Some Unsettling Truths...And a Broken Record's Refrain

Photo: Raise The Hammer

This week has seen several developments on the education-in-Hamilton front. Decisions on school closings. The disbanding of the City-HWDSB task force to find another downtown location for the Board's headquarters. And as a result, Spec and RTH articles, and endless comments, observations and...and...vilifications.

I've pretty much stood back on this issue, wanting to see how it would unfold, rather than offering up an unqualified opinion.

Wanting to see how far the outrage would go. What might result. Whether or not it would grow into a 'movement' worthy of joining, or whether it would be the civic activism equivalent of a bottle-rocket's stoppered pyrotechnics.

In a way, it's been hard to watch. There are some notable participants in the general brouhaha, people of high intelligence, of 'community leader' status (or at least 'potential'), who have articulated their thoughts admirably. (Some of these thoughts have included being heartbrokenly gobsmacked at, in the end, the inarguable lack of interest/engagement/participation on the parts of affected residents, and Hamiltonians-at-large.)

From my vantage point, my feelings have been that a) certain elements in the discussion have been wilfully ignored, or downright denied. Here's a post I put up in February about this. And b) that we need to begin discussing the merits of this notion as it applies to all aspects of decisions being made by publicly-installed entities.

However, for the time being, here is a list of 'truths' that have been germane to the 'education' situation.

1) Local School Boards are following orders from their bosses at the Ministry of Education. Are there valid questions to be raised about the information and procedures that were used to execute the mandate (or about the mandate itself) from Queen's Park? Perhaps. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

2) In the end, if the money isn't there, it's not there. As a friend of mine is constantly saying, "The province is broke." "This isn't personal, it's business." Activists may claim that it's all personal. Maybe it is. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

3) Trustees don't 'hate' Hamiltonians. A nominee for the 2012 DFC Awards. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

4) Vitriol-fuelled pillorying accomplishes little if it's not ultimately connected to something productive. The invectives, the railings, the incendiary comments... They speak volumes about the general state of discourse in Hamilton. I'm reminded of a counsellor's need to allow the patient to vent before anything curative can be attempted. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

5) Demographics are changing, and services are tied to their attached 'City profile' facts. Hoo, boy. I think I'll just suggest that we probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

6) Municipal representatives are not the appropriate agents of 'pressure brought to bear' on Provincial authorities. That's what MPPs are for. (Please talk to Loren Leiberman about this.) We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

7) The most effective 'pressure brought to bear' is ultimately in the form of voters. But not so much when those voters are primarily represented by The Faithful Opposition. (The NDP.) Still, why haven't we seen a town hall/public event hosted by the area NDP representatives at QP, notably the Leader of the Opposition? We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

8) The entire School Closings/HWDSB Relocation Endeavour has, in many ways, revealed something other than 'how much Hamiltonians have been betrayed'. It's revealed just how ill-informed the average resident is...and also how much of a disconnect there is between residents and the processes surrounding some of the most defining decisions. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

9) Voting all trustees out in the next election does not offer any guarantees beyond the obvious reality that unless there's more widespread, more deeply-entrenched participation during the actual terms, residents may feel the same way come the 2018 election. And the one after that. And the one after that. We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

10) Going back to #2, No matter how much 'consultation' there is, no matter how well energized and organized, no matter how capably we take our place at the governance table, in the end, we're bound by our fiscal limitations. "That's not news, but that too, is reality." We probably need to create a dialogue about this that is both more concentrated and widespread.*

* Dialogue is a process that goes well beyond replicating what happens in Comments sections, or on facebook group walls. The personal immediacy, the press coverage, the further Comments on subsequent articles, the personal ripple-effect, the contacts established, the intimacy-leading-to-increased-activism energization... Honestly, I fully expected why I was on personal 'hiatus' this year to have seen someone, anyone take up the 'public meetings cause' and see town halls on this issue (that is, self-directed meetings owned by the residents, not by the HWDSB or City Hall), thereby applying a very grounded, very real, much needed imprimatur to 'the cause'. But we're out of practice with this mode of involvement, and these days, seem limited as residents to considering 'protest', either in comment or email form, or in the louder expression of 'public protest'. Going back to Scott London's thoughts, 'The Power of Dialogue' might be a good way to 'prime the pump'.

M Adrian Brassington