Mayor Bob Bratina is adding a military issues consultant and a municipal affairs analyst to his team.
In an email sent to councillors at 2 p.m. today, the mayor said Col. Geordie Elms – an unsuccessful PC candidate in October’s provincial election – will be taking on the military consultant role.
Former city clerk Kevin Christensen will take on the analyst role.
The decision to hire a military analyst is already raising eyebrows at City Hall.
“I’m speechless, which is a rarity for Sam Merulla,” Merulla said. “And I’m going to leave it at that until I have more information.”
Here is the full email from Bratina’s chief of staff, Peggy Chapman:
Dear Council and Staff,
The Mayor’s Office is pleased to announce the addition of two new faces to our team. Beginning in December we will welcome Colonel Geordie Elms as our Military Issues consultant and Kevin Christenson (retired City Clerk) as our Municipal Affairs Analyst. Both gentlemen will be consultants working offsite but depending on their files, will be in contact with your from time to time on behalf of the Mayor's Office projects.
I will send you their biographies and contact information in early December.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or in welcoming them to (or back to) City Hall!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
McMaster Marauders win first ever Vanier Cup
Here’s how it happened.
McMaster got the game’s first turnover when linebacker Aram Eisho stripped Laval running back Sebastien Levesque and Ryan Chmielewski jumped on the loose ball. Quinlan then put together an eight-play, 58-yard drive that almost ended with a major but Quinlan overthrew Bradley Fochesato at the goal line. Instead, Tyler Crapigna settled for a 26-yard field goal and with just over seven minutes to play in the first quarter, Mac led 3-0.
The Marauders used a little special teams trickery to set up their next score, a 14-yard pass from punter Marshall Ferguson to Ben O’Connor setting Mac up at the Laval 36 yard line. Three plays later Crapigna booted it through from 37 and extended the lead to six.
Mac got their second turnover of the first frame when Michael Daly intercepted Laval quarterback Bruno Prudhomme and this time the Marauders cashed in. Quinlan orchestrating a six-play, 60 yard drive that included him hurdling a Laval defender on an 11-yard run. He finished it with a three-yard pass to Matt Peressini and gave Mac a 13-0 lead early in the second stanza.
Quinlan was rolling again on the Marauders next drive, hitting a wide open Mike DiCroce for 38 yards — DiCroce would have scored had he not fallen down. Two plays later Chris Pezzetta rumbled in from 13 yards and gave Mac an improbable 20-0 lead, marking only the second time all year that Laval had given up more than 15 in an entire game.
The Rouge et Or finally got their offence rolling, moving the ball to the Mac 14-yard line. But linebacker Ben D’Aguilar hauled down Prudhomme for a sack and Laval kicker Boris Bede banged his 35-yard attempt of the left upright, keeping the shutout intact.
Quinlan completed 12 straight passes at one point in the second quarter, setting up another Crapigna field goal, this one from 24. The Mac pivot, who attended training camp with CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats this spring, finished the half with 258 yards on 20 of 27 passing and another 58 yards rushing, staking his team to a 23-0 lead.
Laval stormed back in the second half. First Guillaume Riouz returned a punt 62 yards to the house, followed by Fred Plesius intercepting a Quinlan pass and taking it in for a score as well. Less than five minutes had passed in the third and Mac’s lead was 23-14.
Quinlan and DiCroce almost got one of the scores back in a hurry, hooking up on a 101-yard catch and run that would have set a new Vanier Cup record. But the play was negated by an offside. The zebras made a couple more calls against the Mac defence on the next Laval drive — including one that negated a turnover — and Bede hit 18-yard field goal that cut the lead to six.
Mac was threatening on their next drive but Quinlan threw a second interception at the Laval goal line and the Rouge et Or made them pay, putting together a eight-play, 107-yard drive that finished with a 44-yard Levesque touchdown run. Just like that, Lavel led 24-23.
Back came Mac. Quinlan led his team 69-yards in seven plays, with Peressini fighting his way to the end zone from nine yards out, then hauling in a toss for the two-point covert. With just under six to play, Mac led 31-24.
