Raise the Hammer

Howard, Thank you for your comments!

Yes, I did not mention HCCI - reason being that I believe it has been at the mercy of the city council for its funding and survival since its inception, thereby limiting its role and reach.

However, I am unsure if the HIPC / LIPC (which I did mention in my post above) is fully operational, considering the its funding was held up last year.

All said, we have more abbreviated organizations pursuing similar goals than we have meaningful results to speak of.

Sure it has created jobs for a few in the process - just as in our local Poverty Industry. But have the symptoms disappeared?

How can it? when the root cause that powers this social evil is never tackled head-on.

While the existing approach has directly cost the tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars to date, it has cost this city millions upon millions of dollars in lost business and goodwill over decades.

We can always write off such expenses as the cost of doing business -or- even as cost of making Hamilton ready for business with the world.

"According to a study conducted by the Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute, only 14 per cent of leaders in corporate, public, elected, education and non-profit sectors in the Greater Toronto Area are non-white."

"The numbers are highest at agencies, boards and commissions (22 per cent), and lowest in the corporate sector and on the boards of media organizations (4.8 per cent). Visible minorities comprise 15. 4 per cent of elected officials."

"The report that looked at 3,348 leaders reveals lack of inclusiveness at senior levels. The Conference Board of Canada (CBC) estimates that unemployment and underemployment of immigrants cost the economy between $3.4 billion-$5-billion a year. And there are missed opportunities in investment, global markets and leadership."

Now do you see why I believe the media has such a critical role to fulfill in the remaking of our city?

My original affront was real. Not because the media hurt me personally, but because from where I stand, it clearly hurt us all equally.

I still believe that the Hamilton Media Advisory Council - a voluntary body, is still the only model that is equipped to bring rapid measurable change in our community - if it chooses to do so.

Best,

Mahesh

Comment edited by Mahesh_P_Butani on 2010-06-16 20:15:06