October 2017 | Urbanicity Hamilton

october 2017

natalia Manchia

bodies in your backyard

nosh hamilton

a significant contributor to the economy of downtown

the horror of burlington heights

fashion's next big thing

hamilton's culinary week

COM P LIMENTARY

Bulldogs bring business to downtown

URBANICITY . CA

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All it ever took was one phone call.

In an instant a flurry of activity, ideas spouting, and overflowing excitement followed. In short, another project was started with Dave Hanley, Mr. Pop Up Hamilton.

“Uh, Dave, here’s the thing. I sort of promised Twitter Canada that to prove my point that Hamilton has the best donuts in the country I would travel to their head office in Downtown Toronto to deliver them personally. It’s a great opportunity to promote the city, but the thing is I need some help picking up and delivering the donuts. How about taking a quick road trip with me?”

Within a nanosecond the voice on the other line responded with an emphatic, “Yes!” With no second thought he dove right in to help someone out. That was Dave Hanley.

In late September Hamilton lost a true champion — not only for the culinary scene but the city in general. Dave and his wife Nicole were the force behind Pop Up Hamilton, a dining event that brought together great food, drink, and music in very unique locations. But

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maD LOVE

most importantly it brought together Hamiltonians by the hundreds.

Hamiltonian ­­ and just a really, great, guy.

When Dave and Nicole came to Hamilton just a few short years ago, I remember sitting down with him and learning about the ideas he had to build this city up. He had a very clear idea on what he wanted to achieve and the ways in which he could profile Hamilton. He wasn’t from Hamilton, didn’t have vast connections throughout the city, and certainly could have carried out his plans somewhere else but he chose Hamilton. He chose to be a positive force in the city, and to help so many people along the way, no matter the cost.

As we move forward in a Hamilton without Dave Hanley, we all must take a page from his book and be willing to work hard to show “mad love” to this city.

He showed us all that building a sense of community and focusing on the positive can work to lift us all up. He believed Hamilton was home and continuously gave back to his home time and again.

With his passing, there has been a sea of stories shared about Dave, messages of thanks throughout social media, and tears shed over the loss of a beloved

Dave, we thank you. We’re thinking of you, and we’ll work just as hard to make this city “pop”.

Rest in peace.

Michael Marini

By michael marini

Michael Marini is the coordinator of Marketing for the City of Hamilton's Economic Development Office. He can be reached at michael.marini@hamilton.ca @ hamiltonecdev

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experiences

The Bulldogs Bring Business To Downton Hamilton On-ice endeavors aside, this team is a significant contributor to the economy of downtown Hamilton October. The beginning of another hockey season. In downtown Hamilton, that means that we’re about two weeks into the Hamilton Bulldogs’ third season of their Ontario Hockey League return. And I’ll lay my biases out nice and early here; I’m a big fan of OHL hockey and applauded the team’s shift from being the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League affiliate to a team that actually represents Hamilton.

On-ice endeavors aside, there’s much bigger reason to be a Bulldogs fan. This team is a significant contributor to the economy of downtown Hamilton.

Living in this city provides us with the chance to enjoy a variety of entertainment options. We have the venues to score some headliner concerts, internationally acclaimed stage shows and other renowned performers. And the arts district of James Street North gives us the chance to enjoy the galleries, exhibits, street performances and awesome ambiance with the monthly Art Crawls. The common benefit of these events is their ability to draw people to our downtown core. That’s what’s fueled our city’s resurgence.

And the Bulldogs? They bring just over 4,000 people downtown for at least 34 nights a year. By any account, this is a significant asset that doesn’t feel like it gets the attention it deserves. The value of this asset gets even more eye opening when we take a deeper look into the impact that those 34 nights actually have.

After the 2009-2010 season, the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League had an economic impact study conducted by Kenneth Carlaw, an Associate Professor of Economics at UBC Okanagan. As reported

by Wayne Moore of Castenet, the Rockets pumped in an all-in impact of about $31 million. Removing some of the more long-term line-items, such as former players who’ve returned to Kelowna, the number still settles in around $15 million.

A little closer to home, the Kingston Frontenacs offered a peek at an economic study done by the Kingston Economic Development Corporation in 2005 prior to the construction at the Rogers K-Rock Centre. While the numbers reflect the entire impact of the downtown waterfront arena, some reasonable extrapolation pegs the

Photos provided by the Hamilton bulldogs

Frontenacs’ contribution in the neighbourhood of $11 million. And this is consistent with Meredith MacLeod’s story from March of 2015 in the Hamilton Spectator that quoted “somewhere between $7.5 and $10 million” would be drained from the economy if the AHL Bulldogs had bailed out of Hamilton.

The value of the Bulldogs certainly isn’t lost on the economic stewards of our city. Keanin Loomis of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is quick to point out the heightened activity game nights bring. “You don’t need to look at a schedule to know when the Bulldogs are playing,” says Loomis. “You see Jackson Square fill up during hours when foot-traffic would be winding down.” He also notes that a glance out the window reveals the number of people milling about prior to game time. And where there’s people, there’s money being spent.

Even if we remove the money spent on tickets, some loose, writer mathematics could draw an assumption that somewhere around $15 will be spent during a fan’s visit. Now, that’s factoring in the

beer-tab for the rowdies razzing the visiting goalie as well as the kid who’s happy with a bag of popcorn. That would put fan spending at over $ 2 million per season – in theory, paying the salaries of around 60 people. And that figure is based on the 2015-16 attendance of 4,125 – which, while good enough for 7th in the OHL, seems well below Hamilton’s potential.

A quick trip for a tall frosty one at the Anchor Bar confirmed this for me. I had a brief chat with General Manager, Kadi Belghaba, who I found is a pretty big Bulldogs supporter; and for good reason. “On home nights there is always a big lift. It’s great for business.

So, here, we see having the Bulldogs as a fantastic investment for downtown and the city of Hamilton.”

At least one hotel is also seeing the Bulldogs-boon. Syed Gardezi, the General Manager at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel has noted the return to the OHL has resulted in a significant upswing in hockey-related stays. “Since Hamilton welcomed the Ontario Hockey League, it has quickly become apparent

“On home nights there is always a big lift. It’s great for business. So, here, we see having the Bulldogs as a fantastic investment for downtown and the city of Hamilton.” – Kadi Belghaba, Anchor Bar.

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EX P ERIENCES that fans, parents and families are more keen on travelling with the team; this provides us with more bookings than solely hosting AHL visiting teams,” explains Gardezi. “We have also noticed that some OHL teams are choosing to stay in Hamilton while playing in Niagara due to the close proximity and the amenities in downtown Hamilton.”

The Sheraton is a good example of how a business can get behind the home team and reap some rewards. They’ve enjoyed a successful partnership with the Bulldogs; offering special accommodation rates on game nights and value added benefits for visiting guests.

Gardezi also sees the broader potential of the team to bring the community together. “There is more hype surrounding the OHL players. They’re young and up-and-coming; this gives the Sheraton, the fans, the city, more opportunity to come together in Downtown Hamilton and cheer them on.”

students have with downtown, the more likely they are to live there.

Sure, comparing London’s love affair with junior hockey to Hamilton may be a bit unfair. But, it’s not a bad way to see what’s possible.

London’s relationship with the Knights hasn’t escaped the eye of Loomis either.

“London has created a great model,” he says. “They’ve built their downtown arena and have created a welcoming district around it.” Having that mix of retail, bars and restaurants surrounding the arena, or any entertainment venue, helps ensure visitors, especially out-of-towners, have the opportunity to enjoy the local hospitality.

