Two motions were recently passed in Hamilton City Hall that address the ongoing drug crisis and lack of safer-use spaces in the community
On Feb. 13, 2023, two motions regarding harm reduction were moved at Hamilton City Hall by Ward 13 councillor Alex Wilson and seconded by Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann.
The first motion called to allocate funding towards a substance abuse and addictions program and the second called for the development of an evidence-based harm reduction plan for safer use spaces in Hamilton. Both motions were passed with a unanimous vote.
Alongside the recent opioid crisis in 2020, Hamilton has seen a significant rise in opioid-related death this year, spiking conversation surrounding the potential of a drug poisoning crisis.
Kim Ritchie is a social worker with lived experience of opioid usage in Hamilton, and extensive knowledge and experience advocating for the implementation of harm reduction practices.
In an interview with the Silhouette, Ritchie explained that the climbing number of opioid-related deaths is alarming and abnormal, with Hamilton seeing 814 incidents related to opioid overdoses in 2022. For this reason, Ritchie explained that it is urgent that Hamilton address drug-poisoning and opioid related emergencies now.
“The body count is ever rising because half our clients out there and half the workers out there have complex grief and trauma for navigating direct medical crises that they're ill-prepared for or from constantly saving each other,” said Ritchie.
“The body count is ever rising because half our clients out there and half the workers out there have complex grief and trauma for navigating direct medical crises that they're ill-prepared for or from constantly saving each other,”
Kim Ritchie, social worker
In a separate interview with the Silhouette, Wilson explained that the harm reduction motions aim to respond to this significant rise in opioid cases and opioid related deaths in Hamilton. Wilson explained that current challenges within the city such as high rent costs and soaring food prices may contribute to high rates of opioid usage.
The plan to advance a whole-community harm reduction framework entails consulting experts in health and drug policy while also convening with individuals with lived or living experience with addiction and opioid usage.
“We need a new approach, and we need an approach that's based in evidence and based in saving lives, informed by those with lived and living experience,” said Wilson.
“We need a new approach, and we need an approach that's based in evidence and based in saving lives, informed by those with lived and living experience,”
Alex Wilson, Ward 13 councillor
Consulting individuals with lived and living experience is an important principle also shared by the Student Overdose Prevention and Education Network, a prevalent student organization works towards overdose prevention and harm reduction awareness.
SOPEN co-founder Olivia Mancini explained that the harm reduction and prevention work they do is rooted in listening to and uplifting individuals with lived experience with drug use to foster a stigma-free environment for learning safer-use practices and discussing the drug poisoning crisis.
Mancini, who has worked alongside Ritchie to enact harm reduction awareness and practices within Hamilton, explained that many of SOPEN’s initiatives aim to educate and de-stigmatize harm reduction and drug education among youth, such as community engagement initiatives at Hamilton’s Art Crawl. However, the mission to normalize and educate about harm reduction is not always widely accepted.
“Yeah, our focus is youth. We would like to have [harm reduction] education included in high school curriculum. It’s proven to be difficult to just do, much how sex education is controversial, it’s been hard to get into high schools,” said Mancini.
Alongside SOPEN, Wilson explained how organizations such as the YWCA are already demonstrating the feasibility of effective harm reduction plans. The YWCA has been operating a safer use space that has seen over 200 unique guests and have successfully reversed 34 drug poisonings.
Wilson explained that while community organizations are able to provide successful safer-use spaces, outside of these spaces individuals continue to overdose and lose their lives while faced with hospital delays and lack of available ambulances on the roads.
These motions are just the beginning of a longer process of acknowledging and acting upon prevalent drug-related emergencies in Hamilton. Mancini explained that with policy in place for safer-use spaces and broader-spanning harm reduction services, a tremendous weight will be taken off many frontline workers.
“If we have those funded services, it will also create cost savings to the community. It would relieve that pressure off of frontline workers, police, paramedics, the emergency department if people had access to harm reduction services,” said Mancini.
“If we have those funded services, it will also create cost savings to the community. It would relieve that pressure off of frontline workers, police, paramedics, the emergency department if people had access to harm reduction services,”
Olivia Mancini, SOPEN co-founder
Ritchie shared the same sentiment, explaining the complex grief and trauma that accompanies frontline workers, shelter workers and opioid users from navigating an influx of medical crises.
Ritchie explained that implementing harm reduction policy and work surrounding safer-use and de-stigmatization will ripple into other areas of intersectionality.
“I don't want to look one more worker in the eye and watch them sob because they just saved somebody's life, I don't want to talk to another client who just buried another friend in a poppers grave, I don't want to stand in one more meeting having to yell for the rights of people who use drugs who are somehow villainized as though it's their fault, instead of acknowledging intergenerational trauma, structural racism,” said Ritchie.
Following this motion, Hamilton residents should expect a follow-up report detailing an updated opioid response plan and recommendations to be presented at the next Board of Health meeting in June 2023.
Ritchie explained that this work is a step in the right direction, and she has hope for positive outcomes from effective and informed harm reduction.
