Mayor's Breakfast 2009
Good morning!
Thank you for that kind introduction.
And thanks to all of you for coming out, so early this morning, to hear me speak.
As my wife Diane said this morning when I told her I was expecting a large audience: “They must serve one hell of a breakfast.”
There is no place like home when it comes to unconditional love.
It really is a pleasure to be here with friends, at a time when I’m under enormous pressure, and my fate feels beyond my control.
I’m speaking, of course, not of the next election, but of this October 23rd, when the Tiger-Cats play the Argonauts for the fourth and final time this year.
You see, back in July, I bet on the season series with Mayor Miller. If I lose, I have to wear an Argo jersey to a council meeting – something I fear no Hamilton mayor could ever live down.
And so far, the Cats have lost two out of three to the Argos. So I’m a little obsessed with next month’s game.
In fact, I’m told Coach Bellefeuille has taken to answering his phone by saying: “Mr. Mayor, stop calling me. I’ve got it covered.”
I also want to thank the Chamber for all that it does to build a stronger Hamilton…
And I want to thank each of you for all you do to invest in our city and our future.
Shakespeare wrote: “What is the city but the people?”
And the people of Hamilton are truly second to none. That is true in all walks of life, but it is especially evident in our business community.
I’m talking about people like Kevin MacKay, of the Sky Dragon Centre, who invested in our downtown when it wasn’t the fashionable thing to do….
Rodrigo and Alvar Venturelli, and Melanie Golba, who had the foresight to start their Plan B organic farm in Flamborough back when others thought organic food was just a passing fad…
Clement Chan and Justina Ku, who believed that Hamilton could be the hub for countless educational and culture exchanges between Canada and China, and then brought so much energy to making their dream come true…
Or Sarah Moir , who could have been consumed by her mental illness, but instead was inspired by it to create Crazy Daisy, a floral shop designed to delight customers, and enlighten us all, by promoting mental wellness.
What they all share, with so many of you, with so many of our fellow Hamiltonians… is the sheer determination, and work- ethic -- it takes to succeed.
A visiting celebrity once endeared himself to the people of Chicago by saying: “Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, but Chicago is work.”
Well, my friends, by that measure, Hamilton is hard work.
Our people work very hard. They’re tough. And they’re resilient.
And that’s what inspired me to run for mayor: our people.
I thought that if we could harness their energy, tap into their love for Hamilton, and emulate their work ethic….
If we could share a common vision, and commit to a well-thought out, long-term plan….
We could aspire again to be one of North America’s leading cities.
Certainly not the biggest…. And perhaps not the most glamorous…but one of the most forward thinking…
I believed then it was time to rise above what others pigeon hole Hamilton to be, and strive towards what we know the NEXT Hamilton can be…
In a nutshell, I thought it was time we stopped complaining to others about what was happening to us…. And we started working together to make things happen, for us.
I’m here today, almost three years later, to tell you that while there is much more to do, and we have a long way to go, we have made real, important, sustainable progress….
In a word, we have momentum on our side.
And that’s what I want to talk to you about this morning:
The ideas that are generating this momentum…
The plan that’s driving this momentum…
And the recognition we’re starting to get because of our momentum.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ll conclude with what I believe we have to do, together, to keep Hamilton moving forward.
Let’s start with the ideas that have people talking about our city in such a positive way.
There is, of course, the big three: mega projects as the Spectator recently identified - that are obvious to everyone: Light Rail, the Pan Am Games, and the NHL.
Our $1 billion dollar proposal for new light rail transit also promises to create, and attract, jobs, moving our people forward, in every way.
We remain confident that the regional transit authority, Metrolinx, will follow our lead and choose LRT for Hamilton and pick up the lion’s share of the cost, well in excess of 75 per cent.
We’re optimistic about Ontario’s Pan Am Games bid, proud of Hamilton’s place at the heart of that bid, and excited about its possibilities, including a new stadium, and extensive infrastructure improvements.
We have worked with Jim Balsille every step of the way to bring the NHL to Hamilton.
The more I see of Jim, how tough and passionate and determined he is, how he absolutely refuses to give up no matter what, I can’t help but think: this guy belongs here in Hamilton.
But regardless of how his prolonged court battle plays out, there is now a view shared right across the continent, that Hamilton is big enough, important enough, and deserving enough to be home to the National Hockey League…
and that’s tremendous for our image - not only - in the eyes of sports fans, but also in the eyes of investors and employers.
These projects are large, attractive, and focus a lot of well deserved attention on Hamilton.
But there are scores of other initiatives under way, which are, absolutely essential to our city’s foundation, and frankly, more exclusively within our own control:
The transformation of our downtown is accelerating, with the exciting renovation of the Farmers Market, the Central Library, the downtown Transit Terminal, and City Hall – all of them part of a revitalized city core, building on the restoration of the Lister Block, and leading to the next step: a revitalized Gore Park.
We can see the potential of our waterfront and are determined to realize it. That is why we are moving ahead with the redevelopment of our bayfront with the creation of a waterfront development corporation.
We have revamped how we do business at City Hall – and how you do business with City Hall. A freeze on residential development charges, a new Integrity Commissioner for council, new investment in economic development, a new by-law enforcement team with a new approach, one stop shopping for building approvals, our Hamilton Calling team, which has worked so hard to retain local businesses and help them grow – (over 500 companies contacted in the last 18 months)
All of these are part of a stronger foundation on which we can continue to build momentum.
And they’ve helped us see promising business development such as:
the redevelopments of Centre Mall and Mountain Plaza Mall, the new Tim Horton’s plant in Ancaster and the impressive success story of Karma Candy. (to name but a few)
At your tables is a highlights card – with a snap shot of some of the investment activity to date in 2009.