The OHL version of the Bulldogs also brings another intangible benefit – rebooting perceptions of downtown Hamilton. With regional rivalries like Kitchener, Niagara, Guelph, London,

even Mississauga, we’re giving fans from nearby cities a chance to experience what downtown has to offer. This wasn’t the case while the team lived in the AHL – I’m not sure fans in Providence R.I. or Wilkes-Barre, PA made the trip all that often. Now we have the chance to welcome hungry, thirsty visitors with our expansive lineup of bars and restaurants.

Once they’ve filled a few restaurants, parking lots and a maybe a handful of hotel rooms, how’s the hockey, you ask?

Well, I wouldn’t be alone in saying that the OHL might be the most entertaining brand of hockey you’ll find. Highly skilled with the raw emotion and intensity of youth ensures every game well worth the price of admission. Plus, we’re watching players who are a part of the community. They’re living with billet families here, or they are graduates of our own minor hockey system, they’re going to school here, making

friends here – our community is making an impact on their growth and development, on and off the ice. Really, these players are truly representing Hamilton.

Just talking to retailers and seeing a few hats and jerseys walking around downtown makes you realize that we do have something valuable here. And, yes, in a bigger city like Hamilton, there are loads of entertainment options out there. But, the true value that the Bulldogs bring to our downtown is undeniable. And we haven’t even touched on the work the Bulldogs Foundation does with local kids in the community. This team is an important part of the city – it’s part of the fabric, the flavour and the identity of Hamilton. But it’s also a big part of a healthy, viable downtown. And I think that’s well worth supporting.

To see the gold-standard of how junior hockey can put a charge into a city, we take a trip down the highway to London. The London Knights jam their beautiful, state-of-the-art Budweiser Gardens to its 9,000-seat capacity every night. And I mean every night – dating back to the 2004 season. London definitely shares some parallels with Hamilton. Both are larger cities by junior hockey standards and both have wellplaced downtown arenas.

A discussion with the Ryan Starr, the Knight’s Director of Branding and Communications, highlighted the benefit the team has in downtown London.

“We’re fortunate to have a great fanbase here. So there is definitely a distinctive feeling when the Knights are playing. The bars and restaurants in and around the neighbourhood of the arena get busy and you see the sidewalks fill with Knights jerseys making their way to the game.”

Also, similar to Hamilton, London has a robust student population that can be motivated by affordable entertainment and a fun nightlife. Starr notes how the student segment is represented at the games, which is typically part of their downtown experience. “We certainly see groups of Western students coming down to the games. Our proximity to the campus definitely helps this, as well as how close we are to popular student night-spots where they often head to after the game.”

That’s an interesting insight that applies to Hamilton’s efforts to retain students after they graduate. It’s a safe assumption that the more engagement out-of-town McMaster and Mohawk

By chris sanislo

Chris Sanislo is a freelance copywriter with a passion for Hamilton. He has over 15 years of experience in the Canadian Advertising industry. Chris crafts his copy from downtown Hamilton's CoMotion on King, where he serves as the in-house blogger. @ chrissanislo

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experiences

Bodies In Your Backyard The horror of Burlington Heights I sat upright, frozen, dumb-founded, speechless, breathless. It could have been a minute, it could have been 10, it didn’t matter, there was no time, just adrenaline coursing through my veins and my heart pounding in my ears.

By artist Lori Le Mare

D

epending on your experience with Ti-Cat games and City Council meetings, it may not be hard to imagine Hamiltonians frothing at the mouth, clamoring for blood.

It was 3:00 AM, the witching hour, alone in the apartment we were in the midst of a typical early-teenage boy sleepover, eating junk and watching ‘80s horror movies. And the kettle was screaming.

Yet, the public demand for it on the morning of July 20th, 1814, on what would one day be my childhood home, Inchbury Street in Hamilton’s Strathcona neighbourhood, was visceral.

This would be, and remains, the largest mass-hanging in Canada’s history.

We cautiously crept into the kitchen, mere metres away from the living room couch, and there it was, steam shooting from the top with the stove ringer glowing red, temperature cranked to its highest level.

And who knows what restless spirits remain, as the gore didn’t end with the noose.

“You didn’t turn it on?” I stammered, already knowing the answer as we hadn’t left the couch in over an hour.

Emotions on the summer day ranged from morbid curiosity to outright remorse. The eight condemned men were tried and convicted of treason, of colluding with the Americans. And it would be hard to blame them.

“No.” Michael replied with eyes wide.

Despite the romantic belief that Ontarians were loyal to the British Empire, picking a side had more to do with picking your own side. Who was offering you property yesterday, leaving you be today, and not setting your village ablaze tomorrow.

Some of the men were defiantly silent, some visibly distraught, and some wailing in desperation, like the mob surrounding them, screaming into history.

Screaming.

The kettle on the stove was screaming.

Michael and I stared at each other, from the couch of his mother’s second storey apartment at the bottom of Locke and Tecumseh streets. The grounds of which, located across the street from Castle Doune, were once used as the MacNab family burial.

“Why did you put the kettle on?” He asked, startled.

“I didn’t.” I shakily answered.

The kettle kept up its shrill, solitary scream.

A lone man out of the eight screamed in protest as the gallows were prepared.

Loose knotted nooses were placed around the men’s necks to ensure maximum pain and a slow death, drawing out the spectacle. The makeshift site was hastily prepared following the Ancaster trials. The examples needed to be made quickly.

The wagon on which the eight men stood was moved away, and their bodies dropped, writhing madly in the otherwise calm summer breeze. Swinging violently through the air.

Swinging.

The shelf was now swinging through the air.

Moments earlier it was early Christmas morning, I was 14, in bed, half-roused from sleep by the light sound of something falling from one of my shelves mounted by four, metal wall brackets.

Now, however, I was staring in disbelief as the five-foot-long particle board shelf swung down and through air, spraying its contents across my room and crashing into the wall opposite my bed.

My parents ran down from their attic bedroom, and past my room to continue downstairs to the living room.

They thought the tree had fallen over.

“In here!” I squeaked.

They stopped and came into my room, turning on the lights to find pop-cans, toys and other trinkets spread over my floor. The shelf board was half leaning on my desk, and three out of four brackets, inexplicably, still mounted in the wall.

Only one metal bracket had fallen.

One of the men, thrashing violently, managed to break the apparatus he was hanging from. He fell to the ground and caused a single, large metal bracket to also fall from the apparatus. The bracket crashed down on him, killing him instantly.

Life left the other men’s bodies soon afterwards, but their punishment was not yet over. The presiding Justice had originally ordered that the men were to be first drawn and quartered while still alive, with their entrails to be shown to their still living eyes. Having instead been hung first, mercifully, the men were now to be posthumously gutted and decapitated. Blood was spilling in Burlington Heights.

Spilling.

“Blood was spilling down!” The two early 20-something girls were telling us.

A pig, gutted, and hanging from a tree near a tomb in the end of the cemetery.

Scott, Joel, Michael, David, Nick, Chris, Johnny, Jared, and I all looked to each other for consent to go investigate. As kids raised on X-Files, Unsolved Mysteries, Indiana Jones, and the Goonies, we couldn’t say yes fast enough.

We followed the girls back to the spot where they said it was. There was no pig, but there was a large pool of blood.

Pools of blood had formed where the men were gutted and decapitated.

Their heads were impaled on pikes and paraded around before being put on display where they had been hung.

Eventually, their remains were collected and buried in unmarked graves near the spot where the dark ordeal had all taken place, the east side of Burlington Heights, what is now Inchbury Street.

To this day the exact whereabouts of the gallows and graves remain unknown. Perhaps near where the kettle was screaming, or beneath my childhood home, or up near what would become one of Canada’s largest municipal cemeteries.