Again, Laval responded, Prudhomme converting a second-and-15 before finishing with a five-yard strike that tied the game at 31.
Quinlan put together another perfect drive, starting on his own seven with 2:08 to go and moving McMaster to the Laval 22 with three seconds to go but Crapigna missed from 30 yards and Laval ran the ball out of the end zone. Overtime.
Mac had the ball to start the extra session — by rule they started from the Laval 35 — and on just the second play from scrimmage, Quinlan hit Fochesato for a 26-yard touchdown, forcing the Rouge et Or to score a major or go home. And so they did. Prudhomme heaved a 33-yard score to Adam Thibault, who juggled but hung on and the game was tied again, this time at 38.
Laval was up next but Steven Vantresca intercepted Prudhomme’s pass and set off for the end zone – if he scores, Mac wins. Several laterals ensued but Laval stopped the Marauders short.
Mac ball, Laval 35. Needing only a field goal to win it, McMaster moved the ball to the Laval 15 and gave Crapigna his shot at redemption. He made no mistake. McMaster 41, Laval 38.
McMaster got the game’s first turnover when linebacker Aram Eisho stripped Laval running back Sebastien Levesque and Ryan Chmielewski jumped on the loose ball. Quinlan then put together an eight-play, 58-yard drive that almost ended with a major but Quinlan overthrew Bradley Fochesato at the goal line. Instead, Tyler Crapigna settled for a 26-yard field goal and with just over seven minutes to play in the first quarter, Mac led 3-0.
The Marauders used a little special teams trickery to set up their next score, a 14-yard pass from punter Marshall Ferguson to Ben O’Connor setting Mac up at the Laval 36 yard line. Three plays later Crapigna booted it through from 37 and extended the lead to six.
Mac got their second turnover of the first frame when Michael Daly intercepted Laval quarterback Bruno Prudhomme and this time the Marauders cashed in. Quinlan orchestrating a six-play, 60 yard drive that included him hurdling a Laval defender on an 11-yard run. He finished it with a three-yard pass to Matt Peressini and gave Mac a 13-0 lead early in the second stanza.
Quinlan was rolling again on the Marauders next drive, hitting a wide open Mike DiCroce for 38 yards — DiCroce would have scored had he not fallen down. Two plays later Chris Pezzetta rumbled in from 13 yards and gave Mac an improbable 20-0 lead, marking only the second time all year that Laval had given up more than 15 in an entire game.
The Rouge et Or finally got their offence rolling, moving the ball to the Mac 14-yard line. But linebacker Ben D’Aguilar hauled down Prudhomme for a sack and Laval kicker Boris Bede banged his 35-yard attempt of the left upright, keeping the shutout intact.
Quinlan completed 12 straight passes at one point in the second quarter, setting up another Crapigna field goal, this one from 24. The Mac pivot, who attended training camp with CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats this spring, finished the half with 258 yards on 20 of 27 passing and another 58 yards rushing, staking his team to a 23-0 lead.
Laval stormed back in the second half. First Guillaume Riouz returned a punt 62 yards to the house, followed by Fred Plesius intercepting a Quinlan pass and taking it in for a score as well. Less than five minutes had passed in the third and Mac’s lead was 23-14.
Quinlan and DiCroce almost got one of the scores back in a hurry, hooking up on a 101-yard catch and run that would have set a new Vanier Cup record. But the play was negated by an offside. The zebras made a couple more calls against the Mac defence on the next Laval drive — including one that negated a turnover — and Bede hit 18-yard field goal that cut the lead to six.
Mac was threatening on their next drive but Quinlan threw a second interception at the Laval goal line and the Rouge et Or made them pay, putting together a eight-play, 107-yard drive that finished with a 44-yard Levesque touchdown run. Just like that, Lavel led 24-23.
Back came Mac. Quinlan led his team 69-yards in seven plays, with Peressini fighting his way to the end zone from nine yards out, then hauling in a toss for the two-point covert. With just under six to play, Mac led 31-24.
