Royal Connaught Hotel | ? | 36 fl, 33 fl, 24 fl & 13 fl | U/C - Page 50

markbarbera · #**981** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 6:51 PM**

I'm glad they decided to pay up in advance of the council meeting. Hopefully the cheque is certified.

Bit of a tempest in a teacup. Many owners of redevelopments in waiting allow their taxes to accumulate in arrears. Not the first, certainly won't be the last.

We may see more property turnover/quicker redevelopment if the reduced tax rate for vacant properties was removed. It seems to me that this is something applied province-wide by the Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Ministry via the Municipalities Act. Can anyone confirm or correct?

markbarbera · #**982** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 6:56 PM**

Answered my own question. Reduced tax rates are prescribed by Section 313 of the Municipal Act, so it isn't the city's doing but the province's doing.

FairHamilton · #**983** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 8:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drpgq

Supply creates its own demand. Lower city Hamilton already has enough market rate cheap housing as it is. Creating more just makes Hamilton a dumping ground for Toronto, Burlington, Oakville, Milton and the rest of the GTA for those that consume a boat load of social services.

Supply is one thing we have no shortage of in the downtown core; http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyre...ectionForm.pdf

markbarbera · #**984** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 10:05 PM**

I can understand how that form can give the perception that there are a lot of units in the downtown core. After all, just under 23% of the entire stock is located here - 3573. Given this, an additional 100 units certainly isn't going to tip the scale and cause the core to implode upon itself. In fact, when all the prosed units are added to the pool citywide, the percentage in each area remains about the same.

Interesting to note that 40% of subsidized housing is located on the mountain, as opposed to 50% in the lower city. The remaining 10% are in the former municipalities that joined the city at amalgamation.

It is also interesting to note that the most imppoverished part of the city, the North End, has less than 3% of the city's subsidized housing. That does not support the perception that subsidized housing and poverty in a neighbourhood are positively correlated.

emge · #**985** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 11:05 PM**

Areas such as the North End (certain areas) don't need additional subsidized housing, because they're already full of lower-than-average rent. Subsidized housing wouldn't offer any real benefits over what's being charged in many places in those areas, so it's not pushed for.

SteelTown · #**986** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 11:17 PM**

Whoa! Something just major happened at City Council....

Council is now at recess and Cable 14 cut it off.

SteelTown · #**987** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 11:21 PM**

Now it looks like Council has been cancelled.

SteelTown · #**988** Posted **Sep 16, 2009, 11:25 PM**

Okay they are back now.

SteelTown · #**989** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 12:05 AM**

Amazing, council will talk/vote about the affordable housing list off camera.

It seems like lately all the major decisions are being made off camera. What's the point of showing council live on cable than?

matt602 · #**990** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 12:10 AM**

Gotta love the back room deals.

drpgq · #**991** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 12:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Amazing, council will talk/vote about the affordable housing list off camera.

It seems like lately all the major decisions are being made off camera. What's the point of showing council live on cable than?

This is becoming East Germany. Where's the transparency?

FairHamilton · #**992** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 12:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Amazing, council will talk/vote about the affordable housing list off camera.

It seems like lately all the major decisions are being made off camera. What's the point of showing council live on cable than?

I just want to confirm something. Are they making the decision 'in camera' meaning without any public scrutiny, or just (not that I want to minimize) not on camera, but in front of those there in-person?

Just want to make sure I clearly understand the use of the term "off camera".

SteelTown · #**993** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 12:37 AM**

They voted and approved to have the issue "in camera"

emge · #**994** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:05 AM**

Trying to understand my terms here too...

Okay.. so does "in-camera" means a private meeting tonight after the one that's "on-camera"? No one gets to report on it, CATCH won't hear what happened, etc.?

Apparently Bratina said there were some more issues that came to his attention... I certainly hope we find out what these "issues" are, or at the very least the decision is postponed, if not shot down.

SteelTown · #**995** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:07 AM**

Okay.. so does "in-camera" means a private meeting tonight after the one that's "on-camera"? Yes

Will CATCH not even get to report on it? Yes, no camera and no reporters allowed during "in camera".

FairHamilton · #**996** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:16 AM**

^ Our democracy at work!!

highwater · #**997** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Okay.. so does "in-camera" means a private meeting tonight after the one that's "on-camera"? Yes

Will CATCH not even get to report on it? Yes, no camera and no reporters allowed during "in camera".

Yes. In camera (camera being the latin word for room, not a tv camera) means a private meeting, council and relevant staff only, no public or media. What happens in camera stays in camera.

highwater · #**998** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:29 AM**

I was at the meeting, but left when they deferred the vote. When I left they were talking about a possible deferral till a COW after the council meeting, or another meeting later in the month. I guess some point after I left, they decided to go in camera.

SteelTown · #**999** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 1:31 AM**

Connaught pays tax bill, but council has questions
But meetings on development proposal continuing late tonight

September 16, 2009
Nicole MacIntyre
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Columnist/article/634313

The city’s bank account is more than $500,000 richer after the owners of the Royal Connaught paid their back taxes in full today.

Tony Battaglia, spokesperson for the Grand Connaught Development Group Inc., said the consortium was “embarrassed” to have its tax arrears reported by The Spectator. The group is seeking $18 million from the public purse to convert the downtown landmark into mixed-income housing.

Battaglia said the group recognized their outstanding tax tab could put council in a “precarious position” when deciding if the city should support the affordable housing proposal.

“We wanted to just remove that obstacle.”

Council was still debating the project late tonight after a move by Councillor Bob Bratina to defer the decision. The downtown politician said there are numerous questions that still need to be answered, but did not reveal his concerns in public.

He suggested council needed to go behind closed doors because of the legal issues.

Council initially endorsed the delay in a 10-6 vote, but then decided to continue the debate in a special meeting later tonight after the regular meeting ended, after staff raised concerns about timelines. The city’s prioritized list of projects must be submitted to the province by Sept. 30.

SteelTown · #**1000** Posted **Sep 17, 2009, 2:29 AM**

In camera session starts at 10:30.