HAMILTON CITY Magazine - No. 9 - Early Summer 2024

Be the future of Hamilton, one of Canada’s largest cities and most diversified economies. Home to an active and inclusive community; thriving arts, cultural and music scenes; and a mecca of food and culinary experiences. A waterfront city that embraces its natural environment and beauty with hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails, and so much more.

Join our diverse, talented and ambitious city team who embody our commitment to service quality, a passion for nurturing change and a dedication to steadfast integrity. Our engaged, empowered employees make a difference. So will you. Hamilton is happening. #BeTheReason

Consider joining the City to advance your career in public service.

Scan the QR code or visit hamilton.ca/careers hamilton.ca/careers

CELEBRATING 110 YEARS WITH NEW EXHIBITION S

THREE NEW SUMMER EXHIBITIONS:

Directors Collect: 110 Years

June 27, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025

Jan Wade: Soul Power

June 27, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025

Radha S. Menon: Touched by Devi

June 22, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025

SUMMER EXHIBITIONS

OPENING AND 110-YEAR CELEBRATION

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm

Join us as we celebrate the history that has shaped Hamilton’s art collection –now numbering over 11,000 works of art. Three exhibitions will be celebrated featuring art from our permanent collection as well as exhibitions of work by Hamilton-born artist Jan Wade and Hamilton-based artist Radha S. Menon.

Artist.

123 King Street West 905.527.6610 x272 artgalleryofhamilton.com

SUMMER ART CAMP

July 22 – 26 | July 29 – August 2 August 12 – 16 | August 19 – 23

This summer, send your young artist to the AGH for one of our four weeks of summer camp! Each day campers visit the exhibitions, discuss the art and methods of making, and then return to the studio space to get creative. Spaces are filling up fast – sign up soon so you don’t miss out!

Free Thursdays: 11 am - 9 pm Fridays: 11 am - 6 pm

Saturdays & Sundays: 11 am - 5 pm

MEREDITH M acLEOD EDITOR CO-FOUNDER / CO-PUBLISHER

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR CO-FOUNDER / CO-PUBLISHER

JANE HICKS

JASON ALLEN

GORDON MUISE SALES

FINANCE + SUBSCRIPTIONS

CIRCULATION

JEREMY FREIBURGER

PROOFREADERS

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PRINTING

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MADE IN HAMILTON!

Thanks for checking out the May/June issue of HAMILTON CITY Magazine –our Made In Hamilton and Pride issue!

HAMILTON CITY Magazine (HCM) is published by Hamilton City Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted without written permission.

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Contact Us:

270 Sherman Ave. N, Studio 301 Hamilton, ON L8L 6N4

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The writing, photography and design in our magazine not only shines a light on this amazing city, but it illustrates just how deep and broad the talent is here. Every issue of HCM is fully made in Hamilton – with pride!

We are delivering our magazine to neighbourhoods across Hamilton and Burlington – different postal codes each time – because we know that once people see HCM, they will want to keep reading! So if you’ve received a free copy through the mail, we hope you’ll spend some time with the issue and consider subscribing.

You will find this issue jammed with stories of changemakers, innovators, champions and pioneers in all sectors and from all walks of life. If reading HCM doesn’t make you love, understand and appreciate Hamilton more,

then we don’t know what will!

There is plenty of exclusive online content at hamiltoncitymagazine.ca and please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to check out our Things to Do page each and every week for new listings.

We’d love it if you could share our content and talk to your networks about subscribing and advertising. Please support the advertisers you see and tell them you saw them in HCM.

It is a mammoth undertaking to get a print magazine off the ground and even more so to publish nine issues and more than 350 stories since our launch in September 2022. We are proud of what we are doing and have big plans for the future.

Please help us in our endeavour to celebrate all things Hamilton!

–The small, local and independent HCM team

ASHLEY LETTS IS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARTA HEWSON AT THE COTTON FACTORY DURING OUR COVER SHOOT WITH MEMBERS OF THE STEEL CITY INCLUSIVE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION. SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE A VIDEO OF OUR COVER SHOOT!

Photographed by Marta Hewson for HAMILTON

INSIDE

THE HEADLINERS

14/ LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Dana Robbins shares what he’s learned over the 1,217 (and counting) days of walking nearly 10,000 kilometres, plus more than 1,800 kilometres travelled by kayak. His Type A personality has documented every step and paddle stroke and since he’s now retired, he plans to keep going.

24/ THERE WHEN NEEDED

The Cancer Assistance Program is 30 years old and provides unique one-onone free services to patients who get a diagnosis they never hoped to hear.

28/ A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

The Steel City Inclusive Softball Association (SCISA) is building a 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Hamilton, offering a sports experience to many who haven’t found a home on the diamond before.

39/ COMING TO LIFE

A dynamic network of startups coming out of McMaster University – along with an eye-popping takeover of a homegrown success story – is fuelling Hamilton’s rise as a national biotech capital.

44/ EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

Whether you’re committed to vegetarianism or veganism or just want to eat plant-based more often, you’ve got plenty of local options.

56/ FINDING NEW LIFE AT 60

The Dundas Valley School of Art has innovative new leadership, renewed vision, peak student enrollment and ambitious new programs as the cherished art school – with a fascinating history – celebrates a milestone anniversary.

a s we C elebrate p ride in Canada, it’s important to remember that in many parts of the world, 2 slgbtQ ia + people are unsafe and in danger. at least 50 people from u ganda and k enya are now making a home in h amilton.

CLOSING THE BOOK

a fter more than a de C ade in the role, h elen m Cl eod will hang up her hat as exe C utive dire C tor of the h amilton l iteraC y Coun C il ( hlC ) this year. a s she looks baC k on her long and illustrious C areer, m Cl eod hopes to find a new leader to take the helm of this vital C ommunity-based non-profit.

WORDS vs ACTION

Coun C il’s flub of an affordable housing proje C t on a parking lot in s toney Creek has now thankfully been vetoed by the mayor. i t’s time for h amilton to aC t on the housing emergen C y that’s been de C lared.

FROM HEAVINESS TO HOPE

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Today, the City of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners and caretakers. Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on Sept. 30 and recognize that at least 150,000 Indigenous children from across the country were forcibly separated from their families and their communities.

Thrive in Our Creative Space

We have recently expanded our CoWork space to provide a dynamic worspace for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and professionals in Hamilton. Ontario. Our focus is community engagement, innovation, and creating the right atmosphere for productivity.

Benifits:

- A professional, focused atmosphere with many tools and resources

- Effective flexibility, CoWork is budget friendly; with flexible membership options. Save money and enjoy the convenience of a full-service office space.

- Banish isolation and say goodbye to the solitude of working from home. you’ll join a vibrant community of like-minded professionals and build connections in our supportive work community.

To learn more and book a tour email: info@coworkfactory.ca call: (905) 547-8254

www.coworkfactory.ca

301 - 270 Sherman Ave N.

Sign up for a dedicated desk by June 2024 for 3 months at $200/monthly!

$100 in savings!!

Barking up the right tree

HAMILTON AND BURLINGTON HAVE BOTH BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR TWO YEARS IN A ROW AS TREE CITIES OF THE WORLD.

If you stand on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment and look down, or hike through the Dundas Valley or wander leafy neighbourhoods such as Durand, Ancaster and Westdale, or spend time in Gage Park, you may not be too surprised to learn that Hamilton has been recognized as a Tree City of the World.

The recognition is handed out by the Arbor Day Foundation, an initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. It’s the second year in a row Hamilton has made the list. The region is well represented because Burlington is also a two-time winner. Both are among the 22 Canadian cities and 170 around the world recognized in 2022 and the 18 Canadian cities and 200 international cities on the 2023 list.

Tree City of the World recognizes efforts to ensure an urban canopy is properly maintained and managed. To qualify, a city must have: a department dedicated to forestry or trees; an official policy managing trees and forests; completed a tree inventory; allocated financial resources; and celebrated progress in promoting trees.

The urban forest includes all of the publicly and privately owned trees and supporting vegetation in the urban area. It goes beyond the natural areas of Hamilton and Burlington

and into the streets, backyards, parks and commercial areas.

Hamilton released its first urban forest strategy in 2023, which establishes a vision and roadmap to 2050. It sets a target of 40 per cent forest coverage by that date. That will require a concerted effort to reach because the city’s current urban canopy cover sits at 21.2 per cent (roughly 5 million trees), which puts Hamilton behind several nearby cities.

Part of the Hamilton strategy is to encourage homeowners to plant more trees on their property. That’s especially crucial for areas of the Mountain and the city’s core, which have much lower rates of tree coverage than other parts of the city.

It can’t be overstated how critical trees are to our natural ecosystem. They provide habitat for native plants and animals, protect our water and prevent flooding, give shade, improve air quality and fight the effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought. They are also beautiful and contribute to a feeling of well-being for city residents.

Hamilton’s strategy includes five themes (inspire, act, protect, grow, adapt), guiding principles (including our favourite: “Goals are good. Action is better), along with 25 actions, both immediate and long-term. n

CRAWFORD

by: Ian Ross Pettigrew

photo

JEANNIE CRAWFORD grew up in a small town just outside Ottawa and went to York University. A post-grad at a private IT school saw her move to Amsterdam for a job, but it was just as the dot-com bubble burst in 2001 so she came back after six months. She worked in operations roles in the Toronto interior design world until she met her husband, chef Salar Madadi, at a friend’s birthday. Soon enough they found their way to Hamilton. You’ll find her checking out new restaurants, doing puzzles, watching BRAVO and going to Las Vegas as often as she possibly can.

FULL CIRCLE

What made you begin MovetoHamOnt.com and what is the goal?

When you start any non-salaried work, you take in business wherever you can get it. And in my first year of real estate, which was our second year living here, I think I only did one or two transactions in Hamilton. I helped friends buy in Paris, in Brampton, Mississauga, listed my in-laws’ home in Mississauga. But I knew that I had no desire to sell houses just anywhere, I wanted to really help people discover the city that we had kind of stumbled into and were quickly falling in love with. I thought I needed a brokerage with a big “Hamilton” brand push because I didn’t have my own local identity yet, which is why I made the move from Coldwell to the new kid on the block, new offices, all shiny and a message about being very focused on the city and its potential. But I quickly discovered that I just needed to be my own advocate and become my own brand. I asked Salar to help me build a website that was going to be like a guide to the city, to the things you can do and experience here, and the people here – from our perspective – all the things that we had fallen in love with when we moved here. It was never built to have a huge return of leads, leads, leads. It wasn’t intended to be a site about the city with some sneaky hidden real estate plan behind it. It is very clear that the voice on it is me, who I am and what I do, but I’m not trying to snag your data, or sell you anything.

What neighbourhood did you and your husband choose to live in and why?

We first lived in the North End, frankly because I had no patience to look for houses and we didn’t see anything our first weekend out, and on the second weekend we both agreed the little twostorey on Simcoe East was the best option, so we kind of just fell into the North End. I miss it for sure, but we’ve been in Stipley now for seven years, which seems wild to me how much time has gone by! We honestly just kind of fell into this one, too. I saw a listing pop up that was pretty cheap, had a good layout for us and we went to see it on the way to the movies and I sent the offer in before the previews began. We didn’t give it a ton of thought, but we also really love this area for its different elements and is where we ended up putting down Salar’s business roots with Maipai, of course.

Favourite hangout in Hamilton?

I don’t have a ton of time these days, but I always enjoy popping into The Capital Bar on King. It’s walking distance from our place, and we’ll usually see familiar faces there or behind the bar with Derek and Sue. And the food is always great!

What’s Hamilton’s best-kept secret that you’ve discovered? I immediately think of restaurants, you know where my brain goes. And I’m not sure if these are a secret or not, but Apllada Greek on King East is some of the best Greek food I’ve ever had, and the French Revolution Bakery in Dundas is exceptional, too. If you haven’t been, you must go, and of course, pop into Mickey McGuires a couple of doors down for some delicious cheese. On the splurge side, we just discovered a boutique inn just outside of Dundas on Harvest Road – The HighAcre – and honestly, while a total luxury, it is absolutely stunning, a real treat if you have a special occasion you want to celebrate with total relaxation in a beautiful environment.

What’s the one thing you brag about Hamilton to outsiders?

The support within the small business and specifically based on my most direct experiences, the local restaurant and hospitality community. Honestly, moving here truly changed our lives, and becoming a part of this community through Salar’s adventures from MeatVentures, to Pokeh to Maipai, really showed us the strength of connections. I can’t believe we’ve been here long enough now to be a part of providing the support and guidance to people that we so greatly benefitted from. There are people who entirely changed the trajectory of our lives here whether they know it or not, some by the simplest thing like a tweet sharing an idea or a name. You can have such support behind you if your spirit comes from the right place. And I wish some of the folks who are newer to the city had the chance to know Dave Hanley, one of the city’s greatest champions and gone far too soon.

/continued online

IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN FOR THE LOVE OF HAMILTON, PLEASE CONTACT meredith@hamiltoncitymagazine.ca

HAMILTON’S PROGRESS ON BECOMING A MORE LIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLE CITY MUST INCLUDE ELIMINATING CORRIDORS IN DENSE URBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS THAT SHOULD BE FLOURISHING WITH PEOPLE AND COMMERCE BUT INSTEAD PRIORITIZE TRAFFIC SPEED AND VOLUME.

HAVE WE REACHED THE END OF THE STROAD?

By PAUL SHAKER

Slowly, but surely, Hamilton is making progress on becoming a more livable and sustainable city. The latest step forward is the change in planning rules to allow “gentle density” in neighbourhoods.

Gentle density includes types of housing that are more dense than the typical single-detached homes, but not as intense as high-rises – think townhouses, triplexes and fourplexes. The density could come from new builds or from the conversion of existing houses into multiple dwelling units. The area impacted by these changes to zoning rules is huge – 75 per cent of Hamilton’s low-density residential areas.

This change comes, in part, as a result of the major public push back against the idea of growing with urban sprawl. Sprawl would have largely allowed a “business as usual” approach to housing, which is unsustainable both economically and environmentally. Instead, with the public push back, the idea of allowing a greater variety of housing types within the existing urban area became central to the debate.

Flash forward to 2024 and it appears that a firm urban boundary is in place and, as a consequence, the adoption of rules to allow more housing types to accommodate growth. This will help a number of issues, including housing affordability and housing choice, which is great for people across the age spectrum, from those who are younger and just starting out to older residents

looking to downsize but stay in their own neighbourhoods.

Further, this also means Hamilton can meet provincial housing targets as well as create more tax revenue from the same area of land. As one astute councillor observed: “If we can get more tax productivity per acre, which is what this zoning will do, that’s better for everybody because it reduces the tax burden on all of us.”

However, increasing the density in existing neighbourhoods is only one part of the citybuilding puzzle and should not be separated from improving the quality of life within those neighbourhoods. Some residents are understandably concerned about what the new development rules will mean for their neighbourhoods.

The best way to address those concerns is to broaden the debate beyond housing to focus on the elements that contribute to quality of life, and one of the primary elements is the overall design of those neighbourhoods. This includes the development of amenities like parks and trails as well as the transportation infrastructure including roads and transit.

The ability to easily and safely walk to and from home to the local park, school, or shop is an important marker of a neighbourhood’s livability and connectedness. Unfortunately, in many instances, we are still living with the poor planning choices from previous decades. The state of our transportation network is an example of this.

One of the major legacies of our past decisions, is the large number of “stroads”

that can be found throughout the city. Stroads are a type of thoroughfare that is mix of a street and a road. The term was coined by American civil engineer and urban planner Charles Marohn.

Marohn argues that streets and roads are two different things. Streets are places that build community wealth and health. They are complex environments where life in the city happens, where pedestrians, cars and buildings are close to the sidewalk for easy accessibility, with many property entrances/ exits to and from the street. In these environments, a high level of pedestrian activity is the indicator of prosperity. Successful are environments where humans, and human interaction, flourish.

By contrast, the purpose of a road is to connect productive places to each other in an efficient manner. It is a high-speed connection between two places with wide lanes and limited entrances and exits. Think of a highway with limited interchanges. You can get from A to B quickly, but there are not many stops along the way.

As suggested by their name, “stroads” are a mix of these two types. Marohn likens them to “the futon of transportation because, just as a futon is neither a particularly good bed nor a particularly good couch, a stroad is neither a particularly good road or a particularly good street.”

Stroads are typically unsafe, not friendly for pedestrians, and are underperforming from the standpoint of generating community wealth in terms of being a destination. According to Marohn, the

problem with stroads is that engineering codes tend to emphasize speed and vehicle traffic flow rather than safety, so that stroads try to be “all things to all people” but end up failing in every way, as a result.

With this definition in mind, think of all the stroads around Hamiton that fit this description. You could argue that the mass conversion of streets to one-way traffic back in the 1950s instantly converted a bunch of once-vibrant streets into stroads.

Others have devolved over years to arrive at their current state. One example is Aberdeen Avenue, west of Queen Street. By any objective measure, Aberdeen should be one of the grand residential boulevards in Hamilton. It bisects a vibrant neighbourhood, connecting children to several schools, parks

Street S are complex environment S where life in the city happen S . a road connects productive places to each other in an efficient manner. i t is a highspeed connection between two places.

and a commercial district.

Along the street itself, there is a great mix of housing densities and architecture and a mature tree canopy lining both sides. Aberdeen should be a fantastic destination for pedestrians and residents. However, by the City’s own admission, Aberdeen isn’t a safe corridor, with speeding vehicles rushing through the neighbourhood as quickly as possible. As a consequence, it is a place that is avoided by pedestrians young and old. So what can be done?

The challenge of stroads isn’t a new problem, or isolated to Hamilton. First, at a city-wide level, the conversion of many one-way streets back to two-way, was an important step. Next is fixing the design of the stroads themselves. In 2022, the City introduced new guidelines to deal with these corridors. The Complete Streets Design Manual sets out categories for streets and then suggests how they should be designed to function better.

However, the key thing is deciding under what category the street should fall. In some cases, this is simple as many streets across Hamilton fit neatly into one of the categories suggested by the manual. However, for stroads like Aberdeen, the manual requires that a choice be made. Either the corridor will lean toward being a street, and therefore become more pedestrian friendly and fulfil its neighbourhood potential, or it will continue as a stroad and remain dangerous and not serve the community in the way it can.

So who makes the choice of what a stroad should become? Like all choices about how we shape our urban environment, it is a public choice. The roadway area between sidewalks is not a sacred space for cars to which we have limited or no control to change. While staff can provide recommendations on options and implications, this is ultimately a choice to be made by residents, through their representatives on city council.

These are the types of important choices that are at the core of city building. Much like the recent decisions on limiting urban sprawl and building more gentle density, the public decision to design our streets better is another important step on the path towards creating a more livable and sustainable city. n

Paul Shaker is a Hamilton-based urban planner and principal with Civicplan.

ABERDEEN AVENUE, WEST OF QUEEN STREET, SHOULD BE ONE OF THE CITY’S GREAT STREETS BUT IT HAS DEVOLVED INTO A PLACE PRIORITIZED FOR CARS. PHOTO: MIKE SCHYMKIW FOR HCM

WORDS vs ACTION

COUNCIL’S FLUB OF AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT ON A PARKING LOT IN STONEY CREEK HAS NOW THANKFULLY BEEN VETOED BY THE MAYOR. IT’S TIME FOR HAMILTON TO ACT ON THE HOUSING EMERGENCY THAT’S BEEN DECLARED. By

RYAN MCGREAL

DOZENS OF PROTESTORS SET UP TENTS AND SIGNS IN THE FORECOURT OF HAMILTON CITY HALL, DECRYING COUNCIL’S ACTION ON TACKLING THE HOMELESSNESS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISES. PHOTOS: RYAN MCGREAL

On April 12, 2023, Hamilton city council voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency related to parking.

