Murray likes city's direction
MPP says we're doing things right
March 05, 2010
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/733220
The Ontario Liberal party's star-in-waiting says Hamilton is well-positioned to blossom as a place to live and work.
Glen Murray, who recently won a byelection in Toronto, credits smart planning and innovation for his rosy forecast for the city.
He also touted Mayor Fred Eisenberger as one reason Hamilton is ahead of the curve in reinventing a city which once relied on manufacturing.
"He gets it. He has a vision to lead the city through change at a critical time."
Murray, the former president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, was speaking at the latest in the mayor's luncheon series, which had the theme Gaining Momentum: How Hamilton is moving forward.
He said Hamilton is well on its way to reinventing the local economy through health sciences, high-tech and education, citing the creation of 40,000 jobs in those sectors to replace 25,000 jobs lost in manufacturing.
"That's two for one basically, better than anyone else in the world."
Murray, who is regarded as a candidate for a minister's portfolio in the McGuinty government, made his remarks at Liuna Station, which he said was emotional for him.
"My grandmother walked through those doors as an 18-year-old from Ukraine," he said of the former train station where immigrants arrived.
He called on about 200 at the lunch to honour her generation and the one that followed, "which gave us so much," by building a revitalized city for future generations.
Murray said when he was mayor of Winnipeg, he inherited a city centre full of parking lots, which produced little tax revenue.
They were developed to help stabilize residential taxes, the same tack Hamilton is taking.
He added that with areas such as Locke Street and James Street North, pockets of Hamilton are bringing the human dimension of a city back.
Asked later about his very upbeat message, he said Hamilton has it all.
"You have both the critical mass and the agility in a compact setting" to make good things happen.
Murray said the Pan Am Games in 2015 can accelerate the city's progress. 'It gives you a horizon to reach for. The Games are a big part of the transformation of this city."
Murray was the mayor of Winnipeg during the 1999 Pan Am Games. He called them an important factor in upgrading sports and recreation facilities in that city.
"The 2015 Games in Toronto and Hamilton will be much bigger," adding they might lead to an Olympics in the same way the 2007 Pan Ams set up Rio de Janeiro to win the 2016 Olympics.
Asked about Hamilton's west harbour stadium site and its detractors, he said facilities like that will always create controversy.
"I had that with a hockey rink in Winnipeg. But no one says boo after opening night."