“And that's why I love harm reduction, it demands that we hang up our capes and we sit down in humility with other people's pain, and we start asking what they need instead of pushing change. There's no gaslighting in it. There's no heroism. It's humility and empowerment and education and understanding, and I really do feel that this is a foundation for momentum moving forward,” said Ritchie.
More information on City of Hamilton harm reduction policy plans can be found in the recent Board of Health reports.
Citizens advocating against the $12.3 million police budget increase disrupted a budget feedback session at City Hall on Feb. 6
A budget feedback session at city hall was shut down on Feb. 6, following disruptions from a sit-in protest against a proposed 2023 police budget.
The Hamilton Police Services proposed a 6.71 per cent, or $12.3 million, increase to their budget, for a total $195.8 million. Police Chief Frank Bergen said the increase is necessary to keep pace with the growing population and rising crime severity in Hamilton.
Discussions of the HPS budget, which makes up approximately 18.5 per cent of Hamilton's total spending, prompted local advocacy groups to call for diverting the money that would go towards the budget increase to other resources in Hamilton.
The Hamilton Encampment Support Network, a volunteer organization that supports unhoused Hamiltonians, organized a protest outside City Hall on the day of the budget feedback session.
During the session, protestors filled the chamber’s gallery and protested the proposed increases to the police budget.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark, the general issues committee chair, adjourned the meeting after an hour of the sit-in until protestors left.
Before the session was adjourned, numerous delegates spoke to the councillors about why they should reject the budget increase. The delegates proposed the budget be allocated to other services such as addressing affordable housing, mental health and addiction resources and food insecurity.
Before the session was adjourned, numerous delegates spoke to the councillors about why they should reject the budget increase. The delegates proposed the budget be allocated to other services such as addressing affordable housing, mental health and addiction resources and food insecurity.
Since the protests, Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann has publicly opposed the proposal, citing concerns about the budget.
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson, who represents the McMaster University area, viewed the event as an attempt to bully city councillors, calling the protest undemocratic.
“What we witnessed last night was an unacceptable attempt to bully members of #HamOnt City Council. In previous Council I spoke out when members of Council attempted to bully staff & members of public. This undemocratic act denied the opportunity for many delegates to be heard,” said Wilson in a tweet on Feb. 7.
Mayor Andrea Harworth echoed similar remarks, stating that disrupting a peaceful discussion impeded respectful dialogue.
HESN responded to their criticisms, explaining that playing by the rules was not enough to address the ongoing issues.
“The community came out last night to flip the script – we can't keep coming to your table, to your council chambers, and playing by your exact rule book, while our neighbours keep dying,” said HESN in a statement on Instagram on Feb. 7.
Moving forward, city council can choose to reject the budget or appeal the final decision to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. If the council rejects the proposal, a new budget will be proposed by the police services board.
However, city solicitor Lisa Shields told councillors during a general issues committee meeting on Feb. 7 that city has never rejected the police budget.
However, city solicitor Lisa Shields told councillors during a general issues committee meeting on Feb. 7 that city has never rejected the police budget.
This is an ongoing story.
A fortunate update on the transportation project haunted by political chicanery
Graphic by Elisabetta Paiano and Andrew Mrozowski, Managing Editor
A RECAP FROM LAST YEAR
We last wrote about the state of the Hamilton light-rail transit system project on Jan. 23, 2020. The proposed project involved the construction of an LRT line, extending from McMaster University to Eastgate Square along the Hamilton Street Railway B-line.
However, on Dec. 16, 2019, the Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney informed Fred Eisenberger, the mayor of Hamilton, that the provincial government had decided to cancel plans for the project.
The reasoning behind this cancellation was that the project would have cost over five times more than the previous Kathleen Wynne provincial government had implied. Eisenberger considered this a betrayal on the part of Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario provincial government.
The estimated cost for the Hamilton LRT project was revealed to range from $4.6 billion to $6.5 billion in a meeting between the Ministry of Transportation and the city of Hamilton. This is approximately five times that of the initial $1 billion Wynne promised Hamilton in May 2015 for the project.
The cost was later set at $5.5 billion, without any cost breakdown. According to a statement from Mulroney on Dec. 16, the estimated costs originated from a report by an unnamed expert third party. Kris Jacobson, then director of the LRT project office, noted that without context, the estimate from the provincial government was impossible to interpret and verify.
Andrea Horwath, NDP member of provincial parliament for Hamilton-Centre and leader of the official opposition, called onFord to reveal the third-party’s cost estimate. On Dec. 18, 2019, Horwath sent a letter to the auditor general of Ontario, Bonnie Lysyk, requesting an investigation and report of the rationale behind the LRT cost estimates provided to the public. The Auditor General’s report on the Hamilton LRT costs was set to be released by the end of 2020.
Despite the cancellation of the Hamilton LRT project, it was decided the initial $1 billion commitment from Wynne’s provincial government would be used for transportation in Hamilton, with the total funding being diverted to different infrastructure.
