State of the City 2008
Mayor Fred Eisenberger’s State of the City Breakfast Presented to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Waterfront Banquet Centre, Hamilton ON. Tuesday 23rd September 2008, 7.45 am
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Good morning. I’m happy to be here because it gives me a chance to thank all of you. For that warm welcome, of course, but also for what you do. As our city’s business leaders, you make the investments, and take the chances, that keep our city moving forward.
Sometimes we’re so focused on attracting new business that we fail to appreciate the entrepreneurs we have. So, on behalf of all the people of Hamilton: Thank You, for the jobs you create, for our city and our families. My wife Diane took this gratitude a step further this morning. She wants to nominate you for a place in the Hamilton Hall of Fame… simply for getting up so early to hear one of my speeches. She said: “Honey, we’ve been married for 29 years, and I love you, but even I don’t want to hear much from you before 9 a.m.” As someone once said: “Who needs humility, when you have family?”
But all kidding aside, I do thank you for being here today, and I especially thank the Chamber of Commerce for this annual opportunity…. I want to talk to you today about our city… and its future… But first, I’m going to talk about something that hasn’t changed, in the nearly 50 years I’ve lived here. And that’s the spirit of our people. That’s what made me want this job. And it’s what drives me now that I have it.
The soul of Hamilton resides not in our city’s official plan, or its budget… It lives in the Barton Street business person who mentors a student…..the teenager from Cathedral who delivers Meals on Wheels… the senior who coaches two hockey teams at Chedoke, and manages a third over at Mountain Arena. It lives in the McMaster medical researcher who pursues a cure…. The teacher who sees beyond where a child comes from, to where he can go… The police officer or firefighter who puts him or herself in harm’s way… And it lives in the neighbour… who has always been there for you and your family. I was thinking about this last week, when people talked about our friend Ron Lancaster, and how he felt at home here, because our people are hard working, friendly, and down to earth – like Ronnie was. We don’t boast a lot. The typical Hamiltonian has a self-deprecating streak wider than the QEW. But we know who we are.
My family moved here, immigrants from Amsterdam, when I was a little, awkward kid, with a funny accent. I remember my first day of school, at St. Joseph’s School on Locke St.. It was Grade one. Sister Elizabeth wanted all eyes on the blackboard, and the lesson she was teaching. But I was eyeing the door. I was fast, but Sister Elizabeth Even in a full habit, I figure she ran a 4.5 forty. She would have made a tremendous wide-out for the Tiger-Cats. After that was repeated a few times, they made my brother Harry, who was in Grade two, sit beside me in Grade one, to ensure I’d stay put. To this day, he complains that he’s a year behind in life, because of me. I learned a few lessons from that – lessons that have been reinforced for me, thousands of times since then. You can’t run away from your challenges. You face them. And the best way to overcome them is… together. That’s the philosophy I bring to my work as Mayor.
Like so many other cities built on manufacturing, we face some challenges. We are awash in change – changing technologies, free trade, a truly global economy. But we can overcome these challenges, and build a future worthy of our people, if we work hard…if we work smart and, most of all, if we work together. City Council has put forward a vision for our city. The best place in Canada to raise your kids, to develop new and innovative ways of doing things, to feel a sense of community, and to find opportunity in a wide variety of fields.
If that sounds a little lofty to you, consider just some of what we have going for us:
• Tremendous architecture that attracts movie shoots from around the continent
• The beauty of our escarpment – recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
• The grandeur of Lake Ontario
• Modern transportation links that include a port, airport, roads, rail and, in the near future, Light Rail Transit.
• One of the world’s great universities. Some of the world’s greatest hospitals.
• Proximity to Canada’s most populous city to the east and North America’s wealthiest market, to the south.
• And affordability that you can’t find in either Toronto or New York.
In fact, Glen Murray, the president of the Canadian Urban Institute, recently told the Spec that we have so much potential, there’s nothing stopping Hamilton from being the economic powerhouse of the country. To a cynic, that may sound like hyperbole. But to me, and I hope to you, it sounds like opportunity. Our opportunity. Together, we have developed a plan to seize this opportunity. And we’re making real progress on that plan. To attract new business, and new investment, we need to do a much better job of telling our story to the world. That’s why city council has added an additional $1.5 million to the economic development budget. That’s the single largest investment in more than 20 years in our economic development.
To give new business every chance to succeed, we need to speed approvals and cut red tape. Last year, we processed a typical development application in an average of five months. Faster than Burlington, twice as fast as Brampton, and three times faster than Toronto. Building permits are up 25% from the same time last year – and last year was a record setting year.
Two of our largest employers – Arcelor-Mital-Dofasco and U.S. Steel Canada are both investing again in their operations. With the completion of the Redhill Parkway, businesses that rely on our transportation network are telling us their trucks are getting in an hour earlier.
