Placeline Hamilton

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."