Exactly what infrastructure would be funded by the $1 billion would be at the discretion of a newly formed Hamilton transportation task force. Comprised of five respectable people who reside within the city, the task force was responsible for creating a list of transportation projects for the ministry of transportation to consider as alternatives to the LRT.
This list was due to the provincial government by the end of February 2020. Despite the cancellation of the LRT project and the creation of a task force to plan the diversion of the allocated funding to other projects, Eisenberger remained committed to the construction of the LRT.
WHAT NOW?
More than a year later and the situation has greatly evolved. The Hamilton transportation task force made its recommendations on the allocation of the $1 billion granted to Hamilton by the Wynne government to the ministry of transportation on March 16, 2020. Mulroney later made the recommendations public for the sake of transparency.
“So basically it wasn’t an announcement per se, it was the province of Ontario following up. They said they would do an audit, they did an audit, they did a task force, the task force came back and said that higher-order transit was necessary for the city of Hamilton,” said Eisenberger.
The task force made a total of 15 recommendations. Some of the recommendations included: a "higher-order" transit system and an "intra-city" bus rapid transit or light-rail transit system along the A or B lines in Hamilton. This would resemble the previously cancelled project.
The task force made a total of 15 recommendations. Some of the recommendations included: a "higher-order" transit system and an "intra-city" bus rapid transit or light-rail transit system along the A or B lines in Hamilton. This would resemble the previously cancelled project.
LRT or BRT, the report said, would reduce congestion, bring economic uplift, thus bringing substantial benefit to the residents and businesses of Hamilton. This indicated the task force was still in favour of the Hamilton LRT project and recommended the province reach out to the federal government to acquire the funding required for the LRT project.
This recommendation came after Eisenberger spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a visit to Ottawa prior to March 2020 about the Hamilton LRT. According to Eisenberger, the federal government was willing to fund the Hamilton LRT project, but the provincial government had to officially ask for the funds.
“That task forced looked at all the transportation options and came back with the same conclusion that higher order transit was necessary for the city of Hamilton. It was the best investment and it was certainly aligned to LRT and since then, the Premier on several occasions, has came to make sure that Hamilton gets the appropriate investment in transportation and LRT is the one that he’s been advocating for,” said Eisenberger.
This turn of events indicated a sentiment towards revisiting the Hamilton LRT project. With that said, there were other recommendations in the Hamilton transportation task force report, including a cost estimate around all-day GO service. The recommendations from the task force were welcomed by Eisenberger as an indication the LRT project was still on the table.
The awaited auditor general’s report on the breakdown of the $5.5 billion estimate for the Hamilton LRT project was released on Dec. 7 2020. Lysyk determined that the original $1 billion commitment from the provincial government only covered the costs of construction and was based on a 2012 Environmental Project Report from the City of Hamilton.
Lysyk concluded in her report that the $5.5 billion estimate that led to Mulroney cancelling the LRT project was a more accurate estimate for the total costs of the project. Although Ford welcomed this news as vindication for his government, the auditor general’s report indicated that the city of Hamilton was misled on the actual costs of the LRT for years.
“The Ministry of Transportation was aware as early as December 2016 that the estimated costs for the project were significantly higher than its public commitment of $1 billion in 2015, which was only for construction costs. The increases were not made public or communicated to the City of Hamilton until fall of 2019,” said Lysysk in the report.
“The Ministry of Transportation was aware as early as December 2016 that the estimated costs for the project were significantly higher than its public commitment of $1 billion in 2015, which was only for construction costs. The increases were not made public or communicated to the City of Hamilton until fall of 2019.”
Bonnie Lysyk, Auditor General of Ontario
According to Eisenberger, the city of Hamilton and the province of Ontario have a signed memorandum of understanding which outlines how the project will proceed. In the event of budget constraint, it is documented that the provincial government would lobby at the federal level to gain more funding for the project.
“[The city’s] level of involvement is not at the highest order, but certainly awareness as to what direction [the province is] going [in] . . . So true to that original [memorandum of understanding], [the provincial government is] following up with the federal government and as I understand it, they are warmly received. Now it’s a matter of discussions on who’s going to contribute what,” explained Eisenberger.
While the project is now set to conclude at Gage Park, Eisenberger plans to continue the project in phases.
“We’re not going to be tearing up everything from Eastgate to McMaster,” emphasized Eisenberger.
Currently there is no estimated time as to when the project will be completed. However, the mayor is looking forward to the benefits that the project will bring.
“The whole idea behind this project was to inspire new opportunities, to inspire new development, to inspire more people coming along that corridor to provide more business opportunities. More shops, more stores and more housing,” said Eisenberger.
Hugs Over Masks anti-mask group continue to plan rallies against mandatory face-covering bylaws
In July, masks became mandatory in all public spaces for everyone in Hamilton, Ontario. The government’s goal has been to implement various regulations to slow the spread of COVID-19 while safely reopening businesses. People who refuse to adhere to the bylaw could be fined up to $500. Today, masks are still required as the pandemic continues.