What’s undeniable was the thrill of the supernatural that always pervaded our Dundurn Park area homes. The tale of the mass hanging of Canada’s Bloody Assizes being one of many that never left us at a loss for scary stories or things that went bump in our nights.

The horrors of Burlington Heights, the potential bodies buried in our backyards, all dark parts of Hamilton’s history that, at this spookier time of year, should be retold with unnerving enjoyment.

Our crew of teenage neighbourhood hooligans had been playing “Chase” in the Hamilton Cemetery on York Boulevard. “Chase” was what teenagers called “Hide-and-Seek” because it sounds cooler than “Hide-and-Seek.”

We had been ducking in and around tombs, trees and stones when we encountered these two young women, gingerly wandering a graveyard on the night before Good Friday, 1997.

Whether we found them or they found us I can’t say, they seemed harmless enough, but they did want to show us something.

By Ryan Moran

Ryan is a proud Hamilton, Ontario native, interested in style, travel, adventure, arts and culture and always trying to be better. In other lives Ryan is an MBA, a Senior Manager of Marketing for Niagara Parks, and a Co-Founder/ Owner of CoMotion On King. In his rare spare time, he enjoys writing and photography.

@ RPMoran

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Experiences

Dundas District Ghost Tales A janitor, five shadows and a morgue There are lots of legends in this old city of ours. Stories of spectres and tales of haunted buildings become second nature with a history as deep as Hamilton’s. Many historic buildings throughout the city are said to be haunted.

Familiar fixtures like Dundurn Castle, The Custom House, The Right House, The Winking Judge, Tivoli Theatre, The Scottish Rite, and many others.

Possibly the most haunted building, however, is one that often gets overlooked: Dundas District School.

Completed in 1929, the historic Gothic Collegiate designed Dundas District School, sitting just at the bottom of the escarpment on King Street in Dundas.

When it first opened its doors it was a high school, then became a middle school, and has since been converted into condominiums after closing its doors for good in 2007. The ghost tales at Dundas District vary, because there are so many. But the two most prevalent accounts always centre on a janitor named Russell and a morgue. Spooky.

The haunting of Russell all started with a pact between five custodians. The agreement? Whoever passed away first was to haunt the school. Russell, the practical joker of the bunch, was the one who lost. How fitting. There have been what seems to be thousands of eyewitness accounts of Russell, many by the caretakers who partook in the pact, as well as former students. Some of the sightings include hallways being mopped while a janitor was on break, lockers rattling at the end of hallways, jingling of keys, the squeaky wheels of his mop bucket, and a whistling melody echoing through the cold, eerie, corridors. Apparently the place Russell was spotted most was inside the shadowy, unnerving auditorium.

But that’s not the only haunting in the school. The other story is darker, more chilling. On Christmas Day of 1934, over 20 years earlier than the original janitor pact, two passenger trains collided on the railroad tracks just above the school. 18 people died in the crash and it’s rumoured the school was used as a makeshift morgue. Laughter, cries for help, and mischief were some of the games these spirits would play. A former caretaker recalled seeing five shadows while cleaning and when he went to move his mop, he couldn’t. One of the ghosts was holding it down, leaving him frozen and helpless until they vanished.

the two most prevalent accounts always centre on a janitor named Russell and a morgue.

Spooky.

Photo courtesy of Hamilton SPECTATOR

Another notable story involved former principal Peter Greenberg. Motion detector alarms went off late in the night and the police notified him in the morning about the incident. They said nothing had happened, but when the principal got to his office he heard “banging and clanging” upstairs. After calling the police, they went in to investigate. It was on the third floor, and they could hear kids, glasses breaking, and heavy footsteps in a classroom down the hall. When they opened the door not a thing was out of place and the noises stopped completely. Greenberg said he never believed any of the stories were true until that day.

The stories and urban legends of Dundas District don’t stop here. Just about everybody in this quaint, picturesque town has a story. They’ve seen Russell, and if they haven’t, their parents have or their friends have. One thing is for certain, even if you don’t believe in ghosts, it’s hard not to believe all the eyewitness accounts over the years.

Especially in a school as old as District.

We can only wonder if the same spirits still wander the corridors in what is now a high-end loft. Does Russell clean their floors? Are there mysterious noises at night? Do strange shadows appear against the condo drywall?

We may never know. Regardless, the stories of the janitor and the makeshift morgue continue to live on in the valley town. As they should.

By thomas allen

Thomas Allen is a proud Hamiltonian, an architectural journalist, and creator of the site Rebuild Hamilton – a blog about architecture and development in Hamilton. @ rebuildhamilton

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ideas

HIVEX 2017: Making An Impact In Hamilton Hamilton HIVE hosts 7th annual conference for young professionals on November 18th Young professionals are a crucial part of Hamilton’s ever-changing landscape.

Hamilton HIVE makes it their mission to nurture these emerging leaders, providing them with resources and support to use their skills and passion to make an impact in our city.

On November 18th, Hamilton HIVE will host their 7th annual HIVEX Conference at the Lincoln Alexander Centre. This is one of the largest professional development opportunities in Hamilton, bringing in over 300 young professionals, community members, and city leaders each year.

This year’s conference theme is Impact – empowering young professionals to create a positive impact on their careers, their personal lives, and in their communities. The programming will cover a variety of topics, including: networking, mentorship, personal branding, public speaking, personal finance, community engagement, personal growth and mental wellness.

“HIVEX is exactly the kind of opportunity that can put you on a path you may not have even known you were looking for – whether that’s through new partnerships, new skills, or exposure to new ideas,” says Hamilton HIVE Chair, Michael Parente.

HIVEX: Enhancing Hamilton’s ‘sticky city’ status Year after year the conference brings in returning attendees and new faces who engage in enriching discussion, acquire new knowledge at workshops, and network with other driven individuals in our city. This active participation is admirable and speaks volumes on how young professionals want to learn and grow in Hamilton.

For me, it’s great to see that Hamilton HIVE is a key player in the city’s growth. As Hamilton’s go-to resource and network for young professionals, HIVE has always been known to provide quality professional development opportunities for the emerging leaders set to shape our city. It was my experience at last year’s HIVEX Conference that led me to apply for an Executive position on Hamilton HIVE this year.

I was inspired and humbled by their efforts and commitment to bettering the city – and felt I needed to be a part of that.

As Hamilton continues to develop, there will be more opportunities for young professionals to work, live, and play in the city. In fact, if each one of the over 300 expected HIVEX delegates comes away with one new idea and a knowledge of the resources available to carry it out, imagine the impact we will see in Hamilton over the next year, five years, and beyond.

Corey Helie-Masters and will include the opportunity for delegates to join in the discussion.

Other parts of the event to look forward to are the multiple networking opportunities throughout the day, a tradeshow with local organizations, and a mixer immediately following the closing session, complete with a cocktail showcase.

HIVEX Event Details The conference will open and close with returning HIVEX workshop presenter Brandon Love. Brandon will use his unique and entertaining presentation style to generate plenty of energy, and focus everyone’s mind on creating real change with the new skills and ideas they will develop throughout the day.

A new segment at this year’s conference is the inclusion of a panel discussion on making Hamilton ready for young professionals. Panelists Alyssa Lai, Jay Carter, Jeff Martin, and Tammy Hwang will share their unique perspectives on how the city is preparing young professionals for success and the gaps that still exist. The discussion will be moderated by Hamilton HIVE Vice Chair,

HIVEX Ticket Information Hamilton HIVE welcomes emerging and established leaders, working professionals, post-secondary students, recent grads, entrepreneurs, artists, and freelancers to attend. The only thing you have to bring is your energy, enthusiasm, an open mind, an appetite for learning and a lot of business cards.

Early bird tickets are on sale until October 14: single tickets cost $40 and a ‘swarm’ table is $300. Regular ticket sales will commence on October 15.

