Chris Ecklund: Hamilton Booster Extraordinaire
 

WEEKEND INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS ECKLUND

Hamilton booster does his duty

Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 24, 2008)

Chris Ecklund is an entrepreneur who has built his wealth on a Hamilton-based process-serving company, Canadian Process Serving Inc., that delivers summonses, subpoenas, warrants and court documents. He's 45 and grew up in Hamilton.

He's known for organizing charity events, fundraisers and parties for his own neighbourhood, Allison Park, and donating a tricked-out RV to the Tiger-Cats as a promotional vehicle. Now, he wants to take that bus on the road to promote Hamilton.

He estimates he has about 20 websites, including chrisecklund.com and sites dedicated to Auchmar, Hamilton's Santa Claus parade, NASCAR and his newest one, cityofwaterfalls.ca.

He is an unabashed Hamilton booster. His Mercedes sports the plate FLYYHM (the airport code for Hamilton International).

What is your vision for the Team Hamilton bus?

You would travel across Canada. At one end would be Vancouver, at the other end, St. John's, all connected by the TransCanada. Then, right in the middle would be Hamilton, the city of waterfalls. It would be an art form and tell a story. Why aren't we shouting from the rooftops that Hamilton is the waterfall capital of the world?

Team Hamilton could include a corporate lawyer, banker, chamber members, politicians, business ambassadors. We could go to chambers of commerce (in the United States) and present a one-stop shop for bringing business to Canada. We could go to Hollywood and talk directly to directors.

What is your message about the future of this city?

What everyone has to be aware of is the (Hamilton Economic Summit) was the absolute end of the way we do things.

The old world died that day. The new way of economic development and doing business was born that day. It was a war call.

What would you like to tell fellow Hamiltonians?

The first thing we need to accept in this city is that citizens need to realize that they are a part of this. It's not 16 people at City Hall who will decide how things will be and where the city is going.

We've got 500,000 people here. The future of this city is with each person.

What are you committed to doing?

I can make millions and millions more dollars, but it's a duty -- I believe this as an ex-military guy -- it's a duty I have and other entrepreneurs have.

Business people have to carry this city forward.

Is the bus going to hit the road?

I'm not looking for anyone's permission. (City staff have turned down getting involved with the idea, according to Ecklund). We are doing it.

You're either with me or you're against me. We've been putting an unfair burden on council and city hall.

We need this kick in the derriere.

What do you envision for Hamilton?

A new stadium for the Tiger-Cats on the waterfront, condos, shops, theatres, more restaurants. The waterfront would be a true destination. Trains would stop to drop people off. Downtown could be an overnight transformation if people would just walk their talk and renovate buildings. I see nothing but good things for this city.

Do you believe naysayers and pessimists have held this city back?

I know they have. It's happening as we speak. They are people who will go out of their way to destroy people and their ideas because they want to remain in control. We have to stop that in this city.

What's next for Chris Ecklund?

A new real estate venture is ready to go, Ecklund Estate Homes. We'll be recreating the 1800s look of old Ancaster with two homes on Mineral Springs and Sulphur Springs Road. It will be Gothic Revival style with limestone block. No one has done anything like it. It will be truly spectacular.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/374373

awesome, thy name is chris ecklund.

I appreciate Eklund's initiative, and I'm happy to see he's getting positive media coverage of Hamilton development issues. But he's making the noise in part because he wants to run for mayor in 2010.

Given that he's all palsy-walsy with Di Ianni, I'd have to question just how progressive this guy truly is. He's got some serious distancing to do before he'd have my vote.

He doesn't seem very progressive or knowledgeable about urban issues at all, but at least he's passionate and right about Hamilton's image problem.

I noticed this week that he sponsor's the flower bed on King at Hughson.

^^ Ya, I don't think people are going to vote for a guy as Mayor just b/c he drove around the country in a Hamilton/Tiger Cat RV!! haha But this is Hamilton afterall and I'm sure if Matt Hayes ran for mayor he'd probably win.

DiIanni actually has a "pro-LRT" article on this guy's website. I'd post it, but that would advance DiIanni's cause (running for Ham East-SC in the next Fed Election)... so we'll let people find it for themselves (if they really care to read it). hahaha

Oops, double post.

Here's the link to Larry Di Ianni's column:

http://www.chrisecklund.com/diianni_column.html

(The awesome 800x600 banner must be seen to be appreciated.)

It's great to see politicians from across the political spectrum expressing support for light rail. Larry Di Ianni adds his voice to that of the Mayor, several councillors, Terry Cooke, the Spectator editorial board, the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington, and several neighbourhood associations, not to mention a large majority of citizens who responded to the city's public consultation.

Some reflections on Di Ianni's argument:

* Di Ianni thinks the LRT should connect all of Hamilton's communities so it can achieve broad political support. This will have to be balanced against affordability. It may make more sense to take a phased approach: build phase one and then use its success as an argument to extend it. How this plays out will reflect the political compromises among council, staff, Metrolinx and the federal government.

* Di Ianni argues that the mountain line should run along the Red Hill Valley Parkway. I think this is a bad idea from a TOD point of view, because the expressway limits a) pedestrian and bicycle accessibility to the stations, and b) potential for new property development on the transit corridor. I've written more about this here: http://raisethehammer.org/blog/761

* He writes about "the disruption to car traffic that an LRT system would naturally cause". However, LRT on dedicated lanes would actually reduce congestion by carrying more people than an equivalent automobile lane could carrry.

effing hilarious...

In today's spec:

People start asking (legitimate) questions about the propriety of councillors being invited to Ecklund's private box for Ticat games, and he picks up his ball and goes home in a huff. Would a true philanthropist behave in this manner?

For the benefit of clarity, a philanthropist is a person who participates in the act of donating money, goods, services, time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause, with a defined objective and with no financial or material reward to the donor.

No call for that comment. Shows a lack of maturity and professionalism. I've viewed Chris Ecklund's promotion of the cities waterfalls more as boosterism than philanthropy.

Not that boosterism is bad or wrong, just very much different than philanthropy.

He's not a philanthropist, he's a self-promoter.

Would he ever give money as "anonymous"?.... NO. He wants the world to see he 'great acts of charity'.

He didn't make the Conservation Hamilton donation, BUT still thought it was necessary to say what he was GOING TO DO.

Ecklund, go the Falls. You can annoy them intead.

Whatever his motivation, the fact is he's someone who's made significant charitable donations. He will probably consider to do so, after cancelling one or two to make a point.

I sure could use a "donation" :haha:

I agree with that as well.

This is all about silencing Joanna Chapman.

So he has money. So he 'donates' back to the community. He wants everyone to know it and i feel that he has an agenda. Like for eg. the contribution to Conservation Hamilton, he's trying to buy his lame-ass branding "The Waterfalls Capital City of the World", with his donation -- over 30 years -- to get help with his brainwave stupid brand.

I do not know much about Mr. Ecklund, but based on what I do know, I actually agree with realcity... except for the part asking him to go away.

Honestly, I think that the whole waterfalls thing is a bit lame. Some of the falls in and around Hamilton are pretty neat, but I do not really care about tiny little spitters --- even if there are 100+ of them --- and I cannot imagine that too many other people do either