Placeline Hamilton

Hamilton is going from having zero professional hockey teams playing at TD Coliseum to two.  That's a fantastic addition to to the local sports landscape. It seems most everyone is excited about the possibilities, the boost to the market and the jolt to the downtown. But it's also raised some questions about whether both teams will have the same level of success. Bubba O'Neil from CHCH Sports join...

For four decades — including years now as co-host of the morning show — Annette Hamm has worked at CHCH in Hamilton. But the other day she announced she was retiring this summer. A career that long gives someone a chance to see a whole lot of changes within the company and the industry as a whole. It also allows for some insight about where things might be going. Particularly with local TV.  She t...

This is Juno Awards week in Hamilton. There are events and concerts happening all around town, capped by prize ceremonies on the weekend at TD Coliseum. It's a multi-day celebration of the Canadian music industry. Since we're talking about Canadian music, let's ask this brain teaser: Is there a Canadian sound that's easily identifiable? In other words, can you tell a song's Canadian just by hearin...

This week we learned that the New York Islanders' American Hockey League team is moving to Hamilton in time for next season. It means a team will be calling this city's downtown arena home for the first time since the Ontario Hockey League Bulldogs were pushed to Brantford a few years ago. But what's it going to take for this to be a success?  There are some things obviously going for it. The fact...

This week alone, Hamilton's downtown has been in the news for drug issues, problems at the Central Library and even graffiti. Throw in the often-cited concerns about crime, violence and mental health and the city is faced with a massive, ongoing challenge. The police are the front line to all this. So what are they doing to clean it up? Supt. Robin Abbott, the Division 1 commander in charge of the...

Those in and around the condominium market in Hamilton say these are tough, tough times. The units aren't selling and getting new ones built has become incredibly difficult.  However, with tens of thousands of new residents expected to move to Hamilton in the coming years (and a firm urban boundary that prevents further sprawl) we're almost certainly going to need many more units. What is leading...

Hamilton has a unique culture. There's a great music history (which carries on today), our restaurants have been getting more and more attention, the art gallery is expanding, TV and movie shoots are happening all the time in these parts ... and the list goes on.  What isn't always easy, is knowing how to keep track of it all. Or figuring out how to see the shows you're interested in or catching t...

Over the past few years, Hamiltonians have seen a number of high-profile and extremely expensive mistakes come out of city hall. There was Sewergate, the Red Hill Creek asphalt situation and the cyber attack. Now we've seen the auditor general issue a scathing report about the tiny homes fiasco that saw the project go way over budget. How is this happening again and again? What's going on at city...

A decade after the Tim Bosma trial, the story continues to horrify and fascinate those in Hamilton who lived through it and followed the case. The tragedy is self-explanatory. A young husband and father took his truck for a test drive with a couple of guys who said they were interested in buying it. But he never came home - they murdered him instead. When news of the other actions of the perpetrat...

The Art Gallery of Hamilton will soon be expanding to allow for more of its huge collection to be displayed regularly. Its collection is the third-largest in Ontario and worth more than $1 billion. That will likely be a surprise to many around here. Everyone is familiar with the McMichael Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Yet somehow the AGH in our own backyard has flown largely under the ra...

When the Professional Women's Hockey League brought its Takeover Tour to Hamilton and nearly filled TD Coliseum, a conversation-slash-debate was launched. Oak View Group, which manages the renovated building, has said it will be bringing a hockey team to town. The American Hockey League has always been mentioned. But some now wonder if the PWHL is a better fit. What is the ideal scenario for Hamil...

It's been roughly three months since Rob Cooper was elected and sworn in as a member of Hamilton city council. That made this the perfect time to chat with him about figuring out how to navigate city hall and talk about the things that frustrate him in his new role. (Hint: at the top of the list is strong-mayor powers) A few more months from now, everything will be old hat to him. Right now, thoug...