Recognizing that lack of access to parking is a major public health crisis, the motion urged the province to establish a multi-sectoral task force to develop a plan to address the crisis and called on the province to increase funding for people who cannot afford parking. This followed similar declarations from Toronto, Ottawa and Niagara Regional councils, and Hamilton council also sought to to coordinate support among the other members of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). Wait, did I say parking? Sorry, I meant housing.

Like most Canadian cities, Hamilton is in the midst of a historic housing crisis. Squeezed by rising demand, slow supply growth and high interest rates, home-seekers have limited options and crushingly high costs. For too many people, there is simply no housing available at all.

Given council’s unanimous support for a housing emergency declaration, one might be forgiven for assuming that this most fundamental priority would drive every subsequent choice.

But this is Hamilton, where civic strategy too often goes to die. So this past February, councillors deadlocked 8-8 on a staff proposal to use a free municipal parking lot in downtown Stoney Creek as the site for 67 new affordable housing units.

The surface lot, on the block bounded by Lake Avenue South, King Street West and Mountain Avenue South, currently has 162 parking spots. The housing proposal would remove 57 spots but then add back 30, for a net reduction of 27 spots or 17 per cent. According to staff observations, the lot is never more than 80 per cent full.

The question should really be: why isn’t the entire lot being converted into housing? Why is a downtown block being wasted on such low-value use in the first place?

But there was local pushback against even the more modest plan, and in a city that for decades has prioritized fast, easy driving above every other civic objective, enough councillors went along with the NIMBY opposition to desperately needed housing to kill the proposal.

This decision was so egregious that it motivated anti-poverty activist Angela Vos to protest by establishing an encampment in the City Hall forecourt. As of this writing, there are dozens of tents and an estimated 85 people, many of them unhoused, in front of City Hall in an ongoing demonstration called “Hamiltent.” Eviction notices have been issued to the

protestors.

Kudos to the eight council members who voted to put policy ahead of parochial pandering: Mayor Andrea Horwath, Maureen Wilson (Ward 1), Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4), John-Paul Danko (Ward 8), Craig Cassar (Ward 12, Ancaster), and Alex Wilson (Ward 13, Dundas).

Fortunately, in this case, Mayor Andrea Horwath decided in late March to use her new strong mayor powers to override the vote and approve the project. Council could still overrule the mayor’s veto with a two-thirds majority, but that seems unlikely at this point.

Notwithstanding this flub, Hamilton actually has been making some progress in adding new housing. In 2023, 4,142 new housing units began construction in the city, which hit 120 per cent of the provincial target and meant Hamilton qualifies for $17.6 million in provincial funding for housing-related infrastructure.

2023 was a banner year for building in Hamilton, with a record-breaking $1.7 billion in residential building permits, plus another $850 million in industrial, commercial and institutional permits.

The Ontario government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes by 2031, of which Hamilton is expected to provide 47,000. This may seem like a high number, but for comparison, over the 12 months from April 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023, Ontario’s population grew by 504,000 (and Canada as a whole grew by 1.2 million).

If growth continues at that rate, the province will need to add 200,000 housing units a year just to stand still, let alone increase the ratio of housing to people. Adding 1.5 million homes through 2031 works out to just 167,000 units per year.

Though realistically, it is unlikely that Canada will continue to grow by a million people a year. The federal government announced in November that it is aiming for around half that annual number through 2026.

But while the overall housing shortage is pervasive, the shortage in specifically affordable housing is devastating. Over the past decade, Hamilton has lost four times as many affordable units as it has gained – many of these through so-called “renovictions” in which the property owner evicts tenants living in affordable units and renovates them to be able to charge much higher rents.

To council’s credit, it passed a first-inOntario anti-renoviction bylaw in January under the leadership of Nann and in response to years of advocacy from Hamilton ACORN. Under the new rules, property owners must first apply to the City and produce a building permit as well as proof from an expert that eviction is necessary to undertake the renovations before they are allowed to renovict tenants.

Landlords must also either provide alternate housing or else financially compensate tenants they plan to evict, and they must actively provide a pathway for tenants to return once the renovations are complete.

The City also established a housing secretariat to focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing. The project channels federal, provincial and municipal funding into the most cost-effective projects to build, acquire and retain affordable housing and provide support services to ensure successful tenancy.

But visionary plans are only as good as the power of execution. The real test is whether council actually empowers staff to clear the bureaucratic obstacles to fast action. n

LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

DANA ROBBINS’ TIME IN THE CAREER FAST LANE HAS NOW SHIFTED INTO A RETIREMENT OF ROUGHLY 1,217 (AND COUNTING) DAYS OF WALKING NEARLY 10,000 KILOMETRES, PLUS MORE THAN 1,800 KILOMETRES TRAVELLED BY KAYAK. HIS TYPE A PERSONALITY HAS DOCUMENTED EVERY STEP AND PADDLE STROKE. HERE HE SHARES HIS REFLECTIONS ON (MOSTLY) SOLITARY, SLOW-MOVING PURSUITS.

DANA ROBBINS WAS PHOTOGRAPHED ON THE HAMILTON HARBOUR WATERFRONT TRAIL BELOW THE DESJARDIN BRIDGE.

PHOTO: JON EVANS FOR HCM

NOTE FROM EDITOR MEREDITH M ac LEOD: Dana Robbins is the former editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hamilton Spectator who went on to executive jobs at Metroland Media. He had a 41-year career in newspapers before retiring in May 2023. I was lucky enough to be a reporter in Dana’s newsroom at The Spec, and our creative director Will Vipond Tait worked as a graphic designer under his leadership, too. We both extend our thanks to Dana for writing this brilliant piece (after some hounding from me).

By DANA ROBBINS

No matter what you make of what you read here, one fact is indisputable: I was not built for speed.

This will come as a surprise to no one who has spotted me on a hot summer day and wondered: “Why is there a giant pear on the beach? Is it a parade?”

But if I was not built for speed, it appears I may have been built for distance.

On Nov. 8, 2020, I slowly started moving … slowly.

I went for a walk.

It wasn’t a particularly long walk. Nor was it a particularly memorable walk; I can’t even recall my route.

But there was obviously something about that walk because when I got home I logged the distance on an Excel spreadsheet (Type A Personality Alert). And I have repeated some variation of that stroll on each of the roughly 1,217 days (at the time of this writing) since.

And, in the midst of all that walking, I fell in love with another slow-moving past-time – paddling. So as a pre-retirement gift to myself, I bought a 14-foot touring kayak and took to the water.

Occasionally, I enjoy these slow-moving activities with friends and family, most frequently with my wife Catherine. But about 80 per cent of the time I walk and kayak alone, by choice.

That means that for a goodly chunk of every day for coming up to four years, I have spent by myself … moving. Not quickly, sometimes glacially, but moving, on land and water. In total, I’ve covered 11,431 kilometres (9,557 walking, 1,874 paddling).

If you were to chart all that walking and paddling on a map, and a Type A personality definitely would, it would show that, virtually, I criss-crossed Canada, and then trekked south to the tip of the Florida Keys, before paddling to Havana, Cuba.

It appears I have evolved into an urban shark with thinning hair. If I stop moving, I

fear I may die. Or at least go bald.

I have chatted with friends and colleagues about my slow-moving marathon, I’ve even posted about it online, and there is, invariably, one of two reactions: Surprise and/or quiet, but pointed, concern about my mental health.

These are perfectly reasonable reactions, given I’ve experienced both myself.

Surprise, for sure.

How is it that someone who has lived such a violently sedentary life has become so obsessed with moving? It is truly inexplicable to me. It’s as if I woke up one morning and discovered I could speak Mandarin!

And concern about my mental health?

It’s not lost on me that I became increasingly obsessed with walking and paddling during a particularly difficult time in my life. And even a casual review of my Excel sheet would reveal there is a definite relationship between the number of kilometres I log on any given day and how much stress I’m feeling.

It probably doesn’t take a psychiatrist’s couch to conjure metaphors of me moving away from, or towards, something. Possibly.

Or, perhaps I’m just doing the clichéd thing that people my age do: exercising obsessively in hopes of delaying the invariably lethal punchline that always brings down the final curtain.

I don’t know.

I don’t really much care.

I just know that I have become deeply addicted to walking and paddling, to moving slowly through a life that has mostly been characterized by moving too quickly.

Of the 9,500 kilometres I’ve walked since starting this trek, some – too few – have been in glorious, oftentimes sun-drenched or otherwise romantic, locales like Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Tangiers, London and Willemstad.

But all of those only came after my retirement last spring (and I’m really only including them here to establish my bona

/continued on next page

MANY OF THE KILOMETRES OF HIKING AND KAYAKING LOGGED BY RETIRED JOURNALIST AND NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE DANA ROBBINS HAVE BEEN SOLITARY, BUT OCCASIONALLY HIS WIFE CATHERINE HAS BEEN AT HIS SIDE. PHOTOS: DANA ROBBINS

fides as a sophisticated cosmopolitan, a veritable bon vivant with a tail fin.)

The brutal truth is that most of the kilometres I’ve slogged have been in The Hammer, and because I still had a day job for much of the time I’ve been doing this marathon, a majority of my walks have been at night.

There are only so many times you can walk around your own block before your neighbours start pulling the drapes when they see you coming. So, to mix it up, four or five times a week I drive to a different neighbourhood in Hamilton, and walk there. I have covered the whole city, multiple times.

I’ve learned two profound life lessons during those hours alone on the pavement.

First, even if you move through life with purpose and intentionality, even if you are truly centred in the moment and connected to creation, you will still develop chafing and painful rashes in strange places.

Second, Penaten isn’t just for babies. (See Life Lesson #1)

So all that slow moving has clearly not gifted me with great wisdom, but I have learned, or been reminded, of some things about my adopted home as I’ve navigated Hamilton’s streets.

My two biggest takeaways:

I love this city.

Truly.

I love the quirkiness of its neighbourhoods, the elegance of its historic streets, its stillhuman scale, the open-face friendliness of so many of its inhabitants, its giant trees and the ridiculous abundance of green space, the harbour and lakefront (what a gift to be a “maritime” city), the smalltown distinctiveness of the “suburbs,” the bracing honesty of the industrial sector, the escarpment and, darest I mention them, our magnificent waterfalls.

I hate this city.

Truly.

The degradation of so many of our public spaces, our oh-so-progressive shouldershrugging acceptance of the menace that settles over too many neighbourhoods when the sun goes down, the trash and filth that blights so many of our streets, the corrosive urban decay that gnaws at some neighbourhoods like a cancer.

I loved my profess I onal l I fe but I t was a no I sy one, and I t demanded that an extreme I ntrovert behave l I ke an extreme extrovert. It also came w I th an expectat I on that I have an op I n I on on most everyth I ng.

I have a complicated relationship with the city. So best that we leave it at that.

n

Walking or paddling, which do I love more?

When it comes to moving slowly, my favourite child is paddling.

For starters, I can do it topless without running the risk of someone barking at me, “Excuse me, ma’am, you can’t come in here like that.”

I didn’t even learn to swim until I was in my 30s, so this late-in-life affinity for being on water is almost as surprising as the Mandarin.

Hamilton is a perfect city for a paddler.

There is, of course, the harbour and Lake Ontario. But also Cootes Paradise, Valens, Christie, Grindstone Creek and Lake Niapenco. (Dollars to doughnuts most readers don’t know where in Hamilton to find Lake Niapenco. Dollars to doughnuts that expression immediately reveals me as a really old guy.)

All those spots in our backyard served me well when I was still learning to stay upright in my kayak. And I still love them for a leisurely afternoon paddle when I don’t have a lot of time.

But Hamilton is also the epicentre of an incredible paddling eco-system. Within an hour’s drive, you can find no end of flat water delights – Big Creek in Norfolk (Ontario’s

WHEN IT COMES TO MOVING SLOWLY, PADDLING IS PREFERRED, SAYS DANA ROBBINS. ABOVE: THE GRAND RIVER AND BELOW, HAMILTON HARBOUR & GRINDSTONE CREEK. PHOTOS: DANA ROBBINS

Amazon), Black Creek in Niagara, Grand River, Jordan Harbour, Big Otter Creek in Elgin, Rockwood Conservation Area, the Welland Canal and Lyons Creek.

You could spend a summer or two exploring just these, which I did.

But eventually I started to launch further afield, onto water where the likelihood of encountering any other humans is considerably slimmer. And, so, I made my way to Big Salmon Lake in Frontenac Provincial Park, the Saugeen River, Lac La Peche and Meech Lake in Gatineau, Source, Smoke and Tea lakes in Algonquin and, of course, the Barron River snaking through its spectacular granite canyon, the Nottawasaga River, Cold, Beaver and Gold lakes in Kawartha, the Gloucester Pool, Blackstone Harbour and …. too many more to count.

I struggle to describe how I feel when I’m on the water by myself, but “calm” would come closest.

I loved my professional life but it was a noisy one, and it demanded that an extreme introvert behave like an extreme extrovert. It also came with an expectation that I have an opinion on most everything.

Paddling has freed me of that obligation, and allowed me to be quiet.

Although I mostly paddle alone, I

occasionally paddle with my adult son Jacob. Last year, I gave him a photobook of rivers and lakes we’ve paddled together, and places I’ve paddled on my own that I hope he will someday visit, maybe after I’ve stopped moving altogether.

I cleverly titled it Paddling with Pa. (A shark with a flair for alliteration?)

In the flap of Jacob’s book, I listed 10 lessons kayaking teaches; they are a father’s clumsy, poorly disguised metaphors for life.

1. One stroke after another. That’s the only way to move forward.

2. Paddle against the current when you are rested.

3. Pay attention.

4. Sometimes the stuff that scares us isn’t really that big a deal.

5. Have fun, but don’t be stupid.

6. Paddle in silence. There is too much noise in life.

7. Be humble. (Kayaking has a way of reminding us that we don’t know as much as we think we do.)

8. Be in the moment.

9. Plan ahead.

10. Allow yourself to feel awe. (“Look where you are.”)

About the time this magazine hits store shelves, I expect to again be feeling awe. God willing, I will be in Spain. A buddy and I are tackling a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The plan is that we’ll walk from Sarria to the cathedral in Santiago, then onto the Atlantic at Fisterra, just under 200 kilometres.

We plan to walk long days, up to 35 kilometres on a few. We’ll walk with intentionality and purpose, but slowly. And likely oftentimes in silence.

So don’t be surprised if, at some point in early June, there are reported sightings of a slow-moving shark with thinning hair off the coast of Spain.

(Until then, pull your drapes.) n

the qr code to see more of dana robbin s ’ scenic photos.

FROM TOP: CATHERINE ROBBINS AND DAUGHTER NICOLA IN THE DUNDAS VALLEY, THE BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM THE KAYAK IN BLACKSTONE HARBOUR AND DANA ROBBINS ENJOYING A DAY ON THE WATER AT KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK WITH SON JACOB. PHOTOS: DANA ROBBINS

NOT TO BE MISSED

Spring is perhaps the most glorious time of year. So get out to enjoy all that Hamilton and Burlington have to offer. Here are a few of our favourite local happenings.

A CENTURY IN THE SKY

GOING FOR THE GREEN

The venerable RBC Canadian Open returns to Hamilton this year, giving local golf enthusiasts a rare opportunity to see the pros at work IRL rather than on the TV screen. Defending champ Nick Taylor and No. 2 in the world Rory McIlroy join an impressive roster, all teeing it up for their share of the hefty purse. More than just golf, the event features a buzzing festival atmosphere just off the course with its patio scene, live entertainment and fan activities, which might even pique the interest of the avid golfers’ plus-ones. May 30-June 2, Hamilton Golf and Country Club, rbccanadianopen.com

WE RIDE AT NIGHT

Be a bright spot in the darkness by joining the Hamilton Glowriders (“Hamilton’s brightest bicycle gang”) on their monthly group bike ride, held under the cover of darkness. With the goal of promoting safe and legal cycling, the group invites riders of all abilities to join in and light it up. Adorn your bicycle in lights, snap that glowstick, and roll through town with the glittering group on its casually paced, 90-minute ride, sharing the unique perspective on our city that – just like this colourful caravan – only comes out at night. glowriders.ca

MAMA MONDAYS AND THE TOWNHALL TIKES

Tots benefit from social outings and so do their caregivers. Join a community of smalls and talls at Townhall Social Eatery during Mama Mondays, where everyone is invited. With the diminutive audience entertained by Storytime with Auntie Amber, the grownups can catch a breath and enjoy a treat from a Townhall vendor – one that they might not even need to share. Swap war stories and share valuable intel with folks who know exactly why it took far longer than you could ever imagine to load up the stroller to come. Mondays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., townhallsocial.com

Anniversary parties are an amazing way to celebrate a significant achievement, and the more years under the belt, the more there is to celebrate. This summer, join in to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force at the Air Force 100 Weekend. Have a gander at this year’s largest gathering of RCAF-type aircraft that spans from WW2 to present day and talk to current members to learn more about the roles performed by the service. We aren’t sure if cake will be on the menu at this remarkable celebration, but there will most definitely be wings. July 6-7, Warplane Heritage Museum, warplane.com

JUST ANOTHER MANIC MUD DAY

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Make our t hings to d o section your go-to destination for city life and arts and culture events listings! ha M iltoncity M agazine.ca

Rather than dishing the dirt with your group chat, assemble the peeps in real time and just get dirty. The Mudgirl mud run welcomes participants of all skill levels to take part in a 5K course filled with inflatables, obstacles and of course, a whole lotta mud. The event supports reputable foundations fighting breast cancer in North America – so if there’s any reason to test your mettle for a great cause in a supportive and safe environment, this is it. Just be sure to stock up on laundry detergent during your next grocery run. June 8-9, Binbrook Conservation Area, mudgirl.ca

LIFE IN THE CITY

From festivals and films to galas, galleries and gigs, Hamiltonians love to have a good time and these photos are definitely worth a thousand words. HAMILTON CITY Magazine was there – were you?

photos By B rent perniac, Donna Waxman an D Gary Green

To check ou T more phoTos, scan T he qr code

1. Freedom Train (Tim Jennings, Carl Jennings, Matt Gormley), Pub Fiction, March 4.

2. Charlotte Cardin, FirstOntario Concert Hall, Feb. 17.

3. MPP Monique Taylor, Mayor Andrea Horwath, Rick Mercer and Bishop Douglas Crosby at the Emmanuel House fundraiser (Good Shepherd), Carmen’s Banquet Centre, April 4.

4. Rick Mercer getting in a good read.

5. Lesha Hah; 6. Jose Crespo, Ken Biehler and Susan Hill; 7. Emmalene Pruden at Hamilton Fashion Week (HFW) Gala, Music Hall, Feb 18.

8. Suzanne Conroy, Colin James, Danielle Zucchet Millar, Dr. Dave Lysecki and Lindsay Lysecki at the Charity of Hope, Open Road featuring Colin James, Carmen’s, March 22.

