Raise the Hammer

George, Respectfully, Hamilton's 'summer tempest' of 2011 was just that - a sudden emotionally charged cloud-burst of pent-up feelings - (all well meaning concerns, about our city's well-being and success), which has come to be hitched on the LRT.

In the madness that ensued there was no room for any kind of communication to survive.

All logical attempts to clarify positions were publicly slighted.

Good things were happening thru the summer, but we choose to only see the bad in them and magnify it.

Maybe... our city did need this cathartic 'clamour' moment to cleanse and rejuvenate its spirit -- by its last exaggerated public act of self loathing, fear, and mis-trust -- before it settles into a period of self-confidence, respect and trust in diverse opinions and approaches to city rebuilding.

Steve Arnold's four lines from June 30, set the domino effect.

Two lines of these four -- was his observations attributed to the Mayor:

"On the thorny transit issues, he said he’s fully supportive of expanded GO service, but has reservations about the LRT plan. He also doesn’t think there’s wide public support for the plan."

And the other two lines from the total from his 48 line article -- was a quote attributed to the Mayor:

“We still haven’t figured out what all the costs of that are going to be,” he said. “We’re not hearing any kind of clamour from the public on that file.”

(this could have also been grammatically interpreted as: the public at large is still awaiting more information - and that he does not see the public rushing to stake a position on this until all facts emerge...)

The two parallel events triggering this clamour generation were:

1) the reallocation of resources around the LRT team by the city manager;

2) the mayor's affirmations of an all day GO service. (This was weaved into the imagery of Steve's four lines above, to launch a call for clamour via a flood of articles and even a petition).

Never mind that Steve's article was essentially about a business association pushing the buttons of the administration - seeking reduction on the development charges for industrial development projects.

And never mind that this very article also quotes the following most clearly:

"The business leaders added they feel the same lack of support from council and the city’s MPPs over the drive to get all-day GO service and a LRT system built here.

“Our political leaders have to play politics in Toronto for Hamilton,” Duke said. “So far we haven’t received any feedback to say this is even a priority.”

The fact that the business leaders were also clearly asking for an all day Go service was completely overlooked in the ensuing clamour - the back and forth of which went on to define the GO v/s LRT scenario.

The fact is that the commitment for GO was delivered as per the business communities own wants - and as was even earlier mentioned in a staff report to the council which was approved.

But this GO win for the city was sadly projected by the media as an irrelevant achievement and instead it was made the butt of many jokes and even vivid caricatures which sprung from a lack of a deeper understanding of issues.

George, thank you for posting the above link to this new report on all levels of transit.

Now we can safely conclude that the LRT was never put on the backburner - and if some still feel that it was put there with evil intent, it is because they choose to ask the wrong questions.

One can only hope that the pending motion to clarify all of this is pulled back unilaterally by council - because it is the right thing to do in light of this report and emerging facts around this issue.

Between this report and the Mayor's clearly worded clarification of July 5 on LRT to Nicholas Kevelhan -- there were no gaps in communication. When you box someone in a corner and start to shower brickbats - the reactions always lead to a downward spiral in communications. We need to stop being teachers and start learning to be students.

Added to this report, is the pre election commitment already made for the all day GO service from James North, - all of which collectively could hopefully convince the business community to recognize that in spite of all the rhetoric - both their objectives for the GO and the LRT have been on the front burner thru the summer tempest.

If anyones feet need to be held to fire in all of this - it is the business communities feet - which need to start walking the big-talk of downtown investments; and not hold back the growth of this city with poorly conceived designs and development proposals that are dependent on big things happening first.

For good communication to evolve in Hamilton, first we must put a decisive stop to wild interpretations and wilder conclusions of events, utterances and expressions, which then are immediately followed by media swarming that puts everyone on the defensive.

We are all at fault here, equally. Let us be thankful that we have a functioning city, in spite of our worst doubts, fears and self-loathing.

A very happy thanksgiving to all!

Comment edited by Mahesh_P_Butani on 2011-10-10 17:03:12