Again, Laval responded, Prudhomme converting a second-and-15 before finishing with a five-yard strike that tied the game at 31.
Quinlan put together another perfect drive, starting on his own seven with 2:08 to go and moving McMaster to the Laval 22 with three seconds to go but Crapigna missed from 30 yards and Laval ran the ball out of the end zone. Overtime.
Mac had the ball to start the extra session — by rule they started from the Laval 35 — and on just the second play from scrimmage, Quinlan hit Fochesato for a 26-yard touchdown, forcing the Rouge et Or to score a major or go home. And so they did. Prudhomme heaved a 33-yard score to Adam Thibault, who juggled but hung on and the game was tied again, this time at 38.
Laval was up next but Steven Vantresca intercepted Prudhomme’s pass and set off for the end zone – if he scores, Mac wins. Several laterals ensued but Laval stopped the Marauders short.
Mac ball, Laval 35. Needing only a field goal to win it, McMaster moved the ball to the Laval 15 and gave Crapigna his shot at redemption. He made no mistake. McMaster 41, Laval 38.
Monday, November 21, 2011
PAN AM...... Ssssseeeecrets
Provincial officials are refusing to allow city councillors a glimpse at plans for the Pan Am stadium — unless they agree to keep those details a secret.
Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the province’s arms-length construction agency, said Wednesday that councillors will only be provided information about the three proposals for the Ivor Wynne Stadium rebuild if they sign a confidentiality agreement.
Lloyd Ferguson, co-chair of the city’s Pan Am stadium subcommittee, says he’s uncomfortable about being muzzled by the province — especially since the city is paying $45 million for the project’s construction.
“This is public money. We should have the right to have oversight — we’re the ones being held accountable,” said Ferguson, who spent 30 years in the construction industry before becoming a councillor. “I’m incredibly uneasy about the fact that we can’t talk to them about their estimates, and we can’t talk to them about the design publicly … because we’re spending public money. I’m disappointed in that.”
However, Infrastructure Ontario says confidentiality allows the process to be “competitive and fair.”
“We are protecting taxpayers’ dollars by ensuring the bidders are working on their own design solutions without unwanted influence, and have an equal opportunity to be selected as the developer,” said IO spokesperson Terence Foran. “A bidder’s designs are a significant part of their competitive advantage and cannot be revealed in a fair process.”
IO put out a call for proposals for the Pan Am stadium, a stadium at York University, and the velodrome earlier this year. It has since selected three consortiums, each of which will submit detailed proposals for the design and construction of those venues.
Once IO chooses a design from one of the three shortlisted consortiums, all details will be revealed to the public.
“(IO) will select a consortium, they will select their design, and after they’ve awarded, they will open the drapes and say, ‘Here’s what you’re getting,’” said Ferguson, who intends to sign the confidentiality agreement to view the three designs. “There will be no opportunity to influence it, no opportunity to ask questions about why the design is a certain way — it will be over by the time we see it.”
Foran said the proposal providing “the best value to Ontario taxpayers” will be chosen.
“We want the bidders to come up with the most innovative designs and the most competitive price,” he said.
Gerry Davis, the city’s head of public works, said a group of city staff are privy to all the details of the three proposals and are scrutinizing the process at every step. The eight staffers working on the project are also required to sign confidentiality agreements.
Davis said when the city puts out calls for proposals, the bidding process is open and the details aren’t kept confidential.
“IO’s process is not similar to the city’s process,” Davis said.
Mayor Bob Bratina, who sits on the Pan Am stadium subcommittee, said he’s not concerned by IO’s confidentiality requirements.
“It was a very clear and acceptable explanation of where they are in the process and why confidentiality was required,” said Bratina. “It’s not in political hands right now — it’s in the hands of our staff whom we trust and respect.
“It’s all good — and we’re all excited to see what the outcome will be.”
E.Reilly-THE SPEC
Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the province’s arms-length construction agency, said Wednesday that councillors will only be provided information about the three proposals for the Ivor Wynne Stadium rebuild if they sign a confidentiality agreement.
