of Hamilton to build a true community legacy. Published July 30, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Future Fund Board Considers Appropriate Use of Stadium Money - The Future Fund Board of Governors will meet tomorrow, in part to discuss whether their endorsement of using Future Fund money for the Pan Am stadium is still warranted if the stadium goes on the East Mountain. Published July 26, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Sooner or Later, Province Must Get Involved in Stadium Dispute - If Hamilton can't make the correct decisions for its long term revitalization plans, will the Province step up and make those decisions for us? Published July 23, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
'We Will Make It Work, Whatever The Site' - In January, the Ticats said they would get behind whatever Pan Am stadium site the city chose. Published July 21, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Will City Commit Fully to Livable Downtown Streets? - If we don't go all-in with our rapid transit plan, we're at serious risk of ending up with an underwhelming rapid transit system with minimal impact. Published July 16, 2010 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Bob Young Explains East Mountain Stadium - Young has a straightforward "agenda" in the sense of wanting the Ticats to be commercially successful, and believes he negotiated with the city on a stadium location in good faith. Published July 13, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Interview With Mayor Eisenberger: City Building and an East Mountain Stadium - Whatever happened to Hamilton's goals of progressive development and urban revitalization? Mayor Fred Eisenberger talks about the sudden change in fortunes over the city's negotiations with the Ticats over a Pan Am Stadium location. Published July 09, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
New Offer Does Not Change Economics of Suburban Stadiums - The East Mountain option ultimately represents an opportunity for the Ticats to achieve profitability at the ongoing financial cost of public money and opportunity cost of economic vitality for the city as a whole. Published July 07, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
A Fast-Track to Failure: Council Promises to Vote on Airport Lands Before Election - Air transport is a risky growth strategy in an energy-constrained future, and uses that are not airport-related do not need to be near the airport. So why are we still determined to open up the Airport Employment Growth District? Published June 29, 2010 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Exceptionalism - Exceptionalism is as tempting as it is precisely because it provides an excuse not to go through the effort of changing. Published June 21, 2010 in Editorial
Hamilton: The City that Refuses to Pivot - Effective leaders approach policy with curiosity and an open-minded willingness to follow the evidence where it leads. They change their minds when the facts change. Published June 15, 2010 in Special Report: Creative City
Council Approves Modified Truck Route - While the Chamber decries Council tinkering with the plan in response to citizen complaints about safety, the plan itself amounted to little more than tinkering with the patchwork that preceded it. Published June 10, 2010 in Special Report: Truck Routes
We Need Livable Neighbourhoods, Not More Studies - We don't need more studies to tell us what we already know about the corrosive effects of through trucks on city neighbourhoods. What we need is a real commitment to making our city livable. Published June 08, 2010 in Special Report: Truck Routes
Open Streets Hamilton: A City Built for People - The first Open Streets on James North was an inspiring proof of concept. The next step for this city is to make Open Streets Hamilton a monthly or even weekly event. Published June 06, 2010 in City Life
Toronto: Yesterday's Development Lessons for Tomorrow - Toronto managed to avoid being hollowed out by its suburbs, mainly because the city itself continued to grow dense and diverse in its own built form and character. Published June 01, 2010 in Special Report: Creative City
Open Letter to Council: Rethink the Truck Route Master Plan Study - Will the city's decision on Truck Routes help make Hamilton the best place to raise a child, or will it reveal our real priorities? Published May 27, 2010 in Special Report: Truck Routes
Toward a Compromise on Pan Am Stadium - If the facilitator brings enough creativity and urban sensibility to the table, he may be able to persuade the Ticats that their best interest lies in embracing the logic of urban investment and making it work for them. Published May 21, 2010 in Special Report: Pan Am
Amid Recovery, Peak Oil Will Rear its Head Again - If we can't close the gap between rising demand and flat supply, we will spend the next several years reliving the boom-superspike-bust cycle again and again, while our indebtedness grows steadily and our median standard of living ratchets down. Published May 03, 2010 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Truck Route Master Plan Study Fails Neighbourhoods - Once again, the goal of reclaiming urban communities from the din, pollution and peril of through truck traffic takes a back seat to narrow business imperatives. Published April 26, 2010 in Special Report: Truck Routes
Why I'm Not That Exercised About Earth Day - If we've learned anything from the last several decades, it's this: people respond to incentives and disincentives, not to moral suasion. Published April 22, 2010 in Editorial
City Hall Marble Lines Drainage Ditch - The white Cherokee marble that cladded City Hall before it was replaced with concrete now lines a drainage ditch near Book Road in Ancaster. Published April 13, 2010 in Special Report: City Hall
Feds Axe ecoENERGY Retrofit-Homes Program - The sheer badness of this policy change is galling, even for a government so obviously in the corner of big energy interests Published April 01, 2010 in Editorial
Ontario Budget and LRT: Are We Screwed? - The Province has effectively abandoned its commitment to transfomative transit investment. Published March 26, 2010 in Special Report: Light Rail
Two-Way Streets, Not More Studies - Hamilton needs to follow the footsteps of those cities that already mustered the courage to do right by their downtown streets and are enjoying the fruits of the urban renaissance we also claim to desire. Published February 21, 2010 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Survivorship Bias and Business Opposition to LRT - Current business owners don't understand LRT beyond its narrow role as transit. Worse, as survivors of the status quo they misrepresent the lost potential for transformation. Published February 17, 2010 in Special Report: Light Rail
Engaging Citizens to Help Shape Burlington - A new citizens' advisory committee in Burlington seeks to develop best practices the city can use to do a better job of engaging the public. Published February 12, 2010 in Politics
Are We On a Slow Train to Nowhere? - After years of futzing around on a matter that has already been studied to death, the Ontario Government may end up simply running down the clock on Hamilton's best chance at a decent transportation spine. Published February 01, 2010 in Special Report: Light Rail
Review: Bistro Parisien - Excellent food, charming service, and attractive space conspire to make Bistro Parisien a uniformly delightful dining experience. Published January 25, 2010 in Reviews
Plenty of Shame to Go Around - The trend toward "routine" annual parliamentary resets will prove hard to resist for whichever party ends up in power after the next election. Published January 05, 2010 in Editorial
New RTH Website - RTH looks mostly the same, but under the covers it's running an entirely new code base. We took advantage of the cutover to add some badly-needed features. Published December 14, 2009 in Site Notes
All You Can Drive - Market-based highway tolls would get us out of our traffic jams and into an optimistic future of high quality regional transit, stronger job growth and better economic prospects. Published December 09, 2009 in Editorial
Blood Guts Bruises Cuts by The Dudes - Classic rock at its finest: hard without being aggressive, beautiful without being pretty, and so bristling with hooks that you can't help but get stuck on it. Published December 04, 2009 in Reviews
Council Cop-Out on Area Rating - Council is passing the buck by shifting the political heat that radiates from area rating off their own backs onto a randomly selected group of residents. Published November 25, 2009 in Special Report: Transit
OK, GTA: We Won the Games, Now Don't Screw Up the Legacy - If planners and decision makers want to get the most out of the Pan Am Games, they need to keep two core principles in mind: think long-term, and think urban. Published November 09, 2009 in Special Report: Pan Am
Neglected Transit: Time to Bring Hamilton's Unloved Stepchild Back into the Fold - Why does our strategic plan to double transit ridership by 2025 never, ever translate into policy decisions that move us incrementally toward that goal? Published October 27, 2009 in Special Report: Transit
James North Supercrawl: Be there - This Friday night, James North will play host to Art Crawl on steroids. You can't miss this! Published October 08, 2009 in Feature
Review: 'Islands Disappear' by Said the Whale - I defy anyone to listen to it and not come away feeling refreshed and even inspired by Said the Whale's youthful charm, optimism and energy. Published October 08, 2009 in Reviews
Official Launch of Hamilton Civic League - Witness the birth of a truly transformative organization in a city crying out for effective broad-based organizing. Published September 30, 2009 in Editorial
The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time - A man was robbed at gunpoint on Bold St., half a block from Locke. Published September 28, 2009 in Editorial
Next Stop for Connaught Proposal: Provincial Government - Citizens concerned about the process and the selection of the Connaught should direct their energies and efforts toward the provincial government. Published September 21, 2009 in Editorial
Vancouver Establishes Open Data Catalogue - Congratulations to Vancouver for taking the first steps into a new pattern of cooperation and information sharing with its citizens. Published September 17, 2009 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Talk Radio Ranting No Way to Debate Policy - Uninformed rationalizing from a set of prejudices might make for entertaining rants on the long commute home from work, but it makes for lousy public policy debate. Published September 16, 2009 in Editorial
Area Rating Reform Should Not Be a Zero-Sum Game - The main purpose of equalizing tax rates should be to increase the revenue coming into the system so the city can afford to improve service. Published September 14, 2009 in Special Report: Transit
The Fast Romantics: Self-Titled Album - Frankly, I'm astonished that no other band had already scooped up this band name, which immediately and unmistakeably evokes exactly those musical influences that the band works so hard to channel. Published August 27, 2009 in Reviews
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound: When Sweet Sleep Returns - The dynamic tension between the band's space rock tendencies and the tight song structures that bound those tendencies makes for a taught, energetic listen. Published August 27, 2009 in Reviews
Time to Ban Corporate Donations to Municipal Campaigns - Developers generally get the candidates they want elected into municipal office - and they get the policy decisions they want as well. Published August 18, 2009 in Editorial
Integrity Commissioner Report on Clark: Leak was Politically Motivated, Violates Code of Conduct - George Rust-D'Eye concluded that Clark's action in leaking a recording served no public interest, was politically motivated, and violated the Code of Conduct. Published August 07, 2009 in Special Report: Integrity Commissioner
The Bike-Car Non-Conundrum - We don't need to guess about a cycling policy. We need only decide what our goals should be, study the available evidence and implement the policy that achieves our goals. Published August 07, 2009 in Special Report: Cycling
Cirque du Soleil: Alegria at Copps Coliseum - Alegria is a masterpiece of sweeping, operatic live music, interpretive dance, ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics, and stupefying feats of strength, coordination and timing. Published July 30, 2009 in Reviews
The Four Efficiencies of Cities - Cities leverage density, scale, association and extension to realize efficiencies and generate wealth. So why aren't we planning our cities to take better advantage of this? Published July 28, 2009 in Special Report: Creative City
Album Review: Hunting Ghosts (& Other Collected Shorts) by Library Voices - Library Voices bring tight, skillful musical chops to bear in putting together a more polished sound rich in crisp melodies, complex rythms and interesting chord progressions. Published July 21, 2009 in Reviews
The Future of Creative Industries: Openness and Abundance or Innovation-Killing Legal Monopolies? - By collapsing the cost of creating and distributing content, computing and the internet could usher in a golden age of creativity - if only the creative industry can learn to embrace openness as a business model. Published July 03, 2009 in Special Report: Creative City
Roadmap to an Open Source City - Hamilton could be a real leader, generating local expertise in collaboration, improving city business, and engaging the public more effectively in developing innovative solutions to the city's challenges. Published June 30, 2009 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Interview with James "Myrcurial" Arlen of Think|Haus - Individuals can make, create, repurpose, bend, re-finish, enhance and otherwise stamp their own personality on the objects, tools and decorations that surround them. Published June 25, 2009 in Interviews
Letter to Council: Approve Cycling Master Plan - Please make an informed choice based on the clear evidence from around the world and vote to bring Hamilton into the fold of progressive, livable cities that encourage active living and full participation for all citizens. Published June 19, 2009 in Special Report: Cycling
Council Ignores Strategic Objectives - Instead of actually following their own planning policies, our council lurches from case to case, bending to whatever interest group has the most influence at a given time. Published June 18, 2009 in Editorial
Cycling Master Plan: Solid Network, Slow Implementation - City staff are asking councillors to approve a comprehensive cycling master plan that would complete a continuous bicycle network through the entire city - eventually. Published June 16, 2009 in Special Report: Cycling
City Rapid Transit Update: Good Progress but Metrolinx Analysis Still Pending - The city seems to be doing all its homework and negotiating with the right departments and governmental organizations to ensure that it is prepared to go ahead once Metrolinx releases its benefits case analysis. Published June 10, 2009 in Special Report: Light Rail
Open Source City: Making Public Data a Platform for Participation - Hamilton should embrace an open, shared data platform that increases participation and transparency while delivering better, more usable information to the public. Published June 05, 2009 in Special Report: Open Public Data
Album Review: Harsh Words by Little Foot Long Foot - Harsh Words is a great collection of unpretentious bluesy rockers that will add a much-needed dose of ass-kicking to your summer music tracklist. Published June 02, 2009 in Reviews
Interview: Ajax Mayor on Sprawl, Developers, and Sustainable Growth - Ajax Mayor Steve Parish answers questions about Durham's sprawl-friendly regional plan and what it will take to make regional planning more transparent and sustainable. Published May 27, 2009 in Interviews
Chasing Innovation in Film and Television - Today's network television business model is doomed. Hamilton has a chance to grow an economic cluster around a new business model for TV production and distribution. Published May 27, 2009 in Special Report: Creative City
Can Hamilton Become a Centre of Innovation? - The opportunities that have the best long-term prospects are not warehouses in the middle of nowhere, but a dense, healthy downtown that mixes uses, welcomes artists, leverages the university and college, and brings creative people together to solve probl Published May 19, 2009 in Special Report: Creative City
So How's That Enforcement Working For You? - When policy goes up against human nature, policy loses every time. Successful policies work because they are designed to accommodate what people are going to do anyway. Published May 14, 2009 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Subsidized Sprawl Servicing a False Economy - If suburban homes are no longer affordable once their prices reflect the actual cost of servicing, that suggests the logic of greenfield development is actually a false economy. Published May 12, 2009 in Editorial
Post Events to RTH Event Listing - Registered RTH users can now post their own events to the RTH event listing. Published May 12, 2009 in Site Notes
New RTH Comment Voting System - The purpose of comment scoring is to encourage and reinforce civility, respect, and intellectual honesty in commenting. Published May 11, 2009 in Site Notes
I'm Kind Of With Merulla on This One - Those ideas that really can transform the city are coming not from the usual suspects but from the grassroots. Published May 05, 2009 in Editorial
Wash Your Hands Already - There's just no excuse for health care workers not to wash their hands close to 100 percent of the time, all the time. Published May 01, 2009 in Editorial
Going Steady by Rah Rah - Rah Rah seethe with passion and intensity and sincerity, and their music correspondingly kicks all kinds of ass. Published April 30, 2009 in Reviews
Flint Considers Radical Retrenchment - A proposal gaining traction in economically desperate Flint, Michigan would demolish whole neighbourhoods and relocate the city's remaining residents into a few viable communities. Published April 23, 2009 in Suburbia Project