9. Chris Caddell, Harrison Kennedy and Jesse O’Brien; 10. Cathy Wellwood and Steve Strongman at the Jazz Up the Winter Blues, Ancaster Mill, March 4.

OUR ARTISTS

MAJOR WORKS

Liz West

Nate Nettleton

Jordan Shaw

PLINTH WORKS

Christopher Reid Flock

Chaka Chikodzi

Christina Hart

Kim Collins

David Paolini

John Highley

Nancy Benoy

Stephane Langlois

Ante Benedikt Kurilic

Joon Hee Kim

Rosalinde Baumgartner

Chris Foster

Chamce Shermet

Siobhan Lynch

RETAIL WINDOW GALLERIES

Trisha Leigh Lavoie

Mike Hansen

Helen McCusker

Paula Hartman

Brendan Duggan

Matt Walker

Renato Foti

Janet MacPherson

Paula Murray

Tamara Kwapich

Jody Racicot

Quinten Teszeri

Mei Chan-Long

Mallory Gresch

Basiten Martel

Holly Atkinson

Tanya Hary

Nikola Wojewoda

Dale Dunning

Brendan Lee Satish Tan

Dan Lawrie

Sculpture

Great Goose by Kim Collins

MADE IN HAMILTON IS SPONSORED BY CITY OF HAMILTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INVEST IN HAMILTON

Rentals are rising

THE FORMER MISSION SERVICES MEN’S SHELTER ON JAMES STREET NORTH HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED AND A RESIDENTIAL TOWER WILL BE BUILT ON THE SITE.

The landscape at one of downtown Hamilton’s major intersections – James Street North and Barton Street – will never be the same after the demolition of the Mission Services men’s shelter building to make way for a 12-storey residential building.

The shelter found a home for nearly 70 years in a threestorey structure built in 1910. It moved to 400 King St. E. between Wellington Street North and Victoria Avenue North last June.

Core Urban bought 325 James St. N. from Mission Services for $3.15 million. It includes another building that has been retained and will be restored for offices.

Part of the deal was the Core Urban renovation of a threestorey brick and beam structure on King Street East – the former home of the Red Cross – to allow for the doubling of the space and many more amenities for Mission Services’ men’s shelter.

The shelter now has 58 shelter spaces, along with 50 transitional housing quarters. The City of Hamilton contributed just over $3 million to the renovation.

The new construction on James North will have 127 units, along with four commercial units at street level. Construction will start later this year with completion in early 2026, according to Core Urban co-owner Steve Kulakowsky.

Core Urban has a decade-long track record of beautiful restorations and adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the city, including The Press Room at John and Jackson (offices and hospitality space), Templar Flats on King William (residential rentals and ground-floor restaurants), King James (offices and restaurants), Empire Times on King William (offices and restaurant), The Textile Building on George Street (urban offices), The Witton Lofts on Murray Street (condos) and Herkimer at Bay (condos).

Its new builds include The Laundry Room boutique hotel and hospitality space on Augusta Street and projects that are now underway: The Greystone at 169 James S., an eightstorey, 70,000 square foot luxury rental apartment building featuring 56 units; The Chelsea at 26 Augusta, a 70-unit residential rental building with main floor commercial; and The Olympia Club at 59-61 King St. E., once a downtown bowling alley that has been redeveloped into offices and hospitality space. n

THE DESIGN OF CORE URBAN’S 127-UNIT BUILDING FEATURES A FOUR-STOREY PODIUM TO FIT THE EXISTING JAMES STREET NORTH STREETSCAPE, ALONG WITH STREET-LEVEL COMMERCIAL UNITS. PHOTO: CORE URBAN

BURLINGTON

NATIVE ADAM BENTLEY FOUNDED MUSIC MARKETING COMPANY AUTEUR RESEARCH IN HAMILTON IN 2009 AND HAS SEEN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY CHANGE COMPLETELY SINCE THEN.

RISING ABOVE THE NOISE

AUTEUR RESEARCH PROVIDES A RANGE OF SERVICES TO HUNDREDS OF ESTABLISHED BANDS AND UP-AND-COMING MUSICAL ACTS TO HELP THEM CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE ALGORITHMIC STEW AND GET NOTICED. AS THE NAME IMPLIES, RESEARCH IS AT THE HEART OF IT ALL.

By JAMIE TENNANT | Portrait by JON EVANS FOR HCM

Years ago, navigating the music industry seemed simpler. If you were on a label, much of the business was taken care of for you. If you were independent, it was trickier, but still fairly straightforward: make a demo, get gigs, make a record, play to support said record. If you could afford it, hire a publicist, and if you were lucky, find someone to help out as manager. Send your record to rock journalists and campus radio. Wait and hope. If you are of that era, today’s music business looks like a nonsensical, infinite digital abyss. There are countless places to send your music, and no simple handbook that lists them all. You can put a song up on Spotify and it can languish, unheard, for all of eternity. TikTok? What?

Even Gen Z artists, raised to be familiar with this reality, can be stymied. Where to submit something? When to release something? What to keep track of?, et cetera and et cetera. It’s a monstrous amount to navigate and intimidating for a newcomer.

Auteur Research, founded in Hamilton in 2009, has been doing something that most artists can’t do themselves: mapping the abyss. Learning, sometimes through trial and error, the best way to get an artist noticed in today’s musical environment. And remembering that tomorrow’s musical environment could look fantastically different.

Auteur founder Adam Bentley may not have planned a career in the music industry but it’s little surprise that he ended up there. Bentley grew up in Burlington, where, as a teenager, he became obsessed with music. He and his friend Paul Koehler (the drummer for Silverstein) had fun creating a pretend record label, complete with website, before they even made music.

Before long, they caught wind of someone nearby doing the same thing, except for real: the ascendant, local, and decidedly notpretend record label called Sonic Unyon.

“We would call Sonic Unyon and just ask, ‘How do you do this?’” Bentley remembers. “They’d ask who’s calling and we’d hang up right away. But then we started emailing (Sonic Unyon co-founder) Sandy (McIntosh) and he would give us hints. He thought our website looked professional. Actually, I think Paul had ripped the code from Sandy’s Sonic Unyon website and just repositioned it.”

Bentley’s relationship with Sonic Unyon

AUTEUR RESEARCH

Founder: Adam Bentley

Founded: 2009

Clients: Auteur’s roster of hundreds of clients includes local names such as Arkells, Dirty Nil, Canadian artists such as Big Wreck, Danko Jones and Sam Roberts, and a vast array of up-and-coming acts. It’s these newer artists, however, that keep Bentley engrossed in the business. “I like working with the independent artist that’s putting out their first release, or it’s the first time they’re trying to push something in a real way. I see the value in this, can I figure out how to show that off?”

Focus: Bentley classifies Auteur Research as a PR and marketing company, but such common terms don’t really express the complexity and constant change inherent in today’s music business. “I used to do research in December,” Bentley recalls. “Now, we’re always doing research. The ‘research’ part of Auteur Research part is literal. And that was from day one. I knew I was digging more than a lot of people. I kind of liked digging.”

would continue, through a grade school job shadow program and a high school co-op position. Meanwhile, he had begun making his own music in earnest. During these formative years, he made friends with other musicians, with whom he would form The Rest, the band Bentley played with for about a decade. The Rest was independent, largely because no label wanted to sign a sevenpiece band – too expensive, too unwieldy. This wound up working in Bentley’s favour; being in The Rest was real-world experience in the music business.

“(The Rest) were into these insane conceptual things, and making the worst business decisions that were ever made,” laughs Bentley. “But it informed me, I think, as I got closer to wanting to make this a career in music. It informed better decision making, learning from all of these failures.”

Eventually, Bentley worked with Dan Achen at Catherine North Studios.

“Dan was just being nice and giving me something to do,” he insists. “I’m sitting there on my laptop researching blogs, and (Dan’s) like, ‘You should do this for people I’m working with.’ I said, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ He says, ‘I think you do. You’ve got 300 pieces of press for your album, and you’re an

independent band.’”

The research Bentley did for his music (both The Rest and electronic duo Allegories) consisted of little more than a Notepad document full of blog names and email addresses. Today, that has grown into a database of approximately 6,000 contacts around the globe.

When Auteur Research launched, it offered promotions services and help with MySpace. It’s safe to say it’s advanced since then, but the basic concept is the same. For clients, Auteur works online press such as blogs, music publications, lifestyle magazines; basically anybody online that writes about new music, anywhere on the planet. Auteur also pays attention to user-generated playlisting, another part of the business into which Bentley accidentally fell.

“I stumbled upon the streaming evolution because we were targeting bloggers, and bloggers make playlists,” Bentley explains. “Those playlists started interacting with the algorithm and changing the trajectories of brand-new bands. And I didn’t know I was doing it! Like, I’m thinking wow, those Spotify numbers are pretty good, how’d that happen?”

Auteur works to get an artist noticed; to help them rise to the top of the algorithmic stew. In 2018, the company entered into project management as well. “It’s like label services without me calling it label services,” says Bentley, “because I never want to be a label or a manager. I get to leave at some point; the manager and label should never think they’re going to leave. It’s a different mentality.”

In recent years, Auteur has added digital marketing services (think YouTube or TikTok ads) to its list of services as well. It’s a Hamilton-based business, but only three of them are located in the city; the rest of the team is remote. “We could all be in Denmark, it wouldn’t matter,” says Bentley. “The approach is not about boots on the ground. It’s boots on the internet.”

The future of Auteur Research is a mystery to Bentley, mostly because the future of the music industry is one as well. No amount of attention to detail or algorithmic exploration can truly make his work a science.

“It’s not a science,” he says. “It’s music. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not in the business of predicting the future, I’m in the business of reacting to the present. Which eventually becomes the future anyway.” n

THERE WHEN NEEDED

THE CANCER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS 30 YEARS OLD AND PROVIDES ONE-ON-ONE FREE SERVICES TO PATIENTS WHO GET A DIAGNOSIS THEY NEVER HOPED TO HEAR.

IBy MEREDITH M ac LEOD

t’s a group no one ever wants to join. But for Hamiltonians who learn they have cancer, the Cancer Assistance Program is a unique support organization that provides a range of free services when everything in life changes.

CAP is there at diagnosis, a time of chaos and fear and thousands of questions. It’s there during the exhaustion and illness that often comes with cancer treatment. It’s there during remission when clients yearn for wellness information and a way to give back.

“We are unique,” says executive director Debbie Logel Butler.

“No other community has a CAP. We’re that little gem and that’s why our motto is: help when you really need it.”

CAP drives cancer patients and caregivers to and from their appointments, provides wigs, prosthetics and bras, delivers incontinence supplies and nutritional supplements, lends mobility devices, bedliners and bath chairs, provides free parking and produces an educational podcast.

The help is literally life-saving for Yashmanee Sammy, a 40-year-mother of four who would not have been able to get treatment for cervical cancer without CAP.

After the birth of her one-year-old son, she was diagnosed with cancer that required daily radiation, weekly chemotherapy and procedures to insert internal radiation devices.

The news was “a hit in the heart” and she wasn’t sure how she would cope. A social worker introduced her to CAP, which arranged for volunteers to pick her up and take her home from all her appointments, even ones that began at 7 a.m.

Sammy estimates it would have cost her at least $100 for each round trip into the Juravinski Cancer Centre from her home in Caledonia. That would have amounted to at least $6,000 over three months of treatments.

“Without CAP, I would not have had treatments. It’s just too expensive. We live paycheque to paycheque,” says Sammy, who came to Canada from Guyana about 14 years ago and is mom to 10-year-old triplets and a one-year-old baby.

“The volunteers are so caring and hardworking. They always get me to my appointments on time and they go out of their way to help me,” she says.

“I just don’t have the words to talk about CAP and how excellent they are, how amazing the drivers are.”

Just as important, talking with the people at CAP showed Sammy she isn’t alone in her cancer journey.

“I am young and thought I was the only one. I get relief in knowing I’m not.”

THE VOLUNTEERS

CAP has about 50 drivers among a pool of about 160 volunteers. The ranks include everyone from university students to retirees and many are former cancer patients.

The organization has an impressive 91 per cent retention rate among its volunteers, says Cindy Sharp, the manager of volunteer and client services.

“We are really lucky to have our volunteers. Our biggest recruitment is word of mouth. People find out what we’re doing, and then they want to help out, too. And many whether it’s direct or indirect, many have that connection to cancer.”

In addition to managing the daily rides and the use of three parking spaces donated

We are really lucky to have our volunteers. Our biggest recruitment is w O rd O f m O uth.

Peo P le find out W hat W e’re doing, and then they W ant to hel P out, too.”

c indy s har P , manager of volunteer and client services

by a Concession Street church, volunteers help out with office tasks, answering phones and meeting clients, take care of sanitizing and repairs in the equipment shop, book appointments for wigs or equipment, write condolence and thank you letters, and pitch in with fundraising events.

Volunteers are also charged with keeping CAP’s database up to date. Just a few years ago, that would have involved paper files in a filing cabinet. But now electronic records and barcodes track each piece of equipment, each client’s use of CAP’s services and all

correspondence with CAP.

In drive coordinator Sandy Schweyer’s seven years at CAP, she’s seen a cumbersome and tedious handwritten paper and pencil system replaced by an electronic platform that automatically optimizes routes.

“It’s so efficient and much easier to track. I can’t believe we used to do things this way,” she says, pointing to reams of paper pulled from a banker’s box.

On the day of my visit, there are 13 drivers on the road and they will complete 41 trips. Some days the count is as high as 60.

“Our drivers are wonderful and the clients are so appreciative. It’s nice to be able to help people get to their appointments. Some people have no one to get them there and parking is difficult and expensive.”

Recently, new client enrolments are climbing 10 per cent each year, says Sharp.

“So we need to be able to move at the speed that we can accommodate that kind of intake.”

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

But what does that level of growth mean for the future?

“Listen, it’s been a question that’s kept me up from the moment I arrived,” says Logel Butler, who joined CAP in October 2017. “It’s a case of being careful what you wish for, /continued on next page

VOLUNTEER ROSE SANDS HELPS A CLIENT WITH A WIG AT THE CANCER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OFFICE.

PHOTO: JON EVANS FOR HCM

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“It has been under the radar for a long time. People tend to find out about us when they need us and then they are blown away.”

Rick Denyes, p R esi D ent of the c A p boARD

“(Cancer patients) need to know someone is there for them and will connect with them. It’s really important to know someone is there for you. And when many people live in isolation, a real connection can be more therapeutic than anything else.”

n eil Johnson, vice p R esi D ent, oncology A n D site executive le AD of the Ju RAvinski h ospitA l A n D cA nce R c ent R e At hA milton h e A lth s ciences

“I have been where the clients I drive have been. I’ve been the caregiver, always on duty. I’ve sat through the treatments. I’ve struggled to find parking. To be able to help someone else is the greatest gift. The clients I drive are so very appreciative.”

voluntee R DR ive R All ARD g unnick

“It’s a lifesaver for us. We’ve had such amazing experiences with the drivers. If I ever won a lot of money, CAP would be the first place I’d give to.”

lois f iel D ing who J oins he R husb A n D A R nol D on R i D es to the J cc fo R t R e Atment

“It’s amazing what has happened in those years since. I am proud of what this has become.”

voluntee R h elen A s t R eun, 93 , who signe D the ch ARte R to estA blish c A p 30 ye AR s Ago

because the more awareness and the better you are at what you’re doing, the more dollars you’re going to have to raise to meet the need.”

Her focus has been on establishing the technology, policies and practices to prepare for a future of higher rates of cancer diagnoses.

“It may sound strange, but COVID was good to this organization. It forced us to very quickly change. We wouldn’t have been able to shift to online and technology this fast without it. That all means we can keep serving and do things better and more efficiently.”

CAP is a personal mission for Logel Butler whose mother-in-law had been a client.

“I knew that it was an organization with a heart and there were a lot of really great people. And I knew that it just needed someone to help them get to the next stage.”

One of the first steps was moving CAP out of a yellow house on Concession Street to an office building on Concession just east of Upper Wentworth.

“The little house wasn’t working anymore. We were like Mother Hubbard, busting at the seams. We needed to look more professional, and be more efficient.”

That, along with having a clear story to tell, backed by statistics that show the nonprofit’s impact, makes it easier to bring in bigger donors and ask for more dollars and longer commitments, says Logel Butler.

“We are not afraid to say listen, we do great work. Here’s our story: our admin fee is 13 per cent. And we’re very proud of that. We

have a great story to tell.”

Backed by the support of its board of directors, CAP began a major gift program, in which donors are asked to commit to contributions over five years. It also increased its events and hired a grant writer to land support for technology and staffing.

The staff complement is now five full-time and two part-time, including a marketing and communications position funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The hope is to raise CAP’s profile such that the position will eventually pay for itself.

CAP celebrated its 30th anniversary this year with a birthday party in March. It also hosts a yearly golf tournament, a walk, auctions and a gala.

During the pandemic, CAP shifted to hybrid events and has continued to offer an online option for its gala.

“We feel it’s really important that our clients can attend. Cancer clients may not want to be out in a big room with lots of people,” says Logel Butler. “So we deliver a beautiful VIP bundle to your house. You have wine, you have food, but you’re in your jammies, and then you participate.”

CAP also relies on third-party fundraisers, along with traditional direct mail campaigns and memorial donations.

“You have to be careful in an organization that you have money coming in through all different methods. And I’m a firm believer that there has to be a way for everyone to give at their comfort level.”

Another step in the reimagining of CAP, says Logel Butler, is deepening relationships

RICK DENYES, CHAIR OF CAP’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEBBIE LOGEL BUTLER, AND DR. BILL EVANS, BOARD MEMBER AND CAP PODCAST HOST. PHOTO: JON EVANS FOR HCM

BY THE NUMBERS: CAP IN 2023

n No. of registered clients: 4,038

n No. of new clients: 1,357 (12% higher than 2022)

n No. of volunteers: 161

n Volunteer Hours 2023: 23,146

n No. of rides last year: 11,823 (32% higher than 2022)

n No. of equipment loans: 2,000+ pieces

n Savings to cancer patients and their families: $907,000

with leaders and practitioners at the JCC, other allied health-care professionals and the palliative care network and increasing public awareness through presentations, a podcast and social media.

CAP has some big names in its corner, including Dr. Bill Evans and Neil Johnson, vice president, oncology and site executive lead of the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences.

Evans, a noted lung oncologist and retired president of the JCC, shows his support for CAP by sitting on the board and hosting its podcast The Cancer Assist Podcast, which has produced more than 50 episodes.

The podcast is a growing means of

reaching an audience, says Evans. Downloads increased by 40 per cent in 2023 and the podcast has been heard in 15 countries on every continent except Antarctica.

“We take advantage of the expertise we have in Hamilton because we have a wealth of physicians and nurses and therapists of various types and palliative medicine doctors, etc. So I tap into that.”

With a goal of arming patients and their families with information, the podcast has delved deeply into different types of cancers, treatment and research, pain management, eating and exercise for cancer patients, how to confront a cancer diagnosis, and palliative care and resources.

“It imparts information that is up to date and hopeful. We want people to go into their care with a positive attitude, feeling hopeful that something can be done that’s going to make a difference. People want to live longer and live better, and with good quality of life.”

