403

Wednesday April 29, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 29, 2020

The future of our watershed is far from assured

Look, it’s another non-COVID-19 editorial! That’s right, we wanted to give you a break from nonstop pandemic news and commentary. We know that can get heavy.

November 26, 2019

So instead, let’s talk about the state of Cootes Paradise, Chedoke Creek and Hamilton’s watershed in general. That’s bound to lighten your mood. Not.

A new report from the City of Hamilton says no special cleanup or monitoring of the Cootes Paradise marsh is called for as a result of the now infamous 24-billion-litre sewage leak known as Sewergate.

Before you utter a collective sigh of relief, let’s be clear: That doesn’t mean the protected marsh area is fine. It’s not. And common sense suggests the extra billions of litres of sewage leaked over more than four years into Chedoke Creek, which drains into the marsh, did not help matters. 

December 7, 2019

According to a report from The Spectator’s Matthew Van Dongen, the report by SLR Consulting concludes there was no lasting damage to the marsh from the sewage spill, but it also observes that it’s hard to know where any specific piece of pollution is coming from, because there are so many sources. Well, that’s a relief.

Hamilton Coun. Maureen Wilson rightfully referred to the situation as a “damning indictment” of how the city has treated Cootes through history, allowing it to become dirty nearly beyond redemption prior to efforts in the last two decades to reclaim the marsh.

Progress has certainly been made, but the reality is that Cootes remains painfully polluted, not only by sewage but also by leachate from old landfill sites and toxic-run-off from highways, parking lots and other sources.

November 27, 2019

Back to the report for a bit. The consultant’s view is not necessarily and final word. The Royal Botanical Gardens, which owns the marsh, is studying the report, and while there is no final determination, there are hints the RBG may not agree with the report’s findings. The RBG’s Nick Kondrat told Van Dongen: “ … our initial assessment is that we strongly believe that additional analysis is required to evaluate the severity of the damage” from the spill.

The provincial Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has also yet to pass judgment, and it may differ from the consultant when it comes. It will also determine whether any aspect of the spill broke the law. If it did, charges against the city could follow.

The Hamilton Spectator

But suppose the provincial ministry report doesn’t amount to much. And suppose the RBG’s findings and recommendations aren’t conclusive. Where does that leave us? 

As much as we like to use the Sewergate label — The Spec did coin the phrase and break the story, after all — the spill and its fallout are not the most important issue at hand. What matters more is where we go from here. 

Are we satisfied with the status quo, with ongoing cleanup efforts that have delivered laudable but not conclusive results?

Cootes is still receiving pollution from so many sources pollutants can’t be traced to any one source. Chedoke Creek’s bed is layered with contaminated sludge. Major weather events, of which we are having more and more, still result in sewage holding tank overflow that leaks into the marsh, harbour and lake. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial)



 

Saturday November 21, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday November 21, 2015 Confusion surrounds push to preserve Desjardins Canal bridge The fate of one of the city's busiest old bridges is up in the air. And it's entirely possible that not one of the 5,180 drivers-per-hour who use it at peak times could name or even locate the bridge on a map. Don't feel bad Ñ neither could Hamilton councillors Wednesday, despite their decision to talk to the province about preserving parts of the 84-year-old span. The Ministry of Transportation calls the structure one-half of the Desjardins Canal bridges Ñ basically, the east and west traffic lanes of Highway 403 that cross the old watercourse connecting the harbour to Cootes Paradise. But in a previous life, the eastbound span was called the Longwood low-level bridge, carrying that road across the canal from 1931 until the 1960s, when it was incorporated into the highway. (The westbound span was built in the '60s.) The city has to act fast if it wants to influence a looming provincial plan to replace the historical bridge, said Coun. Aidan Johnson, who moved a motion Wednesday directing staff to talk to the province. "All heritage architecture and infrastructure in the city should be protected to the best of our ability precisely because it is our heritage," he said. "Especially if the province is going to pay for it." Johnson said city cultural staff alerted him to the impending bridge replacement Ñ and an opportunity, through the environmental assessment, to lobby to retain "heritage aspects" of the concrete bridge, such as distinctive abutments. The bridge doesn't meet the criteria to be a provincial heritage bridge, according to the project website. But MTO spokesperson Astrid Poei said via email it's possible the existing bridge piers could be "cut off" and preserved to "reflect the width and materials of the old bridge" with the cost of the work covered by the province. A replacement bridge would

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday November 21, 2015

Confusion surrounds push to preserve Desjardins Canal bridge

The fate of one of the city’s busiest old bridges is up in the air.