Last Chance to Comment on Cycling Master Plan - The city is accepting public input on its revised cycling master plan until April 30, 2009. Published April 22, 2009 in Special Report: Cycling
Ontario Government Proposes Changes to Metrolinx - A bill just tabled by the Ontario Government will merge Metrolinx with GO Transit and replace the current Board of municipal politicians with appointed transportation planners. Published March 31, 2009 in Special Report: Light Rail
Minor Website Redesign - Summary of changes to the RTH website that were made this week. Published March 13, 2009 in Site Notes
Dabbling in the Cult of Done - Can a succession of ephemeral, throwaway accomplishments add up to a worthwhile, enduring project? Published March 12, 2009 in Editorial
Album Review: Neveroddoreven by Theset - Theset treads the well-worn paths of Canadian alternative/power pop, sounding by turns like Our Lady Peace and Matthew Good Band, though they stir a more aggressive punk sensibility into the music. Published February 11, 2009 in Reviews
Unjust Deserts, by Gar Alperovitz and Lew Daly - Unjust Deserts is an important, timely book, and its publication should ignite a far-ranging discussion about just what it means to earn wealth. Published January 08, 2009 in Reviews
Oil Price Volatility and Economic Chaos - With a carbon tax, tougher energy efficiency regulations and incentives for innovation in energy production and conservation, we may not be too late to stay ahead of the coming permanent decline in oil production. Published January 08, 2009 in Special Report: Peak Oil
New Centre Mall Locks In Sprawl Development - If the city wants to shift development to the urban model, it needs to help investors and builders make the jump away from the sprawl model with which they're already familiar. Published November 26, 2008 in Editorial
City Hall Rally Draws 150 Supporters - A rally on Saturday to maintain City Hall's heritage value has launched a citizen campaign to sponsor the added cost of using limestone instead of concrete for the building's facade. Published November 26, 2008 in Special Report: City Hall
Album Review: Jackson Square by Arkells - Hard-hitting, melodic, bluesy rock with crisp guitars, driving bass and bombastic drums: hot damn, these guys are good! Published November 04, 2008 in Reviews
Civic Advocacy: A Brief Primer - Build relationships, find common ground, and focus on campaigns that are concrete and winnable. Published November 04, 2008 in Editorial
Enough Already! - Say what you want about whether the recent Canadian election was a waste of time; at worst it was only a waste of 35 days. Published November 04, 2008 in Editorial
The Time is Right Now for Light Rail in Hamilton - The only way to guarantee first-round funding is to send Metrolinx a clear message that the city's political leadership is united behind the light rail initiative. Published October 02, 2008 in Special Report: Light Rail
A Little Farther Down the Line - After a busy summer, light rail is getting closer to reality for Hamilton. Published September 11, 2008 in Special Report: Light Rail
A Work in Progress: James North in Transition - Three new projects on James Street North showcase a neighbourhood coming back to life. Published September 11, 2008 in Editorial
Summer Vacation - This is the last RTH issue before our annual summer break. Published July 07, 2008 in Editorial
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker - Welding the C:/ - The organic folk sensibility blends smoothly with the jagged electronic beats and samples to produce a surprisingly fresh hybrid. Published June 05, 2008 in Reviews
Who Owns Our Media? - The traditional media are used to being the experts who decide what people watch and read. That approach excludes people who hunger to participate. Published April 30, 2008 in Media
Transport Revolutions Seminar - As oil production goes into decline, we must transform the way we move people and goods. Published January 18, 2008 in Editorial
Case Studies in Dysfunctional Governance - Regardless of which decision you support, it's bad policy not to consider the alternatives before making a decision. Published December 20, 2007 in Editorial
Amid Policy Crises, Canadians Grow Weary of Politicking - The Conservatives have had two years to demonstrate that they represent all Canadians, not merely their partisan base. Instead, they have demonstrated that they just don't get it. Published December 20, 2007 in Editorial
Overcoming Domesticated Ambition - The Public Works Department claims to be undergoing a conceptual shift in what city building means, but it still has a way to go. Published November 27, 2007 in Special Report: Light Rail
Hamilton Light Rail Website Launch - A new organization is forming to promote modern light rail in Hamilton. Published November 08, 2007 in Special Report: Light Rail
Downtown Transportation Master Plan Review: Promising, But Needs Improvement - Contact the city Department of Public Works and add your comments to the plan. Published November 08, 2007 in Downtown Bureau
Yes, We're in Peak Oil Today - The collapse of the sprawl land use and transportation model does not lie far in some hypothetical future, but right around the corner. Published October 22, 2007 in Special Report: Peak Oil
More Than a Feeling: A Boston Travelogue - Boston provides abundant lessons - both hopeful and cautionary - for a revitalizing city like Hamilton. Published October 22, 2007 in Editorial
Big Box Stores and Urban Development - The best way to get developers to accept urban criteria is to make the rules clear and simple. Published September 28, 2007 in Editorial
HPD Intensification Seminar - You can't change the planning policies or the economics of development until you change people's mindsets about planning and development. Published September 28, 2007 in Editorial
Building Grassroots Support for Light Rail - If Hamilton is going to get light rail, citizens need to take the lead in advocating for it. Published September 09, 2007 in Special Report: Light Rail
Is Bicycling Safe? - If you follow the rules of the road and ride carefully, cycling is actually much safer than driving. Published September 09, 2007 in Special Report: Cycling
Better Urban Development By Design: An Interview with Mayor Fred Eisenberger (Part 3) - Mayor Eisenberger talks about urban design, architectural review, making zoning rules more flexible, and the role box stores play in Hamilton's retail landscape. Published June 27, 2007 in Interviews
Wanted: Light Rail Champion for Hamilton - The Mayor really needs to get out in front of this issue and demonstrate some robust leadership. Published June 27, 2007 in Special Report: Light Rail
Eight Reasons Everyone Should Support Light Rail - Light rail isn't just good for riders; society as a whole benefits from fast, clean, convenient transit. Published June 27, 2007 in Special Report: Light Rail
The Internet is Self-Correcting - Compared to TV, the Internet makes it extremely easy to expose oneself to a humongous variety of perspectives and opinions from across the political spectrum and around the globe. Published June 27, 2007 in Editorial
Unfinished Business - After four years the Liberal Party has accomplished much, but several unresolved problems threaten to undercut its legacy. Published June 07, 2007 in Ontario Election 2007
Fix the Municipal Funding System - Canadian cities cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 19th century legal framework. Published April 30, 2007 in Editorial
Support the Anti-Idling By-Law - The proposed anti-idling by-law needs your support at the May 10 public consultation. Published April 30, 2007 in Editorial
Patrick Watson: Close to Paradise - Patrick Watson's music is so rich, so substantial, so very sensual that it fairly begs to be compared to fine wine or hearty, Mediterranean cuisine. Published March 19, 2007 in Reviews
Education for Smarter Growth: An Interview with Mayor Fred Eisenberger (Part 2) - Mayor Eisenberger talks about development plans based on Vision 2020 and building neighbourhoods, not subdivisions. Published February 26, 2007 in Interviews
The Oil Depletion Protocol: An Interview with Richard Heinberg - Richard Heinberg discusses the challenges, threats, and opportunities of a world on the brink of irreversible declines in oil production. Published February 26, 2007 in Special Report: Peak Oil
The Speed Factor - It's dangerous nonsense to suggest that speed is not a factor when a moving vehicle kills a pedestrian. Published February 09, 2007 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
I'm Gretzky, You're Gretzky - Part dystopian satire, part romance, this book made me laugh out loud. Published January 24, 2007 in Reviews
Scratching the Surface - A city's downtown core can have attractive destinations worth getting to or it can have abundant parking for people who want to drive to get there. It can't have both. Published January 24, 2007 in Special Report: Parking
American Way of Life: Still Not Up for Negotiation - Bush's plan to reduce US reliance on imported petroleum through the wonders of technology is dangerous magical thinking. Published January 24, 2007 in Editorial
New Direction for the City: An Interview With Mayor Fred Eisenberger (Part 1) - Mayor Fred shares his ideas and plans for improving Hamilton's transportation system. Published January 10, 2007 in Interviews
The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook - Sustainability, permaculture, and the novel idea that living with less stuff is actually a good thing. Published January 10, 2007 in Special Report: Peak Oil
The Weather Makers - Tim Flannery's sweeping study on climate change is an absolutely essential read if you want to understand the 21st century's most pressing challenge. Published January 10, 2007 in Special Report: Climate Change
Raise the Hammer Turns Two - Thanks to you, Raise the Hammer is celebrating its second anniversary. Published December 13, 2006 in Site Notes
Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology - In our technology-obsessed culture, too much is almost enough. How much do we really need? Published December 13, 2006 in Reviews
Bidness is Bad for Business - The bad money of bidness, which thrives on secrecy and cronyism, drives out the good money of innovative industries that try to addres some of our long-term problems. Published November 23, 2006 in Editorial
RTH Going to Print (We Really Mean it This Time) - A new partnership with Mayday Magazine will see a proper RTH print edition. Published November 23, 2006 in Editorial
Good Guys and Bad Guys in City Politics - Do we blame the politician who breaks the rules, or the citizen who tries to hold the politician accountable? Published November 08, 2006 in Editorial
Planning for a Sustainable Future, Kind of - Raise the Hammer asked the candidates how they would address five issues of sustainability: climate change, peak oil, sprawl, transportation, and aerotropolis. Published November 08, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
A Word in Edgewise - Regardless of what happened on Tuesday night's mayoral candidates debate, the Spectator decided early on which candidates are "high profile" enough to warrant coverage. Published October 20, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Mayoral Candidate Accuses Newspaper of Favouritism - Diane Elms accused the Hamilton Spectator of playing favourites after Mayor Larry Di Ianni received advanced notice of an upcoming article on positive public attitudes toward the economy. Published October 20, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
The Five Most Important Things - For this issue, we have asked the candidates to share their ideas on how to improve the city. Published October 20, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
US Democracy Under Threat - The global economy is set to start shrinking as the supply of oil goes into decline. Big business will fight ruthlessly to protect their share of the pie. Published October 06, 2006 in US Politics
Narrow Vision - Between the cult of predestination in the city's main newspaper and the deafening silence of some candidates, it's difficult for voters to make informed decisions. Published October 06, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Can the Bicycle Save Civilization? - The lowly bicycle could be a key to our long-term survival. Published September 20, 2006 in Special Report: Cycling
Ersatz v. Real Urban Development - If we want to avoid more planning failures, we need to understand the nature of urban development before we lurch into the future. Published September 20, 2006 in Editorial
Broad Based Organizing in Hamilton - Don't despair over the results of the upcoming municipal election. With a broad based citizen movement, it may not matter who wins. Published August 30, 2006 in Editorial
Safer Streets by Design - As well as trying to change behaviours, we should also arrange our physical environment so the danger of collisions is reduced without sacrificing the pedestrian character of city streets. Published August 30, 2006 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
CATCH Election Pledge: Where do the Candidates Stand? - RTH contacted city councillors and registered candidates to find out where they stand on the Citizens at City Hall election pledge. Published August 30, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Summer Break - We're taking some time off during the summer. Published July 05, 2006 in Site Notes
A War on Rhetorical Wars - People don't like to be dominated, and resistance to domination is a renewable resource. Published July 05, 2006 in Editorial
Lister Block: Writing on the Wall - Lister Block hangs in the balance; can any possible outcome please enough people to resolve the conflict over its fate? Published July 05, 2006 in Special Report: Lister Block
Cycle Safely - Collisions usually happen because one person does something unexpected and the other does not notice it in time to respond appropriately. Published June 16, 2006 in Special Report: Cycling
GRIDS Goes Bust - How could such a large project, involving so many contributors, end up producing almost exactly the status quo framework that developers want? Published May 26, 2006 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Business as Usual - The GRIDS long-term growth strategy is not "smart growth" by any meaningful definition. Published May 05, 2006 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Toward a New Vision for Hamilton (Part 2) - Hamilton needs to make energy conservation and production its civic mission. Published May 05, 2006 in Special Report: Electric City
Site Redesign - Raise the Hammer has a new look, streamlining the main menu and giving the Hammerblog and Word on the Street their own space. Published April 21, 2006 in Site Notes
Welcome to the Club - The Hamilton Spectator cannot get serious about supporting full public discussions until it stops functioning as a mouthpiece for those factions that want to shut the public out. Published April 21, 2006 in Media
The Village of Porlock - With some careful planning and strong leadership, even poorly designed villages like Porlock can aspire to the rationality and clean separation of the Ancaster Meadowlands. Published April 21, 2006 in Not to Code
A Fair Trade? - Just how much are we willing to sacrifice for convenience? Quite a lot, it turns out. Published April 09, 2006 in Editorial
Big Casket: Do Box Stores Have a Future? - Whatever else happens, the days of customers driving several kilometres to the warehouse store on the edge of town are numbered. Published April 09, 2006 in Editorial
Toward a New Vision for Hamilton - No wonder city staff don't know what to do with Richard Gilbert's peak oil report; adopting it would mean throwing out most of Hamilton's long-term growth strategy. Published April 09, 2006 in Special Report: Electric City
Peak, er, Pique Your Interest? - Peak oil is about to go mainstream. Will that make any difference? Published March 18, 2006 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Restore the Lister - According to a recent assessment by an experienced architect, the Lister Block is structurally sound and a good candidate for restoration. Published March 01, 2006 in Special Report: Lister Block
Twilight in the Desert - This tremendous book challenges readers to consider the unthinkable - the approaching day when Saudi Arabian oil production goes into decline. Published March 01, 2006 in Special Report: Peak Oil
It's a Sprawl World After All - It doesn't make a strong case connecting violence to sprawl, but this book does a great job of offering concrete solutions. Published March 01, 2006 in Reviews
In the Zone - In its attempt to separate people from noisy, dirty, dangerous industry, zoning puts everyone in close proximity of noisy, dirty, dangerous cars. Published February 15, 2006 in Editorial
Petrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar - If you want to enter this year with a better understanding of the large geopolitical forces shaping such events, you could do much worse than reading this book. Published January 27, 2006 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Hurry Up and Kuwait - The earth's oil reserves just dropped by five percent. Which other countries are cooking the books? Published January 27, 2006 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Economics and Ecology - Our arbitrary property divisions don't extend to nature, and pollution ignores the property line. Published January 09, 2006 in Editorial
Boulevard of Repaired Dreams - Upper James is a nightmare today, but it would make a wonderful European-style boulevard. Published January 09, 2006 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Ecocities: Building Cities in Balance with Nature - This book is every bit as rich, dense, and lush as the proposed development that bears its name. Published December 14, 2005 in Reviews
An Amazing Ride - On the first anniversary of Raise the Hammer, editor Ryan McGreal looks back on the unlikely path that brought him here. Published December 14, 2005 in Media
Deer oh Dear - There are better ways than a deer cage to bring downtown children into contact with nature. Published December 14, 2005 in Editorial
Designing Hope - Discover how a gingerbread house can provide food and shelter for the homeless. Published November 28, 2005 in Feature
Sidebar - Architecture and Homelessness - Design Hope volunteers talk about the role architecture and the arts can play in creating cities that have room for everyone. Published November 28, 2005 in Feature
