In the article, "Green-collar industry ready to fly", from the Hamilton Spectator by journalist Jay Robb explains how "clean and efficient technologies can transform our local economy." Hamilton, Ontario was my home of 5 years prior to moving to Victoria B.C. Hamilton is a predominant blue-collar steeltown. The article suggests that Hamilton has the ability to transform its aging blue-collar community into a pilot city to implement new green technologies. The steel industries of Hamilton peaked decades ago and have slowly declined to date. Dofasco and Stelco were the two well known steel industries of Hamilton. Now they are owned by Arcelor-Mittal and US Steel and their fates unknown. The manufacturing jobs were the leading employers of Hamilton; now those job positions are half the size with cut backs, downsizing and technology to replace labour intensive positions. The infrastructure of Hamilton is hurting. The pollution of steel industries have taken their toll, and the overall quality of life is dwindling with increased crime rates, teen pregnancy, illiteracy rates and unemployment. In an economic crisis, the future of Hamilton looks bleak.
Van Jones of Green for All (U.S. non-profit dedicated to building inclusive, green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty), has hope and a plan for steel towns like Hamilton. Jones is a 39 year old Yale Law School graduate that envisions green jobs that solve pollution and reduce poverty simultaneously. His solution is getting at-risk youth to install solar panels, insulate and weatherize buildings and improve the energy efficiency of inner-city neighbourhoods. As building codes change and green technologies for retrofitting homes become more applicable; green-collar jobs will be available. "Low-income homeowners get a break on their energy bills, teens get jobs and neighbourhoods turn around." (Robb, Hamilton Spectator, 2009) Jones also explains retrofitting buildings in cities like Hamilton can not be out-sourced to place like China and have to be sourced locally.
Another example from the article is Erie, Pa where GE Transportation has become very profitable making diesel locomotives providing much needed manufacturing jobs in the "Rust Belt." Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author Thomas Friedman is quoted " A combination of great engineering by a traditional American company in a traditional American town, a global market looking for cleaner locomotives, and a U.S. government that demanded higher and higher standards." Its win, win.
If only Hamilton could be so lucky to implement a green technology that could transform the city. In times of economic and climate crisis, creates opportunities for companies, communities and countries that are "quick off the mark," to provide much needed clean energies and green technologies. The world is desperate for green technologies and there is big money and lot of jobs for those who are first to answer the call. Friedman is convinced that, "the ability to develop clean power and energy efficient technologies is going to become the defining measure of a country's economic standing, environmental health, energy security and national security over the next 50 years."
The article ends with asking the question, "what sort of Hamilton would you like to see?"
Keeping in mind that the steel industry of Hamilton is still the leading employer and if the steel industries were to move or fold; Hamilton would be in serious trouble. Its hard to imagine Hamilton worse than it already is, but is not to hard believe that the once powerful steel company's (the backbone of Hamilton) may be no more. I agree with the article "that Hamilton is steadily losing more and more blue-collar, labour intensive manufacturing jobs and scrambling to fill the void." (Robb, Hamilton Spectator, 2009)
I would like to see a green Hamilton that is investing and building towards green technologies (green buildings, vehicles and power sources) creating high-paying green-collar jobs, reducing pollution and becoming the industry of the future. Unfortunately, I believe Hamilton is a city of old technologies and old ways of thinking. I predict Hamilton will try to save its sinking steel industry rather than invest in green technologies and go down with the ship.
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Man oh man do you paint a bleak picture of the Hammer. In my opinion, to see the positive side of things in Southern Ontario in general you must look deeper to the individual initiatives that communities are working towards (sure you can focus on the aging steel industry, but that's just so pesamistic). I gotta say, Kris, at a community level, Hamilton is making a variety of sustainable development changes to help mitigate the poor transportation system (18 new buses), environmental remediation of steel industry (Bay area restoration), 20 million towards environmental stewardship from D. McGuinty, and many others. I am sure that there are, of course, a bunch of terrible situations that have not yet been addressed, but acting like we are not taking action promotes the idea that we aren't and that our community should care less. You know the old racism breeds racism argument. Werd
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see my post sparked a reaction out of a fellow Hamiltonian. But racism?..seriously..come on now Samuel. My so called bleak picture of the hammer, inspired you to defend Hamilton, and list positive green iniatives of the hamilton community. If what you said was true, then my 'pesamistic blog' would have got you to not take action and careless. But it had just the opposite effect. Calling a spade a spade, can be a wake-up call and inspire proactive decisions rather than re-active.
