Where is poverty in this election campaign?

Parties and candidates need to be pressed on their plans for making a difference

I have not usually been stirred one way or t’other in conversations about local arena locations. I’m not a hockey player or parent and I’ve had my fill of being amid tens of thousands in a throng of concert goers. Good arguments seem to be offered on the various sides of the everlasting downtown and Mountain debate. However, when I heard the plans from Hamilton city staff for FirstOntario Place (née Copps Coliseum) to be “rightsized,” I became anxious.

To be clear, rightsizing really means downsizing but nobody wants to say that anymore. Supersizing has already being downsized from the local lexicon at our drivethrough windows to help prevent obesity. Downsizing is being downsized from the conversation because it’s too depressing talking about people losing their jobs or venues and events not attracting the crowds they once did. If “size” begins with the word “right,” no one will question the decision to downsize because people will already hear it as correct. Clever marketing, Captain Capitalism, clever marketing.

Anywho, the venue at its current size can seat up to 19,000 fans of whatever peaks their interest. They pack in a few thousand less for sporting events than concerts. No matter what was happening inside in 2018, the vast majority of seats remained empty, particularly the upper bowl which was used only 13 of the 98 times the place was rented. The average number of bums in seats for sports was 4,991 and 9,140 for concerts.

Based on that data, a recent report by city staff to council says the right size venue should hold 10,000 seats and be located downtown. The owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs, a key tenant of the current location, has told council the right size venue is 6,000 seats and should be located at a higher altitude, in close proximity to Lime Ridge Mall.

I have only one reason to argue the current size of the coliseum is the right size. In 2004, the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton released a report analyzing poverty rates. Mark Fraser, senior planner and my boss at the time, was trying to popularize the data, in other words, put the numbers into a bite-size fact that would move the community to action. Over 90,000 people in Hamilton were living in poverty. How could we put that in a way that garnered a reaction of horror and a question of, “What can we do to help?”

Standing around the proverbial water cooler Mark pondered his predicament aloud. Our executive assistant, Sally Quider, queried, “How many people can you fit into Copps Coliseum?”

A quick Google search determined the answer and one of the most compelling framing of statistics from the SPRC was born. "There are enough people living in poverty in Hamilton to fill Copps Coliseum five times.” When that headline hit the paper, the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction was born. It is not a statistic to be proud of but it packs a punch and has paved the way for making progress in poverty-related policies.

Even though there are only a few thousand less people in poverty now than then (down to a mere 87,000 or so), sadly the statement still holds with a slight adjustment. “You can almost fill FirstOntario Place five times with the number of people who live in poverty in Hamilton.” With that reality and an election looming, what are we demanding of our federal candidates and parties when it comes to poverty policy?

For almost 60 years, Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) has been promoting “public justice in Canada by shaping key public policy debates through research and analysis, publishing, and public dialogue.” This year CPJ leadership has been travelling across Canada for a preelection tour to help explain what’s at stake when we take to the polls on Oct. 21. Thankfully they added a Hamilton stop to the tour next week.

The CPJ’s election bulletin, Catalyst, gives solid information with good questions to ask candidates who come to your door or who participate in your local all-candidate’s debates.

Whether we can fill FirstOntario Place five times or a new arena 10 times with people who live in poverty in our community, it is altogether too many times. May this election bring about change to that local story.

Deirdre Pike is a freelance columnist for the Hamilton Spectator. She will be part of the CPJ event next Friday, Oct. 4, at Cathedral Place, 252 James St. N. If you want to partake in this non-partisan election preparation, contact her at dpike@sprc.hamilton.on.ca.