Sidebar - Sharing the Pain: Chest Hair for Shelter - Dan Medakovic has agreed to have his chest waxed to raise over $1,000 in donations for Design Hope. Published November 28, 2005 in Feature
Designing Livable Cities: An Interview With Donald Schmitt - DSAI Principal Donald Schmitt talks about sprawl, two-way streets, and the role citizens play in ensuring good architecture. Published November 28, 2005 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
No Two Ways About It - All the myriad encounters and interactions that take place in city streets collectively add up to city life, city economy, and city culture. Published November 10, 2005 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Two Futures: The Suburban Home - Sprawl living stretches out like a life sentence in isolation. Published November 10, 2005 in Suburbia Project
Two Futures: The Sustainable Home - Wake up from the "American Dream" and start building a community worth living in. Published November 10, 2005 in Suburbia Project
Review: The Oil Factor - The Oil Factor tried to be two movies at once: is this movie about war crimes or geopolitics? Published November 10, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Getting There in Suburbia - The end of suburban affluence could inaugurate a civic renaissance, keeping people too busy building rich, diverse neighbourhoods to notice that their nominal "living standards" are in decline. Published November 10, 2005 in Suburbia Project
Sprawl is Dead. Long Live the Suburbs! - For better or worse, sprawl suburbs are here to stay. Either we come up with ways to make them livable or we're going to be in big trouble. Published October 21, 2005 in Suburbia Project
Suburbia Project: The Responses - Consider this the start of what we feel will be a critically important debate in coming years, as the energy foundation of a continent-wide - and rapidly globalizing - living arrangement begins to crumble. Published October 21, 2005 in Suburbia Project
On Balance - Unless we get past that jump - many cars driven slightly less frequently to very few (or no) cars - we'll never realize the full benefits of compact, mixed-use development. Published October 21, 2005 in Editorial
Tweaking the Margins - It's easy to say that the status quo is not an option, but harder to consider real options that actually do challenge our conventions. Published October 07, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Changing the (Political) Climate - Climate change is not an us-and-them problem. When the very planet is at stake, there can only be us-and-us. Published October 07, 2005 in Special Report: Climate Change
Waking Up from the American Dream: A Review of Sprawl Kills - Joel Hirschhorn spreads the word about the dangers of sprawl and encourages people to demand healthy places to live. Published September 15, 2005 in Reviews
From 'Desperation Planning' to Community Vision - Between Hamiltonians for Progressive Development and energy expert Richard Gilbert, Hamilton City Council has a great opportunity to restore an open, citizen-based program for setting goals and establishing criteria. Published September 15, 2005 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
The Devolution of the Revolution - These five suggestions could help the Hamilton Spectator begin to reverse the dangerous trend of putting marketing and consumerism ahead of journalism. Published September 15, 2005 in Media
Thinking Beyond the Hunch: An Interview With Michael Desnoyers and Jack Santa-Barbara - The co-founders of Hamiltonians for Progressive Development respond to Mayor Larry Di Ianni on aerotropolis, planning, and public participation. Published September 15, 2005 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Interview with Mary Lou Tanner - Hamilton's Manager of Strategic and Environmental Planning talks about suburbia, balanced transportation and sustainable living. Published September 15, 2005 in Interviews
Peak Oil Report - Read the three-part Raise the Hammer special report on the implications of a global peak in oil production. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Riding Down the Curve: How Cities Can Survive the Energy Crisis (Peak Oil, Part III) - If cities don't plan for the coming energy crisis, many will not survive it. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Sidebar: Are We In Peak Oil Today? - For the first time, the global oil system has no margin for error. Any significant supply disruption will send prices skyrocketing. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Sidebar: A Strangling Embrace - China and America appear to be headed on a collision course as they both scramble to secure access to a diminishing resource on which they both depend. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Sidebar: Iran in the Crosshairs - Iran's danger to America is not its nuclear program but its plan to introduce a euro-based energy exchange. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Sidebar: Electricity Deregulation - Far from lowering prices, deregulation has introduced the worst elements of competition without any redeeming aspects. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Smoove D: An Interview with Mayor Larry Di Ianni - Say what you want about Larry Di Ianni: the man can talk. Published August 22, 2005 in Interviews
Hamilton Goes A-Marketing - The Farmers' Market is the fulcrum of a local, self-sustaining economy whereas the mega-grocery store is merely the adjunct of a global, unsustainable economy. Published August 22, 2005 in Special Report: Farmers Market
A Real Transport Hub - The city's $100 million aerotropolis investment will "lock in" a system that is inherently less efficient than available alternatives, saddling Hamilton with infrastructure that will make it less competitive in the future. Published July 01, 2005 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Summer Vacation - It's too stinkin' hot. We'll be back in mid-August. Published July 01, 2005 in Editorial
Bridging the Gap: Alternatives to Petroleum (Peak Oil, Part II) - Oil's three unique properties, combined with its sheer abundance, mean it's unlikely any alternative, or combination of alternatives, can replace oil and allow our economy to continue its current course indefinitely. Published July 01, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Slippery Slope: Oil after the Global Peak (Peak Oil, Part I) - As we head into the summer driving season, it seems a good time to take stock of the issue of oil production. Published June 16, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Getting Off the GRIDS - A massive urban expansion is being executed under the auspices of a strategy that is supposed to prevent such madness. Published June 16, 2005 in Special Report: Aerotropolis
Boxes Inside Boxes - The big box model destroys the possibility of any street life in its surroundings. Published June 16, 2005 in Editorial
(Stair)case Closed - The Staircase was never just a business, but grew into a bona fide community centre, filling an important niche as a home for independent thought and expression. Published June 16, 2005 in Editorial
Open Up - The lesson for King Street West is to follow the lead of architect Bruce Kuwabara, who managed to transform an ugly fortress into a warm, inviting gallery, and open the facilities to the street. Published May 31, 2005 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
RTH Goes Bi-Weekly - Starting this issue, Raise the Hammer will be published bi-weekly instead of monthly. Published May 16, 2005 in Site Notes
Mind the Gap: How to Ease Yourself Across the Oil Peak - The best way to survive this period more or less intact is to insulate yourself, as much as possible, from fluctuating energy prices. Published May 16, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
First Principles - If we understand how healthy cities work, the citizens of Hamilton can revitalize our wonderful city. Published May 16, 2005 in Editorial
The Long Emergency - James Howard Kunstler warns of a tougher, slower, more intensely local world in the aftermath of cheap energy. Published May 16, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Hitting the Wall - Building regulations should be simple, coherent, and people-friendly. Published April 14, 2005 in Editorial
Child Friendly Cities - Despite airs of child-friendliness, the actual built environment of suburbia is extremely hostile to children's most basic needs. Published April 14, 2005 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
The High Cost of Free Parking - Humble "free" parking is largely responsible for the catastrophic failures of postwar North American cities. Published April 14, 2005 in Special Report: Parking
The Birks Building - Hamilton still hasn't learned the lesson from its denial of its own history. Published April 04, 2005 in Atrocity of the Month
Renewal v. Revitalization - We need to make revitalization, not renewal, the basis for our downtown recovery. Published March 14, 2005 in Editorial
Red Hill Valley Expressway (Here it Comes) - How can a magazine dedicated to sustainable urban development not have an opinion on a megaproject that supports a growth pattern with no future? Published February 19, 2005 in Atrocity of the Month
No Jackboot Required - The trick is to remove impediments and restrictions so that real growth and development can take place at natural cross-roads and meeting places. Published February 19, 2005 in Editorial
The End of Suburbia - Short of reading a book on the subject, this movie presents as convincing a case as I have seen that the foundation for our way of life is ready to crack. Published January 14, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Richard Heinberg: The Party's Over and Powerdown - Richard Heinberg makes a compelling but accessible case that global oil production will probably peak within the decade. More important, he has some ideas on what to do about it. Published January 14, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Interview with Richard Heinberg - Richard Heinberg kindly agreed to an interview with Raise the Hammer on the effects peak oil production is likely to have on cities. Published January 14, 2005 in Special Report: Peak Oil
Braving the Tunnel - Good streets aren't created by fiat, but given fertile conditions, good streets can be 'grown' over time. If we make the necessary changes, Main Street may still bear fruit. Published January 14, 2005 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
Links - Links to other sites in Hamilton and around the world that support sustainable urban revitalization. Published December 14, 2004 in Site Notes
Discussion Guidelines - Please read this article before posting messages on the RTH discussion. Published December 14, 2004 in Site Notes
Submissions - Read this before submitting an article or letter to the editor. Published December 14, 2004 in Site Notes
About Raise the Hammer - Introduction, overview, and brief history of Raise the Hammer. Published December 14, 2004 in Site Notes
"Scenic View", Jackson Square Plaza - Why anyone ever thought people would rather walk across a boxy roof than down a lively street remains one of the enduring mysteries of the 20th century. Published December 14, 2004 in Atrocity of the Month
How could you not love this city? - At Raise the Hammer, we love Hamilton, warts and all. There's plenty to get angry about, but there's also plenty to celebrate. Published December 14, 2004 in Editorial
How I Became Canadian, Published July 30, 2018 in Reviews - Fringe 2018
Fringe 2017 Review: Brine, Published July 23, 2017 in Reviews - Fringe 2017
Fringe 2015 Review: Commercials for Hamilton, Published July 19, 2015 in Reviews - Fringe 2015
Fringe 2015 Review: Jesters Incognito, Published July 19, 2015 in Reviews - Fringe 2015
Fringe 2015 Review: The Cockwhisperer ... A Love Story, Published July 18, 2015 in Reviews - Fringe 2015
Fringe 2015 Review: Panacea!, Published July 17, 2015 in Reviews - Fringe 2015
Fringe 2015 Review: Richard Lett - Sober But Never Clean, Published July 17, 2015 in Reviews - Fringe 2015
Fringe Review: Romeo & Juliet: An Escapist Comedy, Published July 28, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Carbon Copies, Published July 24, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Places, Published July 22, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Suitcase: The Untold Story of Evelyn Dick, Published July 20, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Sherlock and Watson: Behind Closed Doors, Published July 20, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: 911, Published July 20, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Life Through Fire, Published July 20, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: The Trial of Naomi Verne, Published July 19, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: The Conspiracy of Michael, Published July 19, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Fringe Review: Fringe Kicks Off with Sneak Peak Performances, Published July 18, 2014 in Reviews - Fringe 2014
Two-Way Conversions, Ancaster Transit Improvement Casualties of Budget Vote, Published April 10, 2014 in Transportation
Carnage is Not a Competitive Advantage, Published March 28, 2014 in Transportation
Five Mostly Empty Lanes on Main Street, Published March 28, 2014 in Transportation
New Documentary on Campaign to Save Parkview Secondary from Closure, Published March 13, 2014 in Education
LRT on Bill Kelly Show, Published March 07, 2014 in Light Rail
LRT Video a Hopeful Blast from the (Recent) Past, Published March 05, 2014 in Light Rail
Hamilton on TVO's The Agenda, Published February 26, 2014 in Media
Only One Speed Fits the Life-Sized City, Published February 17, 2014 in Transportation
Copy this Transportation Analysis from Xerox, Published January 29, 2014 in Transportation
Queen Down to One Lane at Hunter, Traffic Flowing Smoothly, Published January 09, 2014 in Transportation
Elderly Pedestrian Struck at Gage and Maplewood, Published November 21, 2013 in News
No Plans Yet for 20 Jackson Street West, Published November 07, 2013 in Revitalization
Transit Lane Op-Eds in The Hamiltonian, The Spectator, Published November 05, 2013 in Transportation
Jogger Dies After Collision at Charlton and Wentworth, Published November 01, 2013 in News
Driver Charged in Collision with Jogger at Charlton and Wentworth, Published October 31, 2013 in News
One Block of Queen Street to be Converted to Two-Way, Published October 29, 2013 in Transportation
Hudak Threatens to Nix LRT, Bratina Unfazed, Published October 29, 2013 in Activism
Jeff Speck's Walkable City TED Talk, Published October 18, 2013 in Revitalization
Walkability Fail on Main Street West, Published October 01, 2013 in Walkability Fail
Yet Another Report Notices We're Past Peak Car, Published September 19, 2013 in Transportation
Transit-Only Lane Delayed - Updated, Published September 04, 2013 in Transportation
Twitter Accounts May Signal New Pro-Casino Push, Published August 22, 2013 in Casino
Update on Permanent Locke/Herkimer Bumpout, Published August 20, 2013 in Transportation
Queensdale Construction an Opportunity to Extend Bike Lanes, Published August 19, 2013 in Transportation
In Vancouver, Driving is Declining while Population Increases, Published August 14, 2013 in Transportation
Retail Sales Up 350 Percent After Bike Lanes Replace Parking Spots, Published August 14, 2013 in Transportation
New Ticats President Wants Mass Demolitions for Soccer Pitches, Published August 09, 2013 in Revitalization
Cities Without Protected Bike Lanes 'Being Left Behind', Published August 08, 2013 in Transportation
Fringe Reviews: Bridezilla vs. The Apocalypse, Published July 26, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Fringe Reviews: Myra's Story and Tom, Dick and Harry, Published July 28, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Fringe Reviews: The Hangman's Reprise, Published July 27, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Fringe Reviews: Asylum, Published July 26, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
City Still Killing Development Dead with Obdurate Rule Enforcement, Published July 25, 2013 in Business
Fringe Reviews: Oh God - The Drums, Published July 23, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Fringe Reviews: Jack and Jill Bieber-Fever and Baby Redboots' Revenge, Published July 21, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Fringe Reviews: The Gore Mis-Fits and Normal, Published July 20, 2013 in Reviews - Fringe 2013
Elderly Cyclist Hospitalized After Collision on Osler Drive, Published July 09, 2013 in Transportation
'Gridlock' on King Street East, Published July 03, 2013 in Transportation
Driving Time Between Eastgate and McMaster, Published June 28, 2013 in Transportation
Gore Buildings On Heritage Canada's Top Ten Endangered Places List, Published June 27, 2013 in Heritage
Workers Clearing Out 24-28 King Street East, Published June 25, 2013 in Heritage
Hamilton Hometown Love, Published June 19, 2013 in Media
Enjoying the Gore Park Promenade, Published June 14, 2013 in Revitalization
83-Year-Old Pedestrian Dies from Injuries After Collision, Published June 13, 2013 in Transportation
Hamilton Tactical Urbanism in TreeHugger, Published June 12, 2013 in Activism
Another Rapid Transit Manager Leaves City, Published June 10, 2013 in Light Rail
Hume Tells Hamilton to Start Thinking Like a City, Published June 10, 2013 in Revitalization
Hamilton Tactical Urbanism in The Atlantic Cities, Published June 05, 2013 in Activism
Farmers' Market Outdoor Stalls This Summer, Published May 29, 2013 in Revitalization
Rapid Transit Works - If You Do It Properly, Published May 27, 2013 in Light Rail
A Trip Down Highway 6, Published May 21, 2013 in Transportation
83-Year-Old Pedestrian Struck at Upper Gage and Mohawk, Published May 16, 2013 in Transportation
Tactical Urbanism Crackdown in Spacing, Published May 10, 2013 in Activism
20 Jackson Demolition Rumour is Just a Rumour - For Now, Published May 09, 2013 in Revitalization
Merulla Motion Calls for Integrity Commissioner to Investigate Mayor Bratina, Published May 07, 2013 in Politics
Mayor Bratina Recuses Himself from Mayors' Vote on Big Move Revenue Tools, Published May 07, 2013 in Light Rail
Still More Evidence We're Past Peak Driving, Published April 24, 2013 in Transportation
