Now that the Legislature is recessed until the new year, I have had more time to travel around our Hamilton East – Stoney Creek Riding and to follow-up on some of the wonderful work that is being done and is proposed to improve our community.

The Centre Mall at the corner of Barton and Kenilworth will be redeveloped and be anchored by a Zellers, a Canadian Tire, a Metro and a Shoppers Drug.  The redevelopment of Centre Mall is a good basis for the transition and future economic stability of this older Hamilton neighbourhood.  Construction is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2010.

Closer to home, through the Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Stimulus Fund programme, the Stoney Creek Arena site is being developed to include a new recreation facility.  Among other recreational uses, this facility is slated to provide activity space for seniors’ programming.  Along with this new recreation space, the Arena will be renovated and up-graded.  Once a final plan is agreed to and work gets underway, we can look forward to using our new community recreation facilities in 2011. 

Over the next few years we should see many more new infrastructure projects underway in Hamilton.  Several of these projects will be as a result of the successful bid for the 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games.   Some of these projects include improvements to the Hamilton transportation grid and to GO Transit throughout the Golden Horseshoe. 

We can also look forward to the construction of a Velodrome – the competitive cycling facility, partnered with a multi-purpose stadium – a complex that I would like to see located in Hamilton East – Stoney Creek or in Hamilton Centre – and the construction of a new competitive-size swimming pool at McMaster University. 

On many levels I am excited about all of this new infrastructure construction, but the two that resonate most with me are the improved transportation grid throughout our City and the Golden Horseshoe Region and the many jobs that will be needed to get all of these projects completed.  As always, I will be pressing those responsible for these projects to ensure that Hamilton tradespeople and labourers get the first chance at these jobs.  As well, I will be strongly encouraging a requirement in these contracts to use, as much as possible, Ontario/Canadian materials, such as locally produced steel, in all of these new projects.

On another sports front, Saturday, December 19th, the Olympic Torch came to Hamilton.  Along with the Olympic Torch Relay Team, my Hamilton political colleagues and thousands of Hamiltonians, we celebrated this historic event at the Dundurn National Historic Site. It was truly inspiring to be even a small part of the Olympic Torch Run across Canada.  I tip my hat to the organisers of this multi-faceted event.

As I reflect on the year just past and our many successful achievements and as we begin the New Year, always full of promise, I wish you and your families the best of health and happiness.

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