By Aidan Johnson, Councillor for Ward 1
This article is in response to our Jan. 12 editorial “Who represents student at city hall?” and is presented as it was received.
In October 2014, I had the honour of being elected city councillor for Ward 1 (West Hamilton). Many students voted for me. I remember those votes every day. I’ve been able to build a relationship of trust with the student community. It is a bond that I value.
The primary concerns I hear from students relate to ecology and human rights. Both spheres of policy are constantly on my mind. To make a greener, bluer City, I have put wheels in motion to ban sale of bottled water at all municipal sites. I am also working constantly for deeper protection of Cootes Paradise – the fragile marsh-land that rings campus. To address climate change, I’ve worked successfully for a $1 billion investment to build light-rail transit (LRT) in Hamilton – a potent alternative to cars. Our new LRT line will begin at McMaster.
On the human rights front, I have been working with Hamilton’s transgender community to create a Trans and Gender Non-Conformity Protocol. This policy will help secure the equality rights of trans citizens, student and non-student alike. I am hopeful for the Protocol’s enactment. I have also helped secure an investment of $50 million in Hamilton anti-poverty initiatives, which will benefit low-income students.
On January 11, the Sil published an editorial by Scott Hastie, arguing – rightly – that I have work to do, to strengthen my bond with the student community.
The editorial makes several good points. However, it also makes some points that I take issue with.
Hastie refers to my work to protect Westdale Cinema. I am advocating for Heritage protection for this beautiful, old building (now for sale). I have asked Mac to consider partnering for use of Westdale Cinema as a lecture hall, or for other purposes -- e.g. art space, meeting space.
The editorial calls my suggestion that the Cinema be used as lecture hall “an insult to students”. Hastie’s point is that it’d be hard to get from class at the cinema to a class on campus immediately after. This is fair.
However, trying to involve Mac in saving the cinema is not “an insult”, to anybody. The fact that many students enjoy Westdale Cinema is one of the reasons I’m advocating to save it.
Hastie refers to a recent motion passed by Hamilton Council to hire two co-op students as bylaw officers for our Mac neighbourhoods. Hastie asserts that this decision “deepened the divide between McMaster students and residents”.
But it is not clear how additional enforcement will harm students. Bylaw enforcement targets landlords. It does not target student tenants. Indeed, I would argue that better bylaw enforcement helps students, as it will create a safer and more hygienic neighbourhood. It will hold landlords to better account.
On January 12, the Sil published an editorial by Scott Hastie, arguing – rightly – that I have work to do, to strengthen my bond with the student community.
Hastie refers to Council “dragging its heels” on landlord regulation. This criticism is justified. In my two years as councillor, I have advocated constantly for landlord licencing. I am hopeful that we can make real progress on this soon.
Hastie calls for students to become more politically engaged. I strongly agree with this. Students are already significant leaders. Hastie himself is a good example. It makes sense for all students to become more involved in politics.
Hastie’s editorial offers me a good challenge: “reevaluate the way you consult students”. I am grateful for this invitation. I visit campus often. I meet with students regularly, and have student interns in our Ward 1 office every year. But I appreciate the need to consult even more.
I am looking forward to further deepening my working relationship both with the whole student community.
I am a life-long resident of Ainslie Wood and regular reader of your paper. Scott Hastie's editorial about the relationship between McMaster students, councillor Aidan Johnson and the communities around Mac makes some good points about the need for greater communication between the MSU and City Hall. However, some of the points Hastie makes are inaccurate and unfair.
For example, he slams Johnson for his alleged "belief that there can be too many people from a certain demographic in one area." That sounds discriminatory against students. But is it wrong to want our neighbourhoods to be diverse, as opposed to a monoculture? There are many areas of Ainslie Wood and Westdale where only Mac students live. 99% of residents in these areas are between the ages of 17 and 30. No children or early teens live in these areas. No senior citizens live there. No full-time workers live there. No recent immigrants live there. No families. I personally like having students as neighbours. Some have become friends. But if more houses on our street are turned into student houses (many of which are illegal firetraps), this will no longer be a good place for us to raise our young kids. The student monoculture will have forced another family out of the area. Is that what Hastie wants?
