Glenn Davies

Email: info@daviesward8.ca

I DO NOT ACCEPT DONATIONS

IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE

Who Am I

I am retired from a career as a Systems Analyst. I analyzed old systems to design replacements. I analysed existing systems looking for improvements.

In 2020 we bought a lot in Ward 8 containing a boarded up old house. I did the demolition and new build permiting, the contracting, and inspection coordinating for our new house.

We moved from Calgary to Hamilton area in the spring of 2021. We moved into our new house in late 2022.

I have made presentations to the Hamilton Planning Committee, recommended changes to the Hamilton development rules, recommended changes to By-laws to our previous Councillor, regularly fill out surveys for Engage.Hamilton.

DID YOU KNOW

Did you know that it is illegal park on the street in front of your house over night or on weekends.

Did you know that if you have a snowmobile trailer that you can only have it at your house in the summer.

Did you know that if you have an old house the City set back requirements may prevent you from replacing the house.
You will be forced to do a fake renovation giving you a new house on top of the worst part of your old house.

Did you know that if the City had proper computer backup procedures the cyber attack of February 2024
could have been fixed in 2 weeks for under a million dollars.

Did you know that the City prefers a boarded up falling apart house to stay in place
rather than be demolished leaving an empty lot.

Did you know that the City makes it very expensive and time consuming to replace an old house with a new one.

Did you know that if you have a trailer with 2 axles, whether you are a contractor, landscaper, or RV owner
that you can not park it on any residential street for even 5 minutes

Did you know that 99.9% of Hamiltonians live in their own homes and not subject to the Vacant Unit Tax (VUT).
Yet all of us have to fill in the VUT declaration every year or get taxed for living in our own house.

Did you know that the first plan the City came up with for changing Main Street into 2 way traffic had the bicycle lane
switching from one side of the road to the other side every second block, instead of staying on the same side the whole way.

Did you know that according to TheSpectator, the company City staff chose to supply the folding temporary homes
for the tenters was only in business for one month before the City signed the contract. A company with no history and no inventory.
Folding homes that cost twice what a container home would cost. The City claiming that they will take less space when no longer needed,
except the City will have to buy containers to hold all the furniture from the folding homes.

Did you know that the City is very poor at making a decision about a developer’s proposal meaning
that far too many end up at the Ontario Land Tribunal for lack of a decision.

City staff come up with expensive poorly thought out solutions to problems wasting our tax dollars. A recent example is to spend $24,000 on trees in concrete boxes on Kenilworth Ave N. The trees will need constant watering during our heat waves meaning lots more $. The trees will grow and outgrow the concrete boxes. A small tree in a box will not provide very much shade.

The Problem

City Council is reluctant to challenge City Staff when they write poorly worded or badly designed bylaws, regulations, and reports.

City Staff is full of dreamers. They dream of a utopian Hamilton where everyone is happy to walk, bicycle, or take public transit.
They envision a city of nicely manicured monotonous lawns, with no cars parked on the street and a single car in the driveway.

Their dream does not include days of rain and thundershowers. Plowed snow blocking corners doesn’t exist.
Those needing accessible access to sidewalks and public transit only need it during sunny summer days.

City Staff view of development is stuck in the distant past with mountains of red tape and needless costs built in.

When I Am Elected

Sam Lawrence Park is a place for all Hamiltonians, not just those in easy walking distance. I will work to restore in the western section the original number of nose-in parking spaces from before the changes. I will see that picnic tables are brought back so that people can have their picnic lunch or supper while enjoying the view of the harbour.  A portable bathroom is also needed.

The rain tax should not apply to properties that do not have an sewer infrastructure beside them.  The rain tax requires computer systems and City staff to run the program resulting in higher property taxes for you. A rain tax on parking lots will result in increased costs to retail stores that will mean higher prices for you. I will work to cancel the rain tax.

Work to get the Vacant Unit Tax program cancelled. This will save annual aggravation for 99% of Hamiltonians.
It will save money eliminating the computer systems and staff managing the program. During the initial advertising,
the City claimed there were a very specific number of vacant units; if they know where they are, then just directly tax them.

Work to get the conversion of Main Street to 2 way traffic cancelled. The rational was to lower speeds on the street.
That can be easily achieved just by adjusting the synchronization of the stop lights to a speed appropriate for the time of day.
This will save many $millions that could be used to fix the terrible roads Hamilton is known for.

Work to update the development rules for replacing an older house. The biggest problem is the City mandated
front, side, and rear set back requirements. Many old houses don’t meet the current standards and thus if you want
to replace an old house on a small lot, you can’t. The City needs to get rid of the set back requirements for rebuilds and new developments.
The Ontario Building Code has fire resistant requirements for various set back distances eliminating the need
for the City’s set back requirements. The City set back requirements were developed in the days of sprawling suburbs.

Having recently built my house in an older section of Ward 8, that replaced an old house, I experienced many
poorly thought out rules that cost me a lot of extra time and money.

Work to simplify the rules for developers so that they know what will be allowed without having to go back and forth
with the City Development Department to complete the design. Time to get rid of the height restriction
on apartment towers set back on top of lower level podiums. These high density units would be allowed on major roads only,
not on smaller residential streets or former school yards in the middle of a neighbourhood.

Committee of Adjustment always has a long list of requests. Having looked at them, many are very minor.
Add flexibility into the bylaws so that residents can make the changes they want without the expensive cost and wasted time
applying for a bylaw variance.

Many bylaws are written so that they look like they allow an activity, but the wording is such that it is impossible.
Fix or delete these bylaw sections.

Change the bylaws so that they respect the right of a property owner to decide what to put in their driveway or in their yard.

Many bylaws are not enforced unless there is a complaint.
First, eliminate the anonymous complaint so that neighbours are encouraged to discuss the problem before involving the City.
Second, as the City doesn’t really care about violations of the bylaw (or they would be out enforcing it on their own)
eliminate these bylaws that are really only used by grumpy neighbours.

Get back the car lanes. Reclassify the lightly used sidewalks (which is most of them) as multi-use pathways.
This gets the bicycles off busy streets and the bicycle lanes can be returned to mostly car use. Bicycles would still be allowed on roads
if the rider chose to ride there. This change would coincide with a “Wheels Yield To Legs” education program.
Speed limits on the multi-use pathways would not be fixed but instead would be dependent on traffic volume on the pathway.
Bylaw Enforcement would check speeds.

The City would recognize that electric bicycles are allowed where regular bicycles are allowed,
and subject to the same rules and speed limits described in the previous paragraph.

Get our sidewalks cleared of poles and signs. many sidewalks in older parts of the City have power poles and sign posts blocking part of the sidwalk forcing people to walk around them (or walk into them if the are not paying attention).  Require that all replacement signs and posts must be installed on City right of way off the sidewalk.