Advertise on podcast: Placeline Hamilton

Hamilton is going from having zero professional hockey teams playing at TD Coliseum to two.  That's a fantastic addition to to the local sports landscape. It seems most everyone is excited about the possibilities, the boost to the market and the jolt to the downtown. But it's also raised some questions about whether both teams will have the same level of success. Bubba O'Neil from CHCH Sports joins Placeline Hamilton to talk about this unique situation and some of the benefits and challenges that'll come from this sudden surge in pucks.

For four decades — including years now as co-host of the morning show — Annette Hamm has worked at CHCH in Hamilton. But the other day she announced she was retiring this summer. A career that long gives someone a chance to see a whole lot of changes within the company and the industry as a whole. It also allows for some insight about where things might be going. Particularly with local TV.  She talks about the past, the present and the future on this episode of Placeline Hamilton. And, yes, she is looking forward to sleeping in.

This is Juno Awards week in Hamilton. There are events and concerts happening all around town, capped by prize ceremonies on the weekend at TD Coliseum. It's a multi-day celebration of the Canadian music industry. Since we're talking about Canadian music, let's ask this brain teaser: Is there a Canadian sound that's easily identifiable? In other words, can you tell a song's Canadian just by hearing it?  Alan Cross is the host of The Ongoing History of New Music podcast and the man behind A Journal of Musical Things. If there's a discussion to be had about music - particularly Canadian music - he's the man with which to have it.  In this episode of Placeline Hamilton we talk to Cross and try to answer those questions, assess the impact of politics in awards voting and figure out whether we're in a golden age of Canadian music right now. Among many other things.

This week we learned that the New York Islanders' American Hockey League team is moving to Hamilton in time for next season. It means a team will be calling this city's downtown arena home for the first time since the Ontario Hockey League Bulldogs were pushed to Brantford a few years ago. But what's it going to take for this to be a success?  There are some things obviously going for it. The fact that many folks are excited about having a team. The fact that it's pro hockey is more appealing to some than junior. The fact that this means some teams that are traditional rivals (the Toronto Marlies and Rochester Americans, to name two) will be visiting after an absence of a few years. But there are also questions. This city doesn't have a historic connection to the Islanders that would provide a built-in, already primed fan base. The baby Islanders haven't been good for a while. What will tickets cost? On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, longtime local hockey executive Don Robertson talks about some of the things going for the new team and a few areas that will require some work.

This week alone, Hamilton's downtown has been in the news for drug issues, problems at the Central Library and even graffiti. Throw in the often-cited concerns about crime, violence and mental health and the city is faced with a massive, ongoing challenge. The police are the front line to all this. So what are they doing to clean it up? Supt. Robin Abbott, the Division 1 commander in charge of the downtown, joins Placeline Hamilton to talk about what officers working in that area are trying to do, are having success doing and simply can't do.

Those in and around the condominium market in Hamilton say these are tough, tough times. The units aren't selling and getting new ones built has become incredibly difficult.  However, with tens of thousands of new residents expected to move to Hamilton in the coming years (and a firm urban boundary that prevents further sprawl) we're almost certainly going to need many more units. What is leading to this stalemate and what is the solution? On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, we talk to three stakeholders in the condo industry to get their perspective on the issues.

Hamilton has a unique culture. There's a great music history (which carries on today), our restaurants have been getting more and more attention, the art gallery is expanding, TV and movie shoots are happening all the time in these parts ... and the list goes on.  What isn't always easy, is knowing how to keep track of it all. Or figuring out how to see the shows you're interested in or catching the events that line up with your passions.  The Spectator's Natalie Paddon has a new way to make that happen. It's called HamiltonLIVE. In this episode of Placeline Hamilton, she explains what it's all about and how it can help you.