Lloyd Ferguson, co-chair of the city’s Pan Am stadium subcommittee, says he’s uncomfortable about being muzzled by the province — especially since the city is paying $45 million for the project’s construction.
“This is public money. We should have the right to have oversight — we’re the ones being held accountable,” said Ferguson, who spent 30 years in the construction industry before becoming a councillor. “I’m incredibly uneasy about the fact that we can’t talk to them about their estimates, and we can’t talk to them about the design publicly … because we’re spending public money. I’m disappointed in that.”
However, Infrastructure Ontario says confidentiality allows the process to be “competitive and fair.”
“We are protecting taxpayers’ dollars by ensuring the bidders are working on their own design solutions without unwanted influence, and have an equal opportunity to be selected as the developer,” said IO spokesperson Terence Foran. “A bidder’s designs are a significant part of their competitive advantage and cannot be revealed in a fair process.”
IO put out a call for proposals for the Pan Am stadium, a stadium at York University, and the velodrome earlier this year. It has since selected three consortiums, each of which will submit detailed proposals for the design and construction of those venues.
Once IO chooses a design from one of the three shortlisted consortiums, all details will be revealed to the public.
“(IO) will select a consortium, they will select their design, and after they’ve awarded, they will open the drapes and say, ‘Here’s what you’re getting,’” said Ferguson, who intends to sign the confidentiality agreement to view the three designs. “There will be no opportunity to influence it, no opportunity to ask questions about why the design is a certain way — it will be over by the time we see it.”
Foran said the proposal providing “the best value to Ontario taxpayers” will be chosen.
“We want the bidders to come up with the most innovative designs and the most competitive price,” he said.
Gerry Davis, the city’s head of public works, said a group of city staff are privy to all the details of the three proposals and are scrutinizing the process at every step. The eight staffers working on the project are also required to sign confidentiality agreements.
Davis said when the city puts out calls for proposals, the bidding process is open and the details aren’t kept confidential.
“IO’s process is not similar to the city’s process,” Davis said.
Mayor Bob Bratina, who sits on the Pan Am stadium subcommittee, said he’s not concerned by IO’s confidentiality requirements.
“It was a very clear and acceptable explanation of where they are in the process and why confidentiality was required,” said Bratina. “It’s not in political hands right now — it’s in the hands of our staff whom we trust and respect.
“It’s all good — and we’re all excited to see what the outcome will be.”
E.Reilly-THE SPEC
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The CBC is bringing digital news service to Hamilton
The service will be based in Hamilton and will be an interactive source of current local news, weather, and information on key events.
The tool will be available on the web as well as smartphones and tablet devices.
"Just as CBC was an innovation leader in the earliest days of radio and television, we're continuing to lead the way with this new service that will connect Hamiltonians to their city, their neighbourhood and their country whenever and wherever they are in a way no else is doing in Canada," said Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president for CBC English Services.
The new service is part of CBC’s five-year strategic plan to increase services to regions across Canada.
The Sheepdogs to donate $1 per ticket from the Hamilton Copps Coliseum show for "Movember"
After a change in plans for their Hamilton show — which has been moved to Copps Coliseum on Nov. 26 — the Saskatoon musicians have decided to add a $1 charge to every ticket, which they will donate to Movember.
For the bearded band, a lone moustache will prove to be quite a change from their usual image.
“We really appreciate facial hair. We all have beards, and have had different styles of beards,” Gullen said. “I like how they look. That’s why I’ve had one for as long as I have.”
Gullen said the entire band had talked about potentially sporting moustaches for the month, but Leot offered to do it on the group’s behalf.
With Copps Coliseum being the biggest show on The Sheepdogs’ tour, Gullen said it just made sense for the band to choose that particular date for fundraising.
“There’s going to be more people in attendance,” he said. “That, and it’s right at the end of November as well, so it kind of ties in.”
After an incredibly successful year — The Sheepdogs became first unsigned band ever to make an appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone after winning the magazine’s “Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?” competition — The Sheepdogs have made some alterations to dates on their current tour to accommodate people who have expressed the need for more tickets.
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