Another Anti-LRT Argument Based on Bad Analysis, Published April 19, 2013 in Light Rail
Toward Regaining Confidence in the Ability to Plan Cities, Published April 04, 2013 in Revitalization
Vancouverism, Hamilton and the Road Less Traveled, Published April 03, 2013 in Revitalization
More Evidence That Active Transportation Supports Improved Health, Published April 01, 2013 in Transportation
Main Street Just Two Lanes at Bay - No Gridlock, Published March 27, 2013 in Transportation
Joey Coleman and Ryan McGreal on Our City TV, Published March 26, 2013 in Media
Walkability and Economic Value, Published March 19, 2013 in Transportation
Hamilton Does Not Have Gridlock, Published March 19, 2013 in Transportation
In Pope Francis, an Opportunity to Re-Tune Catholic Doctrine, Published March 14, 2013 in Philosophy
Progressive Urbanism Benefits Entire City, Published March 01, 2013 in Revitalization
Two-Way Conversion Survey Shows We Have Work to Do, Published February 26, 2013 in Transportation
Hamilton Leaders Need to be Champions for Light Rail, Published February 14, 2013 in Light Rail
Presentation on Complete, Two-Way Streets for Beasley Neighbourhood Association, Published February 14, 2013 in Transportation
Mayor Bratina to Chamber of Commerce on LRT, Published February 06, 2013 in Light Rail
Mississauga Mayor Shows Strong Leadership on LRT, Published January 24, 2013 in Light Rail
Video: Interfering with Traffic, Published January 17, 2013 in Transportation
RIP Aaron Swartz, Published January 14, 2013 in People
MTO Seeks Public Input on Cycling Strategy, Published January 09, 2013 in Transportation
The Walkability Dividend, Published January 08, 2013 in Revitalization
18-28 King Street East in the Globe and Mail, Published January 05, 2013 in Revitalization
Complete Streets on Vital Signs TV, Published December 21, 2012 in Media
Public Health Responds to Santucci on Sanford School, Published December 20, 2012 in Health
Video: Play to Extinction, Published December 20, 2012 in Casino
Pasuta 'Trying to Keep an Open Mind' on Policy, Published December 19, 2012 in Politics
Medical Officer of Health Asked to Investigate Sanford School, Published December 18, 2012 in Revitalization
This is How You Deal With Congestion, Published December 14, 2012 in Transportation
Hamilton Elementary Public School Teachers on a One-Day Strike on Monday, Published December 14, 2012 in News
Hume: Toronto Police Not Interested in Safe Streets, Published December 11, 2012 in Transportation
Chamber Calls for Complete Streets Study, Published December 05, 2012 in Transportation
This is How You Champion LRT, Published December 03, 2012 in Light Rail
More Details from Metrolinx on Hamilton's LRT Plan, Published November 30, 2012 in Light Rail
Chance to Save Sanford School, Published November 28, 2012 in Revitalization
School Board Eager to Demolish Another Architecturally Significant Building, Published November 23, 2012 in Revitalization
Lessons on City Building from, er, Mississauga, Published November 19, 2012 in Revitalization
Presentation: Complete Streets and Community Action, Published November 09, 2012 in Transportation
Crazy Ideas and What to Do About Them, Published November 09, 2012 in Philosophy
RIP Maggie Hughes, Published November 09, 2012 in People
Police Seek Witness in Fatal Pedestrian Collision, Published October 31, 2012 in News
Possible Redevelopment of 220 Dundurn South, Published October 30, 2012 in Revitalization
Cycling Infrastructure Attracts Young Talent, Published October 29, 2012 in Transportation
Funeral Procession for Lincoln Alexander Leaves Hamilton City Hall, Published October 26, 2012 in People
Presentation: Complete Two-Way Streets in Hamilton, Published October 24, 2012 in Transportation
Airport Development Perspectives on The Hamiltonian, Published October 22, 2012 in Aerotropolis
Lincoln Alexander Dies, Published October 19, 2012 in People
The False Economy of Public-Private Partnerships, Published October 18, 2012 in Policy
Water Main Fixed at Aberdeen and Queen, Published October 05, 2012 in News
TTC Will Operate New Toronto LRT Lines After All, Published October 03, 2012 in Light Rail
Bike Helmet Debate Heats Up, Published October 01, 2012 in Transportation
Mayor Bratina on Asking for Full LRT Funding and Being a Champion, Published September 28, 2012 in Light Rail
Tax Cuts Do Not Stimulate the Economy, Published September 24, 2012 in Economy
Hazmat Call to Metro Store in Dundas, Published September 21, 2012 in News
TTC Will Not Operate New Toronto LRT Lines, Published September 20, 2012 in Light Rail
Diabetes Risk Higher in Less Walkable Neighbourhoods: Study, Published September 19, 2012 in Health
Youth Culture Shifts Away from Cars and Driving, Published September 18, 2012 in Transportation
Water Main Fixed at James and Cannon, Published September 14, 2012 in News
Pembina-RBC Study Recommends Urban Policy Changes, Published September 11, 2012 in Revitalization
Best Of Hamilton, Published September 11, 2012 in Media
Locke Street Building Demolished, Published September 04, 2012 in News
Aberdeen/Kent Crosswalk Almost Finished, Published September 04, 2012 in Transportation
Yet Another Observer Tells Hamilton to Convert its Streets to Two-Way, Published August 30, 2012 in Revitalization
Kitchener First City in Ontario to Endorse Coroner's Report on Cycling, Published August 29, 2012 in Transportation
Mayor: Municipality Expected to Contribute to LRT, Published August 28, 2012 in Light Rail
Stintz: Metrolinx Fully Funding Crosstown LRT, Published August 28, 2012 in Light Rail
Mayor: 'More Focused Discussion' on LRT Funding After Province Says Hamilton Must Help Pay, Published August 22, 2012 in Light Rail
The Emerging Case for Separated Bike Lanes, Published August 21, 2012 in Transportation
More Details on New Downtown Supermarket, Published August 18, 2012 in Revitalization
Fear of Change, Published August 16, 2012 in Revitalization
Brownfield Remediation Permit Application for 440 Victoria Ave N, Published August 13, 2012 in Revitalization
Two-Way Street Conversion in Saturday's Spectator, Published August 13, 2012 in Transportation
Young People Choosing Not to Spend Discretionary Income on Cars, Published August 08, 2012 in Transportation
James Street Baptist Church for Sale, Published August 07, 2012 in Architecture
The Real Divide is Between Urban and Anti-Urban, Published July 17, 2012 in Revitalization
Higher - and Rising - Transportation Costs for Sprawl Neighbourhoods, Published July 09, 2012 in Sprawl
Most Traffic Forecasts Still Ignore Induced Demand, Published July 09, 2012 in Transportation
Transcript: RTH Editor on Bill Kelly, Published July 06, 2012 in Revitalization
George H. Ross on Hamilton's Development Potential, Published July 05, 2012 in Business
Listen to Developers on Two-Way Streets, Published July 05, 2012 in Revitalization
Merulla Tells The Hamiltonian: Show Me Your Press Credentials, Published June 30, 2012 in Media
Caroline Converted to Two-Way Between Main and King, Published June 29, 2012 in Transportation
Community In Motion Active Transportation Awards, Published June 28, 2012 in Activism
Two-Way Traffic on Caroline Between Main and King, Published June 26, 2012 in Transportation
Terra Lightfoot and Said The Whale on James North, Published June 25, 2012 in Arts
Stage 2 Heat Warning for City of Hamilton, Published June 20, 2012 in Environment
Driving in Decline but Transport Policy Still Assumes Endless Growth, Published June 15, 2012 in Transportation
London Mayor Boris Johnson: Bicycles Civilize Cities, Published June 13, 2012 in Transportation
GM Tries to Woo Young Drivers, Published June 11, 2012 in Transportation
In Defence of Congestion, Published June 11, 2012 in Transportation
Modifications to Glenside Bike Path through Chedoke Golf Course, Published June 07, 2012 in Transportation
Brant Street in Burlington a Model for Walkable Streets, Published June 01, 2012 in Transportation
Larry Di Ianni on Two-Way Conversion, Published June 01, 2012 in Transportation
'Wonderful Potential' for Cannon Knitting Mills, Published June 01, 2012 in Revitalization
City Moving Ahead with Glenside Bike Path, Published May 31, 2012 in Transportation
Transcript: RTH Editor on Scott Thompson, Published May 29, 2012 in Transportation
Catholic Boards on Wrong Side of History, Published May 28, 2012 in Politics - Provincial
Downtown BIA on Two-Way Street Conversion, Published May 24, 2012 in Transportation
Giambrone on One-Way Streets, Published May 17, 2012 in Transportation
Welsh Government to Mandate Municipal Commitment to Walking, Cycling, Published May 16, 2012 in Transportation
Hamilton Heritage in Spacing Magazine, Published May 16, 2012 in Revitalization
More Predictions of Doom for James, John South Conversions, Published May 16, 2012 in Transportation
Chaos Predicted for James, John Conversions, Published May 15, 2012 in Transportation
Downtown Residents Plant Seeds for Co-Op Grocery Store, Published May 11, 2012 in Activism
CBC Hamilton Sneak Preview, Published May 08, 2012 in Media
Great Day, Great Ride, Great Cause, Published May 07, 2012 in Activism
F-35 Fighter Jet a Grossly Overpriced Dud, Published May 07, 2012 in Politics - Federal
Speed Limits are a Public Health Issue, Published May 01, 2012 in Transportation
Bicycle-Friendly Dutch Intersection Design, Published April 26, 2012 in Transportation
Bike Lanes Coming to Dundurn North, Published April 20, 2012 in Transportation
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Turns 30, Published April 18, 2012 in Politics - Federal
We May Be on the Edge of an Epochal Migration, Published April 17, 2012 in Revitalization
We Have Forgotten How to Walk, Published April 11, 2012 in Transportation
St. Clair West LRT by the Numbers, Published April 09, 2012 in Light Rail
Grown-Ups Took Reins in Sheppard LRT Debate, Published April 03, 2012 in Light Rail
Cavoukian and Marin on Integrity Complaint Gag Rule, Published April 02, 2012 in Politics
Gore Pedestrian Plaza Pilot to Proceed this Summer, Published April 02, 2012 in Revitalization
From the Netherlands to America: Translating the World's Best Bikeway Designs, Published March 29, 2012 in Transportation
An Argument Against Naming Gore after the Queen, Published March 27, 2012 in Policy
Chapman Pay Fiasco Gets Worse and Worse, Published March 22, 2012 in Politics
Bike Lanes Make Cycling Cool, Published March 20, 2012 in Transportation
Worst Crosswalk Ever?, Published March 19, 2012 in Walkability Fail
'Broken Windows Theory' for Dangerous Driving, Published March 06, 2012 in Transportation
Waste Compromise a Cop-Out, Published February 21, 2012 in Policy
Toews' Smear a New Low in National Discourse, Published February 16, 2012 in Politics - Federal
Revenue Canada Building Exposed to the Elements, Published February 14, 2012 in Revitalization
Merulla: Boycott Caterpillar, Published February 09, 2012 in Business
Council Holds Keys to Board of Ed Fiasco, Published February 08, 2012 in Revitalization
Barton-Tiffany Deal Being Made in Secret: CN Opposes Residential Development, Published February 07, 2012 in Revitalization
Update to HTTPS on Raise the Hammer, Published February 06, 2012 in Site Notes
Renew Newcastle: A Promising Model for Bootstrapped Urban Revitalization, Published January 30, 2012 in Revitalization
Chris Hume on Eglinton Subway, Published January 27, 2012 in Transportation
Nature Band-Aids and the Proposed Board of Ed Building, Published January 26, 2012 in Revitalization
Council to Study Backyard Chickens, Published January 26, 2012 in Activism
US Senators Backpedal from PIPA, Published January 19, 2012 in Activism
Councillors Maintain Chicken Ban, Resident Launches Petition, Published January 16, 2012 in Activism
Two-Way Street Conversion in the National Post, Published January 09, 2012 in Transportation
The Exoneration of Mayor Bratina, Published January 06, 2012 in Light Rail
Reclaiming Cities from the 20th Century, Published December 19, 2011 in Philosophy
Merulla to Mayor: Negotiate Amendment to Chief of Staff Pay, Published December 16, 2011 in Politics
Bratina Already Knew Chapman Was Underpaid in February, Published December 16, 2011 in Politics
Council Votes to Reveal Red Hill Legal Fees, Published December 15, 2011 in Politics
Bratina Issues Meta-Apology for HR Statement, Published December 13, 2011 in Politics
Mayor Issues Statement on Chapman Pay Increase, Published December 09, 2011 in Politics
Cycling in New York Doubles in Four Years, Published December 09, 2011 in Transportation
Councillors Consider Chapman Pay Raise, Published December 09, 2011 in Politics
Schmidt on the Role of Cities, Published December 08, 2011 in Revitalization
Mayor's Refusal to Champion LRT May Doom Project, Published December 08, 2011 in Light Rail
Merulla: Release Red Hill Lawsuit Costs, Published December 07, 2011 in Politics
Exit Lane for Urban Freeways, Published December 01, 2011 in Transportation
The Age of the Outer Ring Suburb is Over, Published November 28, 2011 in Revitalization
CBC Plans New Digital Service for Hamilton, Published November 03, 2011 in Media
Serious Injury in Pedestrian Collision, Published October 26, 2011 in News
Policy Shifts Make Brownfields a Viable Investment, Published October 25, 2011 in Revitalization
Globe and Mail Investigates 'Peak Car', Published October 24, 2011 in Transportation
Supreme Court: A Link is a Reference, Not a Publication, Published October 19, 2011 in Media
Mayor Tries to Wiggle Province out of LRT Promise, Published September 30, 2011 in Light Rail
Bratina, Clark, McGuinty on LRT in Hamilton, Published September 23, 2011 in Light Rail
My Statement to the Hamilton Light Rail Initiative, Published September 23, 2011 in Light Rail
All-Day GO, City 2011 Work Plan, and 'Feasibility' of LRT, Published September 19, 2011 in Light Rail
LRT Interview in The Hamiltonian, Published September 14, 2011 in Light Rail
Parties Compete Over Regional Transit Support, Published September 12, 2011 in Ontario Election 2011
Council Not Aware City's LRT Position Changed: Clark, Published September 12, 2011 in Light Rail
Translation from Bob-Speak into English of Selected Portions of Mayor Bratina's Live Chat with The Spectator, Published September 01, 2011 in Humour
Pan Am Reports Require Tough Questions, Published August 29, 2011 in Sports
Heritage Canada Foundation Reports Demolition of Old Revenue Canada Building , Published August 22, 2011 in Revitalization
RIP Jack Layton, Published August 22, 2011 in People
We Need to Do Better Than Cargo Cult Urban Design, Published August 18, 2011 in Revitalization
Big Move Transportation Investment Will Realize Immediate and Long-Term Net Benefits: Study, Published August 15, 2011 in Transportation
Murray: 'I Would Suggest Reading the Email Again', Published August 12, 2011 in Light Rail
Our 'Finest Hour', Published August 10, 2011 in Politics
Doctors Oppose Bike Helmet Law: British Medical Journal Survey, Published August 05, 2011 in Transportation
Don't-Miss LRT Articles in the Spec, Published August 02, 2011 in Light Rail
Architectural Heritage and the Trough of Public Appreciation, Published July 27, 2011 in Activism
Metrolinx Not Informed of Change in City Transit Priorities, Published July 22, 2011 in Light Rail
LRT on CHCH, Published July 21, 2011 in Light Rail
Rapid Transit Manager on Vacation When LRT Program Suspended, Published July 20, 2011 in Light Rail
Hamilton Next Essay Published in Spectator, Published July 20, 2011 in Media
Spec Comes Out Swinging on LRT, Published July 16, 2011 in Light Rail
Waiting for Details on Ivor Wynne Rebuild Plan, Published July 15, 2011 in Sports
Hume: Restored Hamilton City Hall a Cause for Optimism, Published July 08, 2011 in Revitalization
Letter: LRT Needs Champions, Published July 07, 2011 in Light Rail
City to Stabilize St. Mark's Building, Demolish Sunday School, Published July 05, 2011 in Revitalization
Urban West Condo Construction to Begin July 4, Published June 30, 2011 in Revitalization
Stinson School Construction to Begin July 4, Published June 30, 2011 in Revitalization
King William Street Closure Demonstrates Awkwardness of One-Way Streets, Published June 30, 2011 in Transportation
Eisenberger: Hamilton Needs Bold Vision for Modern Transportation, Published June 22, 2011 in Light Rail
Walkability Win: Public Works Committee Approves Crosswalk, Published June 21, 2011 in Walkability Fail
Will Council Support a Vote for Walkability?, Published June 17, 2011 in Walkability Fail
Vrancor Releases Building Plans for Development at Main and Caroline, Published June 15, 2011 in Revitalization
Prostitution Policy Must Be Evidence-Based, Published June 15, 2011 in Policy
City Manager to Clarify Media Policy Review, Published June 03, 2011 in Media
Community Journalists Speak Out on City Hall Media Policy Review, Published May 31, 2011 in Media
Sick of Long Commutes, Published May 30, 2011 in Health
Demolished Building is a Missing Tooth on the Gore, Published May 27, 2011 in Heritage
Restored Lister Looking Fine, Published May 26, 2011 in Lister Block
All-Day GO is Important, But Let's Not Forget About LRT, Published May 25, 2011 in Light Rail
This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Canada, Published April 28, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Slides from Open Public Data Talk, Published April 28, 2011 in Open City
Improv and Innovation, Published April 28, 2011 in Philosophy
Wednesday Talk: Understanding Open Public Data, Published April 26, 2011 in Open City
Burson Seeks Injunction to Register Candidacy, Published April 19, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Dynamic Pricing for Parking Ensures Vacancy, Reduces Congestion, Published April 19, 2011 in Transportation
Help Contact Hamilton-Area Candidates, Published April 15, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Police Budget Shakedown, Published April 14, 2011 in Politics
Find Your Riding, Published April 13, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Candidate List Nears Finalization, Published April 12, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
News Coverage Favours Major Parties, Published April 12, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Police Target Pedestrian Non-Compliance, Published April 07, 2011 in Walkability Fail
Roundtable Calls on Federal Leaders to Implement Poverty Strategy, Published April 06, 2011 in Federal Election 2011
Truck Traffic, Open Data and Citizen Participation, Published March 22, 2011 in Open City
RTH Now Available on HTTPS, Published March 17, 2011 in Site Notes
