Mac, Mohawk look at downtown
Campus talks on sharing welcomed
May 18, 2010
Meredith Macleod
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 18, 2010)
Hamilton's two educational powerhouses are talking about collaborating on a downtown campus.
That news was shared by McMaster University president Peter George at yesterday's Hamilton Economic Summit. He told a group of about 200 of the city's political, business and civic leaders that he and Mohawk College president Rob MacIsaac have begun talking about a shared core campus.
George said McMaster would like to relocate more of its programs downtown, but that aside from continuing education in the former courthouse on Main Street, proposals haven't been backed up by a solid business case.
"A lot of people think it's easy to do these things, but it has to make sense."
George suggested the current discussions are centred on digital media, art and music programs.
"Peter and I have had very brief discussions about this," confirmed MacIsaac, an honorary co-chair of the summit, along with former Dofasco CEO Don Pether. "Mac and Mohawk are always looking for opportunities to collaborate, and it would be very interesting to find a collaboration in the downtown."
MacIsaac said the college's board of governors supports a venture in the downtown and the school has explored several other opportunities in the past.
News of the campus talks emerged during a panel discussion about downtown renewal.
Ron Marini, director of downtown renewal for the city, told summit-goers that a downtown campus is one of the keys to bringing activity and housing to the core.
Property developer David Blanchard said Hamilton should focus on convincing Toronto employers that they can save "a fortune" and give a better quality of life to their employees by relocating to Hamilton.
Hamilton has a range of incentives, including interest-free loans and tax breaks, to encourage investment and bring jobs and residents downtown.
A new initiative is aimed at targeting the 17 per cent office vacancy rate in the downtown.
Marini says the payoff of the incentives is clear. The city has loaned $13.5 million, at an interest cost of $1.4 million, which has resulted in close to $85 million in investment.
"I'm very excited about changes in the downtown. I'm seeing real improvements," said panellist Tim Potocic, owner of Sonic Unyon Records and several other properties downtown.
"I'm very excited about where things are going and the small businesses that are investing downtown," he said yesterday.
But he urged the city to crack down on absentee landlords that are letting their properties decay.
Kathy Drewitt, executive director of the Downtown Hamilton BIA, suggested the city should end its 30 per cent tax rebate to vacant properties after one year. Delegates voted to make that an action item.
In an earlier session, Mario Lefebvre, director of the centre for municipal studies at the Conference Board of Canada, said the city's manufacturing sector, building permit statistics and job creation numbers are reasons for optimism in 2010.
"We expect a very solid rebound in 2010-2011," he said.
But he cautioned that Hamilton has to do a better job of attracting immigrants, by fostering innovation and ensuring immigrants have the same chance of success as those born here.
mmacleod@thespec.com
905-526-3408