Visit bit.ly/hivex17 to get your ticket today!

For more information on this year’s event, visit: bit.ly/HIVEX17

By Cassandra D'Ambrosio

Cassandra is a born and raised Hamiltonian.

She manages advertising campaigns as an Account Executive at Jan Kelley, and runs the marketing communications as PR Chair for Hamilton HIVE. When she’s not at a rap show, she's singing the praises of HamOnt.

@ cassdambrosio

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experiences

New Fall Program For Literary Festival Hamilton's literary festival, embracing local talent and fostering a community

Photos by REBA SHAHID

When gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival first started, there was one goal: to give Hamilton the literary festival it deserved, one open to all community members, regardless of whether or not they read the novel. gritLIT wanted to bring Hamilton readers together and give writers at all stages in their career a chance to learn, share, and even develop their work in a welcoming space.

Bringing a literary festival to a city without one was an ambitious goal, but one that gritLIT is proud to say they have accomplished. From holding larger author panels and workshops at the Art Gallery of Hamilton to hosting more intimate writer and author events with friends from The Staircase and Mills Hardware, gritLIT has grown past its initial goal to create a literary festival and has fostered a community. “gritLIT is all about engagement,” Jennifer Gillies, gritLIT’s artistic director shares. “We give Hamilton book lovers a chance to dive in, ask questions, meet their favourite authors and get as excited about Canadian books as we are.”

One of gritLIT’s goals is to keep events casual, accessible, and comfortable, free of the pretention that sometimes gets associated with literary circles. As its name implies, literature is gritty and messy because life is gritty and messy.

Previous attendees of the festival know that they can attend in their ripped jeans and trade stories over drinks without ever feeling unwelcome.

By Elizabeth DiEmanuele

Elizabeth DiEmanuele is a communications professional who lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

She is also the Marketing and Digital Media Manager for gritLIT: Hamilton’s Literary Festival. To learn more about Elizabeth DiEmanuele’s work visit smartedits.org.

Recent results from gritLIT’s 2017 surveys revealed that about one fourth of festival goers come from out of town, much of which can be attributed to its strong reputation and sense of community. As Gillies suggests, “We’ve got a great community. When book lovers come to our events, they always come back.”

Now, in its fourteenth year, gritLIT will further build upon its goal to foster community by offering a Fall Program, which includes partnered events with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hamilton Film Festival. This will be the first year that gritLIT will maintain a full year of programming.

Included in their Fall Program is a fullday festival event, called Hamilton: A Celebration of Stories. This event, sponsored by the City’s Canada 150 Fund, will feature authors and writers who have a strong connection to Hamilton, including: Hamilton Reads author, Zoe Whittall; Hamilton authors, Dr. Daniel Coleman, Sally Cooper, Krista Foss, Shannon Bramer, and John Terpstra; and, other local authors, like Cherie Dimaline and Lee Maracle. The event will take place on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at The Staircase.

In line with its mandate to embrace local talent, gritLIT is also running a memoir writing contest for writers in southwestern Ontario. Those who submit their work will be judged by a panel of published authors, with the winning writer receiving $500 and a chance to read at gritLIT’s festival.

To learn more about gritLIT, visit gritlit.ca.

HamIltOn’S

readerS & WrIterS FeStIVal Fall 2017 eVentS Sunday Oct. 1 ______________________ 2:00 PM

Gallery On Bay

Soprano Measha Brueggergosman discusses her new memoir, Something Is Always on Fire: My Life So Far. Partner eVent WItH

gritlitfestival

tueSday Oct. 24 ______________________ 7:00 PM

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM StaIrcaSe tHeatre Hamilton: A Celebration in Stories Featuring: Shannon Bramer, Daniel Coleman, Sally Cooper, Cherie Dimaline, Krista Foss, Lee Maracle, John Terpstra, Zoe Whittall SPOnSOred By

WeStdale lIBrary

Alice Zorn presents Five Roses, a 2017 OLA Evergreen Award Finalist.

Sunday nOV. 12 ______________________ 1:30 PM

Sunday Oct. 22 ______________________

Growing the city one story at a time.

ZOetIc tHeatre

gritLIT and the Hamilton Film Festival present Rust and Bone and post-screening talkback with novelist Craig Davidson.

Hosted by Annette Hamm from CHCH TV. Partner eVent WItH

For more inFormation and ticket sales visit:

www.gritlit.ca

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Natalie Manchia: Fashions Next Big Thing This inspiring 20-year old designer is taking the Montreal fashion scene by storm

When I was tired of studying economics, I would take a break and pull out the sewing machine.”

With fiery gold patterns and studded jackets, Natalie Manchia finds a way to create pieces that are edgy but simultaneously feminine. She knew early on that she was destined for a career in fashion and has come a long way from her childhood days of playing dress up.

Born and raised in Hamilton, Natalie shares her story of making the move to Montreal to study business and how she has turned her passion for fashion into a thriving business.

Design school had always been dream of Natalie’s, but when it came time for her first move after high school she made the difficult choice to study business instead. She was confident that fashion would always be a part of her life and felt that a business degree was a strategic move that would propel her forward in any path she chose.

After one visit to the McGill campus she was convinced this was the place to study, inspired by the surrounding beauty of Montreal and the unique style of the students on campus. It was bursting with opportunities for her to express herself and she dove right in.

Impressed by her design work, which embodied her personality – unique, with a cool girl-gang kind of vibe, she quickly got picked up as a student designer by SynesthASIA – an annual philanthropic fashion show at McGill.

SynesthASIA was both the first fashion show Natalie had ever attended and the first show she worked on. It

was different from traditional fashion shows in that it combines elements of dance and art, using dancers to model the pieces. She made five pieces for the show. Her mother, grandmothers, aunt and cousin made the trip from Hamilton to support her. This is an ongoing theme that shines through in all her stories – she is constantly expressing how grateful she is for her family’s ongoing love and support.

would take a break and pull out the sewing machine.”

Natalie grew up in a tight knit family, her parents are both first generation Italian and she is a triplet with one brother and one sister. Acknowledging the challenges that come with raising triplets, her parents were conscious in ensuring all three children cultivated their own creativity and individuality.

She remembers that her mother would never dress them in matching colours, and jokes “even when we played sports, when someone was good at something we would let them have that sport for themselves.” All three siblings have grown up to have a creative edge, each expressing it in their own way from culinary arts to videography.

After working with her on the show, one of the models from P[h]assion became a fan of Natalie’s work and suggested that she apply to Start Up Fashion Week Montreal. She ended up landing a gig as a designer for their first ever launch party to take place at Bord’elle, known for its roaring 20’s Gatsby-like decor. She thought she was only going to be one of a number of designers participating, but was surprised to learn she was the showcase designer for the event. “There were other designers, they walked the runway one at a time with one model beside them. When it was time for Natalie Manchia Design, each individual model came out with music, one after another and then I walked at the end, everyone was clapping, I was crying - it was insane.”

Natalie was also selected for the role of Clothing Coordinator for P[h]assion, a local non-profit promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to McGill students, where she was able to hire herself as one of the designers for the show. Coordinating the show and creating her next collection while keeping up with school was challenging, a true test of her dedication and passion. She says “when I was tired of studying economics, I

P[h]assion was a huge success, and she received multiple inquiries about purchasing her clothes, which was completely unexpected for her at the time.

“I didn’t even have prices for the pieces, I never thought anyone would want to buy them, I was shocked” explained Natalie.