Fukushima Nuclear Incident Highlights Disaster Management, Published March 14, 2011 in Energy
Taking Chances, Being Wrong, Driving Innovation, Published March 10, 2011 in Open City
City Seeks Input on Walkability Issues, Published March 09, 2011 in Walkability Fail
Steel City Love, Published March 03, 2011 in Media
Mayor Bob's Blogsite, Published February 28, 2011 in Humour
Bi-Weekly Garbage Collection: Increase Composting while Saving Money, Published February 25, 2011 in Green City
Anonymous / Pseudonymous Commentary and Journalistic Traditions, Published February 15, 2011 in Media
RTH Login Issue, Published February 14, 2011 in Site Notes
Open Data in the Spec, Published February 05, 2011 in Open City
RTH Beefs Up Password Security, Published February 05, 2011 in Site Notes
A First Look at Renovated Farmers' Market, Published February 01, 2011 in Revitalization
Sewer Work on James This Weekend, Published January 28, 2011 in News
About Bloody Time: RTH Gets Threaded Comments, Published January 27, 2011 in Site Notes
The Pan Am Stadium and the City's Objectives, Published January 26, 2011 in Sports
Change to RTH Commenting Policy, Published January 25, 2011 in Site Notes
City Manager Issues Open Data Update to Council, Published January 24, 2011 in Open City
Burlington Staff Report on Aldershot Stadium, Published January 19, 2011 in Sports
Canadian Copyright Reform: Last Chance to Speak Up, Published January 18, 2011 in Politics - Federal
Ask RTH: Time to Require Registration Before Commenting?, Published January 17, 2011 in Site Notes
Another Surface Parking Lot in the Making?, Published January 14, 2011 in Revitalization
More Empty Rhetoric from LRT Opponents, Published January 13, 2011 in Light Rail
Comments Now Have Permanent URLs, Published January 12, 2011 in Site Notes
LRT Investment Both Visionary and Proven, Published January 12, 2011 in Light Rail
Bratina, Young to Announce Agreement on Ivor Wynne Stadium, Published January 11, 2011 in Sports
Journalism and the Web of Resources, Published January 04, 2011 in Media
From Train-And-Blame to Engineering-For-Safety, Published December 30, 2010 in Walkability Fail
Drive Like No One Lives Here!, Published December 28, 2010 in Walkability Fail
Response to Recent RTH Slowdowns, Published December 23, 2010 in Site Notes
A Modest Critique of the York Blvd Two-Way Conversion, Published December 21, 2010 in Transportation
Update on Recent RTH Slowdowns, Published December 14, 2010 in Site Notes
Staff Report: Divert Transit Capital to Operations, Automate Annual Fare Increases, Published December 13, 2010 in Transportation
We Value Drivers' Time More Than Pedestrians' Time, Published December 09, 2010 in Walkability Fail
City LRT Decision on One-Way Streets in Spectator, Published December 09, 2010 in Transportation
Melbourne Shows That Livable Streets Make a Lively City, Published December 07, 2010 in Revitalization
Excessive Parking in the Heart of Downtown, Published December 07, 2010 in Revitalization
Spec Op-Ed: Light rail delivers investment , Published November 24, 2010 in Light Rail
Residents Call for Crosswalk at Aberdeen and Kent, Published November 23, 2010 in Walkability Fail
Commit to B-Line LRT on Hamilton Day, Published November 22, 2010 in Light Rail
International Energy Agency Resorts to Fanciful Future Oil Sources, Published November 18, 2010 in Peak Oil
Optimization by Proxy and Sufficiently Advanced Trolls, Published November 17, 2010 in Site Notes
Toronto's Beaches Streets Survive 30 kph Speed Limits, Published November 15, 2010 in Transportation
New Crosswalk Detailing at York and MacNab, Published November 15, 2010 in Revitalization
Ask RTH: What Does Hamilton Need to Become a Centre of Innovation?, Published November 05, 2010 in Economy
No LRT Before Pan Am Games, Published November 05, 2010 in Light Rail
Poll-By-Poll Results, Data on RTH Elections Site, Published October 27, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
Young: Ticats 'Will' Invest in Stadium, Published October 07, 2010 in Sports
Rubin: Peak Oil Will Bring NHL to Hamilton, Published October 04, 2010 in Peak Oil
'Utilitarian' Stadium Carries Big Risks, Published October 04, 2010 in Sports
Less Parking at CP Site, Published October 01, 2010 in Sports
Sean Gibson Explains Restraining Order, Published September 30, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
More Flooding in Hamilton, Published September 28, 2010 in Transportation
MacNab Transit Terminal Nears Completion, Published September 27, 2010 in Transportation
Supercrawl and the Newsworthy Outlier, Published September 27, 2010 in Media
New Library/Market Glass Curtain Illuminates Supercrawl on Saturday Night, Published September 27, 2010 in Revitalization
Where Good Ideas Come From, Published September 22, 2010 in Open City
Badly-Needed LRT Wakeup Call, Published September 20, 2010 in Light Rail
CP Stadium Site: Unknown Costs, Unknown Funding, Uncertain Future, Published September 16, 2010 in Sports
Draft Farmers' Market Stallholder Selection Criteria, Published September 15, 2010 in Green City
Taxpayers Federation Dings Harper on Arena, Published September 13, 2010 in Politics - Federal
On Increasing Civic Engagement in Governance, Published September 08, 2010 in Media
Competing for Business: High Quality or Bottom-Feeders?, Published September 08, 2010 in Economy
Confederation Park Back on the Table?, Published September 02, 2010 in Sports
New Communications Media Encourage Urban Living, Published August 25, 2010 in Media
Transcript of CHCH Interview, Published August 24, 2010 in Sports
Buffalo Columnist: Learn from Our Mistakes, Published August 23, 2010 in Sports
Why It's Still Being Discussed, Published August 17, 2010 in Sports
Site Speedup, Published August 16, 2010 in Site Notes
Why I Support the West Harbour, Published August 04, 2010 in Sports
Is City Offering a Deal to Ticats or Not?, Published August 03, 2010 in Sports
Crowdsource Abandoned Brownfield List, Published July 29, 2010 in Activism
City Stadium Poll is Worthless, Published July 28, 2010 in Sports
Strange Results on City Stadium Poll, Published July 28, 2010 in Sports
Di Ianni and 'Grassroots' Campaigning, Published July 27, 2010 in Municipal Election 2010
The Real Reason to Eliminate the Long Form Census, Published July 27, 2010 in Politics - Federal
East Mountain Not 'Financially Responsible', Published July 23, 2010 in Sports
We're Safer: Why Don't We Feel Safer?, Published July 23, 2010 in Media
Plenty of Parking for West Harbour, Published July 21, 2010 in Sports
Stadium Debate: Something Shifted Behind the Scenes, Published July 16, 2010 in Sports
Welcome to City Hall, Published July 16, 2010 in Humour
Transcript of Radio Conversation with Mike Naaburs, Published July 15, 2010 in Sports
Can RHVP/Linc Handle Ticat Traffic?, Published July 14, 2010 in Sports
East Mountain Leaves No Funds for Downtown Revitalization, Published July 14, 2010 in Sports
Flooding? In a River Valley? Perish the Thought, Published July 09, 2010 in Climate Change
Network Externalities and City Building, Published July 08, 2010 in Revitalization
Council Caves for Quick Cash, Published July 07, 2010 in Sports
Shocking Wealth Inequality in US, Published July 06, 2010 in Economy
Some 'Compromise': Pan Am Facilitator Recommends Highway Stadium, Published July 06, 2010 in Sports
Chamber Buries Airport Lands Poll, Published June 30, 2010 in Aerotropolis
Please Vote on Proposed Change to RTH Comment Policy, Published June 30, 2010 in Site Notes
Hamilton Needs LRT to Save Us from Ourselves, Published June 30, 2010 in Light Rail
City Posts AEGD Secondary Plan, Published June 29, 2010 in Aerotropolis
Florida: Smaller Cities Should Focus on Existing Assets, Published June 29, 2010 in Revitalization
Time to Rethink RTH Comment Policy?, Published June 28, 2010 in Site Notes
How to Distinguish Protesters from Vandals, Published June 28, 2010 in Activism
Moore Pulls Out Stops to Ram Copyright Bill, Published June 24, 2010 in Politics - Federal
Earthquake, Published June 23, 2010 in News
Hamilton Gas Tax Transfer Drops Due to Poor Ridership, Published June 22, 2010 in Transportation
Stop Trying to Attract Visitors Downtown, Published June 22, 2010 in Revitalization
BP Oil Spill Worst-Case Scenario, Published June 17, 2010 in Peak Oil
Growing Productivity in an Energy-Poor Economy, Published June 11, 2010 in Economy
Cyclist Fatality Underscores Need For Safe Infrastructure, Published June 09, 2010 in Transportation
Cutlure and the Lure of Cutting, Published June 08, 2010 in Media
I Heart Dundurn Bike Lanes, Published June 07, 2010 in Transportation
Brantford's Embattled Buildings on the Brink, Published June 07, 2010 in Revitalization
RTH Removes Letter, Published June 02, 2010 in Media
Drivers Licences and Driving Falling Among Young People, Published June 01, 2010 in Transportation
Reasons Not to Install Bike Lanes, Published May 31, 2010 in Transportation
More Bad Pubicity, Published May 31, 2010 in Humour
Councillor Jackson on Queensdale Bike Lanes, Published May 28, 2010 in Transportation
Streetfilms Documentary on One-Way v. Two-Way Streets, Published May 28, 2010 in Transportation
OMB Blocks Wal-Mart in Stratford, Published May 19, 2010 in Sprawl
RTH Comments by Day, 2005/01/20 to 2010/05/18, Published May 18, 2010 in Site Notes
What Motivates People?, Published May 18, 2010 in Philosophy
Vancouver Launches Bike Route Detour Updates, Published May 17, 2010 in Transportation
Council Actually Raises Development Charges, Published May 14, 2010 in Sprawl
On Becoming the Best Place to Raise a Child, Published May 14, 2010 in Green City
Council Puts Out for Binbrook Drive-Thru, Published May 06, 2010 in Sprawl
Ticats Insist on Mid-20th Century Stadium Location, Published May 06, 2010 in Sports
Bike Lanes on Dundurn, Published May 04, 2010 in Transportation
Follow RTH on Twitter, Published May 04, 2010 in Site Notes
Public Policy and The Middle Ground Fallacy, Published April 29, 2010 in Policy
Transportation Policy for Grownups, Published April 26, 2010 in Transportation
Update on RTH Edit Comment Bug, Published April 22, 2010 in Site Notes
Hydrant Move Not Needed to Accommodate Bike Lanes on Queensdale, Published April 22, 2010 in Transportation
London Abandons One-Way Streets, Published April 21, 2010 in Transportation
Toronto Bike Registration a Fact-Free Wedge Issue, Published April 15, 2010 in Transportation
'Weighting Mistake' Leads to Long Commutes and Daily Misery, Published April 15, 2010 in Transportation
How to Start a Movement (in 3 Minutes), Published April 14, 2010 in Activism
High Oil Prices Could Threaten Recovery, Published April 14, 2010 in Peak Oil
Density, Proximity Enable Learning and Raise Productivity, Published April 13, 2010 in Economy
Report: Suburban Transportation Costs Offset Lower Housing Prices, Published April 13, 2010 in Transportation
Mayor Gets Tough on Stadium Site, Published April 13, 2010 in Revitalization
Labatt Goes in For Extra Evilness, Published March 30, 2010 in Business
Americans Want More Transit: Poll, Published March 30, 2010 in Transportation
Activism Entails Community Building, Not Fragmentation, Published March 25, 2010 in Philosophy
Walkability Win Planned for Markham, Published March 24, 2010 in Revitalization
Walkability Fail: Westdale Edition, Published March 19, 2010 in Walkability Fail
Retool Siemens Plant to Build LRT, Published March 17, 2010 in Light Rail
Foxcroft's Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, Published March 12, 2010 in Transportation
The Greenest Building, Published March 10, 2010 in Revitalization
Google Maps Adds Bike Routes, Published March 10, 2010 in Transportation
Lost opportunities can tell us much, Published February 20, 2010 in Light Rail
The Jury's In: Council Guilty of Evading its Job, Published February 15, 2010 in Politics
Walkability Fail at Aberdeen and Kent, Published February 14, 2010 in Walkability Fail
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Lyric Theatre, Published January 26, 2010 in Revitalization
When Bragging About Media Reliability, Get Your Facts Straight, Published January 26, 2010 in Media
Discussing the Future of Local Media, Published January 19, 2010 in Media
Public Health Warns Barber Shops Against Re-Using Razors, Published January 17, 2010 in News
Can We Stop Pretending More Highways Will Solve Gridlock?, Published January 13, 2010 in Transportation
New Feature: Events Calendar, Published January 10, 2010 in Site Notes
Paid Parking Works, But Do It Right, Published January 07, 2010 in Transportation
City Buys Innovation Lands - Updated, Published December 23, 2009 in Revitalization
Crazy Copenhagen Cyclists, Published December 17, 2009 in Transportation
Quick Update on Site Cutover, Published December 17, 2009 in Site Notes
Reminder: RTH Cutover This Weekend, Published December 11, 2009 in Site Notes
Council Passes Motion to Investigate Khan Accusations, Published December 10, 2009 in Politics
Former City Employee Accuses Senior Management of Misleading Council, Misusing Funds, Published December 09, 2009 in Politics
Website Cut-Over This Weekend, Published December 07, 2009 in Site Notes
Eden Mills to go Carbon Neutral, Published December 07, 2009 in Climate Change
Crown Jewel: Crown Point Community Planning Team Gets Organized, Published December 07, 2009 in Activism
In Defence of Two-Way Streets, Published December 04, 2009 in Transportation
Bratina: Raise Municipal Parking Rates to Support Transit, Published November 25, 2009 in Transportation
Does the Chamber's Enlightened Urbanism Embrace Livable Streets?, Published November 23, 2009 in Revitalization
Clark, Whitehead Debate 'Citizens' Jury' for Area Rating, Published November 19, 2009 in Transportation
Modify Area Rating, Increase Transit Revenue by $7.2 million, Published November 19, 2009 in Transportation
Florida: Downtown Stadium, Regional Transit, Published November 19, 2009 in Revitalization
Mayor to Call for Citizens' Jury on Area Rating, Published November 18, 2009 in Transportation
Ten Tough Questions with Ryan McGreal, Published November 18, 2009 in Media
Stimscam Makes Adscam Look Like Chump Change, Published November 17, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Hamilton Light Rail Meeting, Interview on CHCH, Published November 12, 2009 in Light Rail
OECD: GTA Must Improve Coordination, Ease Congestion, Published November 10, 2009 in Economy
International Energy Agency Overstating Global Oil Reserves Under US Pressure, Published November 10, 2009 in Peak Oil
Cal DiFalco Interviews Councillor Ferguson, Published November 06, 2009 in Politics
Le Corbusier Found Alive and Well in Hamilton, Published November 05, 2009 in Revitalization
Toronto Launches Open Data Catalogue, Published November 02, 2009 in Open City
Key Study Conclusions of HSR Operational Review, Published October 30, 2009 in Transportation
Video: Hamilton 350 March, Published October 29, 2009 in Climate Change
The Goal of High Quality Public Transit, Published October 28, 2009 in Transportation
Spec Poll: Do you support another transit fare increase?, Published October 27, 2009 in Media
Highlights from Hamilton 350 March, Published October 26, 2009 in Climate Change
Strathcona Residents Welcome New Commercial Investment, Published October 22, 2009 in Revitalization
Hamilton's Arkells Play on The Hour, Published October 19, 2009 in Music
RTH Still Loading Pages Slowly, Published October 15, 2009 in Site Notes
Dreschel's Illogic on Cycling, Published October 09, 2009 in Transportation
RTH Migrating to New Server, Published October 06, 2009 in Site Notes
Seniors Moving to the Country ... And the City, Published October 06, 2009 in Revitalization
Ask RTH: Comment Fading, Yea or Nay?, Published October 01, 2009 in Site Notes
Notice: Sock Puppet Accounts Will Be Deleted, Published October 01, 2009 in Site Notes
Update to Comments Page: View Comments with Highest Scores, Published September 30, 2009 in Site Notes
New Feature: Text Colour Fades on Down-Voted Comments, Published September 29, 2009 in Site Notes
NY Times Keeps Head in Sand on Peak Oil, Published September 29, 2009 in Peak Oil
Police: Crime Data Not Available for 'Several Years', Published September 29, 2009 in Open City
Cooke: Paying Property Tax is for Suckers, Published September 26, 2009 in Politics
Motion by Bratina to Study Connaught Proposal Very Carefully, Published September 25, 2009 in Connaught
City Crime Data by Ward, Month, Neighbourhood and Crime Type, Published September 24, 2009 in Open City
Vancouver Developers Roll Out Public Data Apps, Published September 22, 2009 in Open City
Transcript of Radio Interview with Scott Thompson, Published September 21, 2009 in Media
Spec Poll Fans Flames of Sensationalism, Published September 21, 2009 in Media
Connaught Movement Suggests Need for a Citizen Action Platform, Published September 16, 2009 in Activism
The Market for Sprawl: Houston's "Free Market" Sprawl Isn't, Published September 16, 2009 in Sprawl
Council Should Repossess the Connaught, Published September 16, 2009 in Connaught
HPD Appeals Big Box Rezoning to OMB, Published September 15, 2009 in Aerotropolis
Warning: Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery After Reading these Letters, Published September 03, 2009 in Media
Market Failure on Contractor Reliability Suggests Opportunity, Published September 03, 2009 in Business
Cargo Cult Urbanism, Published September 01, 2009 in Revitalization
TUG Campaign: A Vision for Transit in the 21st Century, Published August 27, 2009 in Transportation
Stinson Abandons Hamilton Grand Plan, Published August 26, 2009 in Revitalization
RTH Recognized by Canadian Association of Geographers, Published August 24, 2009 in Sustainability
Michael Geist Video on Copyright Law Reform, Published August 21, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Distraction, Seeking, and Thinking on the Internet, Published August 20, 2009 in Philosophy
DiFalco interviews Di Ianni, Published August 17, 2009 in Media
Councillor Clark Responds to Integrity Report, Published August 07, 2009 in Politics
Metrolinx to Own and Control Rapid Transit Lines, Published August 04, 2009 in Transportation
It's Merulla who Ought to be Ashamed, Published August 04, 2009 in Sprawl
Closing the Firehose: How a Week Offline Changed My Outlook, Published July 27, 2009 in Philosophy
Sam Slams City Sewers, Pans Pan Am Stadium, Published July 27, 2009 in Media
The Time is Now for Cycling Infrastructure, Published July 03, 2009 in Transportation