Mandatory face-covering rules were not happily accepted by everyone. Councillor of Ward 14 Terry Whitehead argued that there are studies showing masks are not that effective. Whitehead also argued that public health experts' recommendations are not always right.
Ward 11 Councillor Brenda Johnson said she received letters from those against the bylaw, stating that they would not vote for her in 2022 should she support the bylaw.
“In response, I’ve said I hope they’re healthy enough in 2022 to cast that vote,” Johnson said.
“In response, I’ve said I hope they’re healthy enough in 2022 to cast that vote,” Johnson said.
Anti-masks activists also grouped together to protest against the regulations, arguing that they should have the right to not wear a mask.
One anti-mask group, known as Hugs Over Masks, shared details of their rallies on social media. Most recently, news of upcoming rallies has been shared to popular pages visited by McMaster University students, sparking anger and fear amongst students.
One of the rally posts stated that the group planned to target an intersection frequented by McMaster students. The intersection between Main Street West and Emerson Street is right across from the university and is also a popular bus stop.
Not long after, a second post surfaced with a rally from Hugs Over Masks planned for Nov. 8 at Hamilton City Hall.
Although the main concerns of protesters have been mandatory masks, there has also been a mix of concerns over correlations to mandatory vaccinations.
In July, CBC News reported that Hugs Over Masks directly partnered with Vaccine Choice Canada, one of Canada’s anti-vaccination organizations.
There have been many similarities in both groups’ messages, including the idea of freedom and personal choice. For anti-maskers, they argue that they should have the freedom to choose whether they want to wear a mask. Anti-vaxxers argue that they have the right to choose whether or not their children receive vaccinations.
Writing for CNN News, Edith Bracho-Sanchez of Columbia University Irving Medical Centre points out the similarities between the two groups and how their actions are neglecting the health of others in the community.
“Both have taken hold against the backdrop of a cultural moment that emphasizes the individual above the community, self-interest above the common good. It is no coincidence then, that pleas to wear a mask to show respect and protect others or to vaccinate to create what's commonly known as herd immunity, have seemed to fall on deaf ears [sic],” Brancho-Sanchez wrote.
“Both have taken hold against the backdrop of a cultural moment that emphasizes the individual above the community, self-interest above the common good"
Brancho-Sanchez also added that both movements misrepresent science and attack health experts, discrediting experts of the knowledge that they share.
During the council meeting in which the bylaw was passed in Hamilton, Mayor Fred Eisenberger reminded the council that the community should follow the guidance of public health services.
“This is not a constitutional issue. This is absolutely a public health issue,” Eisenberger said.
By Christina Reed, Contributor
Every winter, many women in Hamilton find themselves without a safe, warm place to sleep.
Without protection from the elements, these women struggle to survive. As affordable housing in Hamilton becomes increasingly inaccessible, the number of homeless women in Hamilton in need of emergency shelters rises each year. According to a 2018 community profile from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, 65 per cent of the 386 individuals identified as experiencing homelessness in Hamilton spent the night at a shelter.
In Hamilton, a number of non-profit organizations collectively work to address the needs of women vulnerable to homelessness. Mission Services of Hamilton, a Christian charity centred around eradicating poverty, runs Willow’s Place, a year-round drop-in hub that provides safety and amenities during daytime hours. This includes access to showers, harm reduction services, a secure place to rest and opportunities to engage in creative and social activities. In the winter, Willow's Place provides extended hours, given that they secure sufficient donor support.
Carole Anne’s Place is an overflow women’s shelter run during the winter months by the Young Women’s Christian Association of Hamilton, a women-led service organization that focuses on health and wellness programs. Women coming to Carole Anne’s place are greeted with a hot meal, a safe bed to sleep in and hot coffee the following morning. Bus tickets are provided so that women can travel between Willow’s Place and Carole Anne’s Place.
Violetta Nikolskaya, Senior Program Analyst at the YWCA Hamilton and co-founder of the Women and Gender Equity Network at McMaster, said that working around the clock was key to working together and providing essential services.
“Our relationship was built on the collaboration of women's services — no one organization can do this alone,” she added.
“Our relationship was built on the collaboration of women's services — no one organization can do this alone,” said Violetta Nikolskaya, Senior Program Analyst at the YWCA Hamilton and co-founder of the Women and Gender Equity Network at McMaster
This is the fourth winter that Carole Anne’s Place has supported homeless women in Hamilton. The program originated from another Hamilton non-profit, Out of the Cold, which offers hot meals to those in need over the winter months.
Previously, Carol Anne’s Place had been funded by Out of the Cold and Hamilton-Niagara’s Local Health Integration Network, one of the 14 provincial authorities that governed public healthcare administration in 2019. Ontario’s 14 LHINs were replaced by a 12-member Ontario health agency board; as a result, the YWCA has lost access to previous funding.