Secondly, Hastie claims that Ainslie Wood and Westdale residents have opposed high-density student complexes on Main Street West. That is incorrect. There has only been only such project completed -- the West Village Suites near Dundas -- and that was widely supported by the community. Recent proposals for student complexes to be built on Main at Traymore Avenue and at Longwood have met no resistance. Neither the Ainslie Wood community association nor the Westdale community association has opposed any of these projects. The controversial Leland Street project mentioned by Hastie -- which violated zoning and planning bylaws and was rejected unanimously by Hamilton's elected councillors, then allowed by the unelected Ontario Municipal Board -- was opposed by long-term residents and the Ainslie Wood Community Association because it is located well south of Main Street and will likely set a precedent for allowing more projects that violate Hamilton's zoning and planning bylaws.
Finally, I believe that Aidan Johnson and the vast majority of long-term residents around Mac are well aware that absentee landlords, not students, are the reason why more by-law officers are needed. Fines for improperly maintained properties will be paid by landlords, not (as Hastie incorrectly states) by students. Nobody wants students to "get lost," as Hastie claims, nor are long-term residents interested in getting money from students. We know that tuition only covers a portion of a student's total educational costs, the rest coming from non-student taxpayers -- many of whom live near Mac.
Most long-term Ainslie Wood and Westdale residents believe that Mac students are a blessing. You make this area more lively and support local businesses, among other benefits. But like all good things, there can be too much, reducing social diversity. A student monoculture dominating the neighbourhoods around Mac, forcing out other groups, is not good for anyone. Although Hastie is right to call for improvements in communication between students and City Hall, many of his other arguments are inaccurate and unfair. Councillor Johnson is doing a good job in handling the complex issue of student-community relations and, I believe, has a positive and progressive vision for our shared community.
Mark Coakley / Ainslie Wood /
City council’s decision to add two bylaw officers to police the Westdale/Ainslie Wood area is a surprise, but only if you have not been paying attention.
At the Dec. 14 Hamilton city council meeting, the group approved a motion submitted by Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson that will see two Mohawk co-op students patrol the neighbourhoods surrounding McMaster. This decision is the latest in a series of events that have deepened the divide between McMaster students and residents.
In the late 2000s, some Westdale residents turned into vigilantes, literally hid in the bushes to film the behaviour of intoxicated students leaving the campus bars. When the Phoenix moved to its new location, a community group claimed that the new restaurant would create a “1,000 seat capacity student bar complex” when combined with TwelvEighty, even though they were in different buildings.
When a house on Winston Avenue looked to convert into a rental property for seven students in 2015, Johnson attempted to prevent this from happening.
He said it was “a classic case of over-studentification,” and while he has since said he regrets the choice of words, it hints at the belief that there can be too many people from a certain demographic in one area.
Johnson, elected in 2014, also spoke against a five-storey student-housing complex on Leland Avenue this past summer.
It was a bizarre stance; Johnson has consistently been against the increase in single-family homes being converted in to student housing. Johnson said the proper place for these buildings would be on Main Street West, but residents have complained about those locations too. The Leland development was approved despite some objections from city council.
And now, thanks to our city councillor, we have more bylaw officers to hand out tickets. Yes, property standards and maintenance are important issues.
But so are absentee landlords, who continue to neglect their properties and tenants with very little recourse for students. The McMaster Students Union has consistently asked for the landlord issue to be addressed, but city council has dragged its heels.
It is clear that the Westdale/Ainslie Wood area would prefer students get lost, but they also need the money that students contribute. In fact, councillor Johnson wants more of it.
He asked McMaster to help fund the new bylaw officers, which would mean that the university is paying other people to hand out fines to its students. That’s a great look.
Johnson suggested the university contribute money to purchase the iconic Westdale Theatre because it could be used as a lecture hall. Westdale Theatre is a 15-minute walk from the student centre and most lecture halls are further from the venue than that.
Students would be late to any class before or after a Westdale lecture. Sure, we could take the bus to Westdale, but those busses are already full. Mac rejected both of these requests.
Moving forward, students need to learn how to become better advocates. We need to vote in municipal elections and support a councillor who understands, engages and supports us. Students are not a well of cash that council can go to when it needs something, we are a significant group in this community and our existence has real benefits.
The next election is in 2018, but for now, make your voice heard by electing student representatives who care about municipal issues. Students are not perfect neighbours, but we are not villains either. It is time that we pushed city council to reflect that.
And Aidan Johnson, I challenge you to reevaluate the way you consult students. Asking the student union to support your motion for more bylaw officers is not consultation.
The Westdale Theatre lecture hall suggestion was an insult to students: it is unfeasible and if you talked to any of us, you would have known that. If you’re going to suggest our money be spent on something, talk to us about it.