When asked about her inspiration for her most recent lines she draws from everything around her. Soaking in the beauty of Montreal’s architecture and local street style has particularly helped to shape them. She notices that with a contrast in lifestyle comes a contrast in style - two people in different

cities could purchase the same items of clothing and wear them completely differently. Growing up in Hamilton for her meant she was inspired by nature with scenic waterfalls and hiking trails. In Montreal she has found she is moved by the beauty of walk up houses, terraces and tiny shops. Having the opportunity to travel to new cities has helped Natalie come into her own style, taking bits and pieces from her travels and mixing it with her own personal flair.

In terms of future plans, Natalie is ecstatic to say that she will be spending summer 2018 in Milan completing a fashion internship program. She continues to work on building Natalie Manchia Designs Inc. and is currently making one of a kind items – revamping vintage pieces and creating t-shirts with hand painted designs. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend design school and is always up for a new adventure!

By jami monte

Jami is a Toronto based entrepreneur of all sorts working as a yoga instructor, writer and Chartered Professional Accountant. She is adventurous and has a passion for travel, style, nature and plant based food. @ yogawithjami

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All Photos provided by Natalie manchia

ART GALLERY OF HAMILTON • BMO • OCTOBER 2017 ART GALLERY OF HAMILTON • BMO • OCTOBER 2017

50 FILMS 10 DAYS 5 VENUES ••

Saturday, October 14 Saturday, October 14

Sunday, October15 Sunday, October15

SCREENING SCREENING

FILM FILM

DATE DATE

Lincoln Alexander Centre I 7 pm Loving Vincent Lincoln Alexander Centre I 7 pm Vincent Lincoln Alexander Centre I 9:30 pm Loving Long Time Running Lincoln pm Long Time Running Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 9:30 12 noon Celebrating Canada Lincoln Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 12 1:30noon pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 1:30 Lincoln Alexander Centre I 4 pmpm Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 5 pmCentre I 4 pm AGH Annex I 5 pmCentre I 7 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 7:30Centre pm I 7 pm AGH Annex I 7:30Centre pm I 9 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln pm Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 91 pm

Lincoln Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 13pm pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 3 Lincoln Alexander Centre I 5 pm pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 5 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 8 pm Lincoln Centre I I81pm Monday, October 16 CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster pm Monday, October 16 Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster I 14pm pm CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster pm Lincoln Centre I I54pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 5 pm Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster I 7 pm CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster pm Lincoln Centre I I7 7pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 79 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 94 pm Tuesday, October 17 Tuesday, October 17 Lincoln Alexander Centre I 47 pm pm Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 7 pmCentre I 7 pm AGH Annex I 7 pmCentre I 9 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I I91pm Wednesday, October 18 Lincoln CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster pm Wednesday, October 18 Lincoln CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster pm Centre I I31pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 3 pm Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster I 4 pm CineplexAlexander Cinemas Ancaster 4 pmpm Lincoln Centre I I5:30 Lincoln Alexander Centre I 5:30 pm AGH Annex I 6 pm AGH Annex I 6 pmAncaster I 7 pm Cineplex Cinemas Cineplex Cinemas 7 pmpm Lincoln AlexanderAncaster Centre I I7:45 Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 9 pmCentre I 7:45 pm AGH Annex I 9 pmCentre I 9:45 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander Centre I 9:45 pm

Thursday, October 19 Thursday, October 19

Celebrating The Queen ofCanada Spain The Queen of Spain for the City Citizen Jane: Battle Citizen Pop Aye Jane: Battle for the City Pop Aye The Indians Who Rocked the World Rumble: Rumble: Tanna The Indians Who Rocked the World Tanna Endless Poetry (Poesía sin fin) Endless Poetry (Poesía sin fin) Lady Macbeth Lady FacesMacbeth Places (Visages, villages) Faces Places (Visages,par villages) BPM (120 battements minute) BPM (120 battements par minute) The Square The LostSquare in Paris (Paris pieds nus) Lost in Paris (Paris pieds nus) Columbus Columbus The Road Forward The Road DivineForward Order (Die Göttliche Ordnung) The Divine Order Colonization Road(Die Göttliche Ordnung) Colonization Brigsby Bear Road Brigsby A BetterBear Man AThe Better Man Trip to Spain The Trip to Spain Integral Man Integral Man Manifesto Manifesto The Trip to Spain The Trip to Spain Novitiate Novitiate Menashe Menashe Werewolf Werewolf Fractalize 1 Fractalize The Double1 Lover (L’amant double) The Double Beach RatsLover (L’amant double) Beach IncidentRats Reports Incident Lucky Reports Lucky

facebook.com/AGHFilmFest facebook.com/AGHFilmFest

SCREENING SCREENING

Friday, October 20 Friday, October 20

Saturday, October 21 Saturday, October 21

Sunday, October 22 Sunday, October 22

@at_TheAGH @at_TheAGH

FILM FILM

Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster I 1 pm Cineplex Cineplex Cinemas Cinemas Ancaster Ancaster II 14pm pm

Viceroy’s House Viceroy’s House (Un sac de billes) A Bag of Marbles

Lincoln pmpm Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 79:15 Lincoln Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 9:15 3 pmpm Lincoln Lincoln Alexander Alexander Centre Centre II 35 pm pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 5 pm AGH Annex I 6 pm AGH AnnexArts I 6Brewing pm I 8 pm Collective Collective Arts Brewing Lincoln Alexander CentreI 8I pm 7:30 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 7:30 pm AGH Annex I 8 pm AGH Annex I 8 pmCentre I 9:30 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander CentreI 10I 9:30 Collective Arts Brewing pm pm Collective Arts Brewing I 10 pm AGH Annex I 4 pm AGH Annex I 4 pmCentre I 5 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 7 pmCentre I 5 pm AGH Annex I 7 pmCentre I 8 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander CentreI 8I pm 8 pm Collective Arts Brewing Collective Arts Brewing I 8 pm AGH Annex I 9 pm AGH Annex I 9 pmCentre I 10 pm Lincoln Alexander Lincoln Alexander AGH Annex I 1 pmCentre I 10 pm AGH Annex I 14pm pm AGH Annex I 47 pm pm AGH Annex I 7 pm

Last Man on the Moon Insyriated Insyriated Hermia & Helena Hermia & Helena Never Steady, Never Still Never Steady, Never Still In Between (Bar Bahar) In Between Mean Girls (Bar Bahar) Mean Girls (Le redoubtable) Redoubtable Redoubtable (LeLight redoubtable) Still Night, Still (Mes nuits feront echo) Still Night, Still Light (Mes nuits feront echo) Thelma Thelma Rocky Horror Picture Show Rocky Horror Picture Show Whose Streets?

Whose The GirlStreets? without Hands (La jeune fille sans mains) The Girl without Hands (La jeune fille sans mains) Dayveon Dayveon Woodshock Woodshock 24 Hour Film Challenge 24 Hour Film Challenge Lemon Lemon The Other Side of Hope (Toivon Tuolla Puolen) The Other of Hope (Toivon Tuolla Puolen) Before theSide Streets (Avant les rues) Before Streets (Avant les rues) The Badthe Batch The Bad Batch Dawson City: Frozen Time Dawson City: Frozen Time

Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster 4 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I I4 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre II 74pm pm Art Gallery of Hamilton Art Gallery of Hamilton I 7 pm Lincoln Alexander Centre I 7 pm

VENUES VENUES

DATE DATE

••

AThe BagUnknown of Marbles billes) Girl(Un (La sac fille de inconnue) The Unknown Girl (La fille inconnue) Kissed

By Lightning Kissed By Lightning Last Man on the Moon

AGH Annex 118 James Street North, Hamilton AGH Annex 118 James Street North, Hamilton Collective Arts Brewing 207 Burlington Street East, Hamilton Collective Arts Brewing 207 Burlington Street East, Hamilton Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King Street West, Hamilton Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King Street West, Hamilton Lincoln Alexander Centre 160 King Street East, Hamilton Lincoln Alexander Centre 160 King Street East, Hamilton Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster 771 Golf Links Road, Ancaster Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster 771 Golf Links Road, Ancaster

@TheAGH @TheAGH

#AGHFilmFest #AGHFilmFest

aghfilmfest.com aghfilmfest.com

ONLINE at aghfilmfest.com SINGLE TICKETS: $12 TICKETS ONLINE at aghfilmfest.com SINGLE TICKETS: $12 TICKETS IN PERSON at AGH Annex 10-PACK: $108 & PASSES IN at905.667.6620 AGH Annex 10-PACK: $108 & PASSES BYPERSON PHONE at FILM LOVER PASS: $250 ON SALE!