CAP gets no sustainable government funding and that got the attention of Jack and Linda Benson, who manage a charitable fund called the Foundation for Human Development that supports local non-profits.

The Bensons had a friend going through cancer treatments who found the free parking through CAP to be so helpful. When they investigated and found all the services offered, they called Logel Butler in 2019.

“We were amazed by Debbie and by CAP,” says Linda. “Once we meet the team there, we couldn’t help but be part of it.”

The Human Development Foundation has existed since 1971 and was founded by engineer Keith Reekie, a mentor of Jack Benson’s who died in 2016. The foundation now supports 20 local charities that help people overcome financial barriers.

“There are so many non-profits doing terrific things for the community that don’t get steady government funding,” says Jack. “CAP is so organized and well run. If you need something, it is there.” n

CAP VOLUNTEERS SHEILA TENNANT AND HELENA STREUN PACKAGE SOME NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR A CLIENT. PHOTO: JON EVANS FOR HCM

THE STEEL CITY INCLUSIVE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION (SCISA) IS BUILDING A 2SLGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY IN HAMILTON, OFFERING A SPORTS EXPERIENCE TO THOSE WHO HAVEN’T FOUND A HOME ON THE DIAMOND BEFORE.

By MEREDITH

M ac LEOD | Portraits by MARTA HEWSON FOR HCM

ADAM BENN

Sports should be for everyone but that’s not always the case.

The Steel City Inclusive Softball Association (SCISA) is tackling that wrong head on.

Hamilton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ slo-pitch league is a safe and welcoming space for queer people and allies to play softball.

The games are important but it’s about much more.

“We welcome players of all sexual and gender orientations, religions, nationalities, body types and abilities. As queer Hamiltonians, we acknowledge that it doesn’t always feel like the city we love, loves us back,” says the SCISA website.

“Involvement with our league will provide an outlet for players and local businesses to show that the future of Hamilton is compassionate and progressive. The love that lives here is stronger than hate.”

Says co-founder and league commissioner Jeff Lindstrom, SCISA means people are becoming friends who wouldn’t otherwise meet.

“This is really building a community. We have people from 18 to into their 60s playing and they are coming from all walks of life,” he says.

“This has exceeded our expectations in every way possible. People, queer or not, have found comfort in our league and created a new relationship with sports.”

SENSE OF BELONGING

Connie Glachan didn’t ever think of herself as an athlete. She grew up “an indoor kid” in east end Hamilton, who spent time drawing and playing video games.

Now 28 and living her identity as a trans woman, Glachan was “super-duper excited” about taking to the diamond for the first time in her life. But she missed the opening of the 2023 registration by a couple of days and found herself on the waiting list.

She decided to manifest her desire to get on a team by attending every league practice and social event she could. It worked.

“I was over the moon.”

/continued on next page

From there, Glachan dedicated herself to learning everything she could about the rules, techniques and skills of softball. She also put time into improving her fitness, along with her batting and fielding. Glachan discovered the competitive streak within herself and her love for playing on a team.

She won over her teammates and her coach with her effort and attitude right away and then with her growing contributions to the success of the team.

“No one ever made me feel like a burden, no matter how many questions I asked.”

That was true even when she stepped into the competitive side of the league when another second baseman couldn’t play. She

struck out more and found harder-hit balls getting past her. It made her work harder.

“Even when I felt bad about how I played, my team never felt that way.”

It all paid off in winning the rookie of the year award for the league.

“I see myself doing this every year to come … I’m really so happy that something like this is happening in Hamilton. So many people are finding their community and sense of belonging on the diamond.”

Glachan joined Lindstrom, Adam Benn and Ashley Letts for a photo shoot with Marta Hewson at the Cotton Factory on a snowy March day that seemed far away from beautiful days for baseball.

But the joy the foursome gets from each other and the prospect of getting out on the field again together soon is contagious.

Benn says he’s been able to meet many people thanks to SCISA because there are plenty of opportunities to spend time with people from other teams. That’s been important to him since he moved to Hamilton from Toronto during the pandemic and didn’t know many people.

“I felt welcome right away,” he says of the league.

Benn, a director of diversity, equity and inclusion for a home healthcare company, did his undergraduate degree at Mac and when affordability drove him out of Toronto, he knew Hamilton was the place to go.

“It’s close to Toronto but it still has its own identity as a city.”

Benn played softball as a kid and was good at it, but eventually he felt like team sports weren’t the place for him.

“The experience of being queer in sports is typically very negative.”

Not only is SCISA changing that narrative for him, it’s also building a sense of queer community.

On game days, people bring lawn chairs, coolers and picnics and spend the day just hanging out. SCISA is capitalizing on that support by offering a new non-player membership option for 2024, along with the chance to register as a substitute callup.

“Even if you don’t want to play, people should come down to the park on game days. It’s Hamilton’s Church Street,” Benn says, referring to the heart of Toronto’s iconic 2SLGBTQIA+ village.

TEAM BALL HOGZ ARE PICTURED IN SEASON 3, IN THE SUMMER OF 2023.

A PHOTO FROM THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF THE STEEL CITY INCLUSIVE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION’S SEASON 2 IN SUMMER 2022. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SCISA ARCHIVES

ADDING TEAMS

SCISA games are played in the North End at Eastwood Park, right beside Collective Arts at the corner of Burlington Street East and Ferguson Avenue North.

Teams are formed through a yearly draft and every effort is made to make them as balanced as possible to make play fun and safe for everyone.

Games begin after the May long weekend and are played over the next 11 weeks (excluding long weekends) before a year-end playoff tournament. SCISA also holds skills clinics, fundraisers and plenty of social events throughout the year.

In addition to welcoming players and coaches of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and any playing experience and ability, SCISA also embraces those who identify as neurodivergent.

“There are a lot of people who have been traumatized by their experience in sports. They’ve never experienced what it’s like to have 13 or 14 others cheering them on,” says Lindstrom.

The league launched in 2020 and almost immediately had more than 100 people signed up even though its first season was sidelined by the pandemic.

They initially got the word out via social media and through showing up to drag shows and other queer events to answer questions and meet potential players. From the earliest days, Hamilton’s only dedicated queer space, The Well, was a supporter and then a lead sponsor.

Now organizers are trying to manage growing wait lists and people are coming

from Toronto, St. Catharines, London and Fort Erie to play.

To address huge demand this spring, SCISA has added two teams to its recreational Sunday league, which will now field 18 teams. Another six teams will play in a competitive division on Thursday evenings.

This year’s registration – 240 spots – filled up in just eight minutes.

“I think this is showing queer people and others how much fun sports can be in a safe environment,” says Ash Moffatt, the league’s communications director. “That’s what’s really growing this league. People are so happy to have found each other.”

Moffatt, a mail carrier and former comedian, grew up in Binbrook. After moving to Toronto for eight years, Moffatt moved back in 2018.

“I think this league is really great for the younger people growing up here now. I certainly didn’t know so many queer people existed when I was growing up in the country. I think it’s amazing all these people are moving here.”

FORMING A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

The league is the brainchild of Lindstrom, his husband Rich Sullivan, Letts and Blaine

Perry – who were all acquaintances who moved to Hamilton around the same time.

Lindstrom and Sullivan moved here from Houston, while Letts and Perry both lived in Vancouver, where they each played in the West End Slo-Pitch Association.

Letts, whose mom is from Hamilton, spent summers in the city and moved here permanently in 2019. Perry, who is an ally of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, had arrived a couple of years earlier.

“I was looking for a big life shakeup and my mom had moved back to Hamilton five years before,” says Letts, who is a writer and communications consultant and mom to seven-month-old Wyatt.

“I expected to come here for a while but then move to Toronto, but Hamilton grew on me right away.”

Lindstrom, who grew up outside Chicago, came to Hamilton for a job as a designer and project manager for a play-space company. The city is home now, he says.

“Softball won’t let us leave now.”

The founders reached out to the organizers of the Cabbagetown Group Softball League, which was founded in 1975 when it just wasn’t safe to have any reference to gay in the name. The Toronto organizers shared /continued on next page

TEAM POWDER PUFFS DOING A POST-GAME CHEER IN SUMMER 2023.

bylaws, policies and plenty of advice with Hamilton’s upstart league.

SCISA has made connections with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and The Forge, which now both host Pride nights and offer discounts to the league’s members, and the Hamilton Cardinals have come on board as a sponsor, too.

SCISA was accepted into the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance in 2022, making it the only Hamilton sports league and just the third in Canada to be part of the alliance. NAGAAA launched in 1977 and represents 15,000 athletes in 54 cities.

Lindstrom and others from SCISA travelled to Dallas to deliver a presentation and apply to join the alliance. Membership paved the way for SCISA to send a team to the Gay Softball World Series in 2023 in MinneapolisSt.Paul, which attracted 225 teams. Just three were from Canada.

CHALLENGING HATE

It’s unfortunate that the work of SCISA is needed, but Hamilton has long wrestled with a reputation – and reality – of hate.

Statistics Canada data shows the city had the country’s highest per-capita rate of hate crimes in 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2014.

The city earned national scrutiny after violence erupted at its 2019 Pride festival in Gage Park.

A religious group arrived at the event with homophobic signs, accompanied by yellow vest group members that had been protesting at City Hall.

Several people were injured when the two sides clashed.

Both then-mayor Fred Eisenberger and former police chief Eric Girt apologized after an independent review found the police response was inadequate and failed to protect Pride attendees.

The city also recorded a number of hate crimes reported to police in 2021, with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community among the most targeted groups. Last summer, a downtown resident reported that the front door of her home, which displays Pride flags, was vandalized with a homophobic slur.

The hope, says Letts, is that all the building of community that is happening, after decades of only losing queer bars and other spaces, will lead to more queer-owned and operated businesses, cultural organizations and events to serve the 2SLGBTQIA+ population of Hamilton and area.

And to finally prove – once and for all –that love conquers hate.

It’s certainly working on the courts and rinks. Since SCISA took the field, queerfocused hockey and volleyball leagues have launched in the city and a basketball league is in the works. n

photographing Hamilton business for 24 years

From heaviness T O HOPE

AS WE CELEBRATE PRIDE IN CANADA, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, LGBTQI+ PEOPLE ARE UNSAFE AND IN DANGER. AT LEAST 50 PEOPLE FROM UGANDA AND KENYA ARE NOW MAKING A HOME IN HAMILTON.

By DEIRDRE PIKE

More than 50 gay, lesbian and bisexual asylum seekers from Uganda and Kenya have made Hamilton their home since late last fall after fleeing persecution, violence, and potential death for their sexual orientations.

Despite a recent warning from Canada’s intelligence agency (CSIS) of an increase in domestic anti-2SLGBTQI+ violence, this country remains a safe haven for people from many African countries where state-approved hostility and death penalties are enshrined in legislation. More than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries criminalize homosexuality.

In May 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly condemned Uganda’s “anti-homosexuality bill,” passed in May 2023, calling it “appalling and abhorrent.” Just months afterward, he announced the Canadian government would partner with the non-profit organization Rainbow Railroad to protect LGBTQI+* refugees and welcome them to Canada.

Last year, Herbert was able to take advantage of this new agreement when he was publicly outed as gay in Uganda and feared for his life. While he had been enjoying a special meal with his male lover in a restaurant near his home, the woman his father had forced him to marry texted him. When the man he was with saw it, he became jealous and enraged, yelling loudly to let everyone know Herbert was gay.

“People stared at us, many of them with jaws dropped and others covering their mouths in shock, because no one knew or even ever imagined that I was in a gay relationship.

simon was dragged through his Kenyan community when he was outed. He was beaten so badly

H e needed surgery on H is eye and H as permanent scars and broken teet H .

I got out of the restaurant as soon as possible, knowing very well that those who had witnessed the news would spread it like wildfire.”

He was not wrong. The phone started ringing to alert his wife and wanting to know if the rumours were true.

“I did not wait for the news to spread faster than my exit. I got home and packed a few clothes and headed to Busia, Kenya, to stay with my Aunty Jane. That very night, a group of youth armed with sticks, pangas and other killing objects went to my home but did not find me.”

With the support of his aunt and brother, Herbert was able to purchase a plane ticket to Canada where they knew he would be safe.

Unlike Herbert, Simon did not find safety in his home country of Kenya. Instead, he was dragged through his community when he was outed and beaten so badly, he needed surgery on his eye and has permanent scars and teeth in need of repair. He arrived at Pearson airport in October where he was directed to Hamilton. He stayed at the Salvation Army shelter until mid-March when he and three others from Kenya with similar stories of persecution found a house to share.

Allen, a woman from Uganda, and her partner Mariam have been together 10 years. They were never able to come out to their families in Uganda, knowing they would be ostracized and possibly beaten. They, too, came to Hamilton in October and are enjoying their first taste of freedom as a lesbian couple.

“We never wanted to separate. When I was fired from my job, it became clear we had to leave. We wanted to be free and experience life openly as lesbians, so we found help to come to Canada,” Allen says.

These are just four stories among many people who have had their heaviness

/continued on next page

DEIRDRE PIKE IS IN FRONT ALONG WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY FORMED STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE RAINBOW QUEENS AND KINGS AT THEIR INAUGURAL MEETING. PHOTO: DEIRDRE PIKE

RACHEAL, AZIDAH AND SIMON ARE AMONG 50 LGBTQI+ ASYLUM SEEKERS FROM UGANDA AND KENYA WHO ARE MAKING A HOME IN HAMILTON. PHOTO: DEIRDRE PIKE

transformed to hope with the same freedom Herbert, Simon, Mariam and Allen have tasted. Other experiences include rape, imposed marriages, and former partners being killed.

On March 13, 42 LGBTQI+ people of Kenyan and Ugandan descent showed up to the Niagara Room at Christ’s Church Cathedral to share their stories and find community. Many of the participants have been connected to St. James Anglican Dundas where Lynn Dykeman has been coordinating a furniture program to help refugees settle in their new homes.

Dykeman, a fellow lesbian, co-chaired the first meeting with me. We ran out of food and chairs but not out of bravery and hope. Seventeen women and 25 men arrived, many with their partners, all with questions about their rights and safety in Canada. A steering committee of members was formed to take leadership of the group, now called the Rainbow Kings and Queens.

During the first meeting, members wrote down their hopes and dreams for themselves and the group. Four main areas of need arose: emotional support; information and rights as new members of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community; accompaniment to immigration hearings; and social gatherings like Pride.

While housing and employment have been slow to come, most have now moved out of shelters and have their work permits. Some have jobs and all are eager to work.

As Pride month comes in June, they are all hoping to celebrate their newly found freedom and the warmer weather, wrapped in rainbow flags and the love of their new community.

Support for the Rainbow Kings and Queens can be received through the Diocese of Niagara. Contact deirdre.pike@ niagaraanglican.ca. n

Deirdre Pike is a queer Catholic working for the Anglican Diocese of Niagara. She is the principal facilitator of Queer Positive Power, a training organization specializing in 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion.

(*Though Canada uses 2SLGBTQI+ as the common initialism for the queer and trans communities, two spirit (2S) is not a term that applies to African countries, so it is left off in those references.)

A JOURNEY TO A NEW LIFE IN CANADA

When I look back on my life, I see pain but now when I look in my mirror in my new home of Hamilton, I see strength. I have been rejected, I have been ignored, I have been cast out.

Did I really deserve this? Was I born only to suffer in this world? What did I do wrong? What terrible crime did I commit to deserve such a punishment? Is my life worth living?

I asked myself these many questions while looking in the mirror in a washroom at the airport as I waited for my flight out of the country that I always called home.

Uganda, a country that is known to be a sweet home for many, was now a nightmare to me. This is why I was flying to Canada, a country I hoped to call my new home.

This all came about as a result of my sexual orientation as a lesbian, an identity that almost got me killed, made my own family disown me, made my best friends my worst enemies, and also made me an enemy to the whole country at large. Some of what happened to me, l fear to express. The rest of my trauma still haunts me in my dreams until now.

got worse during times of rain because now it was much colder.

I had silent pain in my heart and I had fear in me. This struggle continued for about two weeks. I used to cry every day and night. As I was starting to lose hope, something amazing happened to me. I was finally referred to a temporary shelter. At the shelter, I came to realize I was not the only one with a haunting life.

I met many Black people who had situations the same as mine or even worse. This made me strong and thankful that I was lucky to be in Canada. Life became better. I still struggle to fully embrace and express my real identity of being a lesbian.

Months later, I was able to find a real place to stay in Hamilton. It was by this time that I came to know of a church called St. James Anglican Dundas. A friend of mine introduced me to Lynn and took me there one Sunday morning. Ever since that day, I started to regain my happiness and the path to my future seemed clearer.

When I first arrived in Canada, I knew that I was somehow safe to express myself but I didn’t know to what extent I could do this. Worst of all, things were not as I expected them to be at first but I had to face my new reality. I had no clothes, no food, and racism was real. I didn’t have anyone I knew and I was sleeping on the street. My days on the street

Now there are over 40 of us who have formed the Rainbow Queens and Kings of Hamilton, an LGBTQ group of former Ugandan and Kenyan residents.

When I look back, I only see pain and suffering. But now, all that is in the past. I can now embrace my true identity with pride. I am grateful to be in Hamilton. n

– Rachael

RACHEAL SAYS HER SEXUAL ORIENTATION MADE HER AN ENEMY IN HER HOME COUNTRY.

LGBTQI+ REFUGEES FROM UGANDA AND KENYA GATHERED AT CHRIST’S CHURCH CATHEDRAL IN MARCH TO SHARE STORIES AND BUILD COMMUNITY. PHOTO: DEIRDRE PIKE

'BIG LAUNCH CONCERT' KICKS OFF NEW MUSIC GROUP

THE

ESCARPMENT BLUES SOCIETY HAS A MANDATE TO SUPPORT AND GROW THE LOCAL BLUES AND ROOTS MUSIC SCENE. By KEN

WALLIS

Excitement is building as a new music collective is ready to take the stage.

The Escarpment Blues Society is a not-for-profit organization formed to strengthen awareness and appreciation of blues and roots music, while at the same time putting the emphasis on growth.

The society will support local venues that feature blues and roots music, promote live performances, support artists, highlight recordings and provide education with blues in the schools programs. The society will support local, national and international blues and roots artists for the advancement of their craft in the Niagara Escarpment area.

With these goals in mind, the Escarpment Blues Society is putting together a starstudded launch concert. The official launch takes place Tuesday, May 28.

The “Big Launch Concert” takes place at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre in the state-of-the-art, 470-seat Peller Hall. The hall boasts a superior acoustic experience, which is a perfect fit for a large concert.

The concert will feature the Escarpment Blues All Star Band and a stellar lineup of world-class guest musicians.

Here’s a little bit about each performer.

HARRISON KENNEDY

Kennedy is the best soul/blues singer on the planet, and he has a Juno Award to prove it. His career featured time with Chairmen of the Board, but now he graces the stages as a solo performer. He’s a home-grown Hamiltonian who’s proud of his heritage. Kennedy is the nephew of Hamilton legend Jackie Washington, proof that talent runs in the family.

JACK de KEYZER

Jack is a two-time Juno Award winner and a seven-time Maple Blues Award winner. He started his career in Hamilton with the rockabilly group The Bop Cats and played with such luminaries as King Biscuit Boy and Ronnie Hawkins. He’s an international star of the blues scene and even Bob Dylan recognized his talent: “If Jack de Keyzer was from New York, Chicago or LA, he’d be famous.” In Canada, not only is he famous, he’s a blues icon.