As individuals, students come and go. But as a group, we are here to stay. Stop fighting our existence and embrace it.
Brian McHattie is currently the councilor for Ward 1 and is one of 12 candidates running for Mayor of Hamilton. McHattie’s platform focuses on building safer neighbourhoods, stimulating economic growth and jobs, improving transit, creating an open participatory government, and improving environmental regulations.
McHattie believes that students will be impacted the most from his transit plan.
“I’ve got a four part transit plan, and it begins with enhancing local transit,” said McHattie. “Over years of being the Ward 1 Councillor in the McMaster area working with MSU and others, the frequency of busses has been a problem.”
The plan includes increasing the A-line service that runs to the Hamilton mountain, creating applications with real-time data, and adding a light-rail transit line that runs from the McMaster area to Eastgate Square. He is also interested in working with the Graduate Students Association to get part-time students annual bus passes.
“We’re hoping to get a downtown campus so it’s important to have that linkage.”
McHattie also has plans to improve the downtown core of Hamilton.
“I’d love to see a student residence downtown, I’ve had discussions with Mac about a grad residence,” said McHattie. “One of the challenges, we’ve worked with MSU over the years, is the student bubble that is Westdale and McMaster itself. A lot of students don’t get to other parts of the city.”
Another important issue to McHattie is the environment. Previously he ran a business called the Green Planet Tour Company, and worked for Environment Canada as well as the Hamilton Conservation Authority. If elected, he plans to have a portion of Hamilton’s green space declared the Cootes to Escarpment National Park. Another portion of his platform describes working with the Ministry of Environment to create stricter rules around pollution and air quality in Hamilton.
When asked what makes him unique above the other candidates, McHattie responded, “I think it’s my ability to work well with others. Over the past 11 years on city council I’ve developed a great relationship with my fellow councillors. That is absolutely critical to the success of a mayor; the mayor only has one vote.”
I grew up in a village in New Brunswick, where candidates running for office would campaign by waving from the side of the main road at cars driving by, creating a traffic jam as people slowed down to see if they could get any gossip on who their neighbours supported.
This, among many other reasons, is why I’m excited about Hamilton’s municipal election on Monday, Oct. 27. Hamilton’s population numbers over 500,000, rivalling the entire population of the province where I grew up. In cities like Hamilton, municipal politics matter.
Local politics are often an entry point into careers in politics, so the candidate you elect as your school trustee today may be tomorrow’s premier. Furthermore, many issues at both the Ward and mayoral level affect our daily lives in tangible ways.
If you live on Emerson you might be interested in Ward 1 candidates discussing turning the Emerson corridor into the next Locke street.
Or you might care about the proposal to make Main Street West a two way street and the impact this would have on traffic.
If you bike to campus you might want to read up on the candidates’ stance on bike lanes and how they interpret the results of the Cannon St. bike lanes.
At a mayoral level you might want to look up what candidates think about waste management or violence downtown. You may, like me, be intrigued by Brian McHattie’s proposal to create a nationally significant park in Hamilton.
Even though you may be from another city and see this as a temporary part of your life, while you’re at McMaster, you’re a Hamiltonian, and you get to help decide the path of our community.
By: Daniel Aruz
Brian Lewis sees himself as a businessman with a lifelong commitment and passion for Hamilton and the Westdale community, but without aspirations for multiple terms as a career politician.
Lewis is an independent business owner who works with other small business and non-profit agencies in the city, curating communications, sales, and marketing as well representing clients in municipal government matters. He has worked with McMaster’s Athletics and Recreation Department, the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame, and has been an executive board and committee member for many local organizations.
Lewis emphasizes the need for the local community to work with McMaster to maximize the positive aspects of their relationship and solve issues.
“I’d like to build programs so that were retaining students within the community,” said Lewis. “Hamilton is just such a vibrant and wonderful place to live […] I’d be able to ensure that we are showing them how great a city this is by creating jobs and working together on building a healthier community.”
Economic development for both business growth and retention is the focal point of Lewis’ platform, and he believes his marketing and business background will help him achieve these goals. Lewis is hoping to implement an effective network between students and local business owners, who expressed their interest in hiring more students.
“Healthier employment rate creates healthier communities,” said Lewis.