There would be no provincial support for Carole Anne’s Place to open on Dec. 1. Without funding, Carole Anne’s Place would be unable to open this winter, leaving many homeless women with nowhere to go during dangerously cold nights. Willow’s Place, which relies on donations, would also be unable to expand their winter hours without further funding this year.
On Nov. 6, in a last-minute push, City Hall approved $128,000 in emergency funding to keep Carole Anne’s Place and Willow’s Place available this winter.
This is not a sustainable solution. Sam Merulla, the Ward 4 councillor who moved to provide the donation, sided with this point.
"It's not good management to have someone all the sudden come in at the eleventh hour and say 'we need a quarter of a million dollars?' It's not good governance," said Merulla to CBC.
"It's not good management to have someone all the sudden come in at the eleventh hour and say 'we need a quarter of a million dollars?' It's not good governance," said Merulla.
According to Nikolskaya, it is not uncommon for initiatives such as Carole Anne’s Place and Willow’s Place to struggle with sustainable core funding. The need to maintain emergency shelters in Hamilton is becoming more urgent with the rising number of homeless women in the city. Nikolskaya reports that emergency women’s shelters have been over capacity for the last several years, and she has witnessed the amount of women seeking refuge at Carole Anne’s Place increasing with every year.
In the winter of 2014-2015, Nikolskaya reports that only about five women would access Carole Anne’s programming per night. In the winter of 2018-2019, this number jumped to an average of 14 women per night, with some nights seeing as many as 20.
Often reaching maximum capacity, Hamilton's shelters have been turning away women in recent years. This is likely linked to the rising prevalence of homelessness in Hamilton and a lack of affordable housing.
While monetary donations play a huge role in supporting the YWCA and Mission Services, there are other ways to contribute. For example, donations of socks and underwear are also valuable. According to Nikolskaya, any contribution can be an impactful one in ensuring that no woman is left in the cold this winter.
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cw: white supremacy, hate speech
Hamilton is the hate capital of Canada. Even if you're not from Hamilton, as a McMaster University student, this is the place where you've chosen to pursue your education. This is where you are preparing for your future. This beautiful, vibrant city that is full of artists and music also has the highest rate of reported hate crimes in the country.
After the Hamilton Council updated a trespass bylaw in response to the hate seen at City Hall, Councillor Sam Merulla said that the counter-protestors have given a small group of right-wing extremists a platform and that the city’s focus on hate issues have “manufactured” this problem. If you’re reading this, councillor, how dare you? How dare you ignore the systemic hatred in our city?
Council passes updated trespass bylaw related to cracking down on hate activities at #Hamont city hall, etc. A feisty Coun. Sam Merulla suggests city's focus on hate issue is giving "six morons" a national platform. "We have manufactured a problem in this city."
— Matthew Van Dongen (@Mattatthespec) October 23, 2019
For months now, several hate groups, including the so-called Yellow Vests, have been protesting outside City Hall on Saturdays. This far-right hate group has co-opted the name of a French movement protesting rising fuel prices and calling for changes to economic policy and taxation. The Yellow Vests’ activity has attracted other far-right groups, such as the Soldiers of Odin and the Proud Boys.
These groups have been appearing more frequently and are much more aggressive towards the counter-protestors. When they first appeared they came in a large group, walking purposefully towards us and through us. I was with fellow counter-protestors that day, yet I felt so frightened that I started sobbing, and I couldn’t stop.
On October 6, the organizers of the Gandhi Peace Festival invited the Yellow Vests to attend the event. People associated with a group that carries signs such as “Make Canada Holy and Righteous Again” or “No Immigration, Legal or Illegal” were invited to take part in a festival that is supposed to celebrate peace and acceptance. They even spoke with the mayor. While I recognize that the invitation was intended to foster a sense of community, it did just the opposite. This invitation made it seem like the Yellow Vests were accepted by the community, giving them an opportunity to validate their harmful rhetoric and portray counter-protestors’ efforts as unreasonable and violent.
This invitation made it seem like the Yellow Vests were accepted by the community, giving them an opportunity to validate their harmful rhetoric and portray counter-protestors’ efforts as unreasonable and violent.
The Yellow Vest protests are not an isolated incident. This violence and hatred spreads through our city like a virus — but instead of addressing this hate, some city councillors have remained silent on the issue or in the case of Merulla, have blamed the people who are trying to right this wrong.
It hurts. It hurts to see these hate groups spewing their harmful rhetoric every week. But I am white, cisgender and middle-class, and it is my responsibility to stand up for the people who aren’t safe or comfortable being there. It is my privilege that I can stand in the City Hall forecourt on Saturday afternoons to counter-protest. But even with all that, I feel apprehensive. I am frightened. When the midday sun is shining down on me in the heart of the city where I have lived my whole life, I feel afraid. And that is unacceptable.
When the midday sun is shining down on me in the heart of the city where I have lived my whole life, I feel afraid. And that is unacceptable.
It hurts to see hundreds of people filling the streets for a climate strike, while only around 20 people appear regularly to protest against the Yellow Vests on weekends. Yes, striking for the climate is a vital cause and it fills me with joy to see revolutionary action on such a scale, but I can’t help but feel bitter. Where are those numbers every week outside of City Hall? Where are those numbers when counter-protestors are arrested?
