Comment 46382

By H+H (registered) - website | Posted August 27, 2010 at 09:01:00

The thing to bear in mind is that a $15 million dollar business is causing a $1 billion dollar corporation to get all emotional and irrational over the threatened departure of that relatively small business.

Wonder if our Councillors would do the same if say, Gowlings law firm was to threaten to shut their Hamilton office? They may not be part of our cultural fabric like the Ti-Cats, but they're very likely paying considerably more to the City of Hamilton directly through their taxes than the Ti-Cats. Would we build a $120 million dollar office tower for them and give them the keys to the entire office tower for a pittance in rent? Would we let them rent the rest of the building so they could make more money? Would we forgo property taxes on the office tower we paid to build for them?

Look, I'm a heritage guy, so I understand and believe deeply in the value of memory and emotion and culture. I just don't want that perceived value to cause significant financial decisions by our Councillors to be based solely on emotion. So much for Council's favourite word - prudent. They use it. They don't understand its meaning.

Instead, we wring our hands and are willing to make an anti-city building decision to keep an organization that likely directly employs about 70-90 seasonal employees. Like I say, if you can't tell a joke, be one!

gcrawford

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