An important theme in Lewis’ platform is communication with the public. This theme is evident in multiple areas, including in relationships with the University, when creating a transportation plan, and in providing opportunities for community feedback. As a Ward 1 Councillor, Lewis’ goal is to improve communication to the public in multiple areas.
In terms of student housing issues, Lewis sees a resolution through collaboration between the university, business leaders, city leaders, community association leaders, and student leaders. This will address absentee landlord issues and by-law enforcement, while also building upon the positive relationship McMaster has with the community. Lewis believes that McMaster should play a greater role outside of the university grounds, and acknowledges some of the benefits to increased student presence in certain areas for local business owners.
For more information on Mr. Lewis and his campaign visit his website.
Brian Lewis is one of six candidates running for Ward 1 Councillor in Hamilton.
Shandy Shaw has been a prominent leader in the Ward 1 community for over 30 years. As a potential Ward 1 councillor, she is aiming to use her passion for all things community, her skills in finances, and her social justice orientation to enhance life in Ward 1.
Shaw is a McMaster graduate who has worked as a senior researcher for the United Way, was the first female Chair of First Ontario Credit Union, and was the author of the first Women and Poverty report in Hamilton. She currently serves as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for First Ontario Credit Union and as Director of the HW District school board’s Hamilton Arts Council and Equity Foundation.
One of the key issues in her platform tackles the career prospects for students. Shaw feels the 14 percent youth unemployment rate and difficulty in finding decent paying work need to be at the top of City Council’s agenda.
“It’s something that seems to have slipped through the cracks…I have four kids, I have four grandkids and I think it’s something that’s really near and dear to my heart but also really important for our community.”
Shaw tells the story of her sister who graduated from McMaster’s nursing program and had difficulty in finding work after her studies. She ended up moving to the United States for a teaching job. Meanwhile, Shaw was working on a Workforce Planning Board where an urgent need for nurses was raised by a local hospital.
“I was just baffled we had these two large institutions, one that’s graduating nurses and the hospitals that can’t find the nurses.”
Shaw believes that if this issue goes unaddressed, it will create significant problems for Hamilton’s aging population. She believes that the situation could be improved if the City created a lending opportunity or micro-loan program for young people through student loans, entrepreneurships, or skilled trade apprenticeships.
Student housing issues are also outlined in Shaw’s platform, and she wishes to ensure that students have access to safe and affordable housing. Previously, she had experience advocating for this issue though the Affordable Housing Taskforce committee, and believes that it can be resolved by ensuring certain areas in the community have a mix of both affordable student and low-income housing, as well as other housing options.
For more information on Sandy Shaw and her campaign, visit her website.
This is the third in a series highlighting the six candidates for Ward 1 Councillor in the upcoming municipal election. The Silhouette will be profiling each candidate in advance of the election on Monday, Oct. 27.
Ira Rosen, an almost life-long Westdale resident, has been an active member of the community for over a decade. Rosen emphasizes the great impact McMaster and its students have in the local community. As a Ward 1 candidate, Rosen is greatly concerned with solving landowner, student and Westdale resident conflicts by improving the overall conditions of student-rental homes, as well as working with developers to build new homes that fit into the financial model of students.
His plan also includes encouraging the development of small businesses on Emerson St., in a similar manner to Locke St. and Westdale Village, as well as introducing big box retailers for the area, such as Canadian Tire.
Rosen has had a long history with McMaster, working with numerous MSU Presidents including Teddy Saull as well as the Presidents Advisory Committee on Building an inclusive Community. He has acted as a nominator for the MSU-sponsored Good Neighbour Award, a coordinator and supporter for the Student Community Support Centre and is as an avid supporter of the Peer-to-Peer program that allows local residents to peacefully solve by-law issues with student neighbours without the involvement of the city or police.
Rosen is an advocate for the implementation of a rental housing license to hold property owners accountable and subject to health and safety inspections and standards.
He recalled his involvement in an MSU pilot study on fire safety after several incidents in student rentals, some of which involved fatalities a number of years ago. Though students must observe by-laws and take some responsibility for their homes, Rosen acknowledges students often only live in single rental homes for one year because of poor conditions.
“It’s terribly unfair for the students. For many students it’s the first time they’re living on their own,” said Rosen. “The international students have no idea what they’re getting into […] they aren’t from our area, they don’t know what our standards are […] and they’re living with mould and mildew and potentially other health issues.”
Rosen also supports the university’s ongoing downtown expansions, noting that the current campus capacity has been maximized.