BY PHONE at 905.667.6620 FILM LOVER PASS: $250 ON SALE! Visit the AGH Film Festival Box Office at the AGH Annex located at 118 James Street North in Hamilton.

Visit the AGH Film Festival Box Office at the AGH Annex located at 118 James Street North in Hamilton.

AGH_URBANICITY_Oct_EventsAd_FP_10.25x14.indd 1

2017-09-26 4:38 PM

AGH_URBANICITY_Oct_EventsAd_FP_10.25x14.indd 1

2017-09-26 4:38 PM

r l o f s nua u n Joi th An r5 u o

craft beer | seasonal fare Thursday, October 19, 2017

6:30 p.m. Tickets $100/ea

Bay City Music Hall, 50 Leander Drive, Hamilton Casual Attire Come hungry for a great evening of locally-harvested food and craft beers from: Collective Arts, Beau’s, Nickel Brook, Wellington, Butcher and the Vegan, Local Restaurant Group (Hambrgr and Fsh & Chp), Nellie James and Karma Candy.

For tickets: 905-529-0770 info@markpreecehouse.ca www.markpreecehouse.ca

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Lion's Lair Competition Awards $180,000+ Setting up businesses with resources and partners in the Hamilton entrepreneurial ecosystem Imagine you have an idea for a brand new business, and it’s a good one - a game changer. You spend months researching the market, planning your business strategy, building a team around you to succeed, and after all that you finally launch and cross your fingers that your clients like what you’re selling. And guess what - they do! You’re reaching your sales targets, growing your team, and enjoying the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

But what about all the other details that go into running a business that might be less familiar, like making sure your service agreements are iron-clad?

Filing your business taxes for the first time? Building a marketing strategy or a sales pipeline? For many startup businesses, these seemingly small details can be overwhelming, both in terms of lacking the basic knowledge to do it themselves, and lacking the capital to invest in a community expert to help them out. So what can small business owners and entrepreneurs do to help bridge that gap? Well if you’re in Hamilton, you’re lucky! We are a community that binds together to support our own, and that doesn’t just apply to individuals - big businesses are coming together to support the next generation, and help them find the tools and services necessary for businesses to succeed.

One of the best examples of this is through the Lion’s Lair competition. Founded 7 years ago through the Innovation Factory and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, this ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch competition brings 10 startup companies together, and helps to accelerate their businesses by setting them up with resources and partners in the Hamilton entrepreneurial ecosystem. Everyone knows that capital is essential to start up a business, but in-kind resources are just as important to achieving success, and this year’s Lion’s Lair prize pool boasts an impressive $180,000+ awarded to the top 10 startups.

Emcee Dr. Nick Bontis addressing a sold out crowd of 550 members of Hamilton’s entrepreneurial community at the Lion’s Lair Gala at Carmen’s Banquet Centre

This year’s grand prize winner, Aiva Labs has created a digital tool helping businesses increase their web engagement by building overlay campaigns.

Second prize winner, Oneiric Hockey developed an innovative, patented, protective base layer apparel for hockey players that allows them to get dressed faster, and provides additional safety features. Third prize winner, Lumago is trying to revolutionize the agricultural industry in Canada with their customizable, expandable, and fully automated aquaponics system for better greenhouse farming, and environmental sustainability. And The Hamilton Award Winner, Dolled Up Desserts is committed to satisfying Hamilton’s sweet tooth, as a gluten-free, vegan baking manufacturer, providing baked goods to local cafes, and a line of drymixes to over 40 retailers.

Runners up included BridesMade, DashMD, Gene Blueprint, HealthyPets. io, HiNT, and Nanophyll.

KPMG generously sponsors a cash prize, as well as a $25,000 in-kind prize towards their services.

One of Lion’s Lair competition partners since its inception is KPMG. Ruth Todd, Partner, KPMG Enterprise and Office Managing Partner, Hamilton and St. Catharine’s, and one of this year’s Lion’s, talks about their longstanding partnership with Innovation Factory, and their support of the competition.

“On top of taxes, we would like to file for the SR&ED tax rebate, as much of our research in both the industrial and lobby-ponics qualifies under this program, however we don’t have the skills or expertise to easily navigate this system“ says Lumago CEO, Melissa Houghton. Lumago is the winner of the KPMG package, which will be essential in closing off their first year of revenue.

“LiON’S LAIR is a great program that fosters and celebrates entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they do and what they have created. It’s a natural fit for our firm. It is such an impressive event that shows how strong and committed the business community is to the future of Hamilton and the next generation of entrepreneurs. When we support entrepreneurs, we all win.”

Orbital, a Hamilton based digital agency is one of the new partners for 2017’s Lion’s Lair competition. They offer a variety of digital services for all sorts of budgets, including startup and large corporate clients.

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2017 Lions Ruth Todd (KPMG), Julie Ellis (Mabels Labels), Michael Macaluso (Carstar) & Dilys DeCruz preparing for a day full of pitches from the top 10 finalists. Pitches were filmed in August, and the winners announced live at the gala September 27th.

“The amazing work done by LiON’s LAIR and Innovation Factory, aligns very closely with our own philosophy.

We are big believers that a community thrives when its members build each other up and support each other.

What’s good for one of us, more often than not, means good for all. It’s exciting to see people in your community succeed – in a way, you almost feel like you’re sharing it with each other. We’re all in this together.” says Nick Tomkin, Director at Orbital.

Kayla Neon from Oneiric hockey is excited by the idea of working with Orbital. “With the Lion’s Lair prize package we believe we can hit our 2017 goals much quicker” says Kayla. “The web design will help push our online marketing efforts” and “we’ll be able to drive earlier commitments from our retail partners in 2017, which in turn will increase our volumes in 2018.”

And of course, with the added influx of capital, businesses can stay and grow in Hamilton. Aiva Labs co-founder Adnan Somani says “The [$20,000] in cash can really help us grow our in-house sales and advertising efforts”. “We’re looking to hire an experienced sales rep to join the AIVA team” he says, “so far the marketing and sales team is just us, and we need some help”.

If you missed this year’s gala on September 27th at Carmen’s Banquet Centre, you can watch it in full on cable14now.com.

Adnan Somani and Sarosha Imtiaz, co-founders of Hamilton based AIVA Labs, the 2017 Lion’s Lair Grande Prize Winners

By Elizabeth Thorsen

She spends her days teaching Hamilton-area startups the art of the pitch, and runs several pitch competitions in the area, including ELEV8, The Synapse Life Science Competition, and Lion’s Lair through her role as Sr. Events & Marketing Manager at Innovation Factory.

When she’s not working with startups, Elizabeth can usually be found at one of Hamilton’s amazing restaurants, watching hockey, or hiking through the escarpment.

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Marilyn Neufeld: A Facilitator Of Change Strategic Choice International and Centre of Excellence for Executive Women Leadership

“It’s not about work-life balance, it’s about life balance.”

Wouldn’t that be nice?