Over the past few years, Hamiltonians have seen a number of high-profile and extremely expensive mistakes come out of city hall. There was Sewergate, the Red Hill Creek asphalt situation and the cyber attack. Now we've seen the auditor general issue a scathing report about the tiny homes fiasco that saw the project go way over budget. How is this happening again and again? What's going on at city hall that this could happen? Fred Eisenberger was a city councillor and mayor. He's seen behind the curtain and knows how things work, what checks and balances are in place and how staff works with elected officials. Cities are huge, complicated corporations and mistakes will happen, he says. It's inevitable.  But when they do, how much of the weight of these costly errors should be carried by council? "All of it," he says. And in a strong-mayor-power world where the wearer of the chain of office has unique clout, should the buck ultimately stop with him or her? "Absolutely."

A decade after the Tim Bosma trial, the story continues to horrify and fascinate those in Hamilton who lived through it and followed the case. The tragedy is self-explanatory. A young husband and father took his truck for a test drive with a couple of guys who said they were interested in buying it. But he never came home - they murdered him instead. When news of the other actions of the perpetrators came out, it  somehow made an already ghastly story even worse.  Ten years after the trial, Hamilton Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont – who wrote a piece in the paper looking back at the tale and the participants – joins Placeline Hamilton to talk about the whole thing. She also answers some questions about what's happened since that you probably haven't heard before.

The Art Gallery of Hamilton will soon be expanding to allow for more of its huge collection to be displayed regularly. Its collection is the third-largest in Ontario and worth more than $1 billion. That will likely be a surprise to many around here. Everyone is familiar with the McMichael Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Yet somehow the AGH in our own backyard has flown largely under the radar. Shelley Falconer is CEO of the gallery. Why does she think getting Hamiltonians to become aware of their own gallery has been so challenging? She talks about that, and more, on this episode of Placeline Hamilton.

When the Professional Women's Hockey League brought its Takeover Tour to Hamilton and nearly filled TD Coliseum, a conversation-slash-debate was launched. Oak View Group, which manages the renovated building, has said it will be bringing a hockey team to town. The American Hockey League has always been mentioned. But some now wonder if the PWHL is a better fit. What is the ideal scenario for Hamilton? It comes down to a discussion on a number of points. Men's hockey vs. women's hockey. More dates vs. fewer dates. Ticket prices. Which would feel more meaningful to local fans? And on and on and on … Teri Pecoskie is now managing editor of The Spectator but she covered hockey in town for years prior to that. Don Robertson runs the Dundas Real McCoys but has been involved in all levels of the game in this city over the years. They join Placeline Hamilton to talk about the future of the game here.

It's been roughly three months since Rob Cooper was elected and sworn in as a member of Hamilton city council. That made this the perfect time to chat with him about figuring out how to navigate city hall and talk about the things that frustrate him in his new role. (Hint: at the top of the list is strong-mayor powers) A few more months from now, everything will be old hat to him. Right now, though, the gig is fresh and the eye-opening has just begun. So what are those things that he feels he can do to make a difference and where does he feel his power has been taken from him?

Everybody has a favourite Christmas gift (or Hanukkah, or some other celebration ... we're not leaving anyone out here). So, we here at Placeline Hamilton asked a number of well-known Hamiltonians about their favourite  of all time. Listen as they explain why they remember that gift - in many cases, many years later.

Year after year, EQAO scores show our kids are having a tough time with math. It's a vexing problem for schools and a concerning one for these students' futures. By why is it such an issue? Who's to blame? Is it fixable? Vanessa Vakharia (aka: The Math Guru) is one of Ontario's best math tutors. She talks about what's going on and what can be done. If you're a parent of a kid in school, you're going to want to hear this one.

There are plenty of opinions about what's going on in Hamilton and down at city hall. Placeline Hamilton is a place where you'll hear a variety of them. Including this episode. Kojo Damptey is an instructor at McMaster, an activist in the local community, a musician and has been a political candidate.  With the early draft of the city budget set to be released, he talks about his thoughts on taxes, spending, council, the mayor and even battles between the left and the right. And whether real solutions for the city's problems can be achieved with a council has philosophically divided as the current one seems to be.