Raise the Hammer

Here's a couple of items left off of the list of good ideas above (although there are a few crushing oversimplifications):

• Increase efforts to attract intentional Hamiltonians -- my family moved here on purpose and frankly, we're sick of the self-defeatism which is the marque of a lifer Hamiltonian. Hamilton is pretty freaking awesome and has a lot to offer if you only open your eyes a little bit.

• Don't completely discount the positive benefits of GTA commuters under the perjorative 'bedroom community' terminology. I'm one of those people who has to choose between working in Toronto and leaving Canada -- my job specialty is shockingly rare outside of Toronto. I make my money elsewhere and spend it locally -- I bring dollars into our community from outside instead of recycling the dollars that are already here.

• Invest in the little things. Hamilton's "look" suffers not so much from the unreal eyesore of the post-heavy-industry mess viewed from the Skyway as much as it does from the generally dilapidated and unmaintained underutilized/incorrectly-utilized buildings along the main thoroughfares. Spend some money on a "clean team" pressure washing the fronts of the buildings along the major streets -- they're covered in that fine black particulate that the steel plants occassionally shit down all over the city and the Ministry of the Environment fails to notice. While you're doing that, they can act as by-law enforcers and do something about the "a sheet of 70s basement panelling is a reasonable front facade on a commercial property" problem.

• Supporting the "clean team" - make a simple change which fixes the economic disincentive we've built in that promotes empty commercial sites -- it should be that if it's empty, you pay taxes, if it's rented, you get a break on taxes. In my experience, rent rates on first-floor commercial streetwall are unreasonably high because it's easier for the landlord to not rent and avoid taxes than it is to be a landlord. Of course, this requires that there be enforcement of use -- first floor commercial streetwall is not residential, and the obviously permit-free conversions that happen should be dealt with. If it was possible to rent a first-floor commercial streetwall with a relatively fresh sheetrock with white paint interior and a functioning bath and mini-kitchen for a reasonable price - ~$500 or so, you've got the makings of a surge in 'professionals who need office space and want to get out of their house/coffeeshop' which tends to spawn supporting small service businesses and can happen in any of the effectively abandoned streetwall chunks which are (possibly) the most awesome part of this city.

• Term limits on city councillors. Enough already. I don't know who keeps voting that bunch of churlish febrile 4 year olds back into office, but the abject-fail / dark-comedy that is city council needs to end. Fixating on the mega-project rather than the actual city building is killing Hamilton and needs to stop.

• Promoting civility and manners needs to start with the adults and be enforced/taught to the children. It may sound "Pleasantville-ish" but Hamilton often is the kind of place where walking down the street and tipping your hat / nodding your head with a smile and "Have a great day!" is the norm. We need to take that from often to always while at the same time, requiring a level of politeness and manners (regardless of how Victorian it may seem) as part of the normal course at our schools. This stuff matters FAR more than almost everyone realises.

Lastly and almost the most important -- if you're responding to this article, you should be out there doing some of this stuff -- you can change a place by throwing dollars at it from afar or by moving in and making it your home. Hamilton is my home. Hamilton north of Barton is my home. My home has its problems, but I'm doing everything I can everyday to make it more awesome than it was yesterday.