City Official Plan: Officially Underwhelming, Published June 30, 2009 in Policy
Comment Voting Part 2: Set Comment Score Threshold, Published June 29, 2009 in Site Notes
City Releases Design Concepts for MacNab Transit Terminal, Published June 26, 2009 in Transportation
Spec Poll Shows Reader Demographic, Published June 26, 2009 in Media
Portland Treats Cyclists Like Grownups, Published June 26, 2009 in Transportation
Council's Commitment to Budget Process Proves Short-Lived, Published June 26, 2009 in Aerotropolis
Council Approves Cyling Master Plan, Punts on Funding, Published June 25, 2009 in Transportation
Online Media vs. the 'Paper of Record', Published June 24, 2009 in Media
Elizabeth May Interview on The Agenda, Published June 24, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Spectator Endorses Cycling Master Plan, Published June 22, 2009 in Transportation
Toronto May Get New Streetcars After All, Published June 18, 2009 in Transportation
Downtown Hamilton Survey in Spectator, Published June 17, 2009 in Revitalization
On the Fence: CN Asks City for Funding to Secure its Property from Dumping, Published June 17, 2009 in Policy
EcDev Survey on Downtown Hamilton, Published June 16, 2009 in Economy
Jeff Rubin in Spectator, Published June 16, 2009 in Revitalization
Raitt Story Gets Interesting: Wind Power Money Diverted to Oilsands?, Published June 12, 2009 in Politics - Federal
New Metrolinx Board Representative for Hamilton: Richard Koroscil, Published June 11, 2009 in Transportation
An Electrifying Campaign: Metrolinx to Study Electrifying GO Trains, Published June 11, 2009 in Transportation
Liberals, Conservatives Both Vote for Mandatory Minimum Sentences in Drug Crimes, Published June 10, 2009 in Politics - Federal
LRT on Main Street Makes More Sense, Published June 09, 2009 in Light Rail
Baird Blocking Streetcars (Again), Published June 09, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Taken For a Ride, Published June 09, 2009 in Transportation
Province Adjusts City Infrastructure Priorities, Published June 08, 2009 in Economy
Hamilton Says Goodbye to Randy Steele, Published June 08, 2009 in People
Dundas Buskerfest This Weekend, Published June 04, 2009 in Neighbourhoods
Harper: Standing Up For (Some) Canadians, Published June 04, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Peter Hutton to Receive Environmental Award, Published June 03, 2009 in Activism
Canada Sole G8 Country With No High Speed Rail, Published June 02, 2009 in Transportation
Discovering and Overcoming Cognitive Illusions, Published June 01, 2009 in Policy
Police Hate Crimes Report Targets Anarchist Bookfair, Published June 01, 2009 in Activism
Copyright Report Caught Copying, Published May 29, 2009 in Humour
Ecklund Picks Up Toys, Goes Home, Published May 28, 2009 in Politics
Don't Reinforce Political Weasel Words, Published May 26, 2009 in Media
Jeff Rubin, Peak Oil and Mainstream Opinion, Published May 25, 2009 in Peak Oil
It's Called "New Urbanism" AKA Old Urbanism, Published May 22, 2009 in Sprawl
Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Set to Increase, Published May 20, 2009 in Transportation
Hamilton to Feature in TVO's The Agenda on Thursday, Published May 20, 2009 in Media
Trade War vs. Fair Trade Agreement, Published May 15, 2009 in Economy
Trucks, One-Way Streets 'Killing the City': Urbanists, Published May 14, 2009 in Transportation
Hypocritical Conservatives Are Hypocritical, Published May 13, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Planning Committee Refuses to Study Policy Change (Again), Published May 12, 2009 in Policy
Ask RTH Users: Do You Want Comment Voting?, Published May 07, 2009 in Site Notes
Montreal to Electrify Suburban Commuter Trains, Published May 06, 2009 in Transportation
A Hopeful Sign, Published April 30, 2009 in Revitalization
Consultant Report: Two-Way LRT on King and Converting Main, King to Two-Way Traffic, Published April 30, 2009 in Light Rail
Shocking! Cornered Conservatives Court 'Socialists and Separatists', Published April 30, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Entire GO Bus Fleet Now Equipped With Bike Racks, Published April 30, 2009 in Transportation
On Science Funding, Canada's Gloating Days are Over, Published April 29, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Hamilton Squanders Stimulus on Roadwork, Published April 28, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Desperate TV Networks "Doomed" Without New Business Model, Published April 23, 2009 in Media
Cycling: If You Build It..., Published April 22, 2009 in Transportation
Are Governments Inefficient Because they're Governments or Because they're Hierarchies?, Published April 16, 2009 in Policy
Taxpayer Funded Services a Great Bargain: Study, Published April 16, 2009 in Policy
Urban Highways and Ultrafine Particulate, Published April 15, 2009 in Public Health
Feds Consider Fund for Private Broadcasters, Published April 08, 2009 in Media
BoC May Use Inflation to Spur Demand, Published April 07, 2009 in Economy
Feds Double Gas Tax Transfer, Increase GO Transit Money, Published April 03, 2009 in Politics - Federal
No Ordinary Recession, No Ordinary Fix, Published April 02, 2009 in Economy
Province: $3 Million for Hamilton Rapid Transit Study, Published April 02, 2009 in Transportation
A Vision for Transit in the 21st Century, Published March 31, 2009 in Transportation
Toronto Councillors Examine Industry Assets, Published March 27, 2009 in Humour
Roadsworth: Art or Vandalism?, Published March 26, 2009 in Arts
Court Decision on Website Comments Threatens Privacy, Published March 26, 2009 in Media
HSR Buses to Get New Radios, Stop Calls, Published March 24, 2009 in Transportation
Real Estate Investment Advisor Recommends Hamilton, Published March 24, 2009 in Revitalization
Bratina: Politicians Must Do More for Steel Industry, Published March 23, 2009 in Business
Old Media Tells Kids: Get Off My Lawn, Published March 23, 2009 in Media
How to Reach Corporate Executives With Your Unresolved Complaint, Published March 20, 2009 in Business
Councillor Hits Back at Critical Column, Published March 17, 2009 in Media
If You Build It..., Published March 12, 2009 in Transportation
City Flunking Climate Change Report Card, Published March 12, 2009 in Climate Change
McMaster-School Board Plan a Positive Step, Published March 11, 2009 in Revitalization
Horwath a Strong Advocate for Traditional NDP Values, Published March 09, 2009 in Politics - Provincial
Higher Downtown Density Target Threatens Sprawl Plans, Published March 05, 2009 in Sprawl
US Steel Closing Canadian Operations; Councillors Exchange Barbs , Published March 03, 2009 in Economy
Hans Rosling Visualizes Changing Global Economics, Published March 03, 2009 in Economy
Harper Finds Keynes, Published March 02, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Mum's the Word: City Seeks Historical Mum Show Materials, Published February 27, 2009 in History
City Engineer: Traffic Volume Assumption on York is Reasonable, Published February 24, 2009 in Transportation
York Blvd Scramble Intersection 'Inefficient': Traffic Office, Published February 20, 2009 in Transportation
HSR Fare Hike Back on Table, Published February 20, 2009 in Transportation
ACTRA: We Don't Understand the Internet, Published February 19, 2009 in Media
Mayor Defends City Hall Foyer Proposal, Published February 17, 2009 in Revitalization
Scramble Intersection Removed from York Blvd Plan, Published February 17, 2009 in Transportation
Mayor Fred Could Take a Page from Di Ianni Style, Published February 13, 2009 in Politics
York Blvd Streetscape Master Plan Final Concept, Published February 13, 2009 in Revitalization
Bratina, Merulla Duke it Out, Published February 12, 2009 in Politics
Obama: Sprawl Days Are Over, Published February 12, 2009 in US Politics
McGuinty: Province Won't Fast-track Social Service Uploading, Published February 11, 2009 in Economy
GO Train Derailed at John and Hunter?, Published February 11, 2009 in Humour
Bratina: Sell City Hall, Published February 04, 2009 in Revitalization
Open Letter to Council: Don't Choose Style Over Substance, Published February 04, 2009 in Revitalization
Elevated Walkways an Admission of Failure, Published February 04, 2009 in Revitalization
City Hall Renovation: Wow. Just - Wow., Published February 03, 2009 in Revitalization
Presentation at Mohawk Active Citizenship Talk, Published January 29, 2009 in Media
2nd and Long?, Published January 29, 2009 in Humour
Liberals Roll Over on Budget, Published January 29, 2009 in Politics - Federal
It All Comes Down to Iggy, Published January 28, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Album Review: "Time in Between" by Paisley Jura, Published January 21, 2009 in Reviews
Obama: Reagan Without the Crazy, Published January 20, 2009 in US Politics - 2008 Election
Another Federal Election Coming?, Published January 19, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Album Review: "Iron Ponies" by Provincial Parks, Published January 15, 2009 in Reviews
Big City Mayors: Infrastructure, Not Tax Cuts, Published January 15, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Canada Lone Vote Against UN Resolution on Israel, Published January 14, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Why (and How) We May Survive Peak Oil, Published January 12, 2009 in Activism
Ignatieff Selective About Supporting Democratic Countries, Published January 09, 2009 in Politics - Federal
Transportation Energy Use, GHG Emissions and Suburban Superstores, Published January 06, 2009 in Transportation
Peak Oil, Falling Oil Prices, and the Global Economic Crisis, Published December 20, 2008 in Peak Oil
Portables for Education Centre, Published December 18, 2008 in Revitalization
Scott Stewart Moving to Burlington, Published December 17, 2008 in Politics
No Accountability Without Access to Information, Published December 12, 2008 in Politics
Council: No Reconsideration of City Hall Plan, Published December 10, 2008 in Revitalization
Rae Withdraws, Ignatieff is Liberal Leader, Published December 09, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Can Harper Prorogue Parliament?, Published December 03, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Picking a Prime Minister: A Parliamentary Primer, Published December 02, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Bratina: City Hall Plan Could Save $110 Million Over 20 Years, Published December 02, 2008 in Revitalization
City Backs Down on Airport Development Size, Published December 01, 2008 in Aerotropolis
Poor and Dirty, Published December 01, 2008 in Humour
Double Downtown Density? We Should be Aiming to Quadruple It, Published November 28, 2008 in Revitalization
Left-Leaning Coalition in the Making?, Published November 28, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Merulla: CH News Should Address Council Over Programming Cuts, Published November 27, 2008 in Media
Spec: World to Get Better, Published November 26, 2008 in Media
HSR Ridership Grows Just 1% in 2008, Published November 26, 2008 in Transportation
Turkstra: Brownfields Cheaper but Harder to Finance, Published November 25, 2008 in Revitalization
Induced Demand in Action: Boston's Big Dig Increases Traffic, Published November 24, 2008 in Transportation
Streetwall Fail, Published November 21, 2008 in Revitalization
Comment on Hamilton Cycling Master Plan, Published November 19, 2008 in Transportation
National Post Discovers Hamilton, Published November 17, 2008 in Revitalization
Epic Win: President-Elect Obama, Published November 05, 2008 in US Politics - 2008 Election
Council Approves LRT Bid, Metrolinx Meeting Draws 140, Published October 31, 2008 in Light Rail
A Time to Plan and a Time to Act, Published October 30, 2008 in Light Rail
Grandparents ROCK at Gore Park, Published October 28, 2008 in Policy
Traffic Assumptions Premature, Published October 27, 2008 in Transportation
Another Fare Increase On the Way?, Published October 24, 2008 in Transportation
Yet Another Pedestrian is Killed, Published October 23, 2008 in Transportation
The Economist Discovers Cycling, Published October 16, 2008 in Transportation
RIP Frankie Venom, Published October 16, 2008 in Arts
Harper Buys Two More Years, Published October 15, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Mayor: 'Stars Aligning' for Light Rail, Gore Plaza Moving Forward, Published October 03, 2008 in Revitalization
Sooner or Loiter, Published October 03, 2008 in Revitalization
Breaking: City Publishes Rapid Transit Feasibility Study Phase 2, Published October 02, 2008 in Light Rail
Lloyd Likes Light Rail, Published September 26, 2008 in Light Rail
The Finance Crisis in Eight Painful Steps, Published September 25, 2008 in Economy
Light Rail: Meeting the Next Challenge, Published September 24, 2008 in Light Rail
City: Regional Transportation Plan Open to Light Rail in Hamilton, Published September 23, 2008 in Light Rail
Breaking: Metrolinx Releases Regional Transportation Plan, Published September 23, 2008 in Light Rail
State of Listeria: Government Oversight Could Have Prevented Outbreak, Published September 18, 2008 in Health
Something to Hide, Published September 16, 2008 in Politics
What is the Green Shift, Anyway?, Published September 15, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Public Consultation: Overwhelming Support for LRT, Published September 11, 2008 in Light Rail
Council Votes Not to Censure Mayor for Tapegate, Published September 11, 2008 in Politics
Elizabeth May Not, Published September 09, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Why Harper Won't Win a Majority , Published September 09, 2008 in Politics - Federal
Transit IS Pedestrian-Friendly, Published August 25, 2008 in Transportation
Fringe Festival Review: I Am Not Neil Young, Published August 22, 2008 in Reviews - Fringe 2008
Fringe Festival Review: New Talent, Published August 22, 2008 in Reviews - Fringe 2008
Fringe Festival Review: Lear's Shadow, Published August 22, 2008 in Reviews - Fringe 2008
Fringe Festival Review: Because I Can, Published August 21, 2008 in Reviews - Fringe 2008
One-Way Streets More Dangerous for Children: Study, Published August 07, 2008 in Transportation
Falling Oil Prices are a Warning, Published August 06, 2008 in Economy
Make Way for the Real Road Warriors, Published August 06, 2008 in Transportation
Oil Price Declines Due to Falling Demand, Published August 05, 2008 in Peak Oil
Cooke: Chamber Cops Out on Street Conversions, Published August 05, 2008 in Transportation
Update from Harry Stinson, Published August 01, 2008 in Revitalization
NYC Police Officer Bodychecks Cyclist, Published July 31, 2008 in Transportation
Mayor: Infrastructure Commitment Supports Re-Urbanization, Published July 25, 2008 in Revitalization
The City as Dynamic System, Published July 18, 2008 in Revitalization
Beyond 'Common Sense': How Traffic Networks Work, Published July 16, 2008 in Transportation
New Campaign: Make West Mountain One-Way Today, Published July 13, 2008 in Transportation
Death by a Thousand Reports: Council Fails Downtown Streets Yet Again, Published July 11, 2008 in Transportation
Foreign Substance Saps Precious Bodily Fluids, Published July 10, 2008 in Health
Petition: Google Maps Bike There, Published July 10, 2008 in Transportation
Merulla to Feds, Province: Fund Free Transit , Published July 09, 2008 in Transportation
The North Pole, Published July 07, 2008 in Climate Change
Community News Publishes Excerpts from Mayor's Controversial Interview, Published July 04, 2008 in Politics
Breaking: LIUNA Accepts City Lister Offer, Published June 30, 2008 in Lister Block
Heritage Ministry Should Designate Lister Now, Published June 26, 2008 in Lister Block
Mancinelli: councillors 'throw obstacles in our way', Published June 25, 2008 in Lister Block
Feds to CBC: Make Do, Published June 24, 2008 in Media
Dance, Aerotropolis, Dance!, Published June 24, 2008 in Aerotropolis
Airport Lands on Committee Agenda, Published June 23, 2008 in Aerotropolis
June 23 Deadline for Provincial Lister Deal, Published June 20, 2008 in Lister Block
Heritage Report Released: Protect the Lister, Published June 16, 2008 in Lister Block
The End of Cheap Air Travel, Published June 12, 2008 in Peak Oil
City Rapid Transit Report: Focus on Light Rail for Phase 2, Published June 12, 2008 in Light Rail
More Support for Light Rail, Published June 11, 2008 in Light Rail
Update on Comment Spam, Published June 10, 2008 in Site Notes
Culture Ministry Ordered to Release Lister Report, Published June 06, 2008 in Lister Block
Integrity Commisioner Draft By-Law Revised, Published June 06, 2008 in Politics
Study: Airport Lands Mostly Used for Warehousing and Logistics, Published June 06, 2008 in Aerotropolis
Off the Chain: City Bike Garage Needs to be More Convenient, Published June 05, 2008 in Transportation
350: The Number that could Shape Our Destiny, Published May 28, 2008 in Climate Change
Possible Federal Support for Light Rail, Published May 27, 2008 in Light Rail
Stinson to Present Connaught Project to Chamber, Published May 27, 2008 in Revitalization
Realtors Association Endorses Light Rail, Published May 26, 2008 in Light Rail
Oil Passes $135 per Barrel, Published May 22, 2008 in Peak Oil
Mini Downtown Update, Published May 22, 2008 in Revitalization
Defining "Squelchers", Published May 15, 2008 in Politics
On Beggars and Choosers, Published May 14, 2008 in Revitalization
Red Hill Promise Fulfilled?, Published May 14, 2008 in Sprawl
Album Review: Bang! by Drowning Girl, Published May 10, 2008 in Reviews
Light Rail: Biggest Challenges Lie Ahead, Published May 09, 2008 in Light Rail
Oil Passes $126 a Barrel, Published May 09, 2008 in Peak Oil
The Lister Chopping Block, Published May 09, 2008 in Lister Block
No Shortage of 'Squelchers', Published May 08, 2008 in Revitalization
Iran No Longer Trading Oil for US Dollars, Published April 30, 2008 in Geopolitics
Cutting Gas Tax a Really Bad Idea, Published April 30, 2008 in Economy
Happy Windsday, Published April 30, 2008 in Energy
Yes, It's a Crisis, Published April 28, 2008 in Politics
Lister: Redacted Paragraph Indicates Heritage Report Advice, Published April 25, 2008 in Lister Block
13 Watt LED replaces 100 Watt Bulb, Published April 23, 2008 in Energy
Saudi Arabia: No More Oil for You, Published April 21, 2008 in Peak Oil
Culture Minister Believed Balfour Façade Would Be Preserved, Published April 21, 2008 in Lister Block
Lister: Demolition by Disinformation?, Published April 21, 2008 in Lister Block
