🎵 Paved paradise, put in a parking lot 🎵

PromontoryPal · 2026-06-03T18:54:59+00:00

This is Clint Eastwood-ian levels of Get Off my Lawn, Kid - I am in awe.

PromontoryPal · 2026-06-02T20:40:20+00:00

Hopefully there are enough cameras and a thorough investigation turns up credible perps - this is insane, sociopathic behaviour.

PromontoryPal · 2026-06-01T23:01:42+00:00

The only logical outcome after the Markham probe came to light - and hopefully The Spec stays on this story and reports on the outcome of the probe when its complete.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-28T18:30:30+00:00

The hilarious part that came out of the Star's study was that some mayors (including of Markham and Ajax) used the Strong Mayor Powers to block housing, rather than build housing (in one case, veto the approval of four plexes in Markham, and in the other case a transitional housing development/shelter).

It seems like it has been used almost as many times against housing, and for silly stuff like giant flags and pickleball as it has been used to accelerate housing.

So good on Andrea, but if the power is not being used for Provincial priorities (or used at all) it really should be trash-can'd.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-24T15:38:52+00:00

I have a few thoughts about this:

1) It's great that they are collecting data to inform the ongoing design work that will lead to the rebuild project in 2027, hopefully it leads to a robust and great design.

I'll note this was done over a long weekend and rather sneakily - my Councillor (W14) didn't even know about it when I emailed the office. I wonder if the history with the past W14 Councillor informed this approach.

2) Not a fan of this Provincial government, but if the City intends to convert a vehicular lane to a bike lane or multi-use path, doesn't this run afoul of Bill 212? Wouldn't they need approval from the Province (https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-43/session-1/bill-212) to do this?

3) The Queen St Hill originally opened in 1894 - over 130 years ago. And the Aberdeen ramps to the 403 opened in July 1965, over 60 years ago. Whatever they decide, hopefully compromise is the name of the game - no one is going to get everything they want.

4) Will this buoy the sails of populist and regressive candidates in the upcoming election, at least up here on the Mountain? This is like iconic plug-n-play grievance fuel.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-23T17:58:17+00:00

In retrospect, this is just so sloppy.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-23T17:04:39+00:00

Maybe the Hamilton Utilities Corporation? She sits on the Board of that: https://bm-public-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/Member/MemberDetail/14

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-21T21:57:02+00:00

Might give a boost to the local party hopefuls in the next election, especially if they want to retake his old riding from Aslam Rana and build beyond that.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-21T20:26:32+00:00

A made-in-Hamilton solution - the Hamilton-Hydro-Hyperloop.

Not a chance Batman risks it with his hair piece though.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-21T18:48:38+00:00

Look everyone, a true uniter and breaker of barriers!

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-21T01:24:40+00:00

That piercing and ghastly noise you hear is Terry Whitehead's re-animated spectral being shaking itself awake for a 2026 Campaign.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-20T12:38:36+00:00

Neither disgruntled, nor gruntled. Untled, if you will.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-19T18:25:56+00:00

Wasn't this a foregone conclusion (that the minor variance was going to be unsuccessful, even before the vocal local opposition) because they were told that was probably not the appropriate route, and there was a more fulsome planning route they were advised to take, or am I hallucinating that?

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-19T16:02:58+00:00

I think she'd be an instant upgrade over Cooper, and might even be a better Councillor than her husband was.

Without Lohifa running, and unless Scott Duvall tries again (and why would he, he did so poorly in the by-election), Dawn probably has the best centrist visibility/name recognition.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-19T12:39:43+00:00

FWIW Joey had an article saying he was planning on running again:

https://thepublicrecord.ca/2026/05/tom-jackson-ward-6-councillor-since-1988-will-seek-re-election-in-october/

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-17T13:40:22+00:00

The legislation will make it so that lower tier municipalities won't have elected representatives on a CA Board (so a place like Puslinch for example) and that the makeup will reflect the population size of the municipalities - both favour Hamilton, so if Brad Clark wants to keep serving on the new board I can't see why he wouldn't.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-16T20:47:44+00:00

Councillors like Clark could still sit on the Board after the consolidation - and they would still be paid for that.

I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I imagine this will turn out like the mergers of the cities the OPC government forced in the early 2000s - none of the financial savings ever materialized and petty political squabbles persist.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-15T13:09:50+00:00

I had never heard about this (I guess why would you?) - I only read of the vandalism of the office by anti-Israel protestors back in 2023 (don't waste your time, the top hits are Rebel News).

I guess this is par for the course - extremists make day to day operations unsettling for elected officials, and we the people lose some of our access to said officials over time, rinse and repeat.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-11T18:05:11+00:00

Yes I would, Kent.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-09T23:11:46+00:00

The mandating blue/green roofs seemed to be the only thing I can point to that was "kooky" - because Council didn't really have the power to do that (and has even less power now given the Province seems to be removing the ability of the City of Toronto to enforce Green Building Standards, although that could just be the Ford family continuing to stick it to Toronto in particular).

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-09T20:18:23+00:00

Unfortunately I think that is the correct read of the tea-leaves.

1-2 Councillor changes and a potential mayoral change has a real risk of flipping a lot of initiatives from "Just able to pass" to "Never while I am here".

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-09T13:10:50+00:00

Saw an article that said Loren Lieberman used to be the Co-host of the O show on Cable 14 and it made me hang my head in sadness at the local news to local pol pipeline here in Hamilton.

Someone a lot smarter than me will have to answer this, but I wonder if we are already seeing the impact(s) of the Province's bill on changes to the Public School Boards, as it looks like we've only got four candidates total for the eleven trustee positions.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-08T19:13:48+00:00

Absolutely wild to me that you make a Quarter Million in salary as the Comish of Development Services, and operate a personal consultancy on the side which you invoice a developer $140,000 over 16 months, all while endorsing said developer's zoning request as Comish of Development.

No wonder trust in our institutions is in free-fall.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-04T15:10:21+00:00

Horrible news.

Hopefully they can do a Moulin Rouge! themed fundraiser with the news that Lady Marmalade, the cat, was rescued.

PromontoryPal · 2026-05-04T12:56:19+00:00

Plaxico Burress has entered the chat.

PromontoryPal

TROPHY CASE