Statement by Mike Colyer

I don’t imagine any of you are old enough to remember the streets of Hamilton in the mid 1950’s are you? I remember them well, particularly the intersection of Main and Dundurn. That’s where my father ran the B/A service station on the south west corner, one of 4 stations at that intersection, where I “helped” him on weekends, distributing flyers and keeping the place tidy. There was nothing unusual about that intersection or Main St. in general, they were built many years before and were pretty typical of Hamilton in that era. You can pop down to the library and check out the historical picture collection if you’re curious. Dad had always wanted a business of his own and over the years he had developed a steady clientele and was making a decent living. But that intersection and Main St. in general were struggling to meet the needs of the modern city of the 50’s and weren’t going to work in the future. The age of the automobile was in full flight. Almost every family owned a car, some even had two, Sunday drives were all the rage and kids champed at the bit and pestered their parents to get their licences. Gridlock 50’s style was beginning and the future looked bleak unless something changed. Something did. City council, bravely facing the future, closed the intersection, tore up Main St. and began the process of transforming the city into what you see today. There was strong opposition to the project, of course, which I’m sure you can access through the archives of The Spectator. I was young, but I remember the dinner table talk. Business owners were worried, residents were concerned about the loss of what they held dear and there was lots of “it was good enough for us” resistance and “what about my potholes?” complaints. But the present situation wasn’t good enough and certainly wasn’t going to be good enough for the future and council had the foresight and courage to recognize that. The signs went up, shovels hit the ground and life, our family life for sure, changed. Dad’s business went under as did many others. But dad was too strong to let something like that defeat him, he reinvented himself, changed jobs, put his son through university and reluctantly retired from a job he loved when he was forced out at 80. The result of council’s decision in the 50’s is the Main St. you know today, perfect for the needs of the final half of the 20th century. Times changed, council understood that and adapted in the face of strong opposition.

Times continue to change and the Hamilton of the last century won’t begin to meet the needs of the future. I’m an old guy but I see the future in my children and grandchildren. Worldwide trends see the next generations wanting to live and work in the centre of cities. They are buying and refurbishing shabby houses. They don’t share our love affair with the automobile, preferring bicycles, public transit and, gasp, Uber-like services. They think green, aren’t big on diesel fumes, and worry about the future of our environment. And they form a solid tax base in areas once dependent on huge social service outlays. Business and residential development is following them downtown and changing rundown, money-sucking cores into vibrant, money-producing landscapes. How is council going to respond to this change and to the needs of our children and grandchildren? Are you going to have the courage of your mid-20th century forbearers and adapt or are you going to fight to maintain a status quo that will see Hamilton side-tracked by business, industry and development that will chose locales which have an eye to the future. LRT is ours for the taking and is precisely what is needed, not necessarily for you and me, but for our children and grandchildren and their children. Yes, the process won’t be pretty. There will be disruption, some businesses will fail, others will reinvent themselves and neighbourhoods will change. I’ve seen this before in my lifetime and it will continue to happen over and over. That’s the social history of the world and, like it or not, we can't dig in our heels and stop it. The province is picking up the tab for LRT so they obviously see a bright future for our city. I share their optimism. Do you? I urge you not to drop the ball on this.

Mike Colyer
Queen St. N.

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