ABOVE: HARRISON KENNEDY BELOW: JACK de KEYZER PHOTOS: KEN WALLIS

STEVE STRONGMAN

STEVE MARRINER

What can’t you say about Marriner? He’s a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and record producer. He’s won seven Maple Blues Awards. He can play guitar with the best of them, sports a mean harmonica, and sings with conviction. He’s been the leader of MonkeyJunk when the group won the Juno award for blues album of the year. Marriner is an in-demand guest artist on numerous albums. He’s a whirlwind who’s toured with the likes of JW Jones, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Harry Manx and a host of others.

SUZIE VINNICK

Watson must be putting a wing on her residence to house all her awards. The list is extensive and a testament to her talent. She’s a six-time Maple Blues Award winner including female vocalist, entertainer, album, and songwriter of the year. She’s a Juno Award winner for female blues artist of the year, a Blues Blast Music Award winner, and she competed in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and took home first-place honours in the band category. Watson’s sultry voice makes her the cream of the blues crop.

As a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Strongman has racked up numerous awards. He has four Maple Blues Awards, a Juno Award, and was selected as the International Blues Challenge winner for best guitarist. His performances are simply riveting, and his stage presence bathes you in a rollickin’ good time. One of the co-founders of the Escarpment Blues Society, Strongman is dedicated to not only preserving the blues, but also expanding the blues and roots scene in the Niagara Escarpment region.

Vinnick is a Canadian roots and blues singersongwriter. She performs as a solo artist and she, too, is graced with numerous awards. She achieved finalist status in the solo/duo category at the 2013 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, received the 2012 CBC Saturday Night Blues Great Canadian Blues Award and the 2012 Sirius XM Canada Blues Artist of the Year. Vinnick has won 11 Maple Blues Awards and been nominated for 21 so far. Fresh off a Canada wide tour with Charlie A’Court and Australian bluesman Lloyd Spiegel, she leans into her songs with a voice and presence that highlights her talent.

And if that’s not enough, this incredible lineup is backed by the talent-loaded EBS All Stars. They are: Colin Lapsley (bassist with Steve Strongman Band), Jesse O’Brien (keyboardist with Colin James), Matt Burns (drums with Spencer MacKenzie) and Roly Platt (multiple Maple Blues Awards nominations as harmonica player of the year.) This concert promises to be one of the most dynamic evenings the Hamilton area has ever seen.

Tickets are available at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre box office and online at memorialarts.ca

The Escarpment Blues Society is not stopping there. Up next, the society is bringing Wicked Grin to Stonewalls on Sunday, June 9. Murray Kinsley brings a wicked guitar and his guttural singing fits seamlessly with the band. And wait, there’s more. Tagging along with the band is harmonica whiz Larry Kurtz.

Stay tuned for more great concerts in the coming months. For more information go to escarpmentbluessociety.ca n

Ken Wallis is president of the Escarpment Blues Society. He is the retired associate dean of Media And Entertainment at Mohawk College and host of Blues Source Canada and Blues Source International on INDI 1015 FM on Blues and Roots Radio.

WICKED GRIN. PHOTOS: KEN WALLIS

DAWN TYLER WATSON

A DYNAMIC NETWORK OF STARTUPS COMING OUT OF MCMASTER UNIVERSITY – ALONG WITH AN EYE-POPPING

TAKEOVER OF A HOMEGROWN SUCCESS STORY – IS FUELLING HAMILTON’S RISE AS A NATIONAL BIOTECH CAPITAL.

COMING TO LIFE

By EUGENE ELLMEN

A$2.4-billion takeover of local startup Fusion Pharmaceuticals is showing how McMaster University and Hamilton are challenging Canada’s large cities for dominance in the fast-growing business of life sciences.

“I think we’re at a tipping point where there’s so much potential and so much incredible research,” says Fusion CEO John Valliant, the McMaster biochemistry professor who founded Fusion in 2017. “It’s just a matter of people taking hold of the opportunity and driving it forward.”

Earlier this year, Hamilton’s pioneering cancer drug startup announced the whopping number offered by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, a company that has become a household name for its COVID vaccine.

Fusion is one of 150 startups that have spun out of McMaster’s science and engineering faculty, medical school, research institutes and research hospitals. More than 600 jobs and $550 million in investment (not including the Fusion takeover) have been generated by McMaster’s top 24 startups.

Brian Bloom, a 1998 McMaster biochemistry grad who is now CEO of biotech

financing firm Bloom Burton, says the Fusion takeover could become critically important in further accelerating the local life sciences ecosystem in Hamilton.

“Instead of acquiring the company, and taking the assets and laying everyone off, which is the usual playbook, AstraZeneca publicly committed to building the infrastructure that Fusion started,” he says.

“The centre of excellence that is Fusion Pharmaceuticals is going to be expanded, and that creates an enormous opportunity for Hamilton and the region.”

The life sciences include treatments and

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FROM LEFT: CHRISTOPHER HELSEN, JONATHAN BRAMSON AND DANIELLE HAYES OF TRIUMVIRA IMMUNOLOGICS INC. ARE AMONG A GROWING CADRE OF SCIENTISTS AT MCMASTER UNIVERSITY WHO ARE CONVERTING RESEARCH INTO LEADING-EDGE COMPANIES. PHOTO: RON SCHEFFLER

JOCELYN WESSELS, CO-FOUNDER AND CSO OF AFYNIA LABORATORIES WITH VICTORIA TURPIN, LABORATORY MANAGER AT AFYNIA. PHOTO: GEORGIA KIRKOS

RESEARCHERS INVENT ENDOMETRIOSIS TEST

Two McMaster researchers have developed a blood test for endometriosis, a condition that often defies diagnosis and creates years of agonizing pain for millions of women.

“A woman bounces from doctor to doctor trying to get every test that can rule out other conditions,” says Jocelyn Wessels, cofounder of Afynia Laboratories, which has developed the Endomir blood test.

Wessels, who studied endometriosis as a PhD student, founded the company with Lauren Foster, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

It’s estimated that one in 10 women have the condition, which can create debilitating pain and infertility. The only definitive way of diagnosing it is through surgery, an option that doctors are reluctant to recommend given overcrowded conditions in hospitals. This means a typical five-to-10year delay in treatment.

The test is part of the burgeoning field of femtech – treatments and technologies serving the needs of women and girls, which has traditionally been a niche field of medicine.

“Fifty per cent of the population is not and should not be considered ‘niche,’” says Ella Seitz, a board member of Femtech Canada, a non-profit network. Earlier this year, Afynia was one of two companies to receive a $35,000 Femtech Canada award. That’s on top of an earlier investment of $468,500 from the McMaster Seed Fund and $150,000 from the federal/provincial BioCreate fund.

Wessels started Afynia after a search for partners determined she and Foster were the best people to commercialize the test since they understand it best.

“That was almost two and half years ago and it’s been an amazing ride. I have not looked back.”

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medicines, biomanufacturing, medical devices, digital health and other biotech innovations. Rapid scientific advances are creating huge opportunities in the sector for startups and later-stage companies.

“Life sciences is right up there as one of the burgeoning sectors within the city,” said Hamilton economic development director Norm Schleehahn shortly after Hamilton released a life sciences strategy in 2021. The plan aims to scale up the sector by increasing awareness and attracting investment.

McMaster Innovation Park, located on 58 acres east and south of the main university campus, plays a central role in this ecosystem. By encouraging life science companies to lease space and become established at McMaster, MIP has become a crucial training ground for future biotech executives, says Bloom.

“What’s important is that those companies become anchor tenants – even if they don’t become multinationals themselves – that will staff up and grow and teach people who will become confident executives five or 10 years from now.”

Fusion leases offices and manufacturing facilities at MIP, now expected to expand under AstraZeneca management. Cancer therapy company Triumvira Immunologics also has facilities at MIP. The park also includes The Forge, a shared workspace for startups, Innovation Factory, a small business incubator, and Synapse, a consortium of the major players in Hamilton’s life science sector.

Development of MIP has not gone

FIGHTING AGAINST CANCER, FIGHTING FOR HAMILTON

For McMaster researcher Jonathan Bramson, the struggle against cancer is waged not just in the lab, but in the university and in the wider community.

Bramson, vice dean of research in health sciences, is co-founder of Triumvira Immunologics, a cancer therapy company developing a new treatment that programs the body’s own T cells to safely attack cancer cells. The therapy is called T cell antigen coupler, or TAC, and Bramson believes it will turn out to be a safer alternative to similar therapies that have toxic side effects. Whether it works will be known in coming

months as the company receives results from clinical trials currently underway. But getting to this stage has been a battle.

Europe and the United States have welldeveloped funding systems for clinical stage companies, but Canadian drug companies have to rely on investors to support drug trials, which are very costly.

Bramson credits investment banking firm Bloom Burton – led by McMaster grad Brian Bloom – for helping Triumvira to raise more than $100 million in investment.

Startups are part of an ecosystem in which the community supports the university,

and the university contributes back to the community through education and jobs, he says.

“A virtuous cycle is being created where the community has helped McMaster to thrive and McMaster is supporting the creation of these new technologies and educating the students who are needed to fill the jobs that these spinouts require.”

Bramson says he and other researchers working at McMaster are struggling to keep their technological innovations here. “Most of us who have done this in Hamilton fight to keep it in Hamilton.”

smoothly for McMaster. Last year, the park’s CEO, Ty Shattuck, left MIP and later filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit, saying he was fired and accusing the university of financial mismanagement. McMaster disputes Shattuck’s allegations and says it is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court.

The MIP controversy notwithstanding, a large addition is coming with OmniaBio, a new company established by University of Toronto’s Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM). It plans to open a $580-million biomanufacturing plant at MIP in December for leading-edge cell and gene therapies, employing at least 250 people in coming years.

Ultimately, there is a vision for a build-out to 2.5 million square feet of purpose-built facilities at MIP.

Hamilton is challenging the top three Canadian cities – Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver – as the leading life science hubs through McMaster’s reputation as an industry-friendly and research-intensive university.

Last year, the prestigious Times Higher Education ranking rated McMaster as the top university in the world in industry impact and first in Canada for research quality.

The university’s reputation is bolstered by its world-class research centres like the Population Health Research Institute, which carries out health studies with 1.5 million participants in more than 100 countries.

McMaster is “a circular ecosystem,” says Leyla Soleymani, an engineering professor who co-founded FendX Technologies, a startup developing coatings to repel bacteria and viruses. “You have a place that will support not just the companies and the research, but also the people who are educated here, have roots here and want to stay in Hamilton.”

The pandemic helped to accelerate biotech research and manufacturing at McMaster and across the country, says Soleymani, appointed last year as the university’s inaugural associate vice president for commercialization and entrepreneurship.

“It’s been a catalyst. When a pandemic hits, it’s no longer feasible to rely on imports because every country is just looking out for themselves.”

In response, last year McMaster established /continued on next page

GATES FOUNDATION BACKS McMASTER MEDICAL STARTUP

With the help of a $1.2-million grant from the Gates Foundation, McMaster startup Elarex Inc. is developing vaccine delivery systems that avoid the need for handling at super-cold temperatures.

While the company is still in its early stages, Elarex is aiming to develop delivery mechanisms for vaccines that are similar to breath strips or nicotine patches. Technology that could avoid the need for super-cold transportation (sometimes as low as 80C below zero) could have a huge impact in developing countries, says company co-founder Carlos Filipe.

“Any solution that overcomes that is going to increase vaccination campaigns around the world, making them easier and cheaper,” he says. Filipe is a chemical engineering professor recently appointed associate dean to advance research, innovation and partnership activities at McMaster’s engineering faculty.

Filipe and co-founder and CEO Robert DeWitte established the company in 2019 out of research from Filipe and his students on film and powder storage solutions for vaccines. Vaccine research is on a sharp rise at McMaster after it launched the Global Nexus School for Pandemic Prevention and Response last year.

The Gates Foundation, established by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, awarded the grant to Elarex in 2021 after the company received seed funding from federal research agencies and private investors.

Filipe says Elarex has benefited from a growing collaboration between McMaster’s medical school, teaching and research hospitals, and its engineering professors.

“The interaction between health sciences and engineering is becoming much tighter and people are competing for grants together. I think the stars are aligned to really have an impact.”

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT LIANNA GENOVESE IS CEO AND FOUNDER OF IMAGINABLE SOLUTIONS, WHICH PRODUCES THE GUIDED HANDS DEVICE.

PHOTO: GEORGIA KIRKOS

ASSISTIVE DEVICE BECOMES A PASSION PROJECT

In five short years, 24-year-old biomedical engineering student Lianna Genovese has used her MacGyver-like skills to transform a unique medical assistive device built in her basement into a company valued at more than $6 million.

Genovese’s accomplishment has earned her a place in last year’s Forbes Magazine Toronto 30 Under 30 list, a collection of 30 young entrepreneurial leaders in the Toronto region.

Genovese’s Guided Hands apparatus is an assistive device that enables people with limited fine motor skills to write, paint, draw and access technology like touchscreen devices and keyboards. She was inspired to create the device after she and her classmates were introduced to Elissa, a woman who was losing hand function because of a rare form of cerebral palsy. Genovese worked with Elissa on an initial version, and built additional

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the Global Nexus School for Pandemic Prevention and Response, an innovation accelerator tackling pandemics and other health challenges. McMaster and Global Nexus also agreed to co-host the federally funded Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub in cooperation with the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

The next phase, says Soleymani, is to bolster entrepreneurship training through a new

prototypes using 3D printers in her home’s basement while completing her studies.

“I built our first 25 on my ping pong table, and I shipped them across Canada to people with spinal cord injuries,” she says. “With each iteration, I tested with a person with a disability to make sure I was designing for them.”

Her company ImaginAble now ships Guided Hands to clients across Canada, the U.S. and 15 other countries. The next step is to raise investment for additional sales and new applications, including reducing the effects of hand tremors for people with Parkinson’s disease.

She says she still remembers Elissa using Guided Hands for the first time to create a picture.

“As soon as I saw her paint, I knew I had to help others like her. That’s where my project ended up turning into a passion project.”

2 BETS PAY OFF IN $2.4B TAKEOVER

John Valliant’s dream to create a “smart bomb for cancer” is becoming reality with a $2.4-billion investment by British-based drug giant AstraZeneca.

In the early 2000s, Valliant, a biochemistry professor hired a few years earlier, studied medical radioisotopes, an area of McMaster expertise since 1959 when it opened a nuclear research reactor.

He started developing the idea that radiopharmaceuticals could be “a smart bomb for cancer.” The concept was to use antibodies to carry radioactive-emitting isotopes through the bloodstream directly to cancer cells, minimizing harm to healthy cells.

The science looked promising. The tough part was moving the concept out of the lab and into hospitals and doctors’ offices.

In 2008, Valliant founded McMaster’s Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, with the express mandate to translate radiopharmaceutical probes into commercial success. Nine years later, he founded a company, Fusion Pharmaceuticals, to bring the concept to reality.

In March, AstraZeneca and Fusion announced a takeover deal of $2.4 billion for Fusion, its patents and staff and its manufacturing facilities at the McMaster Innovation Park.

program, the McMaster Entrepreneurship Academy, which will support fellowships for entrepreneurial professors, and provide industry mentors, innovation advisors and shared lab space for startups.

“Relying on research alone is not sufficient,” says Soleymani. “We need a robust technology translation pipeline.” n

Eugene Ellmen writes on sustainable business and finance. He lives in Hamilton.

“There are a lot of people who helped us along this journey,” Valliant says. “McMaster is one, and the Faculty of Science. But there were a lot of funding agencies who supported us, and investors who stuck with us through thick and thin. This was a huge team effort.”

McMaster has also benefited from this team effort, says engineering dean John Preston.

“In the early ’90s, McMaster made a bold bet to rejuvenate its research reactor instead of shutting it down,” he tweeted on X. “A few years later, they committed to hiring a young John Valliant. Both bets have paid off nicely.”

Dude, Hamilton has great pizza

COWABUNGA IS NAMED BEST CHEESE SLICE IN THE WORLD, ADDING TO THE GROWING REPUTATION OF THE CITY’S PIZZAIOLOS.

There is perhaps no quicker way to create a scuffle on social media in Hamilton (staying away from, of course, politics, religion and the cats vs dog debate) than saying such-and-such pizza is the best in the city – or even in your neighbourhood.

So taking on the world, which geography teaches us includes the pizza empires of Italy, New York and Chicago, seems a wildly bold move.

Hamilton’s Cowabunga pizza did just that, winning best cheese slice at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas in March.

“It’s catapulting us into way more than we could’ve ever imagined,” co-owner Andy Huynh told CBC’s Metro Morning “I’ve always wanted to win an award like this.”

Cowabunga, which opened in 2020 at 536 Upper Wellington as a takeout joint and now has a second, full-service location called Cowabunga+ at 30 Vine St., has revealed that its true secret to ’za success is in its dough. It’s made with a sourdough starter and needs to rest and chill for at least 72 hours.

The road to the world competition was chock full of challenges. The Cowabunga team of Huynh and co-owner Justin Tanada almost missed their flight and a checked cooler, packed with ingredients, got stuck in Toronto. Luckily, the pizzaiolos from The Hammer flew with backup dough in their carry-on, kept cold with frozen fruit.

Then they begged and borrowed other ingredients from suppliers and friends at the pizza event.

After nearly being disqualified from the competition for arriving late, they found out they would advance to the second round. So then they decided to fly a staffer from home loaded with precious ingredients, including the properly fermented dough.

It paid off in the big win.

Besides the world-beating cheese slice, Cowabunga serves its own creations, including 1Up, a white pizza with truffle cream, truffle oil, honey, and chilli; and the Cowabunga, topped with popcorn chicken, pineapple, peanuts and scallion.

Made-in-Hamilton pizzas have captured other big awards in recent years. Maipai tiki and pizza bar on Barton Street won top honours at the Canadian Pizza Summit – and a trip to the world event in Las Vegas – for its Mala Honey pizza recipe in 2021.

In 2022, Giovanni Campisi of Red Door Cucina in Dundas took top honours and chef of the year at the Canadian Pizza Summit East, while Maipai’s Salar Madadi took second place.

And last year, Maipai and Cowabunga took first and second respectively at Restaurants Canada’s pizza competition. n

Cowabunga IG: @cowabungapizzeria cowabungapizzeria.ca

PHOTO: HCM

EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

IT’S CLEAR THAT VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN EATING IS ON THE RISE , WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF COMMITTED PLANT-BASED EATERS AND MORE PEOPLE LOOKING TO EAT PLANT-BASED MORE OFTEN.

By HEATHER PETER

Whether you’re a long-term plant-based eater, just “getting your feet wet” with vegetarian options, or looking to try something new, Hamilton is chock-full of vegan and vegetarian options throughout the city. From simple cafés, smoothies and healthy eats, to fast food and pizzerias, and international cuisine, the options are plentiful. Find some of our favourites, from all walks of the city, below.

PLANTED IN HAMILTON

211 Locke St. S., Hamilton plantedinhamilton.com

@plantedinhamont

Located on beautiful Locke Street, Planted in Hamilton can be found in what is the old Brown Dog Café, music venue and church, now turned airy and comfortable vegan and gluten-free restaurant. Serving up breakfast dishes (waffles, breakfast sandwiches, and bowls), pastries and hearty dishes like burritos, “sausage” pepper penne and a chicken-fried tofu mashed potato bowl. For an additional level of inclusivity, Planted in Hamilton is also fully kosher certified. Be sure to follow along with Planted’s social media, for your chance to win a free vegan donut.

