As we close in on a new decade, Global News is reflecting on the last 10 years with some of the Hamilton and area’s most well-known personalities.
Marvin Ryder — a teacher for 34 years — was named as Chair of the Transition Board for the new City of Hamilton in 2000, the Chair for the Hamilton Health Sciences Board of Directors in 2001, and is a regular business contributor to Global Newsradio 900 CHML.
Ryder shares with us his views on the last decade in Hamilton.
Global News: What were you doing in 2010?
Well, really the same as today. In 2010, I had just finished 25 years teaching in the DeGroote School of Business and now I have finished 35 years! The only change is that in 2010, I was an “assistant professor” and now I am an “associate professor.” In the community in 2010, I was just finishing nine years on the Board of Hamilton Health Sciences — the largest hospital in Hamilton and the second largest in Ontario. Today I am vice-chair of the Hamilton Health Sciences Research Institute which manages a large endowment and funds health care research being completed at Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University.
Global News: What is your general assessment of the city’s economic health since 2010?
In 2020, Hamilton is in a better position economically than it was in 2010. There has been something of a “renaissance” in Hamilton and that positive momentum was a hallmark of the last decade. To rust-proof itself, Hamilton had to diversify from an economy driven by the steel industry. In 2020, health care and education are two more big drivers of the economy.
For every year of the last decade, Hamilton has issued more than $1.0 billion in building permits for both residential and commercial construction. We have also seen a surge in the arts, culture and hospitality industries.
Through lower property prices, the city has attracted young artists and entrepreneurs and as their businesses have grown they paved the way for new restaurants and bars. These changes have hit every stratum in Hamilton from food trucks to fine dining.
Global News: What were the success stories you think the city has had in terms of the economy in the last decade?
Since health care is a prime driver of the economy, there have been three new projects in this area that have been success stories:
- The Juravinski Centre for Integrated Healthcare on the mountain has modernized and expanded mental health care in the community.
- The Joyce Children’s Health Centre on Wellington Street has provided a hub for health care for those under the age of 20.
- The Regional Rehabilitation Centre also on Wellington Street brought together programs scattered in nearly a dozen locations to better deal with helping people return to full function after difficult health events.
In the private sector, Hamilton Airport has been brimming with life. DHL is spending $100 million on a new sorting facility. KF Aerospace built a new hangar to maintain aircraft. In the decade, Swoop, Norwegian Airlines and Flair all added passenger service using Hamilton as a base.
Stelco emerged after creditor protection in the mid-2010s with a new owner who has indicated he is looking to make new investment in Hamilton — possibly even rebuilding the blast furnaces that were idled by the previous owner. Some surplus Stelco land has been sold to house a new movie production company.
While the decade has been mixed on the condo development side, there have been successful condo and commercial projects led by Vrancor and Core Urban which built on the successful Lister Block development led by LIUNA.
Global News: What were the challenges to the economy in the last 10 years?
There are some questions on the retail front having watched the demise of both Target and Sears. These two failures dumped hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail space onto the market and it has been a challenge to see new companies occupy that space.
At Lime Ridge Mall there has been talk of both residential/commercial building activity on the site along with a possible small hockey arena. The three hubs of Hamilton’s entertainment development — Hamilton Place, First Ontario Centre (Copps Coliseum), and the Convention Centre — are all aging and as the decade ends questions about their future remain. Early in the decade, there was a push for a downtown casino as a catalyst for more growth.
Global News: What do you think was the single biggest economic story (good or bad) for the city in the last decade?
The worst economic story would be the cancellation of the LRT. For good or bad, it would have been a transformational construction project and would have shaped the way the city evolved for decades to come. Its cancellation after years of planning and discussion has to be very upsetting.
The opposite is the re-emergence of Stelco. In this decade, Stelco slipped back into creditor protection. The previous round, in the 2000s, remains the longest period any Canadian company was in creditor protection. Bedrock was created only about five months before it acquired Stelco in the creditor protection process. It was very much a white knight and, so far, has had a lot of success even living through the Donald Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Global News: What improvements are you hoping to see in the next decade? What does the city need to make a priority?
Generally, I am not a believer in the “one big thing” school of economic development.
I say this another way, rather than finding one big thing, I want to see the city pursue 100 smaller things. Each one may seem small and almost trivial but those 100 incremental changes get you the momentum that creates bigger change.
Every building that is rejuvenated is a step in the right direction.
Commuter traffic remains an issue with the 403, QEW, and the Red Hill/Linc parkways often choked with cars. The promise of all-day GO train transit would help. But it remains an unfilled commitment even with a new GO Station built for the PanAm Games. A similar new GO Train hub is being built in Stoney Creek with no timetable for trains to use it.
Global News: What will be the challenges heading into the next decade?
Because of the city’s age, infrastructure renewal will be a challenge. Building up and infilling will be a better way to grow rather than sprawling but that means we all have to be comfortable living in a more densely populated city.
It is not unique to Hamilton but I have been feeling that the current “property tax” model of funding the operation of our cities has to be re-examined. People who live in a house for a long time have seen the value of the property increase along with the property tax burden even though their income may have stayed flat or declined. Alternate funding models for city services must be explored.
Comments, opinions and thoughts of the subject of this interview are their own and do not reflect the opinions or comments of 900chml.com or Global News.
This interview may have been edited for length and clarity.
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