Trustee Bingham and I got each other – as much as I could really understand a lifetime of constantly having to advocate for your child, or the behind the scenes struggles you don’t see not being at home every day through these parents’ tribulations.
Continue reading "The Loss of a Voice that Understood the Need"
November was an exciting month for the usually cautious city council in Hamilton. First, the city voted to freeze the urban boundary despite pressure from developers keen to build vast tracts of low-density suburban homes for automobile dependent commuters on agricultural land. A little more than a week later, the city transportation planners were unceremoniously …
Continue reading "Trucks, roads, and transportation reviews"Next year, there will be two elections fought, first for Ontario, and then for every municipality in Ontario. At the heart of these elections is the future direction of cities. Will they continue to be wider flung and auto dependent, or will they be denser with greater priority given to public transit, walking, and combinations …
Continue reading "A political case for an urban agenda"
If lockdown’s aren’t working, what are alternative measures that can be put into place in an effort to adopt a less ‘cancel the school trip’ attitude to addressing the root problem?
Continue reading "With Baited Breath"
I want what is best for us all, taking into account how something as severe as a lockdown over the Christmas holidays and not being able to spend it with our parents, grandparents, and others we would normally spend this very special time with, will affect our mental health these next few weeks.
Continue reading "Dreaming of a Red Christmas"
Hockey looks different for everyone this year. One parent only. We all stand at an arrow around the glass and we wear masks as do the kiddos until they put their helmets on. They spread out on the ice, have to come to the arena dressed except for their skates, helmets, and gloves. There are no faceoffs, they play four on four, and have split their team into two so there are only four on the bench at any given time. They also have one other team they play. Cayuga.
Continue reading "As If It Was The Last"
There is a group protesting at City Hall advocating for a reduction to police funding and re-allocation of those funds to housing. They have been camped out on the forecourt of City Hall since November 23rd, and have promised not to leave until their demands have been met.
Continue reading "To The Point"
“Painter …. understood that the overall goal of removals, allotments, treaties, reservations and reserves, terminations, and relocation’s, was not simply to limit and control the movement of Native peoples, but more importantly to relieve them of their land base.”
Continue reading "To The Point"Staying at home has been hard on all of us, but it’s breakdowns like we had last night at our house, that remind us that all of this has been a lot to cope with for our youth. Missing their friends, frustrations with online learning, cancellation of grade eight trips and grads and the entire Scott Park baseball season. Dresses long bought, pre-season warmups were already underway.
Continue reading "Winter boots and fishy crackers"Premier Doug Ford’s March 30th extension of the Declaration of Emergency included shutting down all “recreational amenities” including community gardens. The immediate response from some community activists, food security advocates, and gardeners was to lobby to keep community gardens open. These efforts are now meeting with backlash. It’s about land, class, and privilege. As an …
Continue reading "Community gardens provide food security"