And it’s entirely possible that not one of the 5,180 drivers-per-hour who use it at peak times could name or even locate the bridge on a map.

Beaten to death by the stadium

Don’t feel bad — neither could Hamilton councillors Wednesday, despite their decision to talk to the province about preserving parts of the 84-year-old span.

The Ministry of Transportation calls the structure one-half of the Desjardins Canal bridges — basically, the east and west traffic lanes of Highway 403 that cross the old watercourse connecting the harbour to Cootes Paradise.

But in a previous life, the eastbound span was called the Longwood low-level bridge, carrying that road across the canal from 1931 until the 1960s, when it was incorporated into the highway. (The westbound span was built in the ’60s.)

The dreams which never die

The city has to act fast if it wants to influence a looming provincial plan to replace the historical bridge, said Coun. Aidan Johnson, who moved a motion Wednesday directing staff to talk to the province.

“All heritage architecture and infrastructure in the city should be protected to the best of our ability precisely because it is our heritage,” he said. “Especially if the province is going to pay for it.”

Johnson said city cultural staff alerted him to the impending bridge replacement — and an opportunity, through the environmental assessment, to lobby to retain “heritage aspects” of the concrete bridge, such as distinctive abutments.

The bridge doesn’t meet the criteria to be a provincial heritage bridge, according to the project website. But MTO spokesperson Astrid Poei said via email it’s possible the existing bridge piers could be “cut off” and preserved to “reflect the width and materials of the old bridge” with the cost of the work covered by the province.

A replacement bridge would still be built, she noted, but the remnant piers would remain as city property. Construction is slated to start next year and won’t finish until 2018.

Neverending Lister

The project website says the preferred fix for the aging canal span is to completely replace and widen the old Longwood bridge while rehabilitating the younger westbound highway structure.

Johnson argued the city has nothing to lose for arguing to preserve part of the “beautiful” bridge — even as he acknowledged being initially confused about exactly what bridge is under threat.

Councillors bemusedly searched the Internet and unsuccessfully tossed out guesses about exactly which bridge was under discussion during the meeting.

The confusion was understandable — the canal is criss-crossed by several historic spans, including the McQuesten high-level bridge and rail bridges used by CP and CN.

But unless you paddle the canal or walk the adjacent trail, you’d never realize the stretch of Highway 403 is a bridge at all.

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, a former construction industry boss, expressed doubt about the idea of a partial preservation.

“In my experience, it’s not easy to save parts of a bridge,” he said. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Wednesday, August 6, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Bad Drive, Good Flight

After five days of traffic nightmares, the Burlington Skyway has reopened.

The Ministry of Transportation made the announcement on Monday at 3 p.m. after removing four damaged vehicles from the bridge, making temporary repairs, and removing all debris.

Friday, February 21, 2014All lanes opened at around 6 p.m. after workers paved a 60-metre stretch and repainted the road lines.

According to the MTO, permanent repairs still need to be made, including the fabrication and installation of a new steel beam to replace the one that was damaged in Thursday’s crash. That work will be done at night over the next two months to ensure any lane reductions will have a minimal impact on traffic.

Astrid Poei from MTO said it is too early to estimate the cost of damages, but it could run into the millions.

“This is not a cheap endeavour,” said Poei.

The Toronto-bound lanes of the Skyway were closed on Thursday afternoon after a dump truck with its box open struck the overhead truss of the bridge.

Sukhvinder Singh Rai, 34, of Brampton, faces impaired driving charges and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 22.

In the aftermath of the crash, traffic was diverted to Eastport Drive, the Red Hill Valley Parkway, the Linc, Burlington Street and Fruitland Road. David Ferguson, superintendent of traffic engineering for the city, said the impact was felt throughout the city, including on the Mountain. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Meanwhile, Major roads and highways have reopened Tuesday in the wake of severe flash flooding across Burlington and parts of Halton Region over the Civic holiday.

Burlington was hit with the equivalent of two months of rainfall in one day.

