Ward 12: Ancaster candidates look to preserve heritage, improve transportation options

CBC Hamilton asked all candidates running for Hamilton city council to share their priorities and speak to an issue that stands out to them as needing to be addressed in their ward. Their answers are left here in full, with light editing only for spelling/grammar. For the candidates who did not answer the CBC Hamilton questionnaire, information has been drawn from their websites, when possible. All of CBC Hamilton's election coverage can be found here.

Ancaster residents are focused on maintaining the character of their community while accommodating growth,improving transit and pedestrian optionsand routing more traffic on to Highway 403 and off thoroughfares like Wilson Street, according to the candidates looking to replace Lloyd Ferguson in the Ward 12 seat onHamilton city council.

Ten people are vying to fill the spot Ferguson is leaving after 16 years representing the people of Ancaster on council, which followed 10 years on Ancaster town council.

Ferguson was often outspoken about keeping tax increases low and traffic flowing, and was one of the only two councillors to vote against converting Main Street to two-way traffic.

Many of the candidates in this race seem to be taking a different approach, with Craig Cassar, Karl Hanley and Cindy Kaye among those signalling support for improvements such as more bike lanes, sidewalks and transit options in the ward.

Ferguson was also an outlier on council on the urban boundary issue, voting to expand the urban boundary despite a groundswell of opposition, particularly in his ward. (Councillors voted 13-3 against expanding the boundary, in the end.) Many of the candidates this time have expressed the importance of preserving Ancaster's built heritage, but there appears to be a trend toward finding ways to grow within the community's boundaries. Ancaster candidatesCassar, Megg Markettos, Richard Deverson, Robert Baboth and Chuck Alkerton all told CBC Hamilton they support freezing theboundary.

Preserving the community's history is also a prominent theme among candidates most say the coming growth must be done while preserving the built heritage that makes the community unique.

In addition to the former town of Ancaster, Ward 12 also includes some of southwest Flamborough. The area is home to 42,560 residents, making it one of the city's largest by population. It is also home to Redeemer University and part of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

Here's more on the candidates running for Ward 12 councillor:

Chuck Alkerton

Chuck Alkerton, 64, is a retired City of Hamilton employee, most recently as the manager of facilities operation and maintenance for corporate buildings.

Describe one pressing issue facing your ward and what you'd do about it: The traffic congestion on Wilson Street and throughout Ancaster. With Wilson Street being an arterial road, it has approximately 20,000 cars a day on just one lane per direction. Much of this direction is west traffic coming from Hamilton to access Highway 403. My proposal is to finish the Highway 403 westbound ramp from Rousseau Street/Mohawk Road which will redirect approximately 30 per cent of the traffic currently using Wilson Street. This is a new process and the initial phases have commenced but the project has not come to fruition.

Name up to 3 policies you'd put forward or support if elected: 1.Accelerating the process to preserve heritage properties in Ward 12 from Hamilton's built heritage inventory. Assist with the registration procedure to identify those additional properties worthy of being on the built heritage list.

2.I support maintaining area rating and a policy of frugal and sensible spending of tax dollars. I will work towards building responsible city budgets for 2023.

Robert Baboth

Robert Baboth, 62, says he works as a chief financial officer.

Describe one pressing issue facing your ward and what you'd do about it: Development/Growth: These changes will affect our community, but change is unavoidable. Communities such as Ancaster must prepare for the future, so they prosper. Today people and businesses can choose to live and work anywhere. One of the responsibilities of the incoming councillor will be to develop a blueprint for the future with the collaboration and cooperation of its constituents. Creating this vision, we must consider our community's assets such as our agricultural lands, architecture and historical preservation. Any land use plans must be built around protecting these assets. We must realize that not all development is equal. Some development projects can make a community a better place to live. We need development to accommodate our current growth trajectory. I feel the biggest impediment would be shutting out all development out of fear of losing our historical landmarks. Communities can grow by choice or chance. I would engage the Ancaster community for a collaborative approach. I would host a town hall style event for an open dialogue with the developer(s). We need to foster transparency in all discussions.

