The things we talked about in 2016 LRT and ward boundaries revisions among hot topics in Hamilton this year

Another year has come and gone. So quickly it seems, than the year before. The older I get, the more conscious I am of the quickness of time; the way the minutes relentlessly move through hours, and hours become days. Before you know it, another week has passed, a month, a year. A lifetime. Gone.

This time of year lends itself to reminiscing. Each of us will remember 2016 for our own particular reasons whether it was because of the death of a famous celebrity, events on the world stage, or those closer to home.

We said goodbye to a number of celebrities. Probably the same number of people die every year, give or take a few, but this year it seemed the grim reaper sharpened his blade as he cut down more than a few of our iconic greats: David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, Patty Duke, Morley Safer, Mohamed Ali, Gene Wilder, Robert Vaughn, Alan Thicke, Zsa Zsa Gabor, to name just a few. People who entertained us, made us laugh and cry, kept us informed. We are all poorer with their passing.

I reviewed my column topics for 2016. That’s always a good indication of the events I thought important throughout the year. There’s so much to talk about: water, electricity rates, mental health.

We continue to dither and dally over our commitment to the LRT. It’s a sad indictment of our selfish ways that more room isn’t made on the road for transit users. Despite the hand-wringing that accompanies climate change discussions, people refuse to change their ways or consider alternatives to the car.

Electoral reform was another hot topic of 2016. The Liberals promised the 2015 election would be the last using the first-past-the-post system. An all-Parliamentary committee was struck, they took their consultations to the people, and an ambiguous online survey was created that had little to do with electoral reform. The rhetoric coming from the Liberals seems to be preparing a path for their exit from this election promise. Perhaps our appetite for reform has lessened now that the Liberals are in power, says our fearless leader. Umm. No. It hasn’t.

Closer to home, city councillors have sidestepped their elected duty by prevaricating over their support of ward boundaries revisions that would see the city divvied up more equitably among our councillors. Not liking what the consultants suggested, city councillors have inserted themselves in the process to the dismay of almost everyone interested in fair and transparent democracy. A petition to the Ontario Municipal Board is circulating demanding that Hamilton adopt equal ward boundaries.

It’s a sad indictment of the self-serving interests of city councillors that they refuse to address this issue.

Gender issues took centre stage in 2016, and like most things gender related, controversy followed. Jian Ghomeshi in Canada and Brock Turner in the U.S., provided us all with a courtside seat into the reality of sexual assault cases and why many women don’t report sexual assault.

The circus show that followed the allegations of assault demonstrate clearly that if a woman is assaulted she better be a good victim, not talk to anyone, nor engage in any public discourse concerning the event. We learned a lot from these cases.

What I learned was that no matter how far women have come in achieving equality, all it takes is a sexual assault to demonstrate that it’s just an illusion; apparently the accusation of rape is worse than the rape itself, and no man should have to deal with the shame such an accusation brings.

On the aboriginal issues front, 2016 saw the international mobilization of aboriginal support against the Dakota Access Pipeline in the U.S.. The confrontation has not been resolved, despite ongoing protests and with Donald Trump soon to take charge, I hold little hope for a peaceful solution.

In Canada, we have our own pipeline worries. Despite his feel-good environmental promises and professed love and respect for our First Nations, Justin Trudeau has approved the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion Project much to the dismay of many. Our need for jobs outweighs our need for a clean and safe environment, it seems. This has been a particularly cutting disappointment for BC First Nations, as their rising star, Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould, was a vocal opponent of the pipeline expansion. Her voice is now silent on the subject.

These issues will follow us into 2017. As a resolution for the new year, let’s make a commitment to be collaborative rather than combative in our finding of solutions to our problems. Otherwise, next year’s list won’t look much different.