I am very pleased to see this change in policy to ensure testing of anyone with COVID-19 symptoms. If you have symptoms, please stay home and isolate yourself from contact with household members. Use a sperate room and washroom where possible. Use anti-bacterial wipes or soaps to clean shared facilities.
Seek medical advice from your doctor or Public Health at 905 974-9848. Don’t downplay your condition. This illness can turn serious very quickly.
I just learned from Dan Nolan, a freelance reporter with the Hamilton Spectator, that an old friend of ours, Jack Norris, has passed away at 88 years old.
Jack Norris was well known to many Creekers and Ward 9 residents as a charismatic, kind soul who was willing to give the shirt off his back if you needed one. The Stoney Creek News once referred to him as Mr. Stoney Creek. It was a moniker that effectively and affectionately described him.
I first met Jack when serving on the board of directors at Stoney Creek Not for Profit Housing. He struck me from the get-go as a compassionate, caring, diplomatic and thoughtful man.
I had the honour of sponsoring Jack when he converted to Catholicism and joined Our Lady of Assumption parish. He would occasionally joke when introducing me to his friends that I was his Godfather which would bring some odd looks. At Assumption Parish, he was elected to the Pastoral Council even serving as Chair. He was quickly organizing picnics and spaghetti suppers for the Knights of Columbus. He was involved in numerous other charities and service groups. He was even honoured as Stoney Creek Citizen of the year.
He was a former city Councillor in Stoney Creek who served for 16 years. He was an avid supporter of local democracy. He was a member of Stoney Creek Residents Against Pollution, SCRAP, where he fought to protect the environment from a landfill. He also helped lead the opposition to amalgamation and lead the citizen run referendum wherein he enlisted me to serve as polling staff and scrutineer.
He was a lifelong liberal and as you would expect, we had some interesting discussions over the years. I found Jack to be the political force in Stoney Creek. There was a time in Stoney Creek that if anyone was considering a public run, Jack Norris was called first. In fact, I once compared him to Senator Keith Davey as “our very own local Rainmaker”.
Jack truly had his finger on the pulse of the community. He hated confrontation and always looked for a pragmatic compromise.
I was always pleased to hear from Jack when he would call me to proffer some unsolicited advice on the issue at hand or give me some suggestions on how best to approach a discussion a local or provincial controversey. In the last few years, I have missed those conversations
Jack leaves his lovely wife, Beverley Galassi, his daughter Jennifer Krueger and her husband Peter, and his son John Norris and his wife Sharon, his brother and sister, grandchildren, neices and nephews and two great grandchildren.
I pray that Jack Norris be granted eternal rest and that perpetual light will shine upon him. May he rest in peace
With the recent Ontario government announcement of provincial parks reopening for passive use, and after consultation with the City of Hamilton’s Emergency Operations Centre, HCA will begin preparations to re-open its conservation areas. On Wednesday, May 13, Hamilton Conservation Authority conservation areas will be accessible for passive recreation only, such as hiking, biking and bird-watching. All on-site facilities (including washroom buildings, pavilions, Trail Centre and gatehouses, etc.) will remain closed.
Waterfall and escarpment areas, including Dundas Peak, Spencer Gorge, Devil’s Punchbowl and Tiffany Falls are not included in this opening due to their limited size and capacity to physical distance. Camping and marina operations will resume at a later date following provincial directions and waterfall and escarpment areas will reopen last.
The areas opening on May 13 include:
All visitors must follow emergency measures and guidelines to allow these areas to remain open safely. Such measures will be posted onsite and include:
Trail etiquette is always important, and responsible public use will allow us to safely operate these areas.
The areas that will remain closed include:
Off-season admission fees will apply. Most Hamilton Conservation Authority areas are accessible by auto-gates and can be accessed with our membership pass or electronic methods of payment. Membership pass sales and renewals will continue to be processed online through https://conservationhamilton.ca/product-category/hca-membership/ and sent out to purchasers by mail.
HCA members who require immediate renewals due to an expired pass may call 905-525-2181 or email nature@conservationhamilton.ca to make an appointment for curbside pick-up at the reception area of the main office at 838 Mineral Springs Road, Ancaster. Appointments can be made Monday through Wednesday, 9 AM to noon and Thursdays and Fridays from 1 PM to 4 PM.
This morning I participated in a virtual consultation with Provincial Government Officials and business owners organized by MPP Donna Skelly. The feedback through the “Economic Impacts of COVID-19: A Virtual Discussion with MPP Donna Skelly” will be forwarded to the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee.
We heard from several business leaders, BIAs, charities,
not-for-profits, and NGOs expressing their concerns and the impacts on their businesses as a result of the lock down. Some spoke to the reopening of the economy and the inequities in the current phasing. There were questions as to why some retail operations are permitted to open while other retail stores are ordered to remain closed. Concerns were raised about the hospitality industry and the impact of social distancing orders. Others spoke to the banquet and convention operations and the impacts of minimizing gatherings to just five people. I have heard that this is a real challenge for couples planning to marry. There were also issues regarding what is deemed essential and non-essential in the construction industry.
Candidly, my observations are that the reopening of the economy through a phased approach to protect the public health is likely more complicated than the original shut down. Surely, we can put in place health and safety rules for the industries and sectors of the economy to operate while protecting their employees and costumers.
My hope is that we can restart the economy while effectively protecting the
public health through the inevitable second wave. Unfortunately, that may mean the use of enforceable quarantine orders on confirmed cases and their households rather than the sequestering of the entire population to their homes.
Closing the economy down again could prove to be disastrous for many businesses and their employees.
If your business or organization operates in Ward 9 and I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to call my office at 905 546-2703, my private cell 905 977-0679, or email me at brad.clark@hamilton.ca
We worked together to protect our families from COVID-19, now lets work together to restart the Ontario Economy.
Highland Green Park or Pond #64 is a wet pond with both the forebay and main cell requiring clean out in 2020 to remove accumulated sediments and restore the functionality of providing water quality treatment of surface storm runoff originating from the surrounding developed lands.
This storm water management pond is within a regulated area of the Eramosa Karst Provincial Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. Accordingly, the City of Hamilton has secured a permit from the Hamilton Conservation Authority for the work to proceed.
Contractors will gain access from Shadetree Crescent with a mud mat installed at the entrance. The laydown and storage area will be located in the space between the site entrance and the main cell, with light-duty fiber barrier surrounding this area.
The Karst features to the north will be protected from any unintentional sendiment flow by light-duty fiber barriers.
The work will involve the following steps:
Brad Clark Report 
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