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March 2004
Newsletter
What Is Wrong in Hamilton?
The January 7 city budget presentation included some interesting economic statistics. It reported that housing starts took a steep dive in Hamilton, falling from a record 2291 in 2002, down to 1610 last year, the lowest level since 1996. The value of commercial building permits also dropped dramatically, to their lowest level in a decade. But both institutional and industrial construction hit new highs.
What does this mean? Is it good news or bad for Hamilton? It's a little difficult to tell from the city budget documents because these figures are the ONLY economic indicators provided. There's nothing about the employment rate, household incomes, number of homeless, average home prices, cost of living, etc.
And that's the real revelation here. When it comes to the local economy, City Council apparently thinks new construction is the only thing that matters.
We are told how many NEW houses are built, but nothing about how many existing homes underwent major renovations, and nothing about how many older homes were abandoned as no longer liveable.
New malls and new big boxes are deemed important, but not the number of stores that went bankrupt or the number of commercial units now sitting empty.
The plain fact is that the majority of city councillors are focused on new growth. They measure the progress of the community by this yardstick, and this yardstick alone. This is a council dedicated to sprawl.
The successful paving of farmer's fields is carefully noted, but not the loss of productive agricultural lands. The kilometres of new or expanded roads are celebrated, while the steady deterioration of existing roads merits little attention.
Major energies are expended chasing international sporting events in hopes of new stadiums and swimming pools, paralleled by quiet decisions to sell 'excess' existing facilities and avoid repairing others.
This is why our older neighbourhoods and business districts are sliding deeper into decay. While City Council chases construction jobs in the outskirts, 28% of Hamilton's workforce is now employed in other communities, mainly in the Toronto area.
A February 2000 study reported over 4000 empty commercial units in Hamilton. The response of councillors was to expand the urban boundary south of Rymal Road to accommodate a "Meadowlands East" big box complex. Two of those big boxes were approved early last summer.
This is a fundamental problem in Hamilton, and the real source of the budget crisis at City Hall and the deepening economic and social malaise in the community. The myopia at City Hall is just as deeply engrained in the local media.
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