LITTLE ASIA

36 King St. E., Dundas littleasia.ca

@littleasiadundas

Found in downtown Dundas is Little Asia, serving up vegetarian and vegan comfort foods to the community. This family-owned and operated restaurant offers tempeh satay, veggie peanut curry, rendang soy drumsticks, mee goreng noodles, tofu pho, Thai-style eggplant and much more. Not only do they have delicious vegan and vegetarian eats, the service at Little Asia is top notch, making the home-cooked comfort food taste even better.

GREEN BAR

236 James St. N., Hamilton greenbarhamilton.com

@greenbarhamilton

Green Bar has undergone a few changes over the years, but the plant-based eatery continues to serve up fresh and tasty eats for the Hamilton community. It’s one of the more established vegan spots in Hamilton, so regardless if you eat vegan or not, you are likely to have heard of this joint. Green Bar makes almost everything in house from scratch, including the sauces. Try the Broccoli Mac & Cheez, the Spanish potato dish patatas

bravas or the Super OG Bowl – but know that you really can’t go wrong with any choice from the menu. We would be remiss if we did not mention Green Bar’s fresh, madeto-order extensive smoothie menu, a perfect choice for enjoying a stroll on James during Art Crawl.

NONNO’S PLANT-BASED BUTCHER

Hamilton Farmers’ Market, 35 York Blvd. nonnos.ca

@nonnosbutcher

The owners behind the recently closed Bring Me Some vegan fast-food spot on Concession Street (opened in late 2020) continue to serve up their Italian-inspired vegan sandwiches and paninis at the Hamilton Farmers’ Market. The motto here is “mangia vegano” and the choices include the Forgettaboutit (pastrami, mozzarella, caramelized onions, lettuce, pickles, mustard, mayo), Nonno’s meatball sub and the chickun parm. Everything is made with house-made planted-based meats. The owners aren’t ruling out a new standalone location down the road and are focused on getting their products into the retail market.

BLISS KITCHEN

312 Dundas St. E., Waterdown blisskitchen.ca

@bliss_kitchen

This pastel restaurant in the Waterdown Village is sure to make your vegan dreams come true. Creating dishes in house, from scratch, it serves up options like: loaded fries, burgers, bowls and “leafy tacos” – a romaine leaf shell stuffed with all sorts of decadent vegan fillings. Head to Bliss for Saturday and Sunday brunch to try something new. A personal favourite brunch drink is the Golden Glow Latte infused with turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg.

HEARTY HOOLIGAN

292 Ottawa St. N., Hamilton theheartyhooligan.com @theheartyhooligan

The Hearty Hooligan has a very specific mandate, to create tasty vegan food without having to give up all the junk foods that we know and love! That’s why the menu at this punk-inspired spot on Ottawa Street North includes pizza pockets and pizza rolls, burritos, jumbo hotdogs, and loaded fries. There are also desserts and a plethora of hot and cold drink items, including of the alcoholic variety! This spot is also a LGBTQ2SIA+ positive safe space. Hearty Hooligan pizza pockets are even available in a number of local food markets.

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GREEN LEAF

865 Upper James St. #2, Hamilton greenleafhamilton.ca

@greenleafhamilton

Inside this unassuming little spot on Upper James, you will find big vegetarian flavour. Green Leaf is home to an entirely vegetarian menu of traditional Indian fare. The wide range of dosa options come highly recommended, but it also serves chaats, street food (masala fries), sandwiches, idly (rice and lentil patties) and much more. Finish your meal with a delicious mango lassi or specialty dessert.

RISE ABOVE PIZZA & WINGS

274 James St. N., Hamilton riseabovepizzeria.com

@riseabovepizzeria

Rise Above is known as Hamilton’s first and only vegan pizzeria! From a glance at the pizza menu or photos of the delicious morsels, you may not realize this is a

vegan spot, as Rise Above creates its own housemade “bacon”, crumbled burger, and “pepperoni.” In addition to all the decadent topped pizzas, there is also a build-yourown-pizza option with a variety of vegan cheeses and toppings. Looking for something other than pizza? Try the seitan wings, subs, salads, or pastas.

THE HIMALYA RESTAURANT

160 Centennial Pkwy N., Hamilton thehimalyarestaurant.com

@the_himalya_restaurant

This family-run restaurant prides itself on creating cozy, comforting northern Indian dishes, while taking heed of the needs of the vegetarian eater. Options like vegetarian thali, vegetable curries, pakoras, samosas, sweet treats and so much more are available on the Centennial restaurant’s menu. A special mention goes to the desserts and sweets, which Himalya specializes in. Plus, there are vegan options, too!

DEMOCRACY* ON LOCKE

202 Locke St. S., Hamilton

democracyonlocke.com

@democracyonlocke

Another vegan stop in the heart of Locke Street is Democracy* on Locke café and restaurant. Serving up breakfast (including an all-day breakfast specific menu), lunch, dinner and dessert, Democracy* is a great place to meet friends, so that there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Food items like Korean BBQ tofu sliders, the Almost Famous Taco Salad, breakfast sandwiches and much more lead the all-vegan menu. Hot tip: try the famous cauliflower wings, you can’t go wrong! n

Have an idea for a great food and drink story? Email editor Meredith MacLeod at meredith@hamiltoncitymagazine.ca

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REACH YOUR AUDIENCE THROUGH

TAKE A SOUTHERN STROLL

YES, JAMES STREET NORTH GETS ALL THE ATTENTION BUT JAMES STREET SOUTH , STRETCHING FROM THE ESCARPMENT TO KING STREET, HAS MUCH TO OFFER AS A DINING DISTRICT, TOO.

By DIANE GALAMBOS

My life story began at the Delta and the next chapter was on “the Mountain.” The one-way James and John streets were my up-down links to the city core. James and John became two-way in 2002 and yet it still unnerves me to see traffic going in both directions. One more confession – it took me ages to remember that heading toward the escarpment was south, not north. Hamilton roads transition from north to south at King Street. While there has been much ado (deservedly so) about the James North neighbourhood, James South also has much to commend it as a dining district.

The street’s name has nothing to do with a “King James.” Rather, it is named after a son of one of the city’s founders – Nathaniel Hughson. To be more precise, it was renamed. It was originally called Lake Road because it ran down to the harbour where business was booming with the 1826 opening of the Burlington Shipping Canal. The south end ran right to the escarpment where, in the late 1800s, an incline railway linked the lower and upper city. Lake Road became Jarvis for a time and then James.

That’s the past and here are the enticing food experiences that you’ll encounter strolling downhill in the present.

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SECCO

150 James St. S. seccohamilton.ca | IG: @secco.hamilton elevenhamilton.ca | IG: @11.11hamilton

Hamilton’s first Prosecco bar features more brands than you knew existed – all put to good use in creative cocktails. Enjoy these paired with “globally inspired dishes that are meant to be shared. We’re proud to offer a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.” Except for weekends, when they offer brunch, this is a late afternoon/evening spot. Brunch, by the way, offers mimosa choices and a creative selection of Bennys, toasts, classic brunch dishes and sides.

On the lower level is a sister restaurant called 11:11 where snacks and sharing plates are combined with cocktails. Cozy corners suit date nights. Music and special events such as tequila tastings and trivia nights guarantee a fun night out with friends.

WASS ETHIOPIAN

207 James St. S.

wassethiopianrestaurant.com

Proprietors Yonas Endale and his wife Etsegenet Kassa both have roles in the kitchen. Ethiopian cuisine features notes of ginger sauce, garlic, turmeric and berbere spice blend. Tables are set without cutlery since the custom is to use pieces of flatbread called injera to scoop up food by hand. The Wass menu, with many vegetarian options, is well explained and illustrated and a platter is the best way to experience a range of menu items. For example, atop rolls of injera enjoy lamb, green and red lentils, split yellow peas, kale, salad, beets, pressed chickpeas, cabbage, carrots and cottage cheese. Delicious!

The wee haze you might notice upon entering is linked to the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. As the menu explains, “Coffee had its beginnings in Ethiopia, being cultivated as early as the 9th century. The Ethiopian region named Kaffa, is the source of our word coffee.” Guests witness the preparation, which includes roasting dried, green coffee beans – hence the fragrant haze. Presented in a clay coffee pot/flask called a jebena, this might be the best coffee you ever had and it comes with a surprise. The coffee is served with popcorn – an Ethiopian tradition!

HOUSE OF JAVA

200 James St. S. thehouseofjava.ca

IG: @houseofjavaofficial

Hamilton directories have listed House of Java since the 1930s and in the 1950s the proprietor was the grandmother of the current owners Laurie Clifford and her sister Teri Pacini. Expropriated from King and James in 1968 to make way for Jackson Square, House of Java reappeared, run by their mother, eventually making its way to James South.

Boasting more than 50 types of coffee – single origin, blends, fair trade organic, decaf, flavoured, rare and exotic – tea is also available to be enjoyed with pastry counter treats. A mini gift shop offers coffees, teas, chocolates, jams, snacks, gourmet foods and a British import section – all of which can be used to create personalized gift baskets. House of Java has no indoor seating, but a few cozy outdoor tables appear as weather permits. This shop enjoys many local fans, some who’ve been patrons for generations.

BRONZIES PLACE

201 James St. S. bronzies.ca

IG: @bronzies201

This family-run establishment has served authentic Italian food for more than 40 years. Still a discovery for some, it has regulars contributing to its brand and slogans: “Boston has Cheers and Hamilton has Bronzies. Everyone knows everyone. It’s like family!” The menu offers specialty pizzas, pasta, chicken and veal parmesan, lasagna, appetizers, wings, and salads. Check out the daily specials and desserts. The indoor space offers licensed dining and delivery has recently been added as an option.

FLORA PIZZERIA

4 Young St. florahamilton.ca

IG: @flora.pizzeria

IG: @lilibet.cakery

With decades of cooking experience, chefs Aydin Kinnaird and Jesse Bierman opened what has become one of Hamilton’s great pizzerias. The delicious crusts of their square sourdough Roman-style pizzas are made with 1847 spelt flour – an organic, locallygrown brand from Fergus. Local also applies

to their use of meat products from J. Waldron Butchers. Choose from 11 pizza options that include the classics as well as on-trend flavour blends and consider adding sides of salad or arancini. Connect with them for news of the weekly Wednesday sandwich special. Make this treat even sweeter by adding house-made cannoli or a cake slice – or a full cake! Flora hosts colleague Libby Lowry’s Lilibet Cakery featuring creative cakes tempting you with descriptors such as vanilla chiffon, orange diplomat, buttery date caramel, and Swiss meringue buttercream. Place a special order for an event. Sharing updates, the chefs offered a teaser – some exciting things are in the works.

RUSTIC REUBEN

180 James St. S. therusticreuben.ca

IG: @rusticreuben

Tucked in a corner of a wee strip mall, Rustic Reuben offers possibly the best Reuben sandwiches in town. Begin with a comforting soup or chili and then face the difficult decision – which Reuben to order. You can’t go wrong with the OG (original), a generous serving of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, marble rye, and sauce, with a bread and butter pickle. Other Reubens are turkey, smoked brisket and pork belly – with all the meat prep and processing happening in-house.

For anyone in a “non-Reuben” mood, there are six other sandwiches, including a vegetarian option. All have fun names (Little Piggy, Fun Guy V) and enticing ingredients. They make perfect, crisp fries – without deep frying! Limited indoor seating is cozy with artsy rustic décor.

PLANK’S BAO - KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN, SAUCE, SESAME AIOLI, PICKLED SLAW ON STEAMED BAO BUNS. PHOTO: DIANE GALAMBOS

FLORA BIG BEE PIZZA – TOMATO SAUCE, MOZZARELLA, PEPPERONI, BURRATA, BASIL, HOT HONEY. PHOTO: FLORA PIZZERIA

PIZZA BELL AND WINGS

180 James St. S. pizzabellhamilton.ca

IG: @pizza_bell_hamilton

In the same strip mall, Pizza Bell claims to offer “one thousand flavours in one place.” They do have an impressive menu that includes the taste experiences of shawarma, paneer, tikka, tandoori, chaap, masala, and pakora.

ONE DUKE TAVERN

1 Duke St. oneduke.ca

IG: @oneduketavern

This eatery on Duke Street is so close to James South that it counts as “part of the family.” Taken over by the current ownership seven years ago, One Duke has been a noted restaurant and jazz club within the historic Amisfield Castle for decades. One Duke appears often on many best wings roundups, but the menu offers much more. Items are grouped under “From the Surf” (shrimp, calamari, scallops, oysters, tuna, salmon, mussels) or “From the Turf” (pastas, salads, chicken, ribs, steak, pizza, burgers, nachos, wings). Think taste sensations – fig jam & brie burger – seasoned with house spices, grilled and topped with brie, caramelized onions, arugula and fig jam. Think special touches – the sauce on Duke curry fries is layered, with signs of the toppings to the last fry. There are daily features and special events that include entertainment. In season, the patio vibe is welcoming. And the news at One Duke is that they have just opened Paloma TnT (Tacos and Tequila) further east on Augusta.

ODDS BAR

164 James St. S. oddsbar.ca IG: @oddsbar

Max Kerman and Nick Dika, members of Hamilton’s Arkells, own Odds Bar. They call it a sports bar – one that challenges preconceptions with the goal of inclusivity. Everyone is welcome. They even have a children’s menu. They have wines, cocktails, alcohol-free drinks and many beers – one of which is brewed locally and named for Odds. The menu seems to have every favourite bar food: smash burgers, chicken, “chien chaud,” fries, wings – even a breakfast –with vegetarian and vegan options. Craving something sweet? Try the deconstructed s’mores. Oh, and there’s all the popcorn you can eat.

Their online calendar outlines daily specials on foods and activities. There are “watch parties” for sports and even the Oscars. “We’re the perfect spot for a patio hang, dinner with pals, and late-night drinks… This summer we’re showing the Euros, running karaoke idol on Thursdays and half-price wings on Mondays.” In a January interview with Streets of Toronto, Kerman and Dika invited food enthusiasts to propose a collaboration. Open to any pitch, they are offering space for a range of activities. “Our goal for 2024 is to have ODDS busy for as many hours of the day as possible … Let’s put the space to work.”

LA LUNA EXPRESS

163 James St. S. lalunarestaurants.ca/express

IG: @lalunaexpress

In their own words, the family behind this business strives to provide patrons with “the best, most authentic taste in Lebanese food. After 30 years in business, we are still moving forward, always adapting and changing to the needs of our customers.”

La Luna’s halal menu includes hummus, falafel, kibbeh, rice dishes, salads, soups, shawarma, kebabs, shish tawook, tabbouli, and fattoush. If eastern Mediterranean cuisine is not your thing, you may find happiness with the poutine, chicken fingers, fish and chips or burgers. Their family feasts, combos and mixed grill sound appetizing.

MENYA KYU

154 James St. S. hamiltonramen.com

IG: @menyakyu

Native to Japan, chef Yoshiyuki Aiba has been in Hamilton for almost two decades, accumulating an impressive cooking CV but not always creating authentic Japanese dishes. “With the culinary skills he earned at renowned establishments such as Auberge du Pommier and Ancaster Mill, chef Yoshi set out to recreate the ramen he grew up with in Japan – clear, refined chicken-based ramen.”

Chintan (clear chicken broth) and paitan (creamy chicken broth) are made using local ingredients with vegan and gluten-free options. With attention to allergy concerns, he uses no peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish. The classic menu also includes donburri (aka rice bowls); chicken karaage, teriyaki, curry; edamame pods, gyoza; and Japanese coleslaw. Dine in or do takeout or delivery and note that you can also order frozen ramen to stock up your freezer.

GOLDIES FAST FOOD

152 James St. S.

IG: @goldies_fastfood

Joel Soares seems to have a superpower: making ideas come to life. With kitchen credentials from some of Hamilton’s top restaurants, he became one of the founders of the award-winning Cowabunga Pizza. After Cowabunga, he set his sights on quality, made-to-order fast food, betting he could

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MENYA KYU’S MENU INCLUDES VARIOUS RAMEN DISHES, KARAAGE, SLAW AND KARAAGE DON. PHOTO: MENYA KYU

THE GOLD STANDARD SMASH BURGER IS A STAPLE AT GOLDIES. PHOTO: TALISMAN MEDIA CO

outperform the big corporations cornering the market. Many would agree that he’s achieved this goal and they flock to his cozy spot for smash burgers – and there are several to choose from. Vegetarians enjoy Goldies’ version of the Impossible Burger.

The menu also offers fried chicken, chicken tenders, and (since February) new fries with creative toppings. Top it all off with a soft serve sundae, cookies and maybe even a slushie. The kids combos deliver parental happiness. Follow Goldies’ social media for specials.

LOBBY

151 James St. S. lobby.ca

IG: @lobby.hamilton

In the space once occupied by radius (which moved to Hess Village) emerged Lobby. Adjoining a lounge with a spacious bar is a dining area with the ambience you’d expect for dining in style. Like its Toronto location, Lobby promises to redefine your dining and nightlife experience. Entertainment includes music and live performers. Watch for special events and offers such as buck-a-shuck oysters and half-off bottles of wine.

Sunday brunch offers bottomless mimosas and, for those who cannot decide what to order, there are three-tier “brunch towers.” Bottom tier: blueberry pancakes, croquettes, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage; middle tier: eggs Florentine, smoked salmon and avocado bagels, honey and orange labneh, granola; top tier is seasonal fruit. A new lunch menu will be launched alongside the mid-May opening of a 2,500-square-foot patio.

PLANK RESTOBAR

18 Augusta St. plankrestobar.ca/augusta

IG: @plankrestobar

Only a few steps away from James South on Augusta, Catch Hospitality Group, which runs Plank in Bronte, opened in the new building that houses The Laundry Rooms. Sharing an entry with the boutique hotel, enter and admire The Laundry Rooms’ lobby décor and then step inside Plank and ponder the menu loaded with playful names for the choices it offers. Choose from bits and bites, bigger bites, pizza and sweet tooth. Many items have become patrons’ favourites – but check out the house sliders and the bao.

Plank describes itself as “a gathering spot that specializes in small plates, great music and a fine selection of beers, wine and bourbons. Whether you’re looking for a casual bite to eat, a group dinner, or a classic cocktail, this spot has it all. In the warmer months, reserve a spot at the brand-new rooftop bar!”

STEVE’S OPEN KITCHEN

149 James St. S.

At the end of your James South stroll you’ll encounter this family-run diner offering breakfast and lunch since 1975. Steve’s son and daughter-in-law have carried the torch since Stavro (Steve) and his wife Venetia retired. Visit their Facebook page for updates and tributes from fans.

In February, Steve’s launched a new menu with classic breakfasts and a long

list of omelettes. No surprise that there are Benedicts, pancakes, French toast, waffles and sides. A long list of sandwiches, including the western and clubhouse, will tempt you away from burgers. You’ll decide it’s important to return for Steve’s platters (chicken tenders or gyros reflecting the family’s Greek heritage). Like every good diner, there are desserts, milkshakes and a kids menu.

