The public information session last Friday regarding the planned Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub at 276 Aberdeen Avenue was, in my estimation, “the best flowing and best crowd I have ever experienced in a public forum with over 50 people.”
I was very pleasantly surprised the meeting went well, given the topic and serious organizational deficiencies present at the meeting.
The ‘audio system’ consisted of two low-quality microphones and a pair of pocket computer speakers attached to a laptop. The sound was terrible. Furthermore, the backyard of 276 Aberdeen Avenue could not accommodate the over 100 people who attended in person, requiring most attendees to stand in the rain.
A few people subsequently asked what factors created the conditions for a successful meeting.
Here are my thoughts in response to those questions.
- The Deficient Organization Forced People to Be Silent to Hear: To say it was difficult to hear would be an understatement. In hindsight, the fact that people had to be as silent as possible simply to catch any of the speakers may have been foundational to the lack of disruptions or heckling during the meeting.
- People Don’t Want to Go Viral for the Wrong Reasons – We live in an age of viral clips. There is a saying from the peak of Twitter: “Twitter has a main character each day, and your goal is not to be it.” People have become more thoughtful about their public statements in recent years. Many recall the ridiculous claim by East York residents that a parking lot was “the heart of the community.” There is no longer much constituency for bare-faced NIMBYism.
- Attendees Know Their Neighbours – The geography and affluence of Kirkendall mean there are plenty of third places in which neighbours cross paths and get to know each other. The HAAA grounds are a park perfectly sized to offer amenities for all ages, yet small enough that every user of the park crosses paths with every other user. Locke Street offers coffee shops and a farmers’ market on Saturdays. The lack of parking at these amenities means people walk the neighbourhood. Everyone at the consultation knew and understood there would be an element of community accountability for any socially undesirable behaviour.
- There’s a Shift Back to Civility, Crowds Choose to Not Be Manipulated – Town halls appear to be returning as part of the local political process. In recent months, I have attended open, unfiltered town halls hosted by rookie Conservative MPP Monica Ciriello, rookie Liberal MP Aslam Rana, and three of Mayor Andrea Horwath’s budget town halls. The vast majority of questions asked at these events were thoughtful, honest attempts to dialogue and receive answers. Friday evening was no different.
Friday evening’s open house included individuals attempting to emotionally arouse a mob, on each side of the issue. Those in favour of Supervised Consumption Sites and the HART Hub chose to not be aroused when the first emotional speech occurred, and similarly, when the one person who tried to argue the service should be downtown attempted to arouse his side, those opposed did not take the bait.
Some PostScript
When I worked for Maclean’s in 2007, 2008, and 2009, I routinely covered public forums and meetings across Southern Ontario. There were student housing meetings in London, Ontario, and there was a student union congress in Ottawa that got out of hand.
I vividly recollect the tensions, the yelling, and the embarrassing displays of behaviour at a special meeting of Oshawa City Council on February 11, 2008. The size of the audience was so large that the meeting was held at a Polish Veteran’s Hall instead of inside City Hall. My recollections include the head of municipal by-law enforcement attempting to remove people he did not agree with, citing fire-code capacity; yelling between different groups, ridiculous hyperbolic posters and signs, and decorum issues on Council stage.
In 2009, there was an event at McMaster related to the conflict surrounding “Israeli Apartheid Week” that became a shouting match in the student center atrium. I received a legal threat regarding one of my photos. [Maclean’s lawyer dealt with the paperwork, and my editors made the photo more predominant on the website.]
In recent times, there was the fall 2023 North End HATS during which I was assaulted by a group of people trying to steal my smartphone, the meeting was cancelled, and hot heads ruled the day. One person was charged by Hamilton Police following these incidents. I was informed because the person’s bail conditions included not contacting me. Hamilton Police decided to not publicize the arrest. As a potential witness, I was unable to report at the time. The matter was settled with a peace bond.
I am relieved by this recent shift in crowd dynamics. I am optimistic that town halls are returning as part of our local democracy.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: October 21, 2025
Last updated: October 21, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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v. 1.0.0 original version