M

arilyn Neufeld aims to help clients find that balance through her coaching at Strategic Choice International (SCI). A Hamilton-based certified Co-Active Coach from the Coaches Training Institute, Marilyn is a specialist in behavioural change. Using her Authentic Leadership Model©, Marilyn coaches clients to determine what they value in life and how to live a life in sync with those values. Whether coaching individuals or leadership teams in large companies and small businesses, Marilyn helps her clients successfully achieve their goals.

SCI began in 1999 leveraging Marilyn’s career successes as a leader in health care across Canada and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in pain management, leading and coordinating change in major teaching hospitals. Her role as an Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences continues to align her strategies in progressive leadership. She started SCI to continue facilitating change by coaching leadership development with keynote speaking, business strategy, and organizational reviews to increase individual and team effectiveness and transform cultures.

A considerable part of her strengthbased coaching is helping clients to thrive on change. Often the steps to reach a goal require change, with the client making several choices to make their change a success. Marilyn helps her clients become confident in these decisions as they move towards positive change in their lives. She may also help clarify goals by always going back to what is important to the client. “People are surprised to find out that the wisdom already lies within you,” explains Marilyn. “Coaching is just uncovering it.” In some cases, Marilyn finds her clients are already living a life in line with their values, and use her coaching to learn that they’ve ultimately made the right choices.

Photos provided by Marilyn neufeld

One of the reasons clients succeed with Marilyn is due largely in part to her approach - client-centric coaching.

While she has developed her own models and techniques, she never forces her methods on the client. It acts as a framework for her coaching, and as such, leads how she handles herself in a session. “Coaching for me is whatever works,” says Marilyn. As she coaches to achieve authenticity, it would not be in line with her model to claim she is

client-focused but act in favour of her own agenda.

After seeing the positive changes in her clients and the value of leadership coaching, Marilyn started the Centre of Excellence for Executive Women Leadership (CEEWL) two years ago.

She read that 36 per cent of leaders in the region were female, but thought, "Where are they? Let’s learn from them!” She set out to start a program, bringing together women from high profile positions in Hamilton to speak and share their wisdom and expertise.

Seeing success after nine months, Marilyn has created CEEWL as a series, where emerging women leaders can come together to learn about themselves, their values, increase their confidence, and increase their competence.

And these women aren’t just inspired they take action. The goal is that these women leaders will lead change projects within their organizations after just a few months.

One of Marilyn’s goals is to encourage her clients to become facilitators of change in their own right, in their workplaces, and in their life. At their request, she wrote a book for the leadership teams she coaches, entitled Coaching for Success - Helping Employees Achieve Strategic and Operational Goals. Once again, Marilyn remains authentic (as per her model) and focuses on her client. “This is the key to success - doing more and thinking of how I can add more value in this situation, for this client, and then do it.” And that’s advice we all can take. Through her actions, Marilyn has shown that “standing in your leadership,” rethinking how you add value, and how you have the power within yourself to make those changes can make all the difference.

By stefani soliman

Stefani Soliman is a social media marketer and freelance editor. She's an avid supporter of local businesses, Canadian-made goods and fashion. Along with her love of dogs, punctuation, and the ‘90s, Stefani is a keen recycler and instrument collector. Tell her a corny joke and you’ll be friends for life. @stefsoliman

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Something’s Brewing In Hamilton A beer sommelier's guide to breweries in the city Let’s take a moment to remember what the Hamilton food and drink scene was like only 5 short years ago. Half the restaurants we have now didn’t exist, and there wasn’t a single beer available in the city that allowed us to proudly say it was “Brewed in Hamilton”.

Oh how the times have changed.

The restaurant scene is booming, thanks to an infusion of new ideas from brilliant chefs and restaurateurs, and just like restaurants Hamilton is now home to one of the fastest growing craft beer scenes in Ontario. The breweries we have produce beers across the spectrum of styles on par with anything in the country. From thirst quenching wheat beers to hoppy IPA’s, you can find them all in Hamilton.

Collective Arts 207 Burlington St E, Hamilton

Merit Brewing

107 James St N, Hamilton

@collectivebrew

@meritbrewing

Fairweather Brewing 5 Ofield Rd Unit #1, Hamilton @fairweatherbeer

The company that kickstarted this brewing renaissance was Collective Arts. Founded by Matt Johnson & Bob Russell in 2013 with the philosophy to merge craft beer and art. Collective Arts took over and rebuilt from the ground up the scorched earth that was left when Labatts abandoned the old Lakeport building on Burlington Street in 2010. Collective Arts brewmaster Ryan Morrow has a record of developing award winning beers and you can see it in the variety they produce. From tart kettle sours like the Prophets & Nomads Gose - a 4.5% ABV (Alcohol

by Volume) sour wheat beer flavoured with Himalayan salt and coriander, to award winning IPA’s like Ransack the Universe which packs a juicy punch.

Collective Arts also have an always evolving IPA Series - #4 coming soon, brewed to showcase a variety of hops and yeast strains.

Merit, custom built from the ground up, is the brainchild of friends Tej Sandhu and Aaron Spinney. Merit opened this spring and has already made their mark with a wonderful selection of rotating styles including a perfect afternoon treat S.V.P. - a French table beer that at only 3% ABV packs a lot of yeast driven flavour that is very approachable. If the success from their August Milkshake Day is any indication, you will continue to see experimental beers from these guys for a long time. Merit is also the only brewery in the city that has a standalone restaurant headed by Jesse Vallins, which turns out house made sausages inspired by flavours from around the world. When it comes to bringing wonderful food, conversation and beer together, Merit has succeeded.

This brings us to Fairweather Brewing which also opened this summer located in the west end of the city on 5 Ofield road. Founded by 3 guys who all have long histories in the industry; Dan Ryan a Chemical Engineer and home brewer, Brent Milcz, and Ram McAllister both graduates of the renowned Niagara College Brewmaster Program.

With a focus on both American and Belgian styles and an always rotating bottle selection these guys have a winning formula. The standout for me has to be their High Grade IPA at 6.6% ABV, it offers amazing floral, pine, and herbal notes while not overpowering the palate. Although it may not be available at the time of this being published there Session Coffee stout brewed with ground Detour Coffee is also perfect on its own or with chocolate cheese cake.

Grain & Grit Beer Co.

11 Ewen Rd, Hamilton @ grainandgritbeer

By Ryan Barath

Founded by Joe and Lindsey Mrav, Joe has taken his passion for home brewing to a new level and together along with brewmaster Alex Sporn they will be focusing on traditional styles with a twist, along with consumer education. Its one thing to enjoy a beer but to understand its history is somethings the Grain & Grit team are passionate to share. I’ve had a sneak peak of a few beers they plan on producing and their brown ale is one that many people are going to gravitate towards.

Ryan is a Certified Beer Sommelier and proud Hamiltonian. He is focused on economic growth and community through his work in the non-profit sector as well as in the Craft Beer industry as a beer educator & tour guide at Collective Arts and beyond. @ RDSBarath

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NOSH Hamilton – Hamilton’s Culinary Week Nosh to your heart’s content during Hamilton’s culinary week, Oct 16th – 22nd

Hamilton has been quietly rebranding ourselves as a culinary city. From being home to the first poke bar, Pokeh, to having nationwide exposure with businesses like Karam Kitchen, to our numerous food-focused events, Hamilton has become a foodie’s heaven.

Amidst all this ever-changing industry fame, comes NOSH week.

To nosh; meaning to eat food enthusiastically or greedily.

Hamilton’s culinary week, better known as NOSH week, enters for it’s second year this October 2017 during National Small Business Week - October 16th to 22nd, to be exact. NOSH week launched with a bang last year, with over 20 events and promotions taking place from businesses across the city. Hamilton Economic Development, the makers of Hamilton’s NOSH week, aim for this year to be even larger, bigger, and better than the last. Plus, the ever-popular Kraken Rum will be title sponsor for NOSH week, meaning the week will most likely be filled with monstrous fun!

