apathy

Saturday December 16, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 16, 2017

Exclusively rural Flamborough ward is coming apart

Farmers may feed cities but based on the Ontario Municipal Board’s ward boundary ruling it looks like cities politically devour farmers.

April 26, 2012

The most lamentable change in the board’s redrawing of Hamilton’s electoral map is the elimination of the current Ward 14 in west Flamborough, effectively shutting down the one voice around the city council horseshoe which speaks exclusively for rural residents.

Under the plan, the ward will be wiped out and partitioned between Ancaster and Dundas, reshaping the unique agricultural community into a mixed urban-rural precinct. In its stead a new ward will sprout on the Mountain.

Ward 14 comprises more than one-third of Hamilton’s total land mass and accounts for a big portion of the $1 billion plus economic activity which agriculture annually contributes to Hamilton’s economy.

June 24, 2016

For the past 11 years Coun. Robert Pasuta, a farmer himself, has been the voice of that community, which since amalgamation has become part of the flavour and fabric of the city.

Pasuta’s updates to council on the state of asparagus, corn, and soybean crops are a quirky but restorative reminder of how singularly blessed Hamilton is, how just a short distance from the choking traffic and concrete of the big city the elemental forces of nature still call the tune that people’s lives and livelihoods dance to.

The weather and soil will remain if the board decision stands. An independent political voice for farmers will not.

Word of the board decision knocked the wind out of Pasuta. He’s got his legs back under him now. If legal grounds permit, he firmly supports appealing the ruling. (Continued: Hamilton Spectator) 

 

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Wednesday October 29, 2014

Wednesday October 29, 2014Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 29, 2014

Where did you go, Hamilton voters?

Not good enough, Hamilton.

That was the consensus among disheartened democracy boosters after voter turnout plummeted to a record low of 34 per cent in Monday’s city election. By contrast, 60 per cent of eligible Toronto voters cast a ballot.

Thursday August 1, 2013Sure, Hamiltonians weren’t motivated by a world renowned mayoral soap opera — but we did have a three-way battle for the top job, four empty council seats and a polarizing LRT debate.

“People just aren’t interested,” said Larry Pomerantz, chair of the Hamilton Civic League which supported a People’s Platform resident engagement effort this election.

We’re not alone — cities throughout the GTA saw turnout under 40 per cent, with some, like Oshawa, even dropping to 26 per cent.

Pomerantz said the key is to convince residents it’s in their interest to join the civic debate. “Do we really want more voters, or more informed voters?”

Education is essential, says mayor-elect Fred Eisenberger. “Voting is a learned behaviour we need to instill in our children,” he said.

Eisenberger also argued that the city can make it easier to vote. He vowed to “aggressively” pursue online voting options, which the city will study in advance of the 2018 election.

Online voting helped Ajax reach its best turnout in decades — even if it was just 30 per cent.

Apathy letter to editorMunicipal Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin also said Tuesday Ontario is “committed to moving ahead” with offering a ranked ballot option to cities — and “quite possibly” a shorter campaign period.

Ranked ballots allow voters to list candidates by preference, with second choices used in a run-off until a candidate earns 50 per cent support.

While Hamilton’s election day had some snafus, they shouldn’t have kept voters away from the polls, said election manager Tony Fallis, who called the vote one of the smoothest he’s seen in the city.

Fallis received five complaints about electioneering at polling stations and a parking problem at a Flamborough school.

Councillor Judi Partridge said she also fielded complaints from upset voters who claimed the station opened late, leading to lineups.

Fallis said he was not aware of any delays in opening of any of the 209 polling stations. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Thursday August 1, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday August 1, 2013

Ontario byelections: Wynne faces 1st test as premier

Whatever the results of the five Ontario byelections today, Kathleen Wynne will remain premier and the Liberals will continue their minority rule.

But the five contests represent the first test for Wynne at the polls, and the first indication of how voters view the Liberals after the resignation of Dalton McGuinty as premier.

The post-McGuinty era has thus far been marred with revelations of the cost of cancelled gas plants in the Toronto area and the ensuing controversy. That issue has dominated many of the races in these byelections, but it is not the lone issue on voters’ minds.

The very first issue in the byelections was their timing. Wynne chose a late-summer voting date for all five byelections, even when she could have delayed some into the fall.

The Aug. 1 poll day also falls on the Thursday before a long weekend for many Ontarians.

With slowed summer schedules and vacations for many, pundits predict a low voter turnout.

Both opposition parties were critical of the choice of date.

“We know that on the long weekend, when most families across Ontario are prepared to take that extra day to spend with their family, Ms. Wynne has decided that she would like to subvert democracy,” said Progressive Conservative Lisa MacLeod.

“This is the same old kind of thing that we expect from the Liberals, when they arrange things so that they’re most opportunistic for themselves,” said Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. (Source: CBC News)