Environment
A Letter to city council regarding the Pan Am Stadium
Dear Mayor Fred and members of Hamilton City Council,
Hamilton is at a crossroads in its history. You, our elected officials, have been given the driver’s seat on our behalf. The decisions you make will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for years – long after you all leave office. For this reason, [...]
Lost+Found Landscapes: Barton Reservoir
By John Terpstra
A giant serving dish, an oval wok, its interior surface lined with rocks, is balanced on the side of the escarpment. The rocks are flat but irregular, as though this scoop, this open palm of rough cobble is a portion of escarpment face laid flat as opposed to standing vertical.
Barton Reservoir is a [...]
Local landscapes inspire artists
By Kathy Bainas
Botanist, landscape designer and native plant expert, Paul O’Hara, discovers inspiring stories about the land through observing habitat.
“Hanging out in the woods, that’s how it started. Growing up in Oakville in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the heyday of suburban housing development, made an impression. You get into your formative years and start [...]
Native landscapes inspire local artists
By Kathy Bainas
Botanist, landscape designer and native plant expert, Paul O’Hara, discovers inspiring stories about the land through observing habitat.
“Hanging out in the woods, that’s how it started. Growing up in Oakville in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the heyday of suburban housing development, made an impression. You get into your formative years and start [...]
John Terpstra – Hamilton as place
John Terpstra’s newest book, Skin Boat – Acts of faith and other navigations(Gaspereau Press) offers frank reflection on faith and church in a secular era. His 2002 book, Falling Into Place is a creative investigation of the Iroquois Bar – a giant glacial sandbar which lies beneath one of Canada’s busiest transportation corridors. We asked John about the local place names that intrigue, inspire and puzzle him.
From earth to table : an interview
By Karen Burson
Jeff Crump, Executive Chef of the Ancaster Old Mill, is one of my favourite people to interview. He doesn’t indulge in airs and graces. He doesn’t strut about, festooned with medals, nose in the air, but is casual, gracious and welcoming. He offers me a taste of his latest dish (gnudis – a [...]
Spring DIY projects for the ambitious neighbour
By Marya Folinsbee
Part of the emptiness of urban life in this culture is a sense that we don’t have a say in what our streets look like – the channels through which urban design is implemented are bureaucratic, unaccountable, and fail to include all the diverse voices affected. Most importantly, they’re uninspiring. Road [...]
Q&A: The city chicken debate with Yuki Hayashi
By Karen Burson
Hamilton’s Yuki Hayashi made headlines last fall when animal control responded to a call that she was keeping a trio of chickens in her backyard. The birds were moved to a farm in Caledon, but the issue’s not going away so easily. Karen Burson’s interview with Hayashi follows…
H – What was the [...]
Environment Hamilton – Walk this way
By Amy Kenny
Earlier this year, Environment Hamilton conducted a walkability assessment of the Kirdendall community. With the help of area residents, EH pounded over 80% of the neighbourhood’s pavement and made a list of every impediment to pedestrians and cyclists; from faded paint on crosswalks, to bridges in need of repair, to crumbling curbs, to [...]
Water conservation – Go with the flow
By Sean Burak
Like most people, I rarely gave a second thought to the water that came out of my faucet. It was always there when I needed it, so why should I worry about it? My attitude changed after I returned from a cycling expedition to the Yukon. In fact, I can pinpoint the [...]
