The next Pan-American Games are set for 2015, and will be held in the Toronto/Hamilton area. I haven’t really kept up on which events are being held where but, as I understand, some events will be held in Toronto, and some in Hamilton. The reason I know about it now is because of the protracted debate lately over the stadium to be built on Hamilton in preparation for some events.
The city of Hamilton is divided into upper and lower “mountain.” To the first, mostly Scottish settlers, the approximately 135 foot escarpment looked like a mountain. The first settlements were in the lower mountain area next to the bay. When prosperity smiled upon some of the lower mountain residents, they purchased land on the upper mountain, and built their cottages up there. The upper mountain came to reflect affluence.
The upper mountain, where the hubby and I live, has changed much since that time. West Mountain still has many of those cottages which have since been turned into houses. But from Central Mountain eastward, there are a high number of condo townhouse complexes. The first two years after we moved here eight years ago, the city replaced the sewer pipes to handle the higher population. Many of the pipes were still from the original cottage-building era, and there were increasing incidents of sewer backups, particularly on the west mountain. So, although the downtown has sections of poverty, there truly is little difference in overall affluence between the upper and lower mountain, yet the stereotypes persist. And those stereotypes factored into the stadium debate.
There were two proposed sites for the stadium – one in lower west Hamilton, and the other in upper east Hamilton. The upper location had more space for a larger stadium and parking. But the lower Hamilton location was closer to the train system, connecting it to potential fans from Niagara and Toronto. The “Hamilton Street Rail” (HSR) system – the transit system – is not adequate at the best of times, but to get fans from lower Hamilton to the stadium by transit would take a very long time, or be altogether impossible. The debate was heated, but finally the vote confirmed the lower Hamilton site for the new stadium.
Seems like everything is settled, doesn’t it? One of the parties with a stake in this stadium after the Pan-Am games is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats – the Canadian Football League team that has been in Hamilton for 141 years. Which stadium location did they prefer? The East Mountain. They have played at Ivor Wynne stadium in downtown Hamilton for many years, but their lease is up at the end of 2011. The Ticats were looking for a new stadium, and this seemed perfect. However, since city council voted for the lower location, they’ve pulled out. They say they will move the football franchise to another city. Hamilton football fans are a die-hard lot. The Ticats record has been abysmal for a number of years now, and yet their motto for this year is something like, “this is our year.” Their record so far this season is 2-4. Their “year” for what? This announcement is not going over well.
The mayor seems confident this is just a ploy by the Ticat management and they can be talked out of leaving. If they can’t, however, the stadium will be built, an expensive venture, with no permanent tenant afterward. Reconciliation. Is it possible? Will the Tiger Cats stay in Hamilton? Can bridges be built? What troubles me more is the continuing separation caused by old stereotypes of upper and lower city dwellers. Some of the commentary I read on blogs and Facebook did not comfort me that these stereotypes will die any time soon. And that is sad.
Until next time, as much as you are able, be at peace with one another…
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