Elections
Glenn Robinson, Candidate for Ward 13 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2010
Details page for this candidate.
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Candidate Details (top)
| Name | Robinson, Glenn |
|---|---|
| Election | Hamilton Municipal Election 2010 |
| Area | Ward 13 |
| Party | N/A |
| Votes | 758 |
| vote4robinson@gmail.com | |
| Website | http://www.glennrobinson.ca/ |
| Home | |
| Business | |
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| Bio | Glenn Robinson and his family reside in the community of Dundas. Educated at McMaster University, Glenn earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science (Summa Cum Laude) in 1991 and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1997. A member of the Hamilton workforce for many years, Glenn is currently employed by Linde Canada Limited as the Branch Manager for their Stoney Creek facility. Glenn has recently volunteered on both federal and provincial election campaigns.
Glenn, Kris and their three children, ages 12, 10 and 8, enjoy Dundas' small-town atmosphere, local festivals, youth sports and clubs. The Robinson family particularly enjoys the Hamilton Conservation Authority lands, parks, nature trails and Cootes Paradise. Quality of life, fairness and community consultation are Glenn's guiding principles when addressing the many issues within Ward 13. |
Responses to Questions (top)
| Question | Brief Response | Full Response |
|---|---|---|
| Should we spend the Future Fund to build a Pan Am / Ticat stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands? Why or why not? | No | Such an expenditure of The Hamilton Future Fund (HFF) money is contrary to both the mission statement and the guiding principles of the HFF. Council should respect the mission statement of the HFF. |
| Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing? | No | To encourage investment in older neighbourhoods, the city needs to focus its efforts in the following areas:
* Provision of efficient and affordable public transit * Transit oriented development in the downtown core and along public transit corridors * Creation of safe, clean and walkable neighbourhoods * Incentives to restore or maintain historic and heritage buildings * Brownfield development and remediation over greenfield development Focusing on these areas will attract talent, business and investment. |
| The City of Hamilton has committed to doubling transit ridership by 2020. Do you support this goal? If so, how would you realize it? | Yes | Keeping fares as low as possible while improving convenience will create a better user experience and contribute to increased ridership. The Presto pass is designed to afford greater convenience and efficiency and is a welcome option; however, maintaining flexibility in fare payment options (cash, tickets, day passes, student passes, etc.) will ensure casual users are also welcome and easily able to access the system.
Flexibility in routing will improve access and thereby create more opportunities for citizens to view public transit as a convenient alternative to private vehicles. A transit system that provides linkages to local networks, such as GO, VIA and the potential LRT, will enhance the user experience and convenience and therefore ridership. In future, incorporating non-traditional modes, such as, trolleys, trams and cable cars can provide a new and unique method of transit. Using a cable car to carry passengers up and down the Niagara Escarpment would avoid further erosion of our escarpment. A cable car(s) would connect with HSR networks on the escarpment and in the downtown core. Cable cars could also be promoted as a tourist attraction with amazing views of the city, the harbour and beyond. |
| Some cities have committed recently to publishing their public data in an open format that citizens can directly access. Should Hamilton pledge to become an "open source city"? Why or why not? | Yes | Publishing City data in an open format will provide greater access and in turn improve transparency. However, valid issues of privacy and security must be respected. |
| Council is poised to vote on the Airport Employment Growth District, a 3,000 acre plan to expand the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport for employment lands. Do you support this plan? Why or why not? | No | I am not convinced that expanding the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport is the most productive use of 3000 acres of agricultural land.
There are estimates of 350 million dollars to provide services to the Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD). Additional investments in new infrastructure will add to future maintenance costs. The City is presently challenged in meeting the spending needs of maintaining our existing infrastructure (approximately 120 million dollars per year deficit). There is a need to add to the stock of employment lands in the City. However, consultants have reported that the majority of jobs created in the AEGD employment lands are likely to be in the "transportation and warehousing" sector. Community concerns such as secure local food sources, long term viability of the airport and the impacts of increasing fuel costs need to be explored further. The Urban Official Plan currently before the province refers to growth to within a "fixed urban boundary" and implies preference for brownfield over greenfield development. This explains why the land in question is considered a "special policy area". |
| For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not? | No | I will not be accepting donations from corporations or unions to support my campaign. It is my belief that accepting such donations is contrary to true democracy. |
| Hamilton's Cycling Master Plan has Council approval. However, the implementation timeline is very long and ward councillors can block individual bike lane projects. Do you support accelerating the completion of a continuous bicycle network and other initiatives like a bike sharing program and better access up and down the Escarpment? Why or why not? | Yes | The completion of a continuous bicycle network in the City of Hamilton should be accelerated.
At present, there is a disconnect between the Plan's investment schedule and the City's 10 year capital budget. The 10 year budget has set spending at approximately half of what the Plan requires assuming a 20 year implementation time line. Other initiatives such as bike sharing, bike parking and cycling education compliment the network and should be carried out when and where appropriate during implementation of the Cycling Master Plan. The implementation schedule should be coordinated with road work projects. |
| Many observers argue that Council meetings could be more respectful and professional. Do you agree? If so, what will you do to change this? | No | I believe that Council meetings are generally respectful and professional. There are times when passions are fired and heated debate ensues. Deference for the protocols and procedures governing council are designed to ensure that council meetings remain a productive forum for decision-making.
Over ten years in management has taught me to remain calm and listen to differing opinions even when emotions are high. As a councillor I will bring this experience and skill to the table. |
| Do you support Hamilton's LRT proposal? If so, what will you do to ensure Hamilton's success in building LRT? If not, why do you oppose it? | Yes | Yes, I support Hamilton's LRT proposal and the transit oriented development it will facilitate.
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