This article is by no means blaming people for not attending the counter protests. It is not safe for everyone to attend and I know that. But the lack of knowledge about what's happening in this city is not okay. Nothing will change if we don’t change. Please, my heart can’t take this anymore.
And to the counter-protesters: you have my wordless gratitude. Thank you for persevering. Thank you.
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By: Adrianna Michell and Hannah Walters-Vida
A month after far right demonstrators attacked Hamilton Pride, members of the queer community are working to come together, heal and fight to rid the city of hate groups.
PRIDE ATTACKS
Past Hamilton Pride events have been attended by conservative preachers and others who attempted to intimidate festival goers who annually come to Gage park to celebrate. Hamilton Pride has typically been a family and community-oriented arts event, despite Pride’s history as a protest event beginning with the violent activism at Stonewall 50 years ago.
In Hamilton on June 15, community members and allies gathered in Gage park. Leading up to the Pride events there had been tensions between the queer community and Hamilton Police Services over police presence at Pride. “No police at pride” campaigns have sparked discussion about police and state presence at Pride celebrations across Canada.
No uniformed officers were allowed at Victoria Pride this year and in 2016 Black Lives Matter shut down the Toronto parade for 30 minutes to protest police attendance. Hamilton Pride did not permit the police to have a recruitment booth at Pride this year.
Last month’s Hamilton Pride marked an escalation of violence. Anti-Pride demonstrators gathered during the event shouting religious, homophobic and white-nationalist rhetoric. The anti-Pride group is speculated to be in part members of the fascist Yellow Vests who moved from city hall to Gage Park on the day of Pride. According to witnesses, one person was punched in the face, while another was hit in the head with a motorcycle helmet, amongst other acts of violence.
Since January, hate groups associated with the yellow vests have been holding weekly demonstrations outside of Hamilton city hall. The groups hold signs displaying far right anti Muslim, anti immigrant messages, and known white supremacists have been present at rallies.
Witnesses accused HPS officers in attendance of not stepping in early enough to prevent the attacks, leaving people to defend themselves. Pride defenders countered the anti-Pride protestors with a “black hole” tactic, wherein a large black banner was used to visually block the fascist signs and protestors, while defenders donned pink masks and used physical presence, counter protest tactics and noise makers to block the hate speech.
When asked why officers did not respond right away, Chief of police Eric Girt said at a town hall last month that responses would have been different if police were welcomed at the Pride events.
Councillors Maureen Wilson and Nrinder Nann are calling for an independent investigation into the police response at Pride.
However, not all members of the queer community agree that strengthening police presence will ensure their safety. A June 2019 study surveying 900 members of Hamilton’s queer community found that approximately one third of respondents believed that they had been treated unjustly by the police. Transgender respondents were even more likely to recount unjust treatment.
For some, what happened at Pride was an example of the queer community coming together to defend one another without the need for police involvement.
“2STLGBQI+ folks can protect each other and we do not need the police or the carceral justice system to ensure the safety of our communities,” says a statement from the McMaster Students Union Pride Community Centre, “there is no Pride in policing.”
ARRESTS
The arrests that have occurred since Pride have further exacerbated tensions between the queer community and police. In the past month, five people have been arrested in connection to Pride. According to the Tower, a Hamilton anarchist social centre connected in the queer community, four of the people arrested were associated with the pink masked pride defenders. HPS has only announced the arrest of one far right protestor.
The most high profile arrest was that of Cedar Hopperton, the first person to be arrested in connection to Pride. Hopperton was arrested on June 22 for allegedly violating parole conditions from their involvement in the 2018 Locke Street vandalism.
On June 18 Hopperton made a speech at city hall in which they called on members of the queer community to defend themselves against violence and to not rely on police support. On July 8, the parole board voted to continue to revoke Hopperton’s parole, in large part because they ruled that Hopperton was inciting violence in their anti-police speech.
Hopperton’s arrest and parole hearing sparked massive backlash, leading to the “free Cedar” campaign, which condemns city hall and HPS and calls for HPS to drop the charges against Hopperton and other pride defenders.
Many community organizations have publicly supported the campaign. Scholars from 100 universities across Ontario, as well as McMaster faculty members, have submitted open letters expressing solidarity with the pride defenders.
In a statement released on July 12, the PCC stated that the pride defenders were acting in self defence and should not have been punished.
“The Canadian state frequently criminalizes the self defence that is often necessary for the survival of marginalized people,” says the PCC’s statement. “This is completely unacceptable and is a tactic of repression of social control.”
In the month following Pride, community members have repeatedly taken to the streets to demand that all charges against pride defenders be dropped. There has been a heavy police presence at many of the demonstrations, with some officers showing up on horseback.