We understand now what makes a smart, livable, dynamic city.
That is why our recently passed Official Plan focuses on limiting urban sprawl, protecting prime agricultural land and becoming a more environmentally sustainable community.
We know that our opportunities are only as bright and diverse as our people…. So we’re working to compete for the best and brightest immigrants, and we’re reaching out to maximize the potential and talents of the new Canadians who have already chosen Hamilton, just as my parents did, and so many of your parents did, just a generation ago.
We also know that a strong arts community not only generates its own economic activity – it also attracts people and investment to your city.
So we’ve nurtured and expanded our cultural sector by funding a feasibility study for the creation of a creative catalyst with the goal of developing a cultural and creative space in the City which will function as an anchor and a spur to the creative community as an economic hub.
We know that education is a key component in our economic development and it is part of our ability to maintain a strong quality of life here in Hamilton.
Education helps diversify our economy and create the jobs of tomorrow. We are blessed with an excellent education system in Hamilton including three outstanding post-secondary institutions: McMaster, Mohawk, and Redeemer.
We know that quality of life is essential to the ability to grow, and we’re making new investments in our recreation facilities.
We need to be mature, strategic and positive in our dealings with other levels of government, and that it’s not enough to throw up our hands and complain, we have to point to a clear plan and target our efforts.
And that approach has paid off with $137 million in funding for infrastructure, and over $30 million to further our rapid transit plans, $7 million for affordable housing.
We know that while we are proud of our industrial legacy, and we continue to aggressively pursue manufacturing jobs, we must also focus on a new generation of employment opportunities.
So we have been focused on the emerging strengths of the Next Hamilton: health and sciences, advanced manufacturing, green industries, goods movement and agri-business.
We have attracted to Hamilton Fortera, the CANMET Materials Technology Lab, Trivaris Limited, DHL Express Canada Ltd, Tim Horton’s, Burlington Automation, the Canadian Aboriginal Festival, and the Canadian Country Music Awards
We have made all of this progress in the face of severe challenges, from repeated flooding, to the worst recession in twenty years.
And we have made all of this progress because the people of Hamilton are working hard, and their councilors are working together.
Now, I know the nature of news is to focus on conflict, and it’s true that we on council seldom agree on all the details.
But we have managed to forge a consensus when it comes to our city’s direction.
And that is a testament of the commitment we share to our city -- no matter what part of it we represent -- no matter what political strip we may have sported in the past.
Still - we have important challenges ahead of us.
While Hamilton’s tax increases over the last few years have been low – there remains a clear tax burden on residential properties that needs to be addressed.
The current recession is also impacting city revenues.
This Council is committed to fiscal sustainability and has asked staff to develop a financial sustainability plan, which will address both the short and long term fiscal health of our city.
And while we made major strides towards becoming a united jurisdiction – when we come to terms with area rating, we need to recognize what’s unique about each community within Hamilton, but also allows us to continue to build a Hamilton that all of us can be proud of, and all of us can prosper from being a part of.
But we must face these tough decisions in a way that doesn’t derail the momentum we have worked so hard to build…
We must stay on course and continue to work together…
especially when the world beyond Hamilton is really starting to take notice.
After all, in its April ranking of North American cities of the future, FDI Magazine, from the Financial Times Group, ranked Hamilton third among large cities in terms of quality of life.
The Economic Developers Council of Ontario recognized us last year as the most “investment ready” municipality in Ontario.
Our research is showing that the ambassador program is working and our investhamilton web site is attracting worldwide attention.
Last week investhamilton earned a top ranking in a nationwide evaluation of how cities use social media marketing to attract investment. In a survey of 20 cities – Hamilton was ranked third for its use of social media tools – such as twitter and facebook.
In fact, CBC News Toronto highlighted the InvestHamilton website as an excellent user friendly site that the City of Toronto could learn from.
Congratulations and Kudos to Tim McCabe, Neil Everson and our Economic Development team for their innovative marketing efforts. Council’s investment in Economic Development is indeed showing results.
And, I’m pleased to announce, Site Selection Magazine, has just ranked Hamilton among the Top Ten Canadian Metros (#7) when it comes to attracting new projects and expansions.
Site Selection Magazine is the voice of leading corporate real estate executives industrial asset managers – it speaks to those who make major investment decisions.
Of course, while awards are nice, and recognition is important, jobs are paramount.
And while we must continue to work to tackle a jobless rate that is obviously unacceptable, the fact that our unemployment rate is lower than many of our neighbours, including Kitchener-Waterloo, London, St. Catherines/Niagara and Oshawa, is an encouraging sign that we’re moving in the right direction.
I’m confident we’re doing just that.
Because, while we have a long way to go, and there remains much to do…
Our very own economic development task force - with over 140 community participants and well over 12,000 volunteer hours logged -- the Jobs Prosperity Collaborative - is forging ahead.
We have the best people focused on jobs and collaboration – working to move the City forward.
For the first time in a long time, Hamilton has a clear vision, to make our city the best place in Canada to raise a child, promote innovation, engage citizens and provide diverse economic opportunities…
I am determined to keep the doors of City Hall open because we need the involvement of everyone to achieve this vision. So join a committee, become informed, check out my website at mayorfred.ca, email me with your ideas and concerns and I will make sure your City Hall listens and helps.
For the first time in a long time, we have a plan to make it happen…
And for the first time in a long time, Hamilton, finally, has the momentum…
And together, you and I…we’re going to keep it!
Thank you very much.