According to Environment Canada, 150 millimetres fell in highly localized areas Monday night. Another 20 millimetres was expected. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Lancaster has safely landed at Goose Bay, Labrador, finishing the first leg of its journey to England.

According to a tweet from Matthew Munson, who paid $79,100 in an eBay auction for a seat on the historic trip, the bomber “landed at Goose Bay after a few fly pasts. What an epic journey here.”

On Wednesday the plane is scheduled to fly to Keflavik, Iceland, and continue from there to RAF Coningsby in England on Friday. Over its six-week tour, the bomber will take part in a series of air shows, many of which will also feature the world’s only other airworthy Lancaster owned by the RAF.

The celebrated Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum plane took off from Hamilton shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday before a crowd of hundreds of cheering onlookers. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Saturday July 12, 2014

Saturday July 12, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 12, 2014

Killing two birds with one sign

For SaleIt turns out a block-letter “Hamilton” highway sign faces some pricey road blocks.

City councillors officially pulled the plug Monday on a fast-tracked, $230,000 effort to build a “civic gateway” along Highway 403 that would be ready in time for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Cost-leery councillors learned fabricating the metal sign would probably only cost $40,000. But design and archeological studies, road-building for access, utilities and traffic management could pump the total beyond $230,000.

City manager Chris Murray also said it isn’t worthwhile soliciting donations for the project until detailed cost and design information is available.

Gobsmacked councillors referred the report to the 2015 budget debate, but gave staff permission to use up to $36,000 in reserve cash to do geotechnical and design studies on a Highway 403 site near Old Guelph Road.

Detailed project costs will be considered as part of 2015 budget discussions.

Councillors initially supported an online “#time4sign” campaign spearheaded by local pundit and public relations expert Laura Babcock, but later balked at the high price.

A similar block letter Stoney Creek sign erected years ago cost close to $300,000, noted area Councillor Brad Clark.

“We can’t rush this,” said Clark, who suggested council has been “flying by the seat of our pants” in pushing the project for a Pan Am deadline.

“I appreciate the desire to get it done quickly, but I’m not sure we can.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday, June 14, 2013Meanwhile, the storied City Motor Hotel sign has come down — for now.

The city will dismantle and store the tarnished, towering sign “with the hope of resurrecting it sometime down the road,” said ward Councillor Sam Merulla.

Merulla said the vintage sign is an important piece of Hamilton’s history, but added it will take some work — and possibly up to $50,000 — to restore.

There are no concrete plans to reuse the sign, he added, “but we’re looking.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

LETTERS to the EDITOR

Hamilton welcome sign (Editorial cartoon, July 12)

Graeme MacKay’s cartoon is just plain brilliant. Thank you to him for thinking outside of the box and for the great suggestion for the use of the old City Motor Motel sign.

Why not restore the sign at a cost of $50,000 instead of the proposed $200,000 plus, plus for a Welcome to Hamilton sign? A welcome sign has been needed for years and we still do not have one. How difficult can it be?

Hamilton is a unique city and this sign would be perfect. As shown in the cartoon, it looks like the right size, and positioned on the pillars, it looks like a big H. I love the arrows directing tourists to our wonderful city.

Hey, City Council, you gotta love it. Look at the money you would be saving the taxpayers and actually recycling for better use.

I can’t wait!

J. Campbell, Hamilton

 

City Motor Hotel sign (Editorial cartoon, July 12)

We know the City of Hamilton has other challenges, yet Graeme MacKay’s editorial cartoon offers a bright idea, one not so far-fetched — the maintenance, preservation-in-place and reuse of the city’s neon signs as 20th-century historical artifacts and pieces of art. Consider Hamilton’s neon signs as a reflection of a modern “coming-of-age” for the city.

In Colorado, Denver’s 26-mile long Colfax Avenue, known as one of the longest commercial streets in the U.S., has a glimmering array of neon signs, the earliest installed in the 1930s. Advertising local businesses such as motels, auto shops and ice-cream parlours, 12 of them are on Colorado Preservation’s list of endangered places.

The city of Burnaby, B.C., has purchased and restored several neon signs considered “rare civic heritage landmarks,” including one from an iconic hamburger stand. My guess would be that many area residents would miss the Hutch’s-on-the-Beach neon sign if it was changed to a different style. Recently it was announced that the Sam the Record Man sign will be reinstalled on the side of a university building in downtown Toronto.