This past Monday, the Tower released a video of 11 officers arresting a young woman who had allegedly written an anti-police slogan with sidewalk chalk during a rally on June 28. A crowd of bystanders intervened and the woman was eventually released. In the comments on the video, people were critical of the police for allegedly arresting the woman over sidewalk chalk, and questioned why it was necessary to have such a large number of officers present for the arrest.
CITY HALL RESPONSE
Representatives of the queer community have been critical of city hall in the months prior to the Pride attacks, and council’s response to the attacks have exacerbated much of the tension.
Last May, Hamilton’s LGBTQ2 advisory committee voted unanimously against the annual Pride flag raising outside city hall. This was in large part in protest of the city’s employment of Marc Lemire, the former head of a white supremacist organization.
Following the Pride attacks, on July 5 Mayor Fred Eisenberger released a statement naming two special advisors for Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ community initiatives, Cole Gately and Deirdre Pike, to help address the queer community’s concerns.
However, other members of the queer community responded by stating that the discussions should happen publicly and should be accessible to everybody. Cameron Kroetsch, who was invited to take part in the discussions, stated in a public Facebook post that the private meetings did not feel safe or productive.
“I won't attend private meetings with no shared list of invitees and no detailed agenda. It doesn't feel safe, for so many reasons, and won't until Fred Eisenberger, our City Council, and the Hamilton Police Service can demonstrate that they're willing to build trust with our community,” wrote Kroetsch.
As an additional response to the Pride attacks, city council proposed a “hate incident prevention policy” that aims to assist in the identification of, and response to, hate motivated crimes. The proposed policy calls for increased surveillance on city-owned properties.
Initially, the policy placed strict limitations on acceptable activities during protests on city grounds, prohibiting the use of sound amplifying equipment, swearing and writing with sidewalk chalk. The policy has received criticism for limiting the rights of all protestors, not just hate groups.
“We said ban hate speech, not ban all speech,” said a sign from a city hall protest this weekend.
In the past month the community has come together to support one another and demand justice.
This past weekend, two different queer community groups converged at city hall. The Tower organized a weekend long occupation at city hall called “Camp Chaos Gays.” They held a series of workshops and community building events, at the same time protesting police harassment and the hate incident prevention policy.
At the same time, the July 13 “Hamilton for Who?” event cosponsored by Pride Hamilton and other organizations, was a non political, family friendly rally against hate groups.
Following the backlash against the hate prevention policy, council has since amended the list to remove many of the previously banned activities. However, the security provisions remain. The policy will now go out for public consultation.
WHAT NOW?
On July 16, the Tower announced that Hopperton was released from jail early. The announcement was met with a wave of relief from supporters. However, the fight is far from over.
The yellow vests have continued to demonstrate outside of city hall every week, drawing counter protests from the community. Furthermore, many members of the queer community feel that city council has not properly consulted them and addressed their concerns. Demonstrators have reported being harassed and intimidated by police officers at protests, and many queer people report feeling unsafe around police.
Members of the queer community are working to regroup, support one another and find a way forward.
Faced with uncertain futures as a result of a rapidly warming climate, young people in Hamilton are joining a worldwide movement to urge leaders to take immediate and far-reaching action on the climate emergency.
Since March, a student-led activist group has been coordinating regular demonstrations outside of Hamilton city hall as part of the Fridays for future movement.
The strikes bring together students, environmental organizations and citizens in Hamilton.
The environmental community of Hamilton students, an alliance of environmental groups across the Hamilton and Catholic Wentworth district school boards, helps organize the climate strikes. They are also supported by Fridays for future, who organize climate strikes around the world.
The Fridays for future campaign began in August 2018 when Greta Thunberg, then 15, protested for three weeks in front of the Swedish parliament instead of going to school, demanding that leaders address the climate crisis.
Inspired by her actions, students from around the world began holding regular strikes to demand that their leaders take immediate action to address the climate crisis. Many protestors referenced a recent report from the United Nations international panel on climate change to highlight the urgency of the climate crisis.
The 2018 IPCC report found that it is of critical importance to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre industrial levels. According to the report, any warming above that threshold will run the risk of long-lasting, irreversible changes resulting in major loss of life.
The report states that, in order to meet the warming target, it will be necessary to substantially reduce emissions worldwide. Meeting the 1.5°C limit would require reducing emissions to 45 per cent of 2010 emission levels by 2030, and net zero by 2050.
“Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society,” stated the report.
Many of the young people who will bear the greatest effects of the climate emergency are not yet old enough to vote. The Fridays for future movement provides a means for young people to demand that policy makers make the necessary changes to preserve the planet for future generations.
“The older generation, they might be more concerned with short term economic gain, but that’s because they’re not going to be around to see when our planet is on fire,” said Stephanie Foucault, an organizer of the Hamilton climate strikes. “The youth need to step up and really take charge of their future.”
The Fridays for future campaign is calling for an end to fossil fuel, demanding support for workers and developing countries during the transition to a renewable economy.
In Hamilton, protestors spoke specifically about the need to hold city councilors accountable to their pledge to substantially reduce the city’s emissions.