On top of all the business promotions, deals and special dishes that many restaurants in the city are coming up with, there are some large events that you won’t want to miss. Some of the bigger events we have to look forward to during this year’s NOSH include: Chef War and NOSH Gives Back.

The excitement surrounding the NOSH Chef War last year was so great, the City of Hamilton will be doing the event all over again, in partnership with and taking place at Carmen’s on the 19th of October. So, how does it work? Ten of the top chefs in the city will battle it out to see who is the ultimate chef, Chopped-style! They’ll be provided with a plethora of pantry and fresh items to cook with, and then given a secret ingredient. A short amount of time afterwards, they’ll have

to show a panel of judges what they’ve concocted. Guests will be able to watch the battle live, see all the behind-thescenes action and enjoy some tasty morsels themselves.

New to the NOSH week scene, is one of their biggest events yet – and one that will give back to the community.

NOSH Gives Back will be an event in partnership with Wesley Urban Ministries, Jonny Blonde, Hambrgr’s/FSH & CHP’s Mike Cipollo and Cake and Loaf.

The restaurants and chefs involved will provide a gourmet fine dining event (dinner) to those using the Wesley Urban Ministries shelter dining hall for the day.

Though those are some of the larger events that the organizers of NOSH Week have planned, there are new and exciting culinary events popping up everyday. Check out the official website for a calendar with all their events.

More information about Hamilton’s NOSH week can be found at http:// noshhamilton.ca With the recent and sudden loss of Hamilton’s beloved Dave Hanley of Pop Up Hamilton, this year’s NOSH week will be dedicated to his memory.

Hamilton Economic Development has also organized the memorial event for October 15th from 2pm-6pm on King William. ‘HamOnt for Hanley’ will honour the man who did so much for the Hamilton community – culinary and otherwise. The organizer, Michael Marini, stated “Dave always wanted a jazz fest on King William, we will give him that.” Restaurants and chefs across the city will donate their time and food to the event, with all proceeds going to the Hanley family. Dave Hanley left a lasting impression on every single person he met, with his smiling face, contagious positivity and overall zest for life. It’s only fit that he should have an event worthy of his legendary magnitude. Mad love, Dave Hanley.

Photos provided by feed THE SOCIAL

By HEATHER PETER

Heather Peter is a restaurant marketer, food industry graphic designer, writer, blogger & avid home-cook. When not out supporting the local food scene, Heather immerses herself into the culinary community. Beyond food, Heather loves tea, animals, & exploring Hamilton’s green spaces. @ hamontsmallfry

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3 Things That Could Help You Feel Amazing A guide to living a healthier lifestyle both physically and mentally I know you. Okay, I suppose I don’t really know you, but I do know one thing: you’d love to feel amazing every single day. You dream of waking up and springing out of bed with ease, going through your day with lots of energy, and still having the bandwidth left at night to spend quality time with your family.

Am I right?

If yes, it’s because this is what most of us desire in our lives. And yet, too many of us seem unable to see those hopes through. At the end of the day, this affects our physical body, our mental outlook, our family, our job… basically, every part of our world.

So, my friend, it’s time to shake things up. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and figure out what’s getting in your way when it comes to living your healthiest life and feeling your absolute best, every single day.

Photos provided by Laura lima

1.

You’re not eating enough fat.

Hold the phone. What? Yup, you read that correctly. You may not be eating enough fat. We need this hugely important food component because it feeds our brain and nervous system and builds healthy, strong cells. Fat also enhances our satisfaction from food and keeps us feeling full longer between meals.

Is there a wrong kind of fat? Oh yeah!

Try to avoid vegetable oils (like canola, soybean and corn oil) as well as margarine. Instead, focus on good fats like butter, eggs, fish, avocados and healing oils like coconut, olive and flax oil.

2.

You’re not spacing your meals out enough.

This reason is twofold.

First: After we eat, our body needs time to break down our food and absorb the nutrients from it. And it takes a lot of energy to do this. If we eat again during

this process, our digestive system will slow down to wait for the incoming food, and only when we finish that food will our digestion be able to efficiently resume once again. This can create a constant fatigued and sluggish feeling throughout the day.

Second: Every time we eat carbohydrates, and to an extent, protein, our pancreas secretes insulin to ensure that our blood sugar level doesn’t get too high. Great, right? Well, yes, if everything is working as it should. The problem is that, for various reasons that we’ll save for another day, insulin often ends up converting some of this sugar into fat, storing it mainly around our abdomen.

The key factor behind this is called “insulin resistance,” which so many of us have to some extent, often without realizing it. The more exposure our cells have to insulin, the more likely they are to become resistant to its effects. And remember, virtually every time we eat (unless we’re only eating fat), an increase in insulin results, perpetuating this cycle.

Aim for 3-5 hours in between meals, snacking only if you’re hungry. Ensure you’re eating enough protein and fat with each meal in order to carry you over to the next.

3.

You’re choosing the wrong “healthy” foods.

Perhaps you’ve been told that they’re healthy, but they’re not. Whatever am I referring to? Those low-calorie, artificially-sweetened bars and other snack foods. Artificial sweeteners, flavours and colours do not serve us; putting these in our body has the potential to slow us down and reduce cell function.

Do not be lured in by the empty promises that oh-so-many labels make; whole, real food is where it’s at.

Another biggie is low-fat dairy products; we need fat to function, and when it’s removed from food, well, bad things happen. The food is digested more quickly, leading to a faster-spiking blood sugar level, which we both now know leads to more insulin production… and this can end in fat storage and low energy. Plus, when fat in foods is removed, flavour follows, so extra sugar and/or other ingredients are added in order to make the food tasty once again.

So, here’s the name of the game: eat fat, space your meals out, and focus on whole, real foods. By doing this, you’ll be feeding your body the right kind of fuel and giving it a chance to use that fuel in the best possible way. This will result in more energy and vitality that will allow you to actually enjoy your days, rather than just “get through them.” And really, this has the power to enhance our happiness and overall enjoyment of life… and who doesn’t want that?!

GO TO real HElifeAnutrition LTH

By laura lima

Laura Lima is a certified holistic nutritionist and founder of Go To Health. She’s armed with a super-passion for helping others achieve their best health ever, and loves making nutrition simple and fun. @ go2hlth

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oc to b e r 2 0 1 7

Scarecrow Saturday OCTOBER 28TH 11 AM TO 3 PM

DOWNTOWN DUNDAS FEATURING FABULOUS SCARECROW CREATIONS Designed by downtown merchants and guests

FREE TREATS, CIDER AND PUMPKIN PIE

At Grafton Square, compliments of the downtown businesses, The Village Bakery and The Horn of Plenty

SIDEWALK SALES

HORSE & TROLLEY RIDES

Pick up at the Collins Brewhouse, 33 King St. W.

SINGIN’ & SWINGIN’ CONCERT

By Jude Johnson & Carl Horton, 11 am Grafton Square

COSTUME PARADE

Meet in costume at 10:45 am at Eccles Auto Service, 121 King St W for a parade to Grafton Square with the Dundas Pipes & Drums

W W W. DO WNTOWNDUNDAS . CA | FR EE PARK ING EVE RY SAT URDAY AND SUNDAY

the fizz

SODAS+SANDWICHES 217 King St E, Hamilton 905-522-SODA(7632) thefizzsandwich@gmail.com

Oktoberfest OCTOBER 5-8, 2017

BLACKFORESTINN.CA 255 KING STREET EAST, ON FERGUSON STREET