I have lived in Hamilton’s…

I have lived in Hamilton’s North End for the past 10 years and am deeply disheartened by how long the original tenants of Jamesville have been displaced — over six years and counting. As a homeowner in the area, I have seen countless buildings get torn down (i.e. Scotiabank at James and Burlington and at James and Ferrie) that remain as holes in the ground meanwhile, our community has struggled with large, often unsafe encampments and a housing crisis. My heart breaks for the people living unhoused, while viable housing solutions remain stalled.

I have followed the updates between the previous EBR posting with CN and the appeals and at this point think it's ridiculous. I lived in Brampton for 15 years and there was houses built in the path of airplane traffic. There were signs entering those communities warning of the noise pollution. As I understand air traffic laws are controlled federally I think that the amount of planes vs. shunting trains is vastly more and the municipality can take some pointers from those communities.

Living in a city comes with noise — it’s part of the reality we accept when we choose urban life. If someone is seeking silence, it’s typically not in a downtown core. There are modern building materials and methods that dramatically improve R-values and soundproofing. Instead of spending public resources processing endless appeals from CN, that money could be far better invested in building resilient infrastructure and housing that meets urban realities.

I fully support this MZO. While I am usually critical of the tool, especially given the way it has been used by this government in the past, in this case, it is warranted. The delays are inexcusable, and action is urgently needed.

Let’s not allow Jamesville to become Hamilton’s version of the Eglinton LRT.