Name up to 3 policies you'd put forward or support if elected: I would support the Ancaster Community Node Secondary Plan, which states: Secondary Plan is a tool which is used to better understand and identify opportunities and address issues related to land use. The Secondary Plan process helps communities define goals and objectives for how they would like their community to grow and develop.

Secondary Plans provide:

detailed direction for land use, infrastructure, transportation, environmental protection, urban design, or similar matters beyond the general frameworks of the Official Plan; and,

an opportunity to promote new opportunities and maintain compatibility with existing areas.

A Secondary Plan can create a vision for the future and then provide the process for how to get from where you are today to where you want to be in the future.

Craig Cassar

Craig Cassar, 47, works as a supply chain director for Maple Leaf Foods, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Describe one pressing issue facing your ward and what you'd do about it: Growing traffic volume and dangerous streets are a concern for nearly everyone. Residents' lives are at risk on our streets. Current street design prioritizes motorized vehicles at the expense of the safety of our citizens when they are pedestrians and cyclists. There is a lack of contiguous, protected bike lanes within and between neighbourhoods and greatly inadequate public transportation in Ward 12. There has been no meaningful effort on this topic by the previous councillor. The actions I will take are:

1) Support Vision Zero and fully support the staff-recommended Complete Liveable Better Streets plan in Ward 12 and throughout the city, and ensure that modifications are implemented with urgency and efficiency. Modifications to our street design will enable residents at all stages of life and mobility to move effortlessly and safely and to thrive in flourishing, safe, and inclusive neighbourhoods.

2) Collaborate with neighbourhoods to understand their concerns about traffic and speeding and find solutions together.

3) Find creative ways to grow demand and supply of public transportation in Ward 12 at hubs like Redeemer University, the village core, and the Meadowlands.

Name up to 3 policies you'd put forward or support if elected: I will work to ensure development practices throughout Ancaster blend new buildings into our neighbourhoods. In the village core, we must respect the Ancaster Wilson Street Secondary Plan and honour architectural heritage while redeveloping in ways that enhance the lives of residents.

I support the City's Community Energy and Emissions Plan and will work tirelessly to support its mandate of decarbonizing industry, transportation and buildings in Hamilton. I also support the recent decision to create a funded Climate Change office to lead the city's efforts in this area.

I support a frozen urban boundary so that the city may preserve farmland and our natural heritage; prevent further increases in greenhouse gas emissions associated with urban sprawl; and prevent the inevitable tax increases to constituents needed to support the construction and maintenance of additional sprawl infrastructure. The frozen boundary also enables intensification opportunities particularly along the LRT route which creates increased tax revenue per hectare, attracts new business, creates opportunities for affordable housing and enables development of vibrant, walkable communities.

Richard Deverson

Richard Deverson, 71, describes himself as a real estate sales representative.

Describe one pressing issue facing your ward and what you'd do about it: I oppose light rail transit. It will be a catastrophe for Hamilton by clogging up our two main thoroughfares, King Street and Main. Hamilton's traffic problems are not through the city, but rather on the QEW to Toronto. I will try hard to get another eight councillors to vote no when it comes time to sign construction contracts. Whatever the LRT can do, buses can do 1,000 times better including climb the Hamilton Mountain to reach our airport and spur city development. Instead government money should be spent to expand the Toronto Transit Commission subway line further west from the Kipling Terminus.

Name up to 3 policies you'd put forward or support if elected: 1. Stop the LRT and redirect the funds to uses which actually benefit the citizens.

2. Contingency planning to smooth out traffic problems on the LINC, Red Hill Valley Parkway, QEW and Highway 403.

3. Hamilton Street Railway review to increase ridership and right size the vehicles for each route's demand.

Karl Hanley

Karl Hanley worked in manufacturing and distribution in the construction industry before starting a mental wellness business with his wife in Ancaster, according to the websites for his campaign and his business, Daru Therapy Centre.

His platform includes:

• More pedestrian safety features, including adding sidewalks in areas that currently don't have them;
• Additional on-ramps to the highway in Ward 12;
• A by-law that any new construction, or significant renovation to an existing dwelling unit, be required to include rainwater harvesting systems; and
• Requiring solar panels on highrise buildings.

