Hundreds of people filed through the Hamilton Convention Centre tonight for the in-person City open house regarding the two privately initiated urban boundary expansion applications involved the Elfrida and the White Church Road lands.
It was a non-eventful affair, as these things should be.
Residents filed through, asked questions to the City’s planning, engineering, and transportation staff, and noted their comments of opposition into a comment box.
Many developers’ agents and even a few developers were present. They kept to themselves, wearing nothing identifying them, and quietly observed the room.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark and Ward 11 Clr Mark Tadeson were present. [The expansion and secondary plan applications are within their wards.]
Many people went up to Tadeson to chat. Judging from the conversations, many Mount Hope residents attended tonight.
Clark ended up in a lengthy discussion (over 30 minutes) with a man who introduced himself as owning nine acres of land within the Elfrida area.
Another man joined the first man, and the two told Clark why they felt they should be permitted to develop the land.
Clark shared why he opposes urban boundary expansions.
The conversion was very civil, sometimes with light humour as they exchanged viewpoints.
I listened for a few minutes at the beginning, then a bit before leaving.
Nobody was changing their position, but they genuinely sought to help each other understand their positions.
We need more of that style of dialogue.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: April 14, 2025
Last updated: April 14, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version