Justice to Building Owner: Violate Fire Code, Go to Jail, Published April 18, 2008 in News
Canadians: Higher Taxes Please!, Published April 16, 2008 in Policy
Light Rail in the Spectator, Published April 16, 2008 in Light Rail
Ottawa Interested in Transit: Mayor, Published April 15, 2008 in Light Rail
Today's Suburb, Tomorrow's Slums?, Published April 15, 2008 in Revitalization
Mayor Endorses Light Rail, Published April 14, 2008 in Light Rail
LRT Coffee Shop!, Published April 13, 2008 in Light Rail
Rapid Transit Feasibility Study: A Comprehensive Critique, Published April 11, 2008 in Light Rail
Rapid Transit Research Shallow, Published April 11, 2008 in Light Rail
Shocker: City Rolls Over for Home Builders, Published April 08, 2008 in Revitalization
Sprawl Gone Wild, Published April 08, 2008 in Sprawl
Things Looking Up for Employment Lands Supporters, Published April 08, 2008 in Aerotropolis
Time for a Change of Consciousness, Published April 02, 2008 in Climate Change
Harper Turns his Back on Science, Published April 02, 2008 in Politics
After Earth Hour, an Unflinching Appraisal of Hamilton's Goals, Published March 30, 2008 in Climate Change
Obama: Smart, Savvy Moderate is Best Hope for US, Published March 28, 2008 in US Politics
Study: Homelessness a False Economy, Published March 24, 2008 in Policy
Wrong People Arrested on Iraq War Anniversary, Published March 20, 2008 in US Politics
Corporate Meritocracy is Rubbish, Published March 18, 2008 in Economy
Do the Test, Published March 12, 2008 in Transportation
City Leaks Provide Accountability, Published February 28, 2008 in Politics
Iran Opens Oil Bourse, Published February 19, 2008 in Geopolitics
Cooke: Time for Two-Way Streets, Published February 18, 2008 in Transportation
Release Lister Report: Dickson, Published February 14, 2008 in Lister Block
Council Censures Mitchell, Published February 14, 2008 in Politics
Downtown Safety: Address Problems, Don't Just Displace Them, Published February 05, 2008 in Revitalization
And in the Civilized World..., Published February 05, 2008 in Transportation
ZENN and the art of Automotive Regulation, Published January 28, 2008 in Transportation
Hamilton, Car Junkie, Published January 25, 2008 in Transportation
No More Free Parking, Published January 23, 2008 in Transportation
Mississauga Considers Drive-Thru Restrictions, Published January 17, 2008 in Drive-Thru
Lister Meeting: Identify Timelines, Produce Workable Deal, Published January 15, 2008 in Lister Block
Starbucks Confirmed for Locke Street, Published January 11, 2008 in Revitalization
LIUNA Needs to Demonstrate Good Faith, Published January 09, 2008 in Lister Block
Toronto Notices Hamilton, Published January 07, 2008 in Revitalization
Oil Passes $100/Barrel, Published January 02, 2008 in Peak Oil
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?, Published January 02, 2008 in Transportation
Spectator Discovers Sustainability, Published December 20, 2007 in Media
Strange But True: Public Goods Promote Liberty, Published December 14, 2007 in Philosophy
New Efficiency Standards Will Save GM from its Own Stupidity, Published December 13, 2007 in Energy
Rurals a Disaster in Slow Motion, Published December 12, 2007 in Sprawl
Singing the Amalgamation Blues, Published December 11, 2007 in Politics
Will a Plastic Bag Ban Hold Water?, Published December 03, 2007 in Sustainability
All Voters Are Equal..., Published November 29, 2007 in Politics
A Half-Step Forward, Two Steps Back, Published November 29, 2007 in Politics
Council: Defer the HSR Fare Hike, Published November 28, 2007 in Transportation
HSR Fare Increase in Context, Published November 27, 2007 in Transportation
Fare Increase Vote: Transit Ridership Loses Out, Published November 27, 2007 in Transportation
Markham: 70% Trash Diversion and Growing, Published November 26, 2007 in Sustainability
Hamilton Will Get the Transit it Deserves, Published November 23, 2007 in Transportation
Proposed Transit Service Improvements, Published November 23, 2007 in Transportation
Staff Recommendation: Transit Fare Increase, Published November 23, 2007 in Transportation
McLean: Better Transit for a Healthier City, Published November 22, 2007 in Transportation
France Tackles Climate Change, Published November 21, 2007 in Climate Change
Trash Talk on Garbage, Published November 20, 2007 in Sustainability
Aerotropolis 2.0: You're With Us Or You're Against Us, Published November 20, 2007 in Aerotropolis
Upcoming Transit Budget Meeting: Possible Fare Increase?, Published November 16, 2007 in Transportation
One Year Later: Eisenberger' Mayoralty So Far, Published November 16, 2007 in Politics
Larry Di Ianni on Red Hill, Published November 13, 2007 in Politics
US Currency Collapse: Some Thoughts on the Canadian Economy, Published November 07, 2007 in Economy
Kunstler on Ignoring the Obvious, Published November 05, 2007 in Peak Oil
Anti-McHattie Hit Piece Cheapens Column, Published November 05, 2007 in Media
Traders Bet On $125/Barrel Oil in December, Published November 02, 2007 in Peak Oil
US House Vacancies Way Up as Bubble Continues to Deflate, Published November 02, 2007 in Economy
Peak Oil Watch: $100/barrel Oil is Coming Soon, Published October 31, 2007 in Peak Oil
World War III Progress Report, Published October 26, 2007 in Geopolitics
Suburban Development Filling Cootes with Silt, Published October 25, 2007 in Ecology
I Drive a Hybrid, I'm as Green as Anybody, Published October 22, 2007 in Green City
If you Build it..., Published October 19, 2007 in Transportation
Oil Flirts With $90/Barrel, Published October 19, 2007 in Peak Oil
The Wellspring from which Lawyer Jokes Spew Forth, Published October 17, 2007 in Humour
Accuracy and Letters to the Editor, Published October 17, 2007 in Media
Don't Say We Didn't Warn You, Published October 16, 2007 in Peak Oil
Ten Principles of Sustainable Cities, Published October 14, 2007 in Sustainability
RTH Exclusive Interview: Mayor Fred on Next Hamilton, Published October 04, 2007 in Revitalization
Fake Street Wall Puts Real Street to Shame, Published October 03, 2007 in Revitalization
An Urban Vision in Hamilton Next, Published October 02, 2007 in Revitalization
Short-Term Pain Just More of the Same, Published October 02, 2007 in Revitalization
Pedestrianize Gore Park: Mayor, Published October 01, 2007 in Revitalization
Ancaster Condo Development Shifts into Park, Published September 28, 2007 in Revitalization
Ferguson Fuels Fire over Area Rating, Published September 28, 2007 in Transportation
US Dollar Flirts with Parity amid Cascading Financial Crisis, Published September 20, 2007 in Economy
Mountain Rapid Transit and Economic Development, Published September 20, 2007 in Light Rail
Mayor Fred Endorses Light Rail, Published September 19, 2007 in Light Rail
Bike Lanes Against Climate Change, Published September 18, 2007 in Climate Change
Despite Drought, Green Lawns 'of the Utmost Importance', Published September 18, 2007 in Sprawl
Video: Using HSR Bus Rack, Published September 17, 2007 in Transportation
Council Sticks Head in Sand on Area Rating, Published September 14, 2007 in Transportation
This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us, Published September 13, 2007 in Media
Queen's Park Ahead of Hamilton Council on Light Rail?, Published September 12, 2007 in Light Rail
Report: Economic Case for Light Rail in Hamilton, Published September 12, 2007 in Light Rail
Gonzales Resignation Just the Beginning, Published August 31, 2007 in US Politics
Panel Discussion Examines Ontario Voting Referendum, Published August 30, 2007 in Ontario Election 2007
Clowns Disrupt Racist Rally Without Throwing a Single Cream Pie, Published August 30, 2007 in Activism
Zoning Insanity v. Community, Published August 29, 2007 in Ecology
It's Official: Quebec Police Admit Agents Provocateurs Were Undercover Officers, Published August 23, 2007 in Politics - Federal
CBC Report on Alleged Police Agents Provocateurs, Published August 23, 2007 in Politics - Federal
Security Summit the Latest Step Toward Corporate Continentalism, Published August 23, 2007 in Politics - Federal
Then and Now: FOX News Promotes War, Published August 22, 2007 in Media
Police Used Agents Provocateurs at Security Summit: CEP, Published August 22, 2007 in News
Queen West and King East: A Tale of Two City Streets, Published August 20, 2007 in Revitalization
The Michael Lee Chin Crystal Hurts My Brain, Published August 16, 2007 in Architecture
RTH Coverage Has Blind Spots, Published August 03, 2007 in Media
City Heat Warning Plan: Keep Doing Nothing, Published August 03, 2007 in Health
The Week of Hating Cyclists, Published August 01, 2007 in Transportation
Winona Blob Off Limits to Development, Published July 19, 2007 in Sprawl
CIBC: $100/Barrel Oil by End of 2008, Published July 19, 2007 in Peak Oil
Weighing the Risks of Childhood Play, Published July 19, 2007 in Health
Barack Obama Replied to my Impeachment Letter, Published July 18, 2007 in US Politics
NPC Energy Report a Tad Optimistic, Published July 18, 2007 in Peak Oil
Petition: Extend Aberdeen Bus To Mac, Published July 17, 2007 in Transportation
How Walkable is Your House?, Published July 17, 2007 in Revitalization
What is Neoconservatism?, Published July 17, 2007 in Philosophy
Beating the Path to War with Iran, Published July 17, 2007 in Geopolitics
Pearson: Live and Don't Learn, Published July 17, 2007 in Sprawl
A Desire Named Streetcar, Published July 16, 2007 in Light Rail
Health Care is not a Commodity, Published July 16, 2007 in Economy
The Real Iranian Threat: Undermining Dollar Hegemony, Published July 16, 2007 in Geopolitics
EcDev Manager Refuses to Consider Drive-Thru Ban, Published July 13, 2007 in Drive-Thru
Merulla Loses NDP Nomination, Published July 13, 2007 in Politics
US Realtors Running Scared, Published July 10, 2007 in Economy
Aussie Defence Minister: Iraq War About Oil, Published July 05, 2007 in Geopolitics
Mayor Mulls Car-Free Day Downtown, Published July 04, 2007 in Revitalization
Man Jailed Because Lawn Lacks Grass, Published July 04, 2007 in Sprawl
Peak Oil Just Got Worse, Published July 03, 2007 in Peak Oil
Turning Up The Heat, Published June 26, 2007 in Revitalization
McGuinty: $7 Million for Lister, Published June 22, 2007 in Lister Block
Police to Promote Cycling Safety through 'Enforcement and Education', Published June 21, 2007 in Transportation
Art Bus Gets Around, Published June 21, 2007 in Revitalization
What the Downtown BIA Needs to Do, Published June 21, 2007 in Revitalization
A Quick and Dirty Climate Change Plan for Hamilton, Published June 20, 2007 in Climate Change
CAH Report: Motor Vehicles Account for Half of City Air Pollution, Published June 19, 2007 in Transportation
Time for Light Rail in Hamilton, Published June 19, 2007 in Light Rail
Deer to Me, Published June 19, 2007 in Sustainability
Radiant City: A Documentary About Suburban Sprawl, Published June 15, 2007 in Sprawl
Occupations, Then and Now, Published June 14, 2007 in Geopolitics
A New Enlightenment?, Published June 14, 2007 in Philosophy
Cool Ideas, Hot Solutions: Conference on Energy Poverty, Published June 13, 2007 in Activism
Spectator Website Redesign, Published June 13, 2007 in Media
Not a Sword but a Weather Vane, Published June 13, 2007 in Media
Hamilton Creative Industry Survey, Published June 11, 2007 in Revitalization
A Concrete Plan, Published June 08, 2007 in Climate Change
Rollerblading Demon Menaces Farmers' Market, Published June 06, 2007 in Humour
Explore Hamilton, Published June 06, 2007 in Media
You Had Us at Blood and Semen, Published June 01, 2007 in Humour
Long-Term Security, Published May 31, 2007 in Geopolitics
Kristol, Kagan: Escalate Iraq to Beat Iran, Published May 30, 2007 in Geopolitics
Balance, Objectivity, and Passing Judgment, Published May 30, 2007 in Media
Frolicking Gaily Along the Trail, Published May 29, 2007 in Humour
The Big Mac Index of Energy Costs, Published May 29, 2007 in Peak Oil
Sam Merulla to Run Provincially, Published May 29, 2007 in News
Turning City Philosophy Upside-Down, Published May 25, 2007 in Revitalization
The Triumph of Image over Substance, Published May 25, 2007 in Climate Change
I'd Like to See More of Both, Published May 24, 2007 in Revitalization
Cities Should Take the Lead on Climate Change, Published May 24, 2007 in Climate Change
Proportionate Representation for a Working Democracy, Published May 23, 2007 in Politics - Federal
City of Grown-Ups Launches Transit Plan, Published May 18, 2007 in Light Rail
Affordable Public Health Care in the US, Published May 18, 2007 in Economy
Politicization, Propaganda and the Rule of Law, Published May 15, 2007 in US Politics
Apologizing for Neoconservatism, Published May 15, 2007 in US Politics
Councillors Are Human Beings, Published May 11, 2007 in Air Pollution
Freedom Is About Authority, Published May 11, 2007 in US Politics
Daniel Johnston at The Underground, Published May 09, 2007 in Reviews
Carbon Offsets "R" Us!, Published May 07, 2007 in Climate Change
National Climate Change Plans Come Nowhere Near What We Need to Do, Published May 01, 2007 in Climate Change
Last-Minute Transit Fare Compromise, Published April 25, 2007 in Transportation
Coulda Been the Whiskey, Published April 25, 2007 in Municipal Election 2006
Ten Easy Steps to a Fascist USA, Published April 24, 2007 in US Politics
I'm Sorry, Sir, But We Have a Dress Code, Published April 20, 2007 in Transportation
Tom Friedman Disrobed, Published April 19, 2007 in Media
Ontario to Hold Referendum on Proportionate Representation, Published April 18, 2007 in Politics
Ontario Boards the Bulb-Banning Bandwagon, Published April 18, 2007 in Energy
Housing Bubble Like Badly Applied Wallpaper, Published April 17, 2007 in Economy
Iran to Stop Accepting Dollars for Oil, Published April 14, 2007 in Geopolitics
Pot, Meet Kettle, Published April 12, 2007 in Politics
A Road Diet for Hamilton, Published April 12, 2007 in Transportation
Vancouver Bans Idling, Published April 12, 2007 in Transportation
City Needs to Get its House in Order, Published April 10, 2007 in Politics
Consumer Infantilism and Responsible Citizenship, Published April 05, 2007 in Philosophy
Bikecar, Published April 04, 2007 in Transportation
A Buck a Vote Bucks the Trend, Published April 04, 2007 in Municipal Election 2006
The Unambitious City, Published April 03, 2007 in Green City
Affordable Urban Micro Wind Power?, Published April 02, 2007 in Energy
Councillors' Transit Meeting an Encouraging Sign, Published March 30, 2007 in Transportation
Downtown Is For Living, Published March 30, 2007 in Revitalization
Bratina, McHattie Reconsider Transit Fare Hike, Published March 29, 2007 in Transportation
Eisenberger: Transit Needs New Investment, Area Rating too Divisive to Change, Published March 29, 2007 in Transportation
Vote Against Merulla, not Transit: Bratina, Published March 28, 2007 in Transportation
Stop The Transit Increase, Published March 28, 2007 in Transportation
San Francisco Mulls Free Transit, Published March 27, 2007 in Transportation
Shame on Council for Raising HSR Fares, Published March 27, 2007 in Transportation
Globe Article on Hamilton Mistakes Sprawl for Growth, Published March 26, 2007 in Revitalization
Mortgage Meltdown, Published March 22, 2007 in Economy
LRT: Better Overall Value, Published March 20, 2007 in Light Rail
Detroit: A Modern Day Ruin, Published March 19, 2007 in Revitalization
Mayor Fred: Insufficiently Outrageous, Published March 15, 2007 in Media
Unfair Transit Increase, Published March 15, 2007 in Transportation
Democrats Roll Over Dead (Figuratively - Iran Might Not Be So Lucky), Published March 13, 2007 in Geopolitics
Rural Councillors Should Be Strong Urbanists, Published March 12, 2007 in Revitalization
Quote of the Day, Published March 08, 2007 in Transportation
The Real Unspeakable Truth About Iraq, Published March 08, 2007 in Geopolitics
HSR Increase vs. Hamilton's Vision and Goals, Published March 08, 2007 in Transportation
A Bundle of Sticks on Fire, Published March 07, 2007 in US Politics
Dalton Rides into Town, Published March 07, 2007 in Transportation
Saudi Oil Production Down 8 percent, Published March 02, 2007 in Peak Oil
Ideas in Hamilton: Death by Neglect, Published March 02, 2007 in Politics
TLC Letter on Proposed Multi-Use Trails, Published February 28, 2007 in Transportation
London Unveils Comphrehensive Climate Change Initiative, Published February 27, 2007 in Climate Change
Peak Oil: An Update, Published February 26, 2007 in Peak Oil
Oil Companies Defy US Sanctions on Iran, Published February 26, 2007 in Geopolitics
Soft Landing Revisited, Published February 23, 2007 in Economy
Affordable Mass Market LED Lights on the Way, Published February 23, 2007 in Energy
Freedom to Idle v. Freedom to Breathe, Published February 22, 2007 in Ecology
Oil Industry Magical Thinking, Published February 21, 2007 in Peak Oil
Spec Embraces New Media, Published February 21, 2007 in Media
Open Letter to Councillor Mitchell, Published February 21, 2007 in Transportation
A New Deal for Cities, Published February 20, 2007 in Revitalization
Tightening the Net Around Iran, Published February 20, 2007 in Geopolitics
Taking the Lead, Published February 20, 2007 in Energy
Most Drivers Share the Road - But Not All, Published February 18, 2007 in Transportation
Chasing its Losses Redux, Published February 15, 2007 in Geopolitics
A New Hope?, Published February 15, 2007 in Geopolitics
I Broke It. You Fix It, Published February 15, 2007 in Humour
Quote of the Week, Published February 14, 2007 in Geopolitics
Overview of Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries, Published February 14, 2007 in Politics
RTH Offline, Published February 14, 2007 in Site Notes
Latest YouTube Video from Mayor Fred, Published February 12, 2007 in Politics
Anti-Iran Propaganda Intensifies, Published February 12, 2007 in Geopolitics
Get a Word In Edgewise, Published February 09, 2007 in Politics
Successful Cities Dispense With 'Free' Parking, Published February 06, 2007 in Transportation
Garth Turner Joins Liberals, Published February 06, 2007 in Politics - Federal
More RTH Sightings, Published February 06, 2007 in Media
RTH Sightings, Published February 02, 2007 in Media
Bypassing the Media Monopoly, Published February 02, 2007 in Media
Climate Change Denial: A Tragedy in Three Acts, Published February 02, 2007 in Climate Change
Corporate Values on Display, Published February 01, 2007 in Business
Chirac to US: Sign Kyoto or Face Carbon Tax, Published February 01, 2007 in Climate Change
