RMTs are trained health specialists who have completed the requisite training and met the strict competency requirements of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) or another provincial body. Your RMT, along with other professionals like doctors and dentists, can become one of your partners in prevention when it comes to your overall health and well-being.

Concession Street, Hamilton Mountain’s oldest commercial district, is home to a number of RMTs among the many health professionals who do business in the area—many of them within walking distance of Juravinski Hospital.

RMTs Kassandra Wilson and Christina DiStefano (905-385-3338) are located at 437 Concession St. As a bonus, DiStefano is also a Reflexologist. The area’s relaxation central is located at 544 Concession St., where you’ll find the offices of Registered Massage Therapy (905-385-9781), along with RMTs Cory Hall (905-972-7008), Stephanie Picco (905-741-2081) and Dr. Debbie Taylor (905-546-7015), who is also an Acupuncturist. You can also try Family Massage Therapy & Spa (905-387-3092), located at 491 Concession St.

All the businesses and professionals mentioned above are members of the Concession Street BIA. You can learn more about how the BIA is working to promote this friendly, historic district on Hamilton Mountain by calling 289-933-8899 or visiting

www.concessionstreet.net. “Concession Street is where neighbours meet.”

“People have to enjoy the experience of riding, whether it’s light rail or a bus.”
-Councillor Judi Partridge

“I think if people want to make change, I’ve got a ton of volunteer activities they could do. There are a lot of already existing civic organizations people could get involved in. Neighbourhood associations get listened to because they are made up of constituents. There are some in many of the wards. The councillors listen because quite frankly these are their voters. If your ward doesn’t have one, start one. Or you can join the BIAs. Councillors have to sit on the BIA boards; it’s our job.”
-Councillor Brian McHattie

“When I was at Hive X last year, I said we should try to put an amusement park at the top of 100 King St. W. Not that I meant a real amusement park. It’s about thinking big.”
-Melissa Height, Chair of Hive

“I also get that if you create innovation in your field, whatever it is, you may have a rosier picture. I used to think that this walkability stuff was nuts. I mean, it doesn’t seem efficient. But after hearing (Gil Penalosa) I’m starting to think about whether we can put bike lanes next to the curbs on Concession Street. It’s wide enough.”
-Lynn Page, Concession Street BIA executive director

“I saw the prospect for how innovative the manufacturing business can be spanned out; how a new production can be staged in an old theatre.”
-John Evans, ESB Lawyers

“From a students’ perspective, they do want to stay in Hamilton, but it’s about livability in downtown spaces. It’s about jobs and livability together.”
-Spencer Graham, vice-president of education, McMaster Students’ Union Market Hamilton to Hamiltonians

“Tourism Hamilton should promote Concession Street, Barton Street, Dundas, all of these places to the people who live here.”
-Ilya Pinassi, vice-president of operations for Parkway Motors in Hamilton

Change is happening in Hamilton but for some, it’s not coming fast enough.
Related Stories
-Economic Summit: Prosperity starts… Economic Summit: ‘Advanced’…

That was one of the key messages coming out of the Hamilton Economic Summit Thursday that featured everything from city councillors and senior staff sitting down for “fireside chats” to a fast-paced, almost evangelical lecture about how the world’s cities need to build streets and public spaces for everyone, not just those driving cars or willing to be urban bike warriors.

But it was the input of young professionals and students who came out in large numbers that drove the day’s agenda.

“Regardless of how we discovered Hamilton, whether you’re young or in my case, youngish, we came to discover this place and found something to lure us in,” said Keanin Loomis, who will become the next CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

“We have staked our careers and our livelihoods on this city and we’re in no way satisfied with the status quo.”

A next generation panel showed that while newcomers find Hamilton a cool, engaged and lively place to be, they feel impatience with progress on two-way streets, rapid transit, sustainable development and protecting historic architecture.

“If we are going to truly grow, we have to take an aggressive step forward,” said Dave Barhouma, creative director of Create Media. “We all know there is momentum in the city. We all know it’s happening.”

The young people said what they liked about Hamilton was the ability to play a role in its revitalization.

But the vibe of impatience prevailed.

“Everyone knows what makes a great city but it needs to be happening faster,” said Seema Narula, who writes a blog called This Must Be the Place.

Summit leaders did not set new goals out of its sixth annual gathering. Instead, the long-term focus will remain on five key areas determined last year.

The summit, held for the first time in the expansive Careport Centre, delivered its progress report on youth engagement, creative industries, advanced manufacturing, transportation and health sciences.

“We are making some amazing progress but we have much to do,” said Richard Koroscil, the interim CEO at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce who is credited with being the driving force in establishing the summit while he was president of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.

The day also featured the official opening of the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre, which takes up about 80,000 square feet in the Careport Centre at McMaster Innovation Park.

“This is the place where partnerships will be made and ideas will be born,” said McMaster’s vice-president of research Mo Elbestawi.

Though it’s empty now, the $26-million research hub will soon be crammed with high-tech equipment and up to 200 researchers creating the electric and hybrid car of the future.

MARC played perfectly into the summit’s theme, Innovation: The Art of the Possible.

Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8 to 80 Cities, led a segment focusing on urban renewal. He said cities need to focus on the needs of everyone, from children to the elderly, especially in how they get around.

“Walking and cycling is not a frivolity. It’s necessary for most people.”

