Information Hamilton faces dire cash crunch

Without help, it’s an uncertain future for the leading provider of info on city services and programs

Hamilton’s leading provider of one-stop shopping for information about programs and services is facing a dire cash crunch.

Information Hamilton, which has been serving the city for nearly half a century, is asking city council for a stable funding model including an additional annual financial contribution of about $110,000.

Pauline Kajiura, executive director of Information Hamilton, made a presentation to the city’s General Issues Committee last week highlighting the benefits of the organization for residents of Hamilton.

“I’m worried about us dying away,” said Kajiura. “If we weren’t there, that’s when the alarm bells would sound and it would be too late.”

Information Hamilton is the one comprehensive resource that gathers together all of the vital details for services and programs in the city.

Information Hamilton is a non-profit charity that was founded in 1970. The organization provides about 4,500 profiles on local services and programs, including clear descriptions, contact information, and can be easily searched with keywords.

The information can be accessed online, by phone, by email, in person or through the printed Red Book of Hamilton, and the organization has developed special software that could be valuable to other agencies.

The organization’s website receives about 150,000 hits a year.

“These tools make it possible for people to find the information they need in ways that make sense to them,” said Kajiura.

Information Hamilton’s annual budget is about $330,000, Kajiura said. About $90,000 comes from the city’s enrichment fund and another $50,000 is provided for the organization’s Early Years info service.

Information Hamilton is seeking another $110,000 on top of that from the city. The organization used to receive funding from the United Way but that has dried up.

The committee put off a funding decision but agreed to have staff from the Healthy and Safe Communities department prepare a comparative report looking at other Ontario cities to examine the structure and per capita funding for other information organizations.

The committee also agreed to study the feasibility of a licensing fee for the use of the unique information and referral software that’s been developed by Information Hamilton.

Ward 3 councillor Matthew Green said he was intrigued by the software applications, which he believes could be adapted to help people access government data and services in a more streamlined fashion.

Green said it’s a constant issue he has to address with constituents.

“People are asking for the simplest information and they just can’t access it,” he said. “It’s a challenge to find reports and documents. It’s all buried under multiple levels of clicks.”

Green is hoping Information Hamilton could use its software to help people better integrate their interactions with the city, so there is a seamless way for people to walk through the process of getting a building permit for a deck, for example, or finding out the operating hours of the city’s recreational facilities.

Better yet, Green said, Information Hamilton could then export their software and pick up licensing fees from other places.

“Once they did it for one city, they could do it for municipalities across Canada,” Green said.

Without a stable funding injection, she said, this will be Information Hamilton’s last year “without looking at some serious restructuring.”

“Now, in the age of Google, it’s easy to forget that people are still keeping that information up-todate,” said Kajiura.

“People can’t connect to services if they don’t know about them and that’s why we’re there,” she added.

People can’t connect to services if they don’t know about them and that’s why we’re there.

PAULINE KAJIURA Information Hamilton’s executive director