Commentaire 6 – commentaires et rétroaction

Lisa Hepfner

My name is Lisa Hepfner and I am here to talk about the proposed new boundaries for the riding of Hamilton Mountain. "The Mountain" is one of several distinct neighbourhoods in Hamilton, used by Hamiltonians to describe general areas of the city, for example you'd say I live downtown, or in the east end, or on the Mountain.

And the Mountain has distinctive geographical borders. When you're in Hamilton and driving, or walking, or cycling up the Niagara escarpment, a natural wonder running beautifully through the middle of the city, you're going up the Mountain. Locals never get tired of the view and out of towners are invariably awestruck– you know when you're going up the Mountain. Hamiltonians also know that when you go beyond the Red Hill Valley, you've left the Mountain and headed into Stoney Creek.

The Hamilton police department divides its units into Central, East, and Mountain. Likewise other emergency services. The Hamilton Mountain News is a local journalism treasure that serves the people of Hamilton Mountain.

In Hamilton, "The Mountain" has its own distinct identity, geography, and population, with its own challenges and its own aspirations. People who live on the Mountain tend to shop on the Mountain, send their kids or go to school on the Mountain, and they seek services on the Mountain, like health care and government offices.

The Mountain has always been a diverse community, in terms of income, employment, age and culture, but it is a distinct community that the federal electoral boundaries have recognized and preserved since 1966. It's a place where people of all backgrounds come to raise their families and get to know their neighbours in quiet communities. Its borders of course have been adjusted over the years, with the movement and growth of population, but the Mountain has consistently remained its own community.

The newly proposed redistribution of Hamilton Mountain boundaries would see the riding stretch just south of Rymal Road and encompass newer housing developments that feel like natural extensions of the neighbourhoods that currently sit in the Hamilton Mountain riding, on the north side of Rymal. Socially and geographically, these neighbourhoods are part of the Hamilton Mountain community, are urban or suburban in nature, and are immersed in the culture of "The Mountain."

I have spoken with several residents of the proposed addition to the Mountain riding and they are all supportive of the change. They feel like Mountain residents and never felt at ease voting in the Flamborough Glanbrook riding, which generally covers rural lands around Hamilton, and has its own unique perspectives and culture. I have encouraged these residents to write in support of the redistribution of Hamilton Mountain as proposed by this commission. Adding these neighbourhoods to our riding of Hamilton Mountain just makes sense. They fit better in Hamilton Mountain in terms of sense of community and access to services and amenities.

In closing, I would like to thank the Electoral Boundaries Commission for its diligent work, and for being particularly sensitive to the natural boundaries of a community that residents of Hamilton call "The Mountain." Along with the residents and community partners I have spoken with, I fully support this proposal.