Here’s a thought — maybe the City of Hamilton could use the City Motel’s neon sign as a welcoming sign where it is currently located or a new development or business could reuse the sign. By considering such signs in a different light and frame of time, we can create ways that existing businesses could keep them in use and new businesses can coexist with these “old” signs rather than lose such signposts from the urban landscape.

 Marsha Paley, Burlington

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

From Scott Thompson, CHML, July 14, 2014

We all know the history involving the saga of the Welcome sign for Hamilton.

Some well-meaning movers and shakers in town thought it would be a good idea to have a sign ready for the 2015 Pam Am games.

Little did we remember this was all dealt with over a decade ago but nothing was ever done by council to complete the project. Surprised?

Now the mad dash to get something up in time, may prove fruitless as more consultation has to be done.

Forget about a stadium, we can’t even get a sign up in time for the games.

Although one aimless councillor thought the old City Motor Hotel sign was worth saving so it can be restored.

The councillor lamented it’s a piece of Hamilton history and wants it stored to be resurrected again.

Really, I thought we were trying to rid ourselves of the run down, derelict, backwards city image.

Seems some at council still refuse to get out of the past.

Perhaps like Spec cartoonist  Graeme MacKay captured in his weekend drawing, maybe the City Motor Hotel sign can be retrofitted and used as a Welcome to Hamilton sign.

 I’m Scott Thompson.

Well said Scott, it really makes you wonder where the Council’s priorities are when we see this type of thing happen and the cartoon that reveals what a laughing stock our Council is when they make these types of statements. I was laughing so hard when I was this picture in the Sat Spec, my wife thought I was loosing it….. Election time is around the corner, lets hope we get some needed changes at City Hall to move forward as you say.

Like Alan, I was nearly spitting up breakfast with my laughter…what a great cartoon and how fitting. When the article said about restoring the sign at $50,000, I nearly spit up my coffee too. When O WHEN is this City Council of ours going to do something Right, for a change ? Worse than Mr. Dithers from the Dagwood comic strip. They debate a simple issue to death and nothing gets done until it’s too late. No wonder we have so much voter apathy and little faith in those who are supposed to be running this Town with some vision….anyways it was a great cartoon. I wonder if anyone on City Council “got it”

 

 

Tuesday October 30, 2001

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday October 30, 2001 Highway Mess There have been 80 accidents where Highway 407 meets Highway 403 in Burlington since the end of July.Ontario Provincial Police say only 10 of the accidents resulted in injuries, but all caused major traffic tieups and added to drivers' frustration. The 407 was supposed to move traffic through this area faster, not create more gridlock. The issue is the design of the 407 ETR (express toll route) access. The left lane on the non-toll Highway 403 flows directly on to the toll-charging 407. Drivers who aren't paying attention could find themselves either driving on the toll road or having to make a quick lane change to avoid it. These changes have been blamed for several minor collisions. The situation caused a public outcry when the 407 opened at the Freeman interchange in Burlington in August. The Ontario Transportation Ministry and 407 officials put up more signs that provide more advanced notice of the left lane becoming part of the 407 and this seemed to ease the situation. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Ontario, highway, toll roads, travel, Toronto Burlington, Hamilton, cars, QEW, 403, Gardiner, expressway

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 30, 2001

Highway Mess

There have been 80 accidents where Highway 407 meets Highway 403 in Burlington since the end of July.Ontario Provincial Police say only 10 of the accidents resulted in injuries, but all caused major traffic tieups and added to drivers’ frustration.

The 407 was supposed to move traffic through this area faster, not create more gridlock.

The issue is the design of the 407 ETR (express toll route) access.

The left lane on the non-toll Highway 403 flows directly on to the toll-charging 407.

Drivers who aren’t paying attention could find themselves either driving on the toll road or having to make a quick lane change to avoid it.

These changes have been blamed for several minor collisions.

The situation caused a public outcry when the 407 opened at the Freeman interchange in Burlington in August.

The Ontario Transportation Ministry and 407 officials put up more signs that provide more advanced notice of the left lane becoming part of the 407 and this seemed to ease the situation. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)