Fredconnect August 2009
Dear Friends:
I would like to share with you the latest edition of "fredconnect" - my enewsletter. For more news and information from the Mayor’s Office, I invite you to explore my website, www.mayorfred.ca.
Mayor About Town
One of the greatest privileges of being Mayor is the regular opportunity to connect with Hamiltonians from across the city. From meeting with Hamilton's top employers to rallying with Hamiltonians to bring the NHL to the Hammer, the link below will take you to a slide show of some of the event I have recently been part of.
Cranespotting
With so many great infrastructure projects underway, Summer 2009 is a great time to go Cranespotting in Hamilton. From Hospital expansions, to the Innovation Park, to James Street North, our city’s renewal is happening before out eyes. Check out this short video tour.
Count Me in Ontario
Help Make Hamilton a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier Community
The City of Hamilton in conjunction with Horizon Utilities, encourages you to participate in the Count Me In! Community Challenge (formerly known as the Blackout Challenge) on Friday, August 14th 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to decrease their energy consumption by making small changes such as turning off lights or air conditioning. The energy saved will be measured against competing cities in Ontario, the winner will be announced at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in August.
Hamiltonians are also encouraged to count themselves in via an online pledge (www.countmeinontario.ca) and to choose how they will conserve from a list of 100 energy saving ideas. Collectively, these steps save energy and money, reduce greenhouse emissions and contribute to a cleaner, greener, healthier community.
To encourage more pledges I will be at the Farmers’ Market in Jackson Square on Thursday, August 6th from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. registering people for Count Me In! When you pledge you have the chance to win one of three grand prizes including a suite of appliances, a LG TV and daily cash prizes.
Blueprint for the NEXT Hamilton
City Council has passed the first urban Official Plan for the City of Hamilton since amalgamation. This was the culmination of a long process that required the former six municipal plans to be merged into one consistent document. As Mayor, I congratulate staff on all their hard work as the new Official Plan will effectively help transition our city to become what I often call, the NEXT Hamilton - the Hamilton of tomorrow.
The Official Plan is a very important document. It is the blueprint for the future growth of our City. It outlines when, where and how we will grow and it speaks to the values of our community: quality of life, economic opportunity, and sustainable development.
Just as the current reality of our City is a product of the direction of previous decades, the Hamilton of tomorrow will be a product of the direction we start traveling in today. In this respect, I think that in a number of ways we are changing course and heading in the right direction.
Click here to read the Mayor’s full opinion article on the Official Plan.
Arts and Culture
Arts and culture are an important fabric of our community’s and a key to its future. The importance of creative professionals in enhance our city’s vibrancy and reputation cannot be under-estimated. We need to help build on their tremendous success. From the AGH, and HPO to James Street North and the Imperial Cotton Centre, the arts are helping to transform our city.
This Spring, I worked with our Economic Development staff to organize a Culture Cluster Stakeholder Group where we discussed the importance of the arts of Hamilton’s economic future. It was the start of a discussion that will expand to include as many creative professionals as are interested. The result will be a new cultural industries cluster in our updated Economic Development Strategy – making the arts a top priority in Hamilton’s future.
While this is great news, the arts are far more than just about plans and priorities, they are about life and culture in the community – One of the reasons we all choose to live here. I encourage everyone to experience the diversity of what Hamilton artists have to offer – It is truly one of the best glimpses of the NEXT Hamilton.
Special Council Approves Flood Funding
Hamilton City Council recently approved the the activation of the City's Residential Municipal Disaster Relief Assistance Program for Basement Flooding for residents who experienced basement flooding on July 26, 2009. The program provides a grant of up to $1,000 to assist residential property owners and tenants with certain expenses (eg: insurance deductible, cleaning, essential furnishings and appliances) related to basement flooding. If you are interested in receiving an application for a grant, please contact the grant hotline at 905-667-3157 and an application will be mailed to you. Please call soon as the deadline for submitting your application is December 4, 2009.
We want your feedback!
We are always interested in your thoughts on improving this newsletter. Please send us your feedback on things you would like added to this e-mailing. You can email comments to mayorfred@hamilton.ca
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Mayor's Priorities