SHARP KNIFE SHOP

142 James St. S.

sharpknifeshop.com

IG: @sharp_knifeshop

Though not an eatery, professional and serious home cooks will enjoy a visit to take in all of the handmade Japanese knives. Also on offer are sharpening kits and services, cookware and accessories. n

THE MENU AT LOBBY INCLUDES SANDWICHES, SALADS, PASTA, STEAK, VEGGIES AND SEAFOOD. PHOTO: KEVIN NGUYEN

Hamilton Fringe turns 20

THE CITY’S ANNUAL UNJURIED THEATRE EVENT ATTRACTS WORKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND CLOSE TO 20,000 ATTENDEES.

By ALLISON M. JONES

The Hamilton Fringe Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday with an extended party running July 17 to 28.

Hamilton Fringe is an annual, unjuried theatre festival that selects participating artists through a lottery system. During Fringe, audiences can enjoy performances by talented local artists as well as those from around the world. The festival sees close to 20,000 attendees in just under two weeks.

The festival’s parent, the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (HFTco), describes itself as “a not-for-profit charitable organization committed to training, platforming, and amplifying Hamilton’s theatre artists and storytellers. Since 2003, we have been building a community for artists and arts lovers…cultivating work that is accessible, innovative, and artistically adventurous.”

Hamilton Fringe is the largest theatre festival in the Greater Hamilton Area and is a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF). The Fringe originated in Scotland in 1947, when a handful of theatre groups left out of the Edinburgh International Festival decided to stage their shows “on the fringe” of the larger festival. The idea spread as a grassroots movement and a collection of Fringes has become key in the Canadian performance calendar.

Unlike traditional performing arts festivals, CAFFregulated festivals return 100 per cent of ticket profits back to the artists. In 2023, the Hamilton Fringe returned more than $75,000 in box office revenue directly to its artists.

Fringe organizers do not censor the artistic content of productions and strive to provide accessible opportunities for audiences and artists to take part. According to the Hamilton Fringe website, festivals on the CAFF circuit “subsidize artists’ costs such as staging, audience seating, lighting and sound equipment, ticketing services, and marketing.”

HFTco’s annual programming supports independent, emerging, and established theatre artists through its cornerstone summer Fringe Festival as well as the Frost Bites biannual winter festival, the ALERT education program for emerging arts leaders, and the Spark Teen Intensive. New in 2024 is Fringe on the Streets! In a partnership between the Hamilton Fringe and the City of Hamilton, this is a series of free performances at public locations throughout downtown Hamilton. A walking tour will lead participants to destinations showcased creatively by artists “in the spirit of re-discovering, re-defining, and reanimating the city.”

Tickets going on sale at hftco.ca in early June. n

MORE ONLINE: SCAN THE QR CODE TO SEE A FULL-LENGTH FEATURE ABOUT THE HAMILTON FRINGE FESTIVAL BY ALLISON M. JONES. PHOTO: DAVE PIJUAN-NOMURA

LEARNING FOR THE (LONG) WEEKEND: THE POWER OF NIAGARA FALLS

Canada’s most famous attraction is an opportunity to get up close to the force of nature.

By SHERRI TELENKO

Niagara Falls is where the power of nature meets the impact of innovation. If you haven’t been to the Falls recently, now might be the time to revisit – especially since The Tunnel at the Niagara Power Station opened.

Thanks to the power station museum, and other Niagara Parks Commission attractions, spending a weekend in Niagara Falls, Ont. can be a captivating educational experience, especially if you’re curious to see the great outdoors collide with engineering marvels.

The power of 168,000 cubic metres of water cascading over the crestline of the 57-metre-high Horseshoe Falls every minute helps generate electricity that keeps the lights on across Southern Ontario and western New York state.

Head to Niagara Falls to find out how. Believe it or not, Niagara Falls might be the weekend destination of choice for STEM enthusiasts, and it’s an easy drive from Hamilton.

Wait. I know what you might be thinking: Are you talking about Niagara Falls — that tourist destination friends visiting from faraway places demand to see when they’re in town? That city best known for casinos, Clifton Hill, Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum (a feature since 1959), waterparks, and a dinosaur-themed mini golf park?

NIAGARA PARKS VERSUS CLIFTON HILL

Yes. That Niagara Falls. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve spent afternoons playing Skee-Ball at the arcade, eating lunch at the Rainforest Café (love the simulated storms), and then trying my luck at a few Wild Card slot machines in the evening at either Casino Niagara or Fallsview.

However, the Niagara Parks Commission has been rescuing visitors from tourist

NIAGARA FALLS HAS BECOME A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND THE INNOVATION THAT POWERED OUR REGION’S HISTORY.

snares for more than 50 years. Thanks to the commission and the Niagara Horticultural School, the area around the Horseshoe Falls (a natural marvel thanks to melting glaciers millions of years ago) is accessorized with perfectly sheared shrubs and manicured gardens.

The Niagara Parks Commission is also responsible for the best Niagara Falls immersive learning experiences including The Tunnel at the Niagara Parks Power Station. One hundred and twenty years ago, a team of workers armed only with lanterns, dynamite, pickaxes, and shovels gradually dug a 680-metre-long tunnel (2,200-feet), 56 metres (180-feet) beneath the Niagara Parks Power Station. A century later, we can all walk through it to the edge of the Niagara River.

Here’s a glimpse of all the ways to experience the Niagara River by ground and air. The full story is online, so scan the QR code .

THE HIGHLIGHTS

n The White Water Walk – 400-metre-long boardwalk gripping the edge of the river that gives an upclose view of the power contained within the Niagara Gorge.

n Cable over the Whirlpool – a bird’s eye view of one of the world’s natural wonders. The

newly refurbished Whirlpool Aero Car glides viewers high over the 500-metre expanse of river rapids,

n Niagara Parks Power Station – an engineering marvel from its construction at the turn of the 20th century, a modern elevator (with glass walls so you can see the turbines) takes you deep beneath the floor of the power station.

n The tunnel at the power station – A 10-minute walk leads to the best, up-close and misty, view of the majestic Horseshoe Falls you’ll ever experience.

The Niagara Power Station opened in 2021 as a Niagara Parks Commission attraction allowing visitors to see the actual workings of a century-old power station.

Niagara Parks Commission offers a Wonder Pass that includes admission to five Parks attractions, including the power station and tunnel, and two-days unlimited access to the WEGO bus transportation for $49 per person. n

scan the qr code to learn about all the ways to explore the wonder that is the niagara river by ground and air.

At the award-winning NOT JUST ANOTHER DANCE STUDIO , learning the steps is just one part of the success story.

YES, DANCE we think

you can

By STEPHEN NEAR

Asteady stream of parents file through the entrance of a building on Upper James. They’re trying to catch up to their kids, who are all dressed in a rainbow array of leotards and jumpsuits. As the purple studio door swings open and shut, the soaring rhythm of Lady Gaga’s “Take My Hand” can be heard. Witness yet another weekday evening at Hamilton’s Not Just Another Dance Studio (NJADS).

This scene is so familiar to my family that it’s hard to remember a time when our kids weren’t a part of this homegrown Hamilton studio. Attending weekly classes, and rehearsing for the big end-of-yearrecital, are yearly benchmarks on our monthly calendar. But beyond the performances, NJADS has helped give our kids a sense of purpose while inspiring a love of creativity and self-expression. That a dance studio has so profoundly impacted our entire family like this is quite a success story.

But founder Amanda Jeffery explains, this is precisely why she started NJADS back in 2002. “It’s the idea of the studio as an extension of home,” says Jeffery. More than simply a dance school, she sees NJADS as a space where self-expression and exploration are accessible to everyone no matter

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More than si M ply a dance school, founder aM anda Jeffery sees n J ads as a space where self-expression and exploration are accessible to everyone no M atter their skill level.

their skill level. “It suggests a space where people feel safe, accepted, and valued, not just for their dance abilities but for who they are as individuals.”

Trained at York University’s bachelor of fine arts program, Jeffery says NJADS is a start-up with humble roots. Her first full-time job at a husband and wife owned manufacturing company taught Jeffery the importance of giving back to the community, while clarifying how such connections are a boon to success. “One of the ways we stand out,” says Jeffery, “is to believe in our mission and purpose, and not worry what the other dance studios around us are doing.”

This independent spirit is a hallmark for the entrepreneur. When facing a sudden layoff, Jeffery saw it as the push she needed to start running her studio full-time. Though it started with a one-studio space in Mount Hope, the growth of NJADS was rapid. “After our first two years, we’d already outgrown the space” and operations soon moved to the current two-studio building on Upper James near Mohawk Road. Demand only increased, so Jeffery added a second location in Ancaster in 2019, followed three years later (amidst the chaos of the pandemic) with a third studio and dance shop at the Hamilton space.

Jeffery credits NJADS growth, when other

businesses were shuttering, to the sense of connection the studio provides. “We’re inherently social beings, and meaningful relationships are crucial to our well-being. We try to position ourselves as a bridge, offering not just dance instruction but a place where people can genuinely connect, share joys, and support each other through challenges.” For Jeffery, and her entire staff, the phrase “we are a family” is more than a cliché.

“It encapsulates a vision of inclusivity, warmth, and interdependence.”

Alongside its recreational dance programs, NJADS has developed multiple levels of competitive classes, including a precompetitive program (six hours of dance or less per week) and a competitive program (six hours or more). As Jeffery points out, these class tiers are geared solely towards the needs of the student. This is really what differentiates NJADS from other studios: there is no expectation of moving from the recreational program into the competitive program. Students learn and explore dance at their own pace without any pressure to perform.

For Jeffery, this speaks to the studios’ core philosophy of “progress over perfection”. Indeed, there are many students who’ve been part of NJADS for years yet never been part of the competitive stream. Instructors

NJADS OFFERS A RANGE OF DANCE INSTRUCTION, FROM BALLET, JAZZ, LYRICAL, AND CONTEMPORARY TO MUSICAL THEATRE, HIP HOP, ACRO, TAP, AND MODERN. PHOTOS: ANDY YU PHOTOGRAPHY

teach a wide variety of genres ranging from ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary to musical theatre, hip hop, acro, tap, and modern dance. Classes are offered to students as young as three up to 18 years. And, for those with two left feet, the studio holds adult contemporary classes.

But Jeffery is adamant that the goal of NJADS goes beyond dance. “We want to teach our dancers transferable skills,” she says. “The kinds of things that come into play outside of dance, like academic presentations, job interviews, and professional team building.” In this way, says Jeffery, “the studio doesn’t just produce great dancers, it cultivates people who are prepared to tackle life’s challenges with grace and determination, embodying the lessons learned through their journey in dance.”

Fundamental to the students’ successes are the instructors who work with them week after week. Building a diverse, professional team has been crucial for Jeffery to ensure the values of NJADS are passed on to the students. “They bring not just their individual artistic talents and accolades but a deep commitment to fostering growth, artistry, and a sense of community among our students.” For Jeffery, this commitment means a vision of dance education that supports what she calls “the

holistic development of each student.”

It’s a vision that professional dancer and choreographer Alyssa Nedich has embraced since joining NJADS six years ago. “I’m so grateful for a space that lets staff and students alike show up how we are, and how we meet ourselves where we are at.” For Nedich, NJADS allows her to impart “a ‘what if’ attitude” to her students. “That flexibility and growth,” she says, “has helped me find my voice as an educator, and those lessons translate to the students.” Recently, NJADS received the 2024 Dance Studio Owners Association’s Inner Circle Impact Award. Presented to a dance studio that is impacting its community through innovation, creativity, and leadership, it’s a distinction Jeffery credits to her entire team.

Even as NJADS continues to grow, Jeffery remains mindful of what it takes to thrive in Hamilton. “In the heart of every successful company lies a commitment not just to business goals, but also to the community that surrounds it. At NJADS, we’ve always believed that our responsibilities extend beyond our studio walls. Dance isn’t just about doing a dozen pirouettes, it is about telling a story.” For Jeffery, and hundreds of dance families like my own, the story of NJADS just gets better and better. n

f undamental to the students’ successes are the instructors who work with the M week after week.

Building a diverse, professional tea M has B een crucial for Jeffery to ensure the values of n J ads are passed on to the students.

THE DUNDAS VALLEY SCHOOL OF ART HAS INNOVATIVE NEW LEADERSHIP, RENEWED VISION, PEAK STUDENT

ENROLLMENT AND AMBITIOUS NEW PROGRAMS AS THE CHERISHED ART SCHOOL – WITH A FASCINATING HISTORY – CELEBRATES A MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY.

FINDING NEW LIFE AT 60

By STEPHANIE VEGH

Even with all the best intentions and meticulous plans, arts organizations can rise and fall with stomachchurning frequency. The present moment is especially precarious for our neighbours in Toronto where Artscape remains embroiled in receivership and beloved festivals from Fringe to Hot Docs are facing life-threatening funding cuts. In this hostile climate, there is much to celebrate and cherish in the Dundas Valley School of Art, which began its life as scarcely an idea in 1964 and is now entering its 60th year stronger than ever.

This landmark anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate, reflect, give thanks and look forward to the next 60 years. Two major free events are planned in tribute to the community that has sustained the school throughout its history, beginning with a carnival-themed adult event on Saturday, June 8 where guests are encouraged to dress in the style of the school’s founding years in the 1960s. A family-focused open house on Sunday, Oct. 27, modelled after DVSA’s popular Family Art Days, will be another occasion to dress up for a Halloween-themed afternoon of art activities for kids of all ages. DVSA owes its longevity to an impressive legacy of leaders, volunteers, and artists who have engaged in the school as teachers, learners, and contributors to the annual art auction. I met with executive director Kathron Hann and visual arts director Sally McKay in the weeks ahead of this year’s auction, at a time when the transformation of studios into display spaces ran parallel to busy March Break camps. Colourful kids’ artworks were scattered like confetti in spaces where temporary walls were beginning to fill corridors and obscure high windows in anticipation of the hundreds of artworks yet to come.

All this overlapping activity should come as no surprise in an art school that has hit a new peak in student enrollment. DVSA had nearly 8,000 registrations in its most recent year – 7,968 to be exact, which Hann swiftly quotes with her keen mind for numbers. This number sets a new high-water mark for the school and nearly doubles the 4,000 enrollment DVSA boasted at its 40th anniversary just 20 years ago.

Hann came to DVSA in 2017 via a career in independent schools to serve as director of business operations under her predecessor Claire Lougheed. As an educational leader whose strength lies in business rather than the arts, Hann, who was appointed executive director in 2023, was determined to hire a visual arts expert capable of driving a renewed and relevant vision for the school. She found this leader in McKay, a widely respected artist, writer and independent curator who taught at McMaster University’s School of the Arts for the last 10 years.

Familiar to many across Canada as the co-founder of Lola, a Toronto-based art magazine that made waves nationally for its

forthright approach to arts criticism at the turn of the millennium, McKay has long been a champion for grassroots communities and their access to art’s many opportunities. “Art is so essential in people’s lives,” she says. “Art comes early in the basic list of needs – we’ve seen that throughout history.”

McKay’s task is to build on the momentum established by the artists who have found a home at DVSA while creating space for diverse communities. Many of DVSA’s outreach programs are responsive to those within walking distance of the school, such as the Ellen Osler Home across the street where DVSA provides art programs for people living /continued on next page

THE DUNDAS VALLEY SCHOOL OF ART BEGAN IN 1964 AND IS ENTERING ITS 60TH YEAR STRONGER THAN EVER. ITS HOME AT 21 OGILVIE ST. SERVED AS A WOMEN’S COLLEGE, A STEEL MANUFACTURER AND A MUNITIONS FACTORY BEFORE BECOMING THE ART SCHOOL IN 1971. PHOTOS: DVSA ARCHIVES

in transitional housing. Art material kits sent to organizations further afield like the Afghan Association of Hamilton to support newcomer workshops provide quick and practical support that can cultivate more sustained partnerships beyond DVSA’s walls.

McKay has also invited new voices into the school with programs such as Lavender Inspirations, a free series of mixed media classes for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. In less than a year, McKay has made remarkable strides in expanding outreach programs to new groups with a speed that she credits to DVSA’s nimble team, guided by Hann’s leadership.

“Kathron has amazing vision,” McKay says. “She is absorbed and listening.”

This model of leadership shared by two remarkable women is its own circular tribute to the early days of DVSA, which was founded in 1964 by Marion Farnan and Emily Dutton. As middle-aged housewives reclaiming their art practices after raising their children, the pair shared lodgings at the Red Lion Inn while taking classes at the Doon School of Art, an independent art school that once occupied the Homer Watson House and Gallery in present-day Kitchener. Over breakfast one day, they impulsively asked John Martin, an Ontario College of Art professor recently relocated to Ayr, to teach one day a week closer to home in Dundas. Much to their surprise, Martin agreed, and they were soon scrambling to set up a makeshift studio above Jack Pinder’s Sporting Goods Store at 99 King St. W.

Faced with the prospect of paying rent by the month rather than the day, they arranged a second class with renowned sculptor Elizabeth Holbrook, who enlisted her friend Lincoln Alexander as a model for three portrait sessions. These first classes were promoted via a letter dated Sept. 4, 1964 beneath a bravely typewritten letterhead for the Dundas Valley School of Art – an institution that was scarcely an idea at the time. As Farnan wrote in her 2004 memoir, DVSA: The First Forty Years, “the idea of running an art school had not entered our heads but it was as if we had stepped onto a roller coaster. We didn’t know the ride was going to gather speed or dream that so many people would want to come along.”

Hamilton artists flocked to these first classes and swiftly overwhelmed that upstairs studio. A move to the former Smith

FORMER INSTRUCTOR

DAYS. PHOTO: DVSA ARCHIVES

glove factory at 132 Melville St. the following year allowed for a rapidly expanding selection of classes, including figure and life drawing. Despite frugal beginnings marked by DIY repair jobs and plenty of sweat equity, Dutton and Farnan insisted on a high calibre of contemporary art training led by working artists who pushed beyond the conventions of their day. Life drawing classes for mixed-sex classes were offered at a time when Ontario women had few opportunities to work with nude models and universities relied on mannequins for their lessons. Hiring models was a challenge at first, but introductions via Bill Powell provided DVSA with Hamiltonbased life models who hitched rides to and from Dundas with Dutton and Farnan.

The rapid growth of DVSA had a transformative impact on Dundas following a period of post-industrial decline. A community of students and their teachers grew larger year over year, becoming regulars at what was then the Collins Hotel and setting the stage for the close-knit artistic enclave that thrives in Dundas today. DVSA’s impact was equally felt in the larger art education landscape; under the early guidance of then-instructor Mario Polidori, DVSA offered extension courses at art institutions from St. Catharines and Grimsby to Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford in the late 1960s. These travelling artists planted the seeds for independent, locally sustained art classes in these communities, fostering growth in many regional art scenes.

DVSA has called 21 Ogilvie St. home since

1971. Having served variously as a Wesleyan Ladies’ College, a steel manufacturer, and a World War II munitions factory, this threestorey building was found in a terrible state of neglect. What Farnan and Dutton recognized here was 27,000 square feet of potential where new offerings in ceramics, printmaking and photography would spread throughout

STAN HUGHES TEACHING LIFE DRAWING TO A CLASS BACK IN THE SCHOOL’S EARLY

the former factory, while the foundations of painting and drawing endured in an airy loft that has been a highlight of many students’ experiences of this place.