Event co-chair Demetrius Tsafaradis highlighted progress happening in Hamilton, from all-day GO to waterfront development to attracting newcomers.

But he cautioned the way forward isn’t easy.

“And we can’t rely on historic road maps to take us to the future. We need innovation to unlock the possibilities within ourselves, our teams and businesses and in our neighbourhoods.”

mmacleod@thespec.com

905-526-3408 | @meredithmacleod

6 Things We Learned
1. Hamilton surprises with gems

Hamilton media company Create Media is producing a series of beautiful videos it calls The Best of Hamilton, showcasing what might be hidden gems to outsiders. It features businesses, scenic places and city events.

2. Climate change threatens global food supply

Thomas Homer-Dixon, director of the Waterloo Institute of Complexity and Innovation, said climbing global temperatures and the results on weather patterns will have devastating impacts on extreme weather events and the world’s already vulnerable food system. As an illustration, he said if China’s grain production declined and it needed to buy only 20 per cent of its needs on the world market, it would absorb about 50 per cent of available grain.

3. We need to close the productivity gap

A manufacturing panel compared the average hourly cost of an industrial worker in Canada, China and India: $38, $3 and $1 respectively. And despite years of slashing employment, closing factories or moving them to low-wage states, Canadian industry continues to suffer from a productivity gap. At its simplest, Canadian factories produce 23 per cent less value per hour worked than similar American plants.

4. Make the city friendly to moving people, not vehicles

Urban consultant Gil Penalosa of 8 to 80 Cities said great cities concentrate on building safe, interesting streets and public spaces for everyone, not just for those getting around by car. He said when Melbourne, Australia, began to focus on its urban street life 30 years ago, there were just three cafés with outdoor spaces. Now there are 617.

5. Summits have led to progress in five focus areas

Hamilton HIVE, a new live music initiative, a focus on business opportunities in health and life sciences, collaboration between business and culture, and committees dedicated to LRT and advanced manufacturing are all results of past summits.

6. Keeping jobs is critical

John O’Bryan of CBRE industrial real estate brokerage, said six manufacturing plants in London, Ont. employed 5,625 people. They closed and when new occupants were found, they employed 747 people. “It’s a staggering set of numbers. It is very difficult when you lose a plant to replace it. This means retention of employers is critical.”

Honey Chang is zen at Simply Zen on Locke Street.

Honey Chang converted to a healthier lifestyle for the planet and herself a long time ago. She never had a hard time finding the things she wanted in Toronto.

But when she moved to Hamilton six years ago, there was little in the way of organic clothing or toiletry products.

She opened Simply Zen on Locke Street and right away found a market for teas, soaps, incense and candles.

Now her store is chockablock with all manner of cool organic items – most from Canadian companies and including several lines of organic or hemp clothing for entire families. She also keeps some organic and raw food items in another part of her tiny store.

Business is a bit brisker with the ongoing development on Locke. Word of mouth and her Facebook page have also built a following.

“My store is now a destination. It was a mystery store for some of the neighbours but now I’ve got a sign up and people are getting to know what we’re about.”

– Lisa Grace Marr

Matt Quast, left,and Peter Niculescu are adept at stirring up planet-loving food at The Naked Sprout.

What happens when you take raw food, mix it, cream it, and roll it? You’ve got the makings of a sexy new restaurant called The Naked Sprout.

The Burlington hotspot is the city’s only vegan and raw-food restaurant. The menu also has cooked items – as well as dairy-free and some food that looks, ummm, naked.

Peter Niculescu (known as Chef Pete) said the idea for the restaurant came from his own interest in veganism and a desire to help out the planet by adhering to a diet that is based on food that is non-polluting and healthy. He located next to Chrysalis Yoga Studio – a market that already buys into many of The Naked Sprout’s founding principles.

“(Mass-produced food) requires an enormous amount of global resources, ” he said. “The rice, soy and corn that feeds cattle could feed the globe over and over.”

He must be doing something right – he just won a Top 30 under 30 award from the Ontario Hostelery Institute.

The real prize though is winning over customers who never thought about how their diet could affect the planet.

“We focus on winning over people who are not vegan and might realize that healthy food tastes good. Our slogan is ‘A healthy today for a healthy tomorrow.’”

– Lisa Grace Marr

Rhonda Barr of Ya'd Never Know makes gluten-free and vegan products Business is Booming. Photo: Gary Yokoyama/Hamilton Spectator

Seems like every time you turn around there’s a new business offering organic, gluten-free, healthy, eco-friendly or warm and fuzzy (hopefully not the food).

So it seemed appropriate to take a closer look at the specialty market trend.

First stop, a crazy-good food store and bakery Ya’d Never Know. What ya’d never know is that everything is gluten-free. It’s ready to bust out of its Dundas building because business is booming.

Rhonda Barr is whirl of positivity, knowledge, energy and a lover of good food.

In 2004, her 22-year-old daughter Terra died from a brain tumour. In 2000, just after Terra was diagnosed, Barr decided to make a change in her life.

But she also had to make a living. She turned to her passion for cooking and launched her catering business The Valley Gourmet.

She wanted to cook for cancer patients. But she noticed more and more customers were asking for gluten-free products, and she decided that was her calling.

So she gave up her catering business and bought a great – but cozy – location on King Street in Dundas.

“Big mistake. It was already too small and we’d just started, ” she said.

Ya’d Never Know has a faithful clