14 Theme Areas for Vision 2020 

Executive Summary

In 1992, people in Hamilton got together with municipal staff and councillors and decided what they wanted Hamilton to look like in the year 2020.  They created a vision and developed ways everyone could take action to make it happen.  In 2001, the new City Council reaffirmed their commitment to a sustainable community and to VISION 2020 in their "Mission, Vision, Values and Goals" strategic plan.

The VISION describes Hamilton as a "sustainable community", a place where economic, environmental and social issues are jointly considered as we make decisions.  In Hamilton, we look after the environment, look after each other and create safe and healthy places to live, work and play.

VISION 2020 is the award-winning collection of goals, strategies, actions and measurements to make the VISION a reality and keep track of progress along the way.  VISION 2020 considers what we do and how we do it; the everyday decisions, large and small, that will shape the future of the community, as well as the way we work together to create the future we want.

Local Economy

Sustainability principles are still not well understood in the economic development community and therefore the opportunities they create are not appreciated.  Often sustainability issues are seen as obstacles or restraints to economic development.  The task for this theme area is to highlight the opportunities so that economic development activities in the City lever the vision of a Sustainable Community as a unique positioning for Hamilton's future.

Agriculture and the Rural Economy

As the Hamilton Community continues to grow, the amount of land available for agriculture continues to decrease, thereby making urban sprawl one of the main threats agriculture faces today.  The viability of agriculture is not only threatened locally; there are impediments at both the provincial and national levels as well.  Consolidation of the food industry, increasing taxes, land-use policies and farmland preservation are all issues that concern the health of agriculture in Hamilton.

Natural Areas and Corridors

Although Hamilton has a number of natural areas protection programs and organizations (i.e. hamilton Naturalists' Club, Conservation Authorities and Stewardship Councils), presently there are gaps in the delivery of an efficient protection program for natural areas.  Such gaps and obstacles include : improperly zoned ESA's, significant non-ESA lands not protected and inadequate funding available for the acquisition of natural areas.

Improving the Quality of Water Resources

Over the past ten years the dramatic improvements in water quality in Hamilton Harbour have been the result of the efforts of our heavy industries - Dofasco and Stelco in particular; the improvements to the Halton Skyway Sewage Treatment Plant; and the City of Hamilton's program of developing the Combined Sewer Overflow Tanks (CSO's). The outstanding achievements in public access and fish and wildlife habitat regeneration have resulted from major projects undertaken by the Royal Botanical Gardens; The Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration Committee of the Remedial Action Plan for Hamilton Harbour; The Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Hamilton; and the Hamilton Harbour Commissioners.

For water quality to improve in the next few years, the City of Hamilton now must take the leadership role. Particular attention must be paid to retrofits and new technology for the Woodward Avenue Sewage Treatment Plant. Also, organizations such as the Bay Area Restoration Council, Green Venture and Hamilton / Halton Watershed Stewardship Program must continue their programs of encouraging citizens to reduce water pollution at source.

Reducing and Managing Waste

Soon after the finalization of VISION 2020 documents, the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth began work on a Solid Waste Master Plan.  The process will be completed under the auspices of the new City of Hamilton.  Based on the recommendations of a Public Advisory Committee (PAC), the Solid Waste Master Plan is intended to determine the future of solid waste management in the region for the next 20 - 30 years.  The scheduled expiry of a number of major waste management contracts in 2006 establishes a time frame for development and implementation of the Master Plan.

Work of the Waste Management Reduction Committee (WMRC) will build on the goals and targets described by VISION 2020 and on PAC's recommendations, which are currently under consideration by City Council.  The VISION 2020 philosophy was endorsed by  the PAC and formed its recommendations.  The WMRC recommends that City Council accept them.

Consuming Less Energy

Although the one goal in this theme area is simply stated, energy is used in every facet of our daily lives.  As Hamilton works toward long-term livability and sustainability, where does energy fit?  In fact, the way we use and deliver energy affects all of these community goals.  Deregulation and technology development are profoundly affecting the energy options available to Hamilton.  Many are not aware of the financial, environmental and social costs of our energy supply and use.

At present there is not a community-wide plan or group working toward the goal of "consuming less energy".  Many communities have developed a "Community Energy Plan" to meet community energy goals.  An energy aware community works with utilities and private energy companies to promote and finance energy-efficient investments.  Homeowners, businesses and developers all have access to information to take advantage of long term cost savings from energy investments.  Local energy resources are used to build a strong local economy.

Improving Air Quality

The quality of the air we breathe has an impact on our health, environment and well-being.  In 1997, the Hamilton-Wentworth Air Quality Initiative summarized the social, environmental and economic impacts of poor air quality in Hamilton.  In response to the conclusions and recommendations published in the study, Clean Air Hamilton was formed to implement a community-wide action plan to improve air quality.  Clean Air Hamilton is now a multi-stakeholder committee that supports measures to reduce emissions that are considered to be the most harmful to human and environmental health.  The action plan engages all individuals, businesses and governments to take on responsible actions that will minimize local impacts on the atmosphere.  As air pollution is generated by transportation, industry and trans-boundary sources, the only way to meet the air quality goals of the VISION is by encouraging positive change in lifestyles; change that will lead to a downward trend in the levels of air pollutants that human activity currently generates.

Changing Our Mode of Transportation

A sustainable transportation system and decreased citizen reliance on the single occupant vehicle can occur only once Hamilton's suburban sprawl is halted.  The transportation system is ultimately determined by the kind of land use decisions that are made.

Land Use in the Urban Area

Not unlike Hamilton's VISION 2020, the term "smart growth" was borne out of the realization of the fiscal, environmental and aesthetic ills of rapid growth in southern Ontario and the need for comprehensive, planned urban growth.  Some of the associated negative impacts include loss of prime agricultural lands, lack of open space, auto dependence, gridlock, cost of infrastructure and community isolation.  Smart Growth encourages the efficient use of existing urban lands and existing infrastructure.  It encourages higher densities near urban centres or cores in order to provide opportunities to decrease costs to the public sector, build strong communities and reduce impacts on the natural environment and agricultural lands.

When analyzing the lands and our impacts, it is important to remember that everything is connected to everything.  As a result, successful urban areas have been identified as diverse, dynamic places where people can interact in a quality environment.

Arts and Heritage

There is a lack of effective and consistent communication within the arts and heritage sector.  Organizations are often unaware of what each other are doing and conflicting event dates often result.  Long range planning on a sector-wide basis is non-existent and there is no central place where organizations can set out their plans and review the plans of other organizations and programs.

Hamilton is a city rich in culture.  Arts and Heritage organizations are some of the best in Canada and the sector makes a significant contribution to the economic, social and educational well-being of the community.  However, two problems exist : the economic benefits of the sector are not understood and appreciated and the huge array of cultural opportunities is not communicated effectively to the community.

Personal Health and Well-being

The Personal Health and Well-Being interim Task Force wanted to focus on issues that were relevant to the whole community and required attention.  Illnesses and deaths related to smoking, exposure to smoke and pedestrian safety are predictable and preventable.  Decreasing preventable causes of death and illness needs to be a priority focus.

Participants at the Seeing 2020 Indicators Event stressed the important role of recreation opportunities for active living in preventative health care.

Safety and Security

In the City of Hamilton, injuries are the leading cause of death in children and youth.  In 1995, injuries accounted for 209 deaths, 2,672 hospital admissions, 31,315 days in hospital and resulted in hospital costs of $21.75 million.  From 1993 to 1997, falls were the most frequent reason for hospitalization in residents aged 14 and under and 25 years and older.  Motor vehicle collisions were the most frequent reason for hospitalization for ages 15 to 20 and attempted suicide was a major cause of hospitalization for ages 15 to 44.

Education

It is essential to build on community strengths and focus on areas that are "within our power to affect change".  Promoting alternative assessment models that increase opportunities for learning will be beneficial for success in this theme area.  Increased awareness for non-traditional learning pathways will open a myriad of opportunities for students.  Other important actions that can increase success of this theme area include :

• Increased public awareness of the importance of building and sustaining the local education assets;

• Strengthen learning networks;

• Promote proactive, early intervention models that help students get a solid head start;

• Increase the currency of the education curriculum and resources;

• Build community capacity for innovation, risk taking and change.

Community Well-Being and Capacity Building

Community Well-Being and Capacity Building is a complex theme area.  It is accomplished through community organizations that support community well-being and capacity building and the level of participation of citizens in community activities and organizations.  It requires government and local funder's support for community capacity building and requires dedication to overcoming social issues which are barriers to public participation and affect community well-being.