“Hamilton declaring a climate emergency is a great step, but we want to make sure that it’s followed up with some tangible action,” said Emmalee Frketich, co-founder of ECHS.
According to Angela Dittrich, an intern at environment Hamilton who was present at a climate strike held on May 24, transportation is a key area in which Hamilton can make changes to meet the emission reduction targets. For example, Dittrich stated that eliminating Hamilton street railway area rating would increase funding, which could lead to service improvements and make HSR service more equitable.
The fridays for future group plans to continue holding regular strikes to bring climate issues to the attention of leaders and citizens in Hamilton. Young people’s futures are on the line, and many feel that they have no choice but to stand up and demand change.
“It’s very frustrating to see how people are killing our earth,” noted a grade three Lyons Gate Montessori student present at one of the strikes. “If someone’s going to speak up we thought it might as well be us to help the earth.”
Following the events of Homecoming, particularly the streetwide party on Dalewood Ave. on Sept. 30, ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson has tabled to permanently add more bylaw officers to the Westdale and Ainslie Wood area, the two neighbourhoods surrounding McMaster University. This pilot program began in Dec. 2016.
The motion passed, with only ward 3 councillor Matthew Green and ward 15 councillor Judi Partridge opposed.
Vice president (Education) Ryan Deshpande and associate vice president (Municipal Affairs) Stephanie Bertolo spoke on behalf of the McMaster Students Union, arguing that the proposal unfairly targets students who are still learning bylaws.
Councillor Green argued that over-policing of students only worsens student retainment for the city, a sentiment echoed by Deshpande.
When the initial program was proposed last year, the MSU was consulted during its planning. During the Dec. meeting, Johnson said he had contacted all of the neighbourhood groups, which is true if one follows the list on his website, which does not list the MSU as a neighbourhood group.
Deshpande maintains that the bylaw officer program wrongfully targets students instead of addressing absentee landlords in the area that contributes to property devaluation.
The cost of fines is just offloaded to students, says Ryan Deshpande, MSU VP education. It does nothing to crack down on absentee landlords
— Samantha Craggs (@SamCraggsCBC) October 3, 2017
For those interested in learning more, contact ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson or vice president (Education), Ryan Deshpande.
https://twitter.com/rydesh/status/915237366129991681
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Aurora Coltman
Silhouette Intern
Spending time on campus means that you may not notice things around you. One such overlooked feature of campus is the White Lady, the marble statue with the Gene Simmons-like mask that existed in the shadows near the daycare at the former Wentworth House. Now, in the midst of the construction, she sits behind the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, her history slowly being forgotten by those who pass by.
Despite our curiosity, few people know the whole story behind the White Lady. The statue, built between 1959 and 1962, was designed and created by the artist Elford Bradley Cox (1914-2003), a Canadian sculptor born in Botha, Alta. His primary mediums included limestone, marble, alabaster, wood, precious and semi-precious stones, porcelains, and various metals. Cox sculpted everything from animals seen in Canada – bears, lynxes, owls – to the human figure – several torsos, stylistic faces.
Cox started the statue in 1959 when a Canada-wide art competition was begun for a “sculpture of a family group” that was to be placed outside the City Hall in Hamilton, Ont. Six sculptors, Cox's among them, were promised $250 each, and submitted models for consideration to the jury. It was decided on Jan. 19, 1959 that Cox would receive the award, and create a sculpture to adorn City Hall.
Only members of the jury had ever seen the draft for the statue, meaning it was to be a surprise at the unveiling. However, the statue was never placed in front of City Hall due to controversy between city officials.
Despite research by the McMaster Museum of Art and other interested parties, what happened to the statue afterwards was never fully discovered.
It did end up at McMaster, and there are two theories as to how. The first theory, the only proof being written in a letter by Dr. George Wallace, a McMaster professor from 1960-1985, wrote that William Kilbourn, another professor, and one of the members of the jury for the competition, suggested that McMaster University, “recompense [to Cox] and [place] it in front of Wentworth House.”
An alternate theory suggests that Lloyd Kyles, architect of Wentworth House, was the donor of the Cox sculpture.
Whatever the case, it is clear that Kyles was involved in bringing the statue to McMaster in 1962.
Plans to place her on the circular patio outside former Wentworth House failed, as she was not ‘appropriate’ for the setting, looking apparently unappealing against the brown brick, and being considered scandalous for the figure’s lack of clothing. The statue wound up next to its final resting spot next to the nursery.
The White Lady was moved slightly in 2001 when art conservator Sandra Lougheed was invited to repair the statue by the McMaster University Future Funds project. As the statue had been secluded, taggers had taken the opportunity to cover its torso and face in black acrylic paint. Lougheed took it upon herself to restore the statue to its former glory, fixing cracks, cleaning dirt and mould from the surface, and peeling away the acrylic paint.
Naturally, vandals reclaimed it mere weeks later, replacing the Gene Simmons mask with almost an exact copy. There has been no discussion since of restoring the White Lady.
Photo credit: Aurora Coltman / Silhouette Intern