William Robert Hume

William Robert Hume was a Ward 4 councillor in Flamborough before its amalgamation to Hamilton. He did not respond to CBC Hamilton's survey and does not appear to have a campaign website.

Cindy Kaye

Cindy Kaye did not answer CBC Hamilton's questionnaire.

She says she is a proud Hamiltontonian who is raising two daughters in Ward 12 with her husband. She works on a trade publication for the Ontario Home Builders' Association, Ontario Home Builder Magazine.

Among the platform planks on her website are:

• Growing the downtown Ancaster Village while maintaining and enhancing our unique community's history;
• Ensuring our roads are safe with added crosswalks and sidewalks, with clearly designated bike lanes; and
• Introducing energy efficient building practices when planning our communities for a sustainable future.

Megg Markettos

Megg Markettos, 46, is a marketing and development manager at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Describe one pressing issue facing your ward and what you'd do about it: Development is a pressing issue in most areas as the province is mandating growth and we need to embrace it in some capacity.In Ward 12, we are bordered on many edges by our urban growth boundary which we need to respect, which ultimately means we need to develop where we already have infrastructure established while respecting the needs of existing residents, parking, traffic and heritage. Many communities in the province are voting against all development projects which land in the Ontario Land Tribunal and ultimately the developers get what they were asking for, fully. I am committed to working with developers so as to keep projects out of the OLT, saving residents tax dollars and maintaining control of the development in our communities.

Name up to 3 policies you'd put forward or support if elected: Diversity, equity and inclusion audit and work for city hall and city council so as to truly understand the diverse needs of our community and move forward supporting all in meaningful ways. This will lead to human rights policies that are inclusive of all. City council has not been diverse and if it continues to lack diversity this will be especially critical, however even with a more diverse council, the need to dive deep into what has historically led decisions for our city is critical.

Affordable and creative housing is critical in Hamilton. Working to reduce houselessness through creating policies and thinking outside the box to ensure that more Hamiltonians are given the opportunity to have a roof over their heads. Looking at rent-to-own options, communal living that brings young and older generations together are but two ideas as to how we can support those in need and also add more intergenerational living.

Business attraction policies will fuel the economy of Hamilton. Without business we do not have a community and it is imperative that we modify existing policies to both attract business but also make it easier for them to become established here and to grow.

Robert Maton

Robert Maton did not answer CBC Hamilton's questions and does not appear to have a campaign website. He is founder of the Ancaster Heritage Committee and has criticized former councillor Lloyd Ferguson on the opinion page of the Hamilton Spectator in relation to heritage preservation issues.

"My wife Sandy and I have lived in Ancaster now for 20 years, and we just love our neighbourhood and the community," states his biography on the committee's website. "Ancaster has been a wonderful home for us, and we want to preserve and even make better the quality of life we all share here in the village and in the township."

Pamela Mitchell

Pamela Mitchell did not fill-outCBC Hamilton's questionnaireand does not appear to have a campaign website.She did howeversend an email to CBC Hamilton that said she wanted to ensure no seniors were homeless, to provide free bus service on holidays, better DARTS service, free dog tags from veterinarian, and better bus service out to Ancaster on Sundays. She also said she was against the LRT and, in a phone call, spokeoutagainst evictions, saying she was facing one herself.

Mitchell ran in the 2018 election for the Dundas council seat, at that time criticizing Coun. Arlene VanderBeek for approving the sale of an unassumed laneway that connected a school to a day care centre. A developer who's done city work bought it for $2. Some 300 residents marched in protest."The alleyway, Arlene?" Mitchell said at a 2018 election event. "Naughty, naughty, naughty."

School board trustees

Public school candidates:

• Amanda Fehrman
• Tom Patterson

Catholic school candidates

• Phil Homerski
• Ricky Tavares
  

For more of CBC Hamilton's election coverage:

• Hamilton mayoral candidate interview: Bob Bratina
• Opinion: Hamilton candidates set a new bar for community engagement. I hope that's a sign of what's to come
• Hamilton police investigating after Andrea Horwath sign vandalized with 'misogynistic' and 'violent' imagery
• How to vote in Hamilton's 2022 municipal election