I count myself among those who fondly remember that loft studio where I took my first life drawing class as a high school student chasing a future as an artist. Climbing creaking stairs to a seemingly vast factory floor darkened by winter night, I was immediately enchanted by the spot-lit arena of easels, and more than a little intimidated by the fullyfledged artists into whose company I had been blindly accepted. John Miecznikowski was my first instructor in this space, a reassuring presence whose history with DVSA goes back to its founding decade and a big proponent of playing jazz music during lessons to lend movement to our gestural drawings.

These first lessons built my portfolio and an arsenal of skills in art-making that I sustained between terms at McMaster. Further life drawing with V. Jane Gordon reinforced a knowledge of human anatomy and a practice of patient observation before laying down a first mark. From Katherine MacDonald, who began her own training as a young student at DVSA, I learned to see colour as an everchanging element of light and darkness – a lively, slippery thing that demanded a careful, ever-watchful eye. While my art today has little in common with the figurative work I created at DVSA, the tactics I learned in this space have remained with me ever since. These part-time classes for which DVSA is most widely known continue to support

artists at their inception, while new offerings introduced by McKay create points of entry for artists who may not have seen a place for themselves in the traditional curriculum. Tess Martens’ Performance Art for Beginners is a gentle invitation to consider the body as a vessel for creative expression, while Talk About Your Art provides a monthly venue for group critique sessions guided by retired McMaster painting professor Judy MajorGirardin. More seminar-based learning and classes like a three-part workshop in photography presentation strategies support working artists with the tools needed to sustain a life-long career.

Another innovation McKay has organized in her busy first year is a workshop for both new and experienced life models. While countless models have moved through DVSA’s studios over its sixty years, few if any programs have ever been offered for their professional training. “It’s a practice that is very artful,” McKay notes, “and it’s a skill that brings so much to the art that gets made. It’s important to recognize and acknowledge that.”

Another significant shift that has been more than six years in the making is the launch of DVSA’s first accredited diploma program. Positioned as an intensive and intimate alternative to the overwhelming scale and anonymity of large-scale postsecondary institutions, the three-year, full-time diploma in Studio Fine Art Practice & Theory will train a small cohort of up to 10 students per year. An individualized program

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KATHRON HANN, LEFT, TOOK ON THE TOP JOB IN 2023 AND HIRED VISUAL ARTS DIRECTOR SALLY MCKAY VERY SOON AFTER.

of study follows a first year of foundational classes that emphasize experimentation with a wide range of materials to challenge existing practices and generate new ideas. The current first-year students have enjoyed field trips and a residency at the Royal Botanical Gardens that will serve as field work for a year-end exhibition.

“No student is lost, and everyone is engaged,” explains McKay, who drew upon her passion and experience as a professor and curriculum designer at Mac to shape DVSA’s diploma program. She enthuses about the depth of debate she often overhears among the current students and faculty from her adjacent office in the storied loft, where individual studio spaces have been established for the first cohort of full-time students. Application to the program’s second intake year is open to artists at any life stage, from high school graduates seeking a unique post-secondary path to experienced artists renewing their practices later in life. Financial aid, including a full scholarship, aims to reduce barriers to entry. Students also have free access to the full spectrum of DVSA’s part-time classes to hone their skills beyond the core curriculum.

With so many artists already nourished by DVSA through learning, teaching, and peer relationships, it’s exciting to imagine the impact to come from a new generation of artists in our region trained in this unique environment, as well as the community of artists who will continue to gather within and beyond DVSA’s factory walls. After 60 years of unfaltering growth and continuous improvement, it’s all too easy to envision another 60 years to come. n

THE DVSA HAS NURTURED LOVE, APPRECIATION AND TALENT IN ART FOR KIDS AND ADULTS FOR 60 YEARS. PHOTO: DVSA ARCHIVES

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY, AND ALSO LONG HIKES IN THE WOODS, A TOWN THAT’S LOST ITS WAY AND THE UNTHINKABLE THINGS THAT UNTETHER A GRIEVING WOMAN. By

Jessica Rose

What better way is there to spend the extra daylight hours of late spring than reading? Here are four books with a local touch to enjoy!

SEX IN CANADA: THE WHO, WHY, WHEN, AND HOW OF GETTING DOWN UP NORTH

TINA FETNER

“Who wouldn’t like to learn more about sex?” asks Tina Fetner, professor and chair of the sociology department at McMaster University, in the introduction of her unprecedented new book, Sex in Canada: The Who, Why, When, and How of Getting Down Up North. Guided by the results of a one-of-a-kind survey of Canadians aged 18-90, the book offers a comprehensive look into the sex lives of Canadians, while also challenging myths and taboos through in-depth research, analysis, and a little bit of humour along the way.

“Sex is often the basis through which we make connections with others and learn more about ourselves,” writes Fetner, who has served as president of the Canadian Sociological Association and is currently cochair of the Canadian chapter of Sociologists for Women in Society. “It is tangled up with falling in love, forming families, and having children. It can bring us pleasure and pain, and we can invest our sexual relationships with all our hopes and our fears.” Yet, she argues, sex was unmentionable not very long ago.

Though social scientists have had reliable information about sexual behaviour in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries, Canada has been behind in “generating a broad, informed picture” — until now. So, what does that picture look like? In Sex in Canada, Fetner pulls back the covers on a variety of topics, including marriage, monogamy, and pleasure, exploring how age, gender, sexual identity, education, region, and affect our sex lives.

“In the end, this book is an overview of the social organization of sexuality — the way that social forces nudge us into patterns of sexual behaviour,” writes Fetner.

40 DAYS & 40 HIKES: LOVING THE BRUCE TRAIL ONE LOOP AT A TIME NICOLA ROSS

At first glance, you might think 40 Days & 40 Hikes by author and environmentalist

Nicola Ross is a simple travel guide, providing tips and tricks for eager hikers interested in navigating more than 900 kilometres of trails. Sure, it’s packed with recommendations for amateurs and adventurers alike; however, it offers much more, weaving together 40 day loops with unforgettable stories, poems, illustrations, and quotes. Each page celebrates the Bruce Trail and the flora, fauna, and ecosystems it holds.

Hamilton readers will be especially interested in loops that include Devil’s Punch Bowl, Dundas Valley, the Royal Botanical Gardens, among others.

SPIDER IN THE WELL JESS HANNIGAN

Written and illustrated by Hamilton’s Jess Hannigan, Spider in the Well brings readers to the town of Bad Göodsburg where troubling news has emerged. The town’s trusty wishing well is broken, and none of the townspeople’s wishes are coming true. Leave it to Bad Göodsburg’s multi-talented newsboy who is quick on the case! Spider in the Well is a quirky page-turning adventure that will delight readers of all ages with its quick wit, dark humour, and unexpected twists and turns.

UNTHINKABLE BRENT VAN STAALDUINEN

In the early pages of Unthinkable, the latest by Hamilton’s Brent van Staalduinen, former special operations medic Lorry Martens finds herself holding a box of her partner’s ashes.

She’d been looking forward to a quiet life with Neil – a dream that is shattered upon finding him “face down in his bed, a tiny and almost bloodless hole at the base of his skull.” The murder is just one in a series of unthinkable things that untethers Lorry and those around her. A fast-paced thriller, Unthinkable seamlessly binds heart-racing action with elements of grief and a battle against nature and ecological destruction. n

ART AND ABOUT

From the Sound of Music Festival to plein air painting and history at the Hamilton Cemetery, get out and enjoy arts and culture this spring. Here are a few of our favourite local happenings.

SOAPY SOLILOQUIES

There’s nothing quite so brilliant as those ideas that strike in the solitude of the shower, somewhere between shampooing and conditioning with nary a pen to be found. Monday Press – Hamilton’s independent publisher and arts collective – invites you to Shower Thoughts, their monthly drop-in writing workshop to flesh out these soggy musings on paper. The evening begins with a reading by a featured poet followed by writing exercises and workshopping with a supportive and creative crowd. The night wraps with an open mic where the prose – all cleaned up – can make its official debut. First Monday of every month, 7 p.m., Farside, 288 James St. N., itsmonday.press

BURLINGTON’S BEST FEST

Burlington’s musical kickoff to summer, The Sound of Music Festival, returns to lakeside Spencer Smith Park to the delight of the region’s music aficionados. With multiple stages, the free weekend event is a revolving door of music spanning many genres, and a great way to support established bands while discovering upcoming artists. With simply too much good stuff for the park to contain, the party continues up Brant Street, with shopping, family activities, and even more music. This year’s guests include The Spin Doctors, Kathleen Edwards and Chilliwack. Check out the website for the full list and be sure to keep that weekend open – you’ve got plans. June 13-16, soundofmusic.ca

PLEIN AS DAY

The stunningly restored historic Kitchen Garden of Dundurn Castle, which supplies the site’s kitchen with more than 200 heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers is waiting to also supply some inspo to your artistic talents. The idyllic 1.5-acre garden is open monthly to budding artists looking to brush up on plein air painting – a practice fundamental to Impressionism that focuses on the use of natural light. Bring your own materials, settle into your spot in the garden, and channel your inner Monet. Regular admission rates apply. Check out the website for dates. Dundurn Castle, 610 York Blvd., hamilton.ca

THE CEMETERY CHRONICLES

Put down the history book and take a field trip instead to the Hamilton Cemetery, where the poignant setting gives the stories told by the gravestones some reverential gravity. Better yet, join a historical interpreter for a guided walking tour as they recount significant events, pointing out related memorials along the way. Topics include the cholera epidemic, naval disasters and The War of 1812, and with these weighty stories literally afoot, participants will be impressed by the reminder that history happened here. Visit the website for full details and dates. Hamilton Cemetery, 777 York Blvd., hamilton.ca

POUR ONE OUT AT STEELTOWN

Wet your artistic – and actual – whistle at Steeltown Cider Co. at a workshop in acrylic pour painting. Led by Paintastic by Ellie, participants will create an abstract masterpiece using a go-with-the-flow technique that results in a wall-worthy conversation piece. Sample the taproom’s offerings and get creative in this super social, low-stakes, high-reward night, and watch as the canvas becomes art right in front of your eyes. That blank spot over your bookcase will thank you later. Registration required. June 27, 150 Chatham St., paintastic.com

CLOSING THE BOOK

Interviewed by VANESSA GREEN

After more than a decade in the role, HELEN M cLEOD will hang up her hat as executive director of the Hamilton Literacy Council (HLC) this year. A champion of literacy for nearly 25 years, in 2013, Helen received YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award in Hamilton, thanks to her tireless advocacy for literacy education. She has left an enormous mark on the Hamilton community, helping to raise significant funding for HLC’s programming throughout her tenure. As she looks back on her long and illustrious career, McLeod hopes to find a new leader to take the helm of this vital community-based non-profit that provides lifechanging reading and writing skills to adults across the city.

PHOTO: CHARLES LEONIO FOR HCM

Tell us about the Hamilton Literacy Council and the work it does

The Hamilton Literacy Council (HLC) helps adults who are struggling with reading, writing, math, and now, digital technology. And that struggle is stopping them from living the life that they want to lead and (being) the person that they want to be.

The Hamilton Literacy Council provides the opportunity for those people to get private, confidential, one-to-one tutoring or group training, with flexible timing. It gives them the opportunity to develop those skills, at their own pace, with lots of support. And it’s free. Each person has an individual plan to fast-track them while they develop these skills.

Where were you born and raised?

Funny enough, I was born in Hamilton, Scotland. My parents emigrated to Canada when I was three. We lived on the West Island in Montreal and I went to St. George Williams University (now called Concordia) and got my bachelor’s of commerce. After graduating, I got a job with the federal government and went to Ottawa for training. For part of my training, I ended up spending some time in Hamilton, and stayed for a couple of weeks at the Royal Connaught. And I really liked Hamilton. So (my husband and I) ended up moving here.

I was working for Revenue Canada on a managerial track. It was good-paying work, but I didn’t love it. When I came home at night, I wasn’t happy with my work. We wanted to get a house and raise a family but we couldn’t afford to do it in Hamilton. I wanted to be a stay-athome mom; that was part of our plan. We ended up finding a place in Caledonia that we could afford. But my husband wanted to live in the country and get a bigger property, so we moved out to Onondaga, near the Six Nations Reserve. And then when my two boys grew up and my husband retired, we came back to Hamilton.

How did you get started with the HLC?

I started out as a part-time instructor for the Haldimand Norfolk Literacy Council. Then, the Hamilton Literacy Council was hiring. I signed up for that and started teaching classes. And then the demand for small group classes really grew. So, I started working full-time for the Hamilton Literacy Council in 2001.

I started as an instructor, and then afterwards, I became the tutor coordinator and small group coordinator. And then when

the previous executive director left, I took the position in 2012. Reluctantly. (Because) you’re just that much further removed from the students. It’s so inspiring to work directly with the students and tutors. And I have a fantastic staff. They’re just incredible. I do still stay involved as much as I can. But it is a step removed. There’s a certain kind of bond that you develop with the students, whether it’s in the classroom, one-to-one, or when they achieve something, it’s just touching. You get so many pride moments, and so many things to celebrate.

What is the greatest satisfaction or pride in the work you do?

Changing people’s lives. Gaining literacy skills is life-changing, there’s no doubt about it. It opens up the world. And with most of our students there are very tangible results, very practical things that people can do (with these skills). It’s not just that you’re helping them feel better about themselves, which is good, but also hard to kind of measure. But with literacy skills, you can see the difference in people’s lives, that’s the most rewarding thing, just hearing about those results.

Who inspires you?

I’m really inspired by the people that I work with, by my staff, by the students, by the board. And even the whole literacy community, it’s just a good place to work, because it brings hope to everybody. We’re training the people that we’re helping, but also, the more people that are literate, the better the world will be. You’re more educated. The more understanding we have (means) life is better all around. I’m inspired by people who don’t just accept their lot in life but decide that I can do something about this.

How would you describe Hamilton as a place to live and work?

I kind of think of it as an everyman place. It’s got good bones. It’s got everything. It’s maybe

not the prettiest city. Certainly not the cleanest city. It’s got a lot of problems, but it’s got good bones, and it’s got good heart. It’s a very friendly place. I love that about it. I absolutely love the way we’ve kept nature close by, there are so many walking trails. And the RBG; it’s amazing to have that on our doorstep.

What is an artistic or cultural experience you’ve had in the city that stands out for you?

I’m going to say Telling Tales. I was there when they started Telling Tales from the very beginning. Seeing the children, a new generation of readers and the love of reading and being with all those people. That’s my favourite cultural event. And I think even after I leave (the HLC), I think I’ll be volunteering at Telling Tales, for sure, because I just love that connection.

What neighbourhood do you live in, and what do you love about it?

I live in Birdland (the Bruleville neighbourhood on the central Mountain), and I love it because I can walk to absolutely everything: shopping, the trails. There’s also a great mix of different housing. It’s safe at night and well-lit. I have no problem walking the dog (she fosters dogs for Guide Dogs of Canada) at midnight.

What’s your favourite restaurant in the city?

I’m a plant-based eater, and I love Planted. I’ve gone there many times, and there’s nothing on their menu that I don’t like. And the Hearty Hooligan on Ottawa Street. They have amazing food if you’re in the mood for fast food. And, of course, Democracy is really good.

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?

I’m definitely going to be looking at spending more time with my grandkids and family. I want to learn some new hobbies. I want to take some courses at McMaster that are free for seniors. Maybe I’ll learn about birds. And I think I’d like to learn more about history. I’ll be volunteering somewhere, for sure. I’d like to foster dogs with the SPCA. I’d like to see Ireland. And take a riverboat cruise through the Danube. I’d like to see that.

Vanessa Green is a member of the board of the Hamilton Literacy Council, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023.

THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE INCITE FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS

scan the qr code to read more about incite and the legacy of carl and kate

AMPLIFYING ARTISTS

INCITE FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS SUPPORTS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CENTRE[3] AND THE HAMILTON FESTIVAL THEATRE COMPANY.

The Incite Foundation for the Arts has contributed more than $6 million to 30 Hamilton-area organizations, through grants from $2,500 to $150,000, since it was founded in 2011. It is the legacy of the late Carl and Kate Turkstra who believed the arts are key to quality of life and critical to the future of Hamilton. And they believed anyone, regardless of circumstance, should be able to enjoy and pursue music, theatre and visual art.

HAMILTON CITY Magazine is showcasing the incredible, creative and talented recipients of Incite grants. Here we share the work of Centre[3] and the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company.

HAMILTON FESTIVAL THEATRE COMPANY

Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (HFTco) is a charitable organization committed to training, platforming, and amplifying Hamilton’s theatre artists and storytellers. Since 2003, it has been building a community and cultivating work that is accessible, innovative, and artistically adventurous.

HFTco provides year-round programming, including the flagship 12-day, unjuried Hamilton Fringe Festival and the Frost Bites biannual community-embedded winter festival, while also advancing accessibility initiatives like FringeXChange mentorships for artists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of the global majority (BIPGM) and those who seek disability justice. It also invests in youth and emerging artists. Through the Hamilton Fringe Festival,

CENTRE[3]

For two decades, Centre[3] has stood as a steadfast pillar in the Hamilton community, empowering artists and fostering creativity. Its commitment to providing artists with the essential resources and platforms for success is a tangible reality. From state-of-the-art production facilities to galleries showcasing their work, and professional development workshops, it continuously strives to support and nurture local talent.

At the core of the mission is a dedication to breaking down barriers to accessibility, ensuring that all individuals from can engage in a vibrant artistic community. Centre[3]

audiences have access to performances by artists from across the globe, including many local companies who count on the festival to develop their work and deepen their

firmly believes in the transformative power of the arts to uplift communities.

What sets Centre[3] apart is a partnership with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), entering its ninth year. This award-winning innovative program underscores a commitment to nurturing young talent and fostering a love for the arts.

Collaborations with McMaster University and the University of Guelph have resulted in ground-breaking projects, including engaging older adults virtually with the cultural sector and the development of a research centre bridging art and academia.

“None of these achievements would have been possible without the generous support of the Incite Foundation and the visionary leadership of Carl and Kate Turkstra,” says Centre[3] executive director Colina Maxwell.

“Their commitment to the arts has paved the way for our success, inspiring others to contribute to a vibrant and sustainable future for the arts in our region.”

connections to audiences.

HFTco relies entirely on the support of funders, sponsors, and donors to bring the July festival to life. Unlike traditional performing arts presenters, Fringe festivals return 100 per cent of ticket profits back to artists, while subsidizing artists’ costs.

“The Incite Foundation for the Arts is an invaluable part of the work we do at HFTco,” says managing director Franny McCabe-Bennett. “Through their generosity, we continue to provide opportunities to emerging artists who shape the future of the arts in Hamilton and beyond, especially at a time where arts organizations like ours are facing serious financial hardship. We are very grateful to the Incite Foundation for giving us the tools to produce Hamilton’s largest theatre festival year after year.” n

THE SCREEN STUDIO AT CENTRE[3] PHOTO: CENTRE[3]

THE HAMILTON FESTIVAL THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCES ITS FLAGSHIP FRINGE AND FROST BITES FESTIVALS. PHOTO: DAVE PIJUAN-NOMURA

turkstra.

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Book by Jessie Nelson Music and Lyrics by Sara Bareilles

Book by Joseph Robinette. Music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.