Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire....

Update: The Chief wants an apology in writing. See Spec report here

Whitehead apologizes. Click here for Spec report. Also, see further below in this article, for a correction  of facts submitted by the Hamilton Police Services. 

Liar, liar, pants on fire...it's a juvenile phrase that many of us likely heard in our schoolyard days. Sadly, an exchange between Clr. Terry Whitehead and Chief of Police Glenn DeCaire, descended into the Clr. calling the Chief a liar, as captured on a tape recording by a Hamilton Spectator reporter (see story here).

The exchange is unfortunate as Clr. Whitehead served as a staunch opponent of the Police Services' request for a budget increase and, in our view, both the Chief and Whitehead demonstrated necessary leadership in hashing out this matter.

But Whitehead's allegation that two ACTION officers were standing around for forty five minutes, talking at city hall, seems to have taken the conversation elsewhere to a different level on the down elevator. The Chief stated that the officers parted after nine seconds- (this has been found to be incorrect. Please see correction below). This prompted Whitehead to say to the Chief "You're a liar". The Chief characterized the Clr's actions as "exhibiting a crisis of credibility". Whitehead's version of the facts were somewhat mashed- getting the date that the incident allegedly occurred wrong but allegedly, the rest correct.

This is not the only exchange that recently transpired between the two. Whitehead's characterization of ACTION team members as "giraffes", prompted the Chief to ask Whitehead to issue a sincere apology to the officers. Upon Whitehead's refusal to do so, the Chief wrote Whitehead a formal letter. The letter and the write up from The Bay Observer, can be seen here.

Do you believe Clr. Whitehead is spiraling downwards where his views on the Police Service are concerned and that his observations may be perceived as "sour grapes" on account of the budget outcome, or do you have an alternative view of this?


Please note that the following corrections were brought to our attention by The Hamilton Police Services, relative to a story in The Spec. The Hamiltonian understands that these corrections have also been sent to The Spec. :

In the second paragraph, it states:

'The chief said the officers parted after nine seconds'. This was not stated. In fact, the Chief stated: 'The two photographs were taken, not 45 minutes apart, but 9 seconds apart'.

Later in the story, it is stated:

The chief said he researched the photos and told board members the two members of the ACTION team were only together for nine seconds. Again, as above, the chief did not state this. Again, the Chief stated: 'The two photographs were taken, not 45 minutes apart, but 9 seconds apart'.

The chief did state:

I have reviewed the deployment of the officers and have found that they were deployed properly,
assigned to a specific patrol area and were within the assigned area, were performing legally authorized and required duties related to traffic enforcement and were in compliance with the direction of their supervisors. Their highly visible presence along contributes to the safety of the public.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Media Release- Transit fare parity changes coming in June

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Transit fare parity changes coming in June


HAMILTON, ON – May 21, 2013 – Effective June 1, 2013, the City of Hamilton is implementing two major changes to its transit system.

DARTS/ATS

A new fare structure is being introduced for DARTS/ATS. Fares for registered DARTS clients will follow the same fare structure as the HSR which will result in a savings for current DARTS clients. DARTS tickets will be replaced with HSR tickets and passes. Current DARTS paper tickets can be refunded at the HSR Service Centre located at 36 Hunter St. E. (Go Centre) up until August 30, 2013.

To find out more about the new DARTS/ATS fares please call 905-529-1212 or visit www.hamilton.ca/ats

HSR Voluntary Pay Policy

The Voluntary Pay Policy for persons using Personal Mobility Devices (canes, walkers, scooters and wheelchairs) and Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) cardholders will be replaced with a Temporary Promotional Transit Fare Special Program as approved by City Council.

This new policy allows transit riders who require the use of a wheelchair, walker or scooter the option of paying the applicable fare or riding at no charge. Those using canes, including four-prong canes, will not be covered under this new program and will be required to pay the applicable fare.

CNIB cardholders can use their CNIB card as a fare when presented to the HSR Operator. If no card is presented, they are required to pay the applicable fare.

For information on the new HSR Voluntary Pay Policy, please call 905-527-4441 or visit www.hamilton.ca/hsr

Monday, May 20, 2013

Clr. Russ Powers - On LRT/BRT

Clr. Russ Powers
Enjoy our Q/A with ward 13 Councillor Russ Powers.

At a recent council meeting, you signaled your withdrawal of support for LRT, based on affordability considerations. Is this a point in time position, or do you remain open to reconsideration once the funding structures are known? At present, some have interpreted your statement as final, however, we are wondering if you meant it to be so?

 I may be proven wrong but I can't foresee the Province providing 100 cent dollars towards our proposed LRT (or any other system). If we do need to contribute then I'd prefer my share to be a % of $300M rather than $900M (2011 $s) leaving monies for the many other demands within the City. I will continue my support for BRT in Hamilton.

Clr. Russ Powers

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Way We Were

This photo comes courtesy of Joanna St. Jacques of St. Jacques Photography (click here to go there). The stone was found as a result of the Sanford demolition. 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Mayor Bratina on Behalf of the City of Hamilton

"The entire community has been devastated by the senseless loss of the life of Tim Bosma. Our grief as relatives, friends, neighbours and caring residents can hardly approach that of Mr. Bosma's closest loved ones but it is profound and deeply heartfelt. My sincere thanks as Mayor is extended to the outstanding work of the Hamilton Police Service, their fellow officers from nearby services who are providing assistance, and members of the public who assisted the investigation through various means including social media."

Bob Bratina
Mayor of Hamilton

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Location, Location, Location

Location, location, location. You've probably heard this phrase as it pertains to the importance of location when it comes to the value of real estate. In the following article, Gary Santucci makes the argument that the location of a historical building has intrinsic value, that ought not to be disrupted.

Gary's argument is with respect to the intention of the Hamilton Public School Board to physically move an old historic school house (Mohawk Trail School, which is now a museum), from its current location on Mohawk Rd. West, to the board's new headquarters near Lime Ridge mall.

Here is Gary's email to the Mayor, Members of City Council, Trustees of the HWDSB and Members of the Heritage Committee, setting forth his argument.


Mr. Mayor, Members of City Council, Trustees of the HWDSB and Members of the Heritage Committee 

I urge you to consider the following; 

I take issue with the rationale that somehow relocation is the only way the retrofitting (what does this mean?) and the restoration due to neglect by the School Board since 1967 can be accomplished. The relocation is


A Sad Note

Timothy Bosma
The Hamiltonian is saddened by the loss of Timothy Bosma, whose life was tragically ended. We extend our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.  We hope that those responsible will feel the full force of our justice system.

To read The Spec's coverage, click here.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Murray Takes the Floor

City Manager Chris Murray takes the floor. 
A motion brought forth to have comments made by Mayor Bob Bratina to City Manager Chris Murray, during a debate on Light Rail Transit,  investigated by  Integrity Commissioner  Earl Basse (see previous story here), was passed. The sole councillor who refrained from supporting the motion was Clr. Brad Clark.

With the Mayor out of the room, council deliberated. (see video first hand here)  Those deliberations had Clr. Clark wanting to ask City Manager Chris Murray what exactly the Mayor said to him during the exchange. However, Clr. Whitehead (who was chairing the meeting), argued that council ought not to play the role of the Integrity Commissioner by asking such questions, and that the scope of council's involvement was to be contained to