We are also investing in public transit, with the largest transit fleet purchase in HSR history. We need to rediscover, reclaim and re-invigorate the jewels all around us. That’s why I’m so proud that we’re cleaning up the Randle Reef… and, working with LIUNA, to rehabilitate the Lister building in downtown Hamilton. We are making progress, and Canadians are taking notice!
Just recently Canadian Business Magazine rated us seventh in the ranking of best cities in Canada in which to do business. Progress like this doesn’t happen without the work of a lot of talented people. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the dedicated men and women who work in our Hamilton Public Service. On a daily basis I continue to be impressed by the commitment of our staff to the people of Hamilton. I am grateful to them and all of you for the start we’ve had.
And I am happy to report we’re on track. But I’m not content. Far from it. For we have much more to do, together. We must innovate – develop the leading edge products and processes the world is looking for. That’s why we should all be so proud of the construction of the McMaster Innovation Park and the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute. And we have to seize the opportunity created by the worldwide shortage of skilled workers ..
Which is why I was so pleased to be at my alma mater a few weeks ago, as Mohawk College received funding for the Gerald Marshall Transportation Centre. It is the final phase of Mohawk’s $24M STARRT Institute for Skilled Trades & Apprenticeship Research, Resources and Training. Mohawk will now welcome 870 trades and 3,650 apprenticeship students to its multiple campuses thanks to the much needed expansion. .
We must realize that today’s prosperous cities are hubs of human endeavour – exciting places that create the kind of buzz that attracts people and investment. And that’s why we must accelerate the boom in our arts community. From the James Street North Art Crawl to the opening of a new Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts facility – the renaissance of the arts in Hamilton is one of the surest signs yet of our revival.
The world is going green, and the cities that get there first, can market their expertise to the world. That’s why we need to develop and attract green business like Clean Field Energy in Ancaster, makers of wind turbines. That’s why we have led by example by having one of the largest hybrid municipal fleets in Canada and, in 2008, for the first time in our history, we have a Corporate Energy Policy that aims to lower our energy-intensity at City-owned facilities by 20 percent by 2020. And yes, that is why we passed an anti-idling by-law to help make our air cleaner. That’s why I recently participated in a three city tour – looking at how Light Rail Transit is working in different places. And I was very impressed. Light Rail is transformational – it’s about rejuvenating a city, promoting growth and re-urbanization. What I saw was four and 5 story condo buildings being constructed, and offices filling up, along every LRT line I saw. What I felt was a real sense of optimism, ownership, and pride in the systems these cities had built. A Light Rail Transit system is becoming a staple of a modern city – and it’s something our city needs and deserves. I will continue to make it clear to all governments, at all levels, that this is not just another bedroom community of the GTA.
This is Hamilton, proud and independent, with different priorities and different goals. And we should be treated as the unique community we are. That, too, is my message to the candidates in the current federal election. If you want our votes, you had better address our issues, and commit to our unique, local priorities. And you had better move to fulfill the commitments you have already made. I want the Prime Minister and the leaders of all the parties to know about the tremendous potential we have here in Hamilton. I’m talking about brown fields that can be turned into green jobs… vacant space we can transform into lofts where people can live, work and create……and neighbourhoods where emerging businesses and non-profit organizations can find an affordable home, without sacrificing access to big markets. We can reach our goals much faster, with true partnership from Ottawa, as well as Queen’s Park. But make no mistake about it: yes, we will reach our goals. We know what to do. In fact, we have started to do it.
And that brings me back to the point I want to leave you with today: How we can do it. You understand: Council and I can’t do this alone. We can only do this together. Mohawk College President Mary Lynn West-Moynes put it well last Spring, at the economic summit. She said, and I quote: “The old way was to let council do it all by itself and then sit back and take shots at it. That doesn’t work anymore.”
Our new Jobs Prosperity Collaborative includes civic leaders from every walk of life – banking, manufacturing, social services, health care - and we want you to be a part of it, too. We need your input. We need your ideas. The world has never been more competitive. We’re fighting for jobs and investment, not only with the megacity down the highway, and the superpower south of the border, but with cities and nation states - emerging giants like India and China.
We need to stick together. We need everyone. And that includes our young people, who are today reinvigorating things like the United Way and the Art Gallery, and newcomers to our city, who deserve a new settlement strategy, that we’re working on right now.
As I’ve said time and again, the keys to our success are the 3C’s - collaboration, cooperation and consensus. There’s one more C – and that’s confidence. Each of us has a choice. You can be a cynic, and squelch confidence. Or you can promote our city, and build it. Be positive. Be an ambassador for our city. I know you believe in Hamilton. That’s why you’re here. I’m asking you to champion it. Ladies and Gentlemen: If we do this… if we work hard, stick together, and go forward with confidence… If we follow our plan, and build on the progress we’ve made already… There’s no doubt in my mind: We will build a future … bright enough for our children and their children. We will build a city that’s respected across the country…that’s envied around the world…… We will build a Hamilton…that is truly worthy of our people. Thank you. -30-
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