(This story appeared originally in August at www.hamiltonjustice.ca)
Here is
some history most of you will know.
In 2001
amalgamation of the City of Hamilton with Ancaster, Dundas Flamborough,
Glanbrook and Stoney Creek took place. The amalgamation resulted in eight
council seats for the 70% of residents living in old Hamilton. Seven council
seats were set up for the 30% percent in the five former suburbs. Sixteen years
later it seems that important council votes support the minority (30%) over the
majority (70%). For example:
*Households
in the former suburbs continue
to pay only
about a third of the transit taxes that residents of the old city pay.
*Harbour cleanup has been delayed. Suburban Councillors (and
then Mayor Bratina) did not support speeding up the cleanup of the Randle Reef.
A proposed meeting with federal and provincial politicians might have done
that.
*Nearly all suburban councillors voted in May to defer a decision on whether
Hamilton wants the billion-dollar provincial investment for Light Rapid Transit
(LRT).
*Suburban councillors (and Terry Whitehead) voted against
looking at the possibility of tolls for “out-of-town” truck traffic on the Red
Hill and Linc expressways.
*The King Street bus-only lane was killed by suburban
councillors and three Hamilton mountain councillors.
*In April 2015 those 7 suburban councillors (along with
Councillor Whitehead) voted to postpone the often delayed ward boundary
review. Fortunately, this vote lost on a
tie.
That tie vote means that there is now an opportunity to
change ward boundaries. Contact your
elected municipal officials to Make Change.
Tell them those boundaries must respect the important democratic
principle of fair representation by population.
*CATCH (Citizens at City Hall)
is a volunteer community group that encourages civic participation in Hamilton. Their articles which were the prime source
for the above can be found at
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