ReplyDeleteI believe my view is realistic of the direction Hamilton is unfortunately headed which is negative, but important to point out to inspire ppl like you. As I stated in the article I would like to see a green collar work-force replace the current blue-collar, but my gutt feeling that hamilton will do more to rescue a dying steel industry rather than invest and promote a green technology based indusrty. I'll explain why.
Once Dofasco once employed 14,000 (1970's) ppl that lived within the region of Hamilton. In the late 90's that number shrunk to 7,000 approximately. The current number Dofasco employees is roughly around 4,900 and falling. Steclo & Dofasco are still one of the largest employers in Hamilton. It is important to note that as the jobs decreased from 7,000 to 4,900 it was due to retirements mostly. As ppl like my dad (baby boomers) with 30 to 40 years service retired, those positions vacant were simply not filled. Basically, the 4,900 are not only making steel to pay their wages and make profit for the company, but are paying for the pensions (40% of previous workforce). This pension issue is the same for Stelco, but their pensions are purely company driven (union) and Dofasco, is based 50% on company profitabliity and 50% outside investment (non-union). Where is this going? Well, as stated earlier, Dofasco and Stelco are no longer incharge of their fates. Of course they were publicaly traded steel companies and had share holders but those making the decisions were invested in the success of Dofasco/Stelco and therefore Hamilton. Now, the names Dofasco and Stelco dont exist. It is now Arclor-Mittal that owns Dofasco and US Steel that owns Stelco and those two steel companies that are still backbone of Hamilton. So yeah, the future of those jobs, and retirees pensions and hamilton on a whole looks bleak, I'm not painting it that way. Arcelor-Mittal has different share holders to please, and has no attachment, loyalty or investment in the city of Hamilton. If Arcelor-Mittal finds Dofasco not profitable, (as chinese economy slows and the price of steel drops) it could quite possibly fold Dofasco and avoid paying a large amount of pensions. There is also a chain reaction of employment to consider. Much of Dofasco/Stelco, due little in house maintenance and sub-contract to local business that are primarly reliant on the steel companies as their biggest clients. So the amount of blue-collar jobs that could be potentially lost due to the steel companies folding would double.
The green iniatives you mentioned will not come close to offset the impact losing the steel industries and provide the green jobs necessary to stop Hamilton from becoming a ghost town or sunken ship.
18 buses = 18 new positons for bus drives, less road congestion to get ppl to work and improve spending in the struggling downtown core and get ppl to use public transit rather than drive their cars.
Bay area restoration, trying to undue the 70 plus year of polluting the bay by steel companies employees few and may raise bay area property values slightly, but again does little to promote a new green industry to replace the steel industry.
20 million, is a drop in the bucket. Is that twenty million being used to attract green industries to set up shop in Hamilton? Is it investing in local green techonology entrapanuers to create a green manufacturing sector in Hamilton? Maybe it is...but I have yet to hear of a substantial green technology/manufacturing being brought to hamilton.
The iniatives you mention are nice warm reactions to help public transit, restore the bay area and help promote environmental stewardship but will do little to provide green collars in the amount that will be a leading employer of Hamilton.
I see more iniative to keep the steel industries profitable and to promote the clean-up of their polluting practices. Reactive movements that are supplying a band-aid solutions. I would rather see the same if not more of a pro-active investment in luring green industries to build in Hamilton or for local green ideas to take fruition with a investment of more than a measly 20 million.
Hamilton has not demonstrated in my lifetime to be cutting edge, proactive and that is why I am doubtful that Hamilton will take a drastic turn away from the steel industries to promote green technologies and be a model city for green manufacturing as suggested in the article. I believe Hamilton is a city of habit and will continue to focus making steel as its large manufacturing sector.
Perhaps providing an inconvient truth about the current state and future of Hamilton provides more of a wake-up call for proactive movements rather than being seen as bleak pesamism that promotes no action and carelessness.
Keep your stick on the ice.
Whitey