California to Ban the Bulb?, Published February 01, 2007 in Energy
A+ for Assinine, Published January 29, 2007 in Climate Change
Some RTH Comments Deleted, Published January 29, 2007 in Site Notes
San Jose, Then and Now, Published January 26, 2007 in Revitalization
Farting Guernseys and Global Warming, Published January 24, 2007 in Climate Change
Soft Power and Hard Numbers, Published January 23, 2007 in US Politics
Dirty Politics Over Clean Energy, Published January 18, 2007 in Climate Change
Models of Collapse: Ingenuity, Complexity, and Feedback, Published January 17, 2007 in Philosophy
Blues Rockin' In The Hammer, Published January 12, 2007 in Arts
Cartoony Architecture Redux, Published January 10, 2007 in Revitalization
Night of the PC Zombie!, Published January 09, 2007 in Site Notes
Streetcar Sex Appeal, Published January 09, 2007 in Light Rail
Bush Doctrine Progress Report, Published January 09, 2007 in Geopolitics
Independence Day: Toward Energy Self-Sufficiency, Published January 04, 2007 in Peak Oil
John Baird Replaces Rona Ambrose as Environment Minister, Published January 04, 2007 in Politics - Federal
Maul of America, Published January 03, 2007 in Sprawl
Dreaming of a Wet Christmas, Published December 27, 2006 in Climate Change
TLC Calls for Child-Friendly Governor's Road, Published December 18, 2006 in Transportation
Performance Codes and Neighbourhood Development, Published December 07, 2006 in Revitalization
Paul Wilson Raises the Hammer, Published December 07, 2006 in Media
Challenging the Winner-Take-All World, Published December 06, 2006 in Politics
For Whom the Ringtone Tolls, Published December 05, 2006 in Transportation
A Two-Step Sprawl Recovery Program, Published December 05, 2006 in Revitalization
Power Centres and the Powerless Centre, Published December 04, 2006 in Revitalization
Nationalism Vs. Canada, Published November 29, 2006 in Politics - Federal
GRIDS Meets the Letter, not the Spirit, of Places to Grow, Published November 24, 2006 in Sprawl
Two-Way Streets Part of a Conceptual Shift, Published November 24, 2006 in Transportation
Bob Rae: A Hijacked Legacy, Published November 24, 2006 in Politics - Federal
A Culture of Secrecy, Published November 20, 2006 in Politics
Credit Where It's Due, Published November 20, 2006 in Media
One Last Swipe at the 'Witch', Published November 16, 2006 in Politics
Municipal Political Parties, Published November 15, 2006 in Politics
Urbanism Transcends Partisanship, Published November 15, 2006 in Revitalization
Can't Buy Me Love, Published November 14, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Eisenberger a 'Red Tory', Not a Neocon, Published November 11, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Shocking! Spec Endorses Di Ianni, Published November 11, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Eisenberger Responds to RTH, Published November 10, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Education Director Has No Class, Published November 10, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
A Case Study in Choice of Words, Published November 10, 2006 in Media
Eisenberger Goes Viral, Published November 09, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
The End of Suburbia on YouTube, Published November 08, 2006 in Peak Oil
Gilligan for Mayor!, Published November 07, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Dresched to Kill, Published November 6, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
The Good Old Election Game, Published November 02, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Drastic Action on Climate Change is Needed Now. Here's the Plan, Published November 01, 2006 in Climate Change
New Lister Deal Looks Good on Hamilton, Published October 31, 2006 in Lister Block
The Horror! Trunk-or-Treating, Published October 31, 2006 in Sprawl
A Switcheroo on Readers, Published October 30, 2006 in Revitalization
Terrorism and US Foreign Policy, Published October 26, 2006 in Geopolitics
Raise the Hammer Print Edition, Published October 25, 2006 in Site Notes
Make it Easier to Make Good Choices, Published October 25, 2006 in Politics
Slick Marketing, Incoherent Raving, and Good Politics, Published October 25, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Attention Candidates: The World Needs You, Published October 25, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Beyond our Means, Published October 24, 2006 in Ecology
What's Wrong With Hamilton, Published October 20, 2006 in Sprawl
Canada's Energy Outlook Not So Bright, Published October 06, 2006 in Peak Oil
A New Pearl Harbor, Published October 05, 2006 in Geopolitics
Peak Oil and Falling Prices, Published October 04, 2006 in Peak Oil
The Return of Involuntary Servitude, Published October 03, 2006 in Politics
Anybody But Di Ianni?, Published October 03, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Braden Drops Out of Mayoral Race, Published October 02, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Intergalactic Space Ports vs. Neighbourhoods, Published October 02, 2006 in Revitalization
Say Farewell to our Fiscal Woes, Published September 29, 2006 in Humour
"Campaign Improprieties" and "Business as Usual", Published September 27, 2006 in Politics - Federal
Non-Aligned Movement Challenges US Hegemony, Published September 26, 2006 in Geopolitics
OMB Settlement Puts Brakes on Aerotropolis Expansion, Published September 26, 2006 in Aerotropolis
Earth to Politicians: Secrecy Doesn't Work, Published September 26, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Keith Beck Withdraws from Mayoral Race, Published September 26, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Aerotropolis OMB Hearing, Published September 25, 2006 in Aerotropolis
Aviation and Climate Change, Published September 25, 2006 in Climate Change
How Suburbs Can Accommodate Cyclists, Published September 22, 2006 in Transportation
No Question About Di Ianni's Integrity, Published September 22, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
McHattie: Release Lister Report, Published September 22, 2006 in Lister Block
You Can't Handle the Truth!, Published September 22, 2006 in Climate Change
Trees Make Streets Safer, Published September 22, 2006 in Transportation
Bicycle Crash News Reports, Published September 21, 2006 in Transportation
Siberia is Melting, Published September 20, 2006 in Climate Change
Giant Floating Wind Turbines, Published September 20, 2006 in Energy
Bedtime for Large Ocean Vertebrates, Published September 15, 2006 in Ecology
Bring Us Some Truth, Published September 14, 2006 in Geopolitics
The Pentagon on Why They Hate Us, Published September 14, 2006 in Geopolitics
Study: Commuter Cycling "Less Safe" with Bike Helmets, Published September 12, 2006 in Transportation
More on the Eisenberger Campaign Website, Published September 08, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
Did Eisenberger Already Violate Municipal Elections Act?, Published September 08, 2006 in Municipal Election 2006
The Road More Taken, Published August 28, 2006 in Transportation
Corporate Cash Trumps Public Policy, Published August 25, 2006 in Politics
Summit Park: Rock-Bottom for Planning, Published August 21, 2006 in Sprawl
Julia Kollek Running for City Council, Published August 19, 2006 in Politics
Release the Provincial Lister Report: McHattie, Published August 04, 2006 in Lister Block
Where Do We Go From Here? Hamilton Confronts Climate Change, Published August 04, 2006 in Climate Change
An Effective Heat Alert Program, Published August 04, 2006 in Health
NAFTA Superhighway, Published August 01, 2006 in Transportation
Smog's Excess Burden on Baby Boomers, Published August 01, 2006 in Air Pollution
Ever-Expanding Houses, Published July 27, 2006 in Sprawl
Anti-American? A Failing America is Bad News for Everyone, Published July 26, 2006 in US Politics
Shameless Self-Promotion, Published July 26, 2006 in Neighbourhoods
Raise the Hammer Needs Your Help!, Published July 24, 2006 in Site Notes
Balance and Scale: An Interview with Craig Hermanson, Published July 18, 2006 in Revitalization
Transit: The Threat of a Good Example, Published July 18, 2006 in Transportation
Chill Out, Published July 14, 2006 in Energy
Terrorism and Reconciliation, Published July 14, 2006 in Philosophy
Charges Against Di Ianni, Published July 12, 2006 in Politics
Interactive Obesity Map, Published July 11, 2006 in Sprawl
Progressive and Conservative, Published July 05, 2006 in Politics
Hamilton Stacks, Published July 04, 2006 in Green City
Driving and Asthma, Published June 29, 2006 in Transportation
Driving Farther in Bigger Vehicles, Published June 29, 2006 in Climate Change
'None of us saw this coming', Published June 29, 2006 in Peak Oil
Stay of Execution, Published June 15, 2006 in Lister Block
Letter to Caroline Di Cocco, Ontario Minister of Culture, Published June 13, 2006 in Lister Block
Overstepping his Bounds?, Published June 10, 2006 in Lister Block
Lister Update: Vrancor Plan and Ontario Heritage Trust, Published June 09, 2006 in Lister Block
11th Hour Reprieve for Lister?, Published June 9, 2006 in Lister Block
Toward a Plan to Restore the Lister, Published June 01, 2006 in Lister Block
Air Pollution is a Public Health Emergency, Published June 01, 2006 in Transportation
Title This Article!, Published May 30, 2006 in Humour
Lister: Already Built, Thank You, Published May 26, 2006 in Lister Block
The Same Garden Path, Published May 24, 2006 in Media
Nader and Buchanan Meet Halfway, Published May 19, 2006 in US Politics
When Doves Cry: Containment and Rollback for Iran, Published May 17, 2006 in Geopolitics
A Pen Pal for President Bush?, Published May 16, 2006 in Geopolitics
The Deep Breath Before the Plunge, Published May 16, 2006 in Geopolitics
Progressives in Crisis, Published May 16, 2006 in Revitalization
We're Number One!, Published May 11, 2006 in Climate Change
Ethics and Accountability, Eh?, Published May 11, 2006 in Climate Change
Ideologies, Metaphors, Tautologies, and Urbanism, Published May 10, 2006 in Philosophy
Fire at Lister Block, Published May 09, 2006 in News
Darwinism Revisited, Published May 08, 2006 in Peak Oil
US Dollar About to Slide, Published May 04, 2006 in Economy
Peak Oil for Saudi Arabia?, Published April 29, 2006 in Peak Oil
"Where" Depends on "What", Published April 29, 2006 in Politics
Iran to Launch its Oil Bourse Next Week, Published April 28, 2006 in Geopolitics
Russia Raises the Stakes, Published April 27, 2006 in Geopolitics
A Ringing Endorsement?, Published April 27, 2006 in Politics
GRIDS Unscrambled, Published April 26, 2006 in Energy
A Tankfull of Technology, Published April 26, 2006 in Peak Oil
None So Blind..., Published April 26, 2006 in Politics
Quite a Red Herring, Published April 25, 2006 in Politics
Jane Jacobs Dies, Published April 25, 2006 in People
Pimping the Pump Price, Published April 25, 2006 in Peak Oil
Here We Go: Russia Challenges Petrodollar Hegemony, Published April 23, 2006 in Geopolitics
City Peak Oil Report Leaked to Hamilton IndyMedia, Published April 22, 2006 in Politics
Peak Oil: Open Letter to City Council, Published April 22, 2006 in Peak Oil
Obstruct This, Published April 11, 2006 in Transportation
Brain Injury, Published April 11, 2006 in Neighbourhoods
Drive Clean or Drive Less, Published March 24, 2006 in Transportation
Peak Oil and Apocalyptic Thinking, Published March 24, 2006 in Peak Oil
Worth Saving, Published March 07, 2006 in Lister Block
A Rigged Debate, Published March 07, 2006 in Transportation
If You Want Something Done Right..., Published March 06, 2006 in Lister Block
Facts, Schmacts, Published March 04, 2006 in Media
Sucked Dry, Pt. 2, Published March 02, 2006 in Energy
Sucked Dry, Published March 02, 2006 in Climate Change
Dilbert Puts the Fun in Fungible, Published February 24, 2006 in Energy
Bigshot Editor, Published February 20, 2006 in Aerotropolis
Shame on City Council, Published February 17, 2006 in Politics
Tipping Point of the Iceberg, Published February 13, 2006 in Climate Change
Sweden to go Oil-Free, Published February 09, 2006 in Peak Oil
Ban the Bulb, Published February 07, 2006 in Energy
Oil to hit $80 a barrel, Published February 06, 2006 in Peak Oil
Misstatement of the Union, Published February 03, 2006 in Energy
Election 2006: The Great Divide, Published February 02, 2006 in Politics
Wading into the Future, Published February 01, 2006 in Climate Change
Saddle Up, Published February 01, 2006 in Politics - Federal
Anonymous Comments, Published February 01, 2006 in Site Notes
Fission or Fusion: India Struggles with Empire, Published January 30, 2006 in Geopolitics
Looking for Concrete Solutions, Published January 30, 2006 in Energy
When Hamilton builds its light rail line..., Published January 27, 2006 in Light Rail
UK to Ration Power, Published January 20, 2006 in Energy
Iceland to Ban Petroleum, Published January 20, 2006 in Peak Oil
Boursing with Anticipation, Published January 19, 2006 in Geopolitics
Draining the Blister, Published January 12, 2006 in Lister Block
Think of the Savings!, Published December 23, 2005 in Politics
The Right Place at the Wrong Time, Published December 20, 2005 in Revitalization
Driving Us Around the Bend, Published December 20, 2005 in Transportation
Long Term Planning Meltdown, Published December 20, 2005 in Energy
C'mon, Big Money!, Published December 17, 2005 in Media
Transit and Climate Change, Published December 06, 2005 in Transportation
Transit is not Welfare, Published December 06, 2005 in Transportation
Dreschel Drives Blind, Published November 25, 2005 in Politics
What Maple Leaf Should Have Done, Published November 25, 2005 in Politics
Buy Nothing, Published November 24, 2005 in Activism
Looking a Gilt-Edged Gift Horse in the Mouth, Published November 23, 2005 in Media
Watch the Hair Fly, Published November 21, 2005 in Activism
Silver Bells: A New Take on an Old Classic, Published November 17, 2005 in Sprawl
Hot Air for Climate Change, Published November 17, 2005 in Climate Change
Connecting Climate Change, Published November 10, 2005 in Climate Change
No More Excuses, Published November 08, 2005 in Green City
Imagining Hamilton's Future (Spirit of Red Hill Lecture), Published October 17, 2005 in Revitalization
Groundhog Day in Middle East, Published October 14, 2005 in Geopolitics
Spirit of Red Hill Lecture, Published October 12, 2005 in Revitalization
A Growing Problem, Published October 07, 2005 in Sprawl
No Need for Panic, Published September 28, 2005 in Peak Oil
Defense Mechanism, Published September 23, 2005 in Transportation
1-2-3-4 Energy Punch, Published September 20, 2005 in Peak Oil
Up in Smoke, Published September 08, 2005 in Politics
The Logic of Bubbles, Published September 07, 2005 in Economy
Katrina and the Waves, Published September 06, 2005 in US Politics
The Peak Oil Skeptics, Published September 02, 2005 in Peak Oil
Fun While it Lasted, Published August 27, 2005 in Economy
A Peek into the Future, Published August 26, 2005 in Peak Oil
Smart Car, Dumb Car, Published August 26, 2005 in Transportation
$4/L Gas in Hamilton's Future?, Published August 23, 2005 in Peak Oil
Taking the GRIDS Show On the Road, Published August 22, 2005 in Transportation
Free Transit on Dirty Brown Horizon, Published August 19, 2005 in Transportation
Just Out of Time, Published August 16, 2005 in Economy
Riding the Camel, Published August 12, 2005 in Energy
Being Dense, Published August 12, 2005 in Peak Oil
Jet Fuel Shortages, Published August 11, 2005 in Aerotropolis
The Nuclear Option, Published July 12, 2005 in Energy
Choosing to Fail or Succeed, Published July 11, 2005 in Activism
Help Matt Jelly Raise the Roof, Published July 06, 2005 in Activism
No Free Lunch, Published July 06, 2005 in Aerotropolis
Welcome to Hamilton. (You are being screwed.), Published June 28, 2005 in Aerotropolis
Sorting through the Garbage, Published June 22, 2005 in Green City
Pickering Gives Greenbelt the Finger, Published May 30, 2005 in Sprawl
End of Suburbia Workshop, Published May 25, 2005 in Activism
Clear the Air, Published May 25, 2005 in Transportation
HGA?, Published May 24, 2005 in Transportation
That Popping Noise, Published May 17, 2005 in Economy
Retreating from Reality, Published May 17, 2005 in Climate Change
Mayors Pledge Kyoto Support, Published May 16, 2005 in Climate Change
A Sucker Born Every Minute, Published May 11, 2005 in Aerotropolis
Reaching the Peak, Published April 27, 2005 in Peak Oil
20/20 Challenge Initial Proposal, Published April 26, 2005 in Climate Change
Kyoto a Go-Go, Published April 25, 2005 in Climate Change
Kyoto World Cities 20/20 Challenge, Published April 21, 2005 in Climate Change
Support Joanna Chapman, Published April 18, 2005 in Politics
Just Passing Through, Published April 14, 2005 in Transportation
Kunstler Crashes the Party, Published April 14, 2005 in Peak Oil
$16 Billion Gamble, Published April 13, 2005 in Peak Oil
Taking an Interest, Published April 12, 2005 in Politics
April Fool, Published April 04, 2005 in Transportation
Workshop: The End of Suburbia, Published April 04, 2005 in Activism
Super Spike, Published April 04, 2005 in Peak Oil
Glad they Finally Noticed, Published March 29, 2005 in Sprawl
The Successful Few, Published March 23, 2005 in Revitalization
Drilling Our Way to Oblivion, Published March 17, 2005 in Peak Oil
Walking the Talk, Published March 16, 2005 in Transportation
Calgary on the March, Published March 15, 2005 in Revitalization
A 'Greenbelt' for Schools, Published March 14, 2005 in Revitalization
Running Out of Patience, Published March 08, 2005 in Peak Oil
Small is Beautiful, Published March 07, 2005 in Revitalization
Stretched Thin, Published March 07, 2005 in Peak Oil
New Developments, Published March 02, 2005 in Sprawl
Tonnes for Trees, Published March 02, 2005 in Activism
Prioritize This, Published February 18, 2005 in Politics
Robing Peter to Pay Paul, Published February 14, 2005 in Politics
Even When They Don't Hit You..., Published February 14, 2005 in Sprawl
On Citizens, Governments, and Corporations, Published February 10, 2005 in Activism
Sprawl Swallows Prime Farmland, Published February 01, 2005 in Sprawl
Alternative Transportation in Hamilton, Published January 28, 2005 in Transportation
The Future: Not What It Used to Be, Published January 24, 2005 in Transportation
Sick of Sprawl, Published January 20, 2005 in Sprawl
Hot Air, Published January 20, 2005 in Energy
Canada Might Copy California Greenhouse Gas Law, Published January 19, 2005 in Climate Change
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