Everybody has a favourite Christmas gift (or Hanukkah, or some other celebration ... we're not leaving anyone out here). So, we here at Placeline Hamilton asked a number of well-known Hamiltonians about their favourite  of all time. Listen as they explain why they remember that gift - in many cases, many years later.

Year after year, EQAO scores show our kids are having a tough time with math. It's a vexing problem for schools and a concerning one for these students' futures. By why is it such an issue? Who's to blame? Is it fixable? Vanessa Vakharia  (aka:  The Math Guru ) is one of Ontario's best math tutors. She talks about what's going on and what can be done. If you're a parent of a kid in school, you're...

There are plenty of opinions about what's going on in Hamilton and down at city hall. Placeline Hamilton is a place where you'll hear a variety of them. Including this episode. Kojo Damptey is an instructor at McMaster, an activist in the local community, a musician and has been a political candidate.  With the early draft of the city budget set to be released, he talks about his thoughts on taxes...

This is a huge week for soccer. On Friday, the World Cup draw will be held. It'll determine not only who has a tougher or easier run to a championship, but also who Canada will play. This is particularly intriguing to those around here, since a number of games will be played just down the road in Toronto. On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, Canadian soccer Hall of Famer John McGrane chats about...

The reviews were almost unanimously positive when Paul McCartney re-opened the renovated TD Coliseum the other day. People loved the concert and people seemed to really like the re-imagined building. But that's just the start. It's long been argued that this facility is supposed to be a catalyst that will bring the entire downtown back to life. It'll be the thing that leads to cleanup and spawns d...

It's one thing to write about crimes in the Westdale area that went on for seven years as Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont did in a series called Hunting Grounds, laying out the story of men peeping on women, videotaping them without their knowledge, and in some cases sexually assaulting them in the area around McMaster University. But finding a balance between writing it in a compelling way wh...

Between the tens of thousands of students who attend and the staff who are employed there, McMaster University has a huge impact on the Hamilton community. Susan Tighe was installed as the school's new president a few months ago. On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, she talks about the role of universities in 2025, challenges facing schools and whether students today are too easily offended on c...

We are roughly a year away from the next municipal election in Hamilton. Which means those who are thinking of running for mayor (and in some cases, council) almost certainly have the wheels in motion by now. Who will be running? What will be the main issue or issues? And will this election bring the kind of change the last one did? John Best is back to chat about what city hall might look like by...

Paul McCartney won't be the only thing people are wanting to see in Hamilton on Nov. 21. Those going to see the former Beatle in concert will also be eager to check out the newly renovated TD Coliseum in which he'll be performing.  Eighteen months and $300 million later, the GM of the place says folks will be "shocked" when they see the changes.  What can people expect from an old arena that's bee...

This week, five new members of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame were inducted. Among them was longtime hockey fixture Don Robertson.  In a chat with Placeline Hamilton about minor pro leagues and teams back in the day when Slap Shot felt less like a fictional movie and more like a documentary, Don tells some tales. About fans and players brawling in the stands, players who could barely skate and e...

Not everybody has 115 skeletons lying around in their office. But Dr. Megan Brickley does. It's OK. There's a good reason. The McMaster bioarcheology professor is studying the remains of people who were buried long, long ago to learn about their health and perhaps how and why they died. Think of it as CSI-1800s. No, skeletons can't provide all the answers but they can offer some. And if you want t...

Paul Berton has been a journalist for four and a half decades, the past 15 years of that as editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator. This week, he retires. All that time working in the trenches has given him a unique perspective on the media, how it operates and where it might be going. In this episode of Placeline Hamilton, Berton talks about the future of newspapers, who qualifies as a journal...

Rob Cooper is the new councillor for Ward 8 after winning a byelection over 25 other candidates. What did he hear as he went door to door talking to voters?  "People aren't happy across the ward," he says. On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, Cooper talks about his priorities - controlling spending, reducing crime, fixing roads and improving transit - as he gets set to be sworn in and take his p...