What Toronto transplants really think of Hamilton is supposed to be funny. Don’t get me wrong, I love the women of Baroness Von Sketch. Like so many Toronto transplants they’ve "discovered" Hamilton. But honestly, whats great about Hamilton is that it's not Toronto. Anyone who moves here and doesn't want to contribute to this city shouldn't live here. "Discovering" Hamilton and trying to make it Toronto just won't work. “Discovering” Hamilton and convincing all your Toronto friends to move to Hamilton, so that you can make it more like Toronto just won’t work. Constantly comparing Hamilton to Toronto won’t work either. It’s a largely working class blue collar city with heavy roots in manufacturing. Hamilton’s are full of grit and work hard. Hamiltonian’s get shit done, aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and don’t do things the Toronto way. Hamilton is far more than a couple of well known streets like James N and Locke. It’s far more than the Supercrawl. Get to know it before you move to Hamilton. Don’t look at Hamilton as an opportunity to own an affordable home while actually participating in Toronto from afar. This is especially true for people in the arts industries. If you are an artist or film maker living in Hamilton, you are a Hamilton artist. Not a Toronto artist living in Hamilton. Push for galleries here. Support Hamilton’s long standing artist run centers. Welcome actual Hamilton artists who grew up in this city in those galleries. Don’t shut them out and make it a place for Toronto artists to spread out of Toronto because is too saturated. Don’t look at Hamilton as a huge development opportunity for Toronto commuters. Because the condo culture and gentrification is ugly. Look at Hamilton as a community to invest your time in. Get to know the people. Contribute to it in meaningful ways. Hamilton is not a city that needs “saving”. Hamilton does not need Toronto’s housing problems, class divides, and desire to become a world class city. This is something Toronto transplants just don’t get. Hamilton is not a satellite of Toronto. It’s not in search of a Toronto identity. It is it’s own city. Hamiltonian’s know this. Be aware that Torontonians moving to Hamilton are contributing to a larger problem called gentrification and spreading it to a city that doesn’t need it’s condos, unaffordable housing, transit problems, inequality, etc. There are people living in Hamilton who are desperately saving to buy a house for themselves in a city they grew up in, that are being priced out by Toronto transplants. Take the H out of GTHA. Hopefully this is something viewers of Baroness Von Sketch can take away from their 2 minute comedy sketch. Hopefully it doesn’t become an inside joke for Toronto transplants.