“I can work with Patrick Deane as well as the staff of the university and we can really do great things, but we have to work together […] we need to know the enrolment plan of the university so we can make sure we are doing things that are best for the university, best for the community, and best for downtown.”
For more information on Rosen and his campaign, visit his website at http://www.irarosen.ca/index.php/en/
Twitter @IraWRosen
This is the second in a series highlighting the six candidates for Ward 1 Councillor in the upcoming municipal election. The Silhouette will be profiling each candidate in advance of the election on Monday, Oct. 27.
Jason Allen became interested in politics during his time as President of the University of Calgary’s Student Union. As a candidate for Ward 1, he strongly believes in the positive and meaningful effect municipal government can have with people every day.
Jason has worked for Metrolinx as a Quality and Training Leader for the past five years, while participating in a wide variety of community committees and organizations. He is a frequent writer for Raise the Hammer, Chair of the Association for the Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton, and is a long time Beaver Scout leader.
His platform advocates for more complete streets that balance public transit, cycling, walking, and driving. One specific dangerous traffic situation he would like to address is Emerson St., through a comprehensive study with the end goal of making the road more accessible to different types of transit.
Allen is also an advocate for a rental housing by-law as a way of addressing both the concerns of Westdale residents and the deteriorating properties around them. If elected, he would provide residents an avenue to raise concerns and have safety inspections done on their homes.
Allen believes that LRT will address student housing issues, as it will give them housing choices further away from campus that they may not have now with the current transit options.
“The buses coming into Westdale from across the 403 are packed in the morning. I know people who work at McMaster and have waited five, six, seven buses for one to finally stop and pick them up,” said Allen. “If you give people a genuine choice on where they live, then students get to experience a really amazing community they may not get to see now.”
However, one of Allen’s most unique plans as city councillor would be the creation of a “customer-service” culture in city hall.
“I want to create a situation where if you call city hall for help or assistance of any kind, any issue large or small, you know you’re going to get the right answer the first time,” he said. “Right now city hall is a patchwork of departments that largely don’t communicate with each other and right now it can be difficult getting a consistent answer.”
Allen is hoping that if there is ever a situation that needs to be addressed, such as landlord conflict or pest issues, students will feel comfortable calling their city for assistance.
Allen is a trained facilitator, and as a city councillor he is hoping to use these skills to bring community members together in conversation to solve city issues and work out disputes.
“I’m a big believer that if you just get people in a room and have a conversation, often with facilitator of some kind, you come to a conclusion very quickly.”
For more information on Mr. Jason Allen and his campaign, visit http://www.jasonaallen.ca/ .
This is the first in a series highlighting the six candidates for Ward 1 Councillor in the upcoming municipal election.The Silhouette will be profiling each candidate in advance of the election on Monday, Oct. 27.
Ward 1 Councillor candidate Aidan Johnson has a straightforward vision for Hamilton: protecting the environment and creating a green, accessible, job-filled economy.
Johnson grew up in Westdale, and did part of his undergraduate studies at McMaster University. He now works a staff Lawyer for Legal Aid Ontario in downtown Hamilton, following his work in corporate law with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto. In high school, Johnson was involved in a campaign that challenged the Hamilton Public School Board to create policy that would protect the safety of LGBTQI students. His involvement in this campaign had him featured in Maclean’s “Young Canadian Leader to Watch For” annual listing that year.
Johnson has also dedicated his time to volunteering in the community with HIV-AIDS outreach, fundraising with PEN Canada, and is currently a member of the Ward 1 Participatory Budget Advisory Committee.
"What I am looking to do is use my financial background, my legal skills, and above all my advocacy skills to fight for all the things we need in Hamilton,” said Johnson.
His platform is focused on safer, complete streets, higher conservation standards for Cootes Paradise, fighting water pollution in Lake Ontario, growing the downtown economy and advocating for Light Rail Transit. He also wants to target crime that victimizes students in Westdale.
Johnson identifies environmental issues as his primary motivation for entering the race.
“Increasing conservation standards at Cootes Paradise, and creating an even more bio-diverse Cootes Paradise is certainly a key McMaster issue,” said Johnson. “We don’t do enough to protect it and we don’t do enough to protect the connecting land and water that feed and sustain Cootes Paradise.”
Johnson directly supports the McMarsh project and also cites the restoration effort as one of the most important projects at McMaster.
www.aidanjohnson.ca
Twitter: @voteaidan
Photo credit: Samantha Craggs/CBC
