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Maybe Something SticksHow We're Being Mislead to Accept Intensification at the Heart of Grimsby

We said it all along: the motives behind this Secondary Plan had nothing to do with our hospital. Just another “Designed in Grimsby” intensification project by our Planning Department, this time at the core of our town, and packaged as a “must-have”.

Intrigued by the constant and skillful avoidance of our Council to openly discuss with the community the result of any “hospital talks”, we wanted to bring the issue forward directly with Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).

One of the mandates of the “Hospital Corridor Study” is to include all stakeholders in the Request for Proposal. Since there are so many residents concerned about the outcome this Secondary Plan, we asked the consultant to be included in a meeting with HHS, to directly hear and understand HHS’s position on the hospital redevelopment and their requirements from a land-use planning perspective.

We wanted to hear any and all of these plans and expectations directly from the hospital representatives, not filtered by a third-party.

Instead, we received a reply from Alderman Berry, who politely brushed off our request by saying that he will bring up the subject at the next Council meeting - no chance to hear directly from HHS. Indeed, the subject was brought up at the meeting on October 9th, only to have Mayor Bentley reiterating his story of the Province requesting this Study.

However, this article published in this week’s NewsNow, clearly states that neither HHS nor the Province requested this Study.

"This (study) is a Town of Grimsby led initiative to create guidelines for urban development along Main Street East. There is no connection to the MOHLTC"

Lillian Badzinoch, HHS's Senior public relations specialist

If our Council was doing this to “ensure the viability” of our hospital, the very first step should have been obtaining a clear official position from Hamilton Health Sciences, regarding any requirements they might have for the area. Chances are that potential hospital needs around the facility could be built within our zoning by-law, and not requiring another Secondary Plan, where residential development can be sneaked in, then heights and densities easily awarded through bonusing.

If we are to have any hope that the outcome of this Study will benefit our community, and not just serve developers’ interests and political agendas, we need a new Council willing to engage residents in a real dialogue, openly and transparently.