Toward a New Vision for Hamilton

(This is part one of a two-part series on Richard Gilbert’s vision for Hamilton. Part one looks at the implications of peak oil and peak natural gas for Hamilton’s growth strategy. Part two will discuss transportation, goods movement, and building energy use in more detail, focusing on Hamilton’s opportunities in energy production and conservation.)

In gambling, continuing a losing strategy because you don’t want to forfeit what you’ve already wasted is called “chasing your losses”. I see a parallel in the city’s ongoing denial of how climate change and declining oil production are going to grind Hamilton’s long-term growth strategy to a halt.

Last June, City Council voted to hire an energy policy expert to assess Hamilton’s plans for aerotropolis, public transit, city fleet, and goods movement in the event of rising energy costs. The job went to Richard Gilbert, the research director at the Centre for Sustainable Transportation and a transport consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Gilbert delivered the report to city staff last fall, but they have refused to share it with City Council, indicating that they had asked Gilbert to make some changes to the report before finalizing it. According to Gilbert, it should be released some time this month.

Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting with Gilbert to discuss his ideas about peak oil, peak natural gas, and ways that Hamilton might thrive in what he calls the “energy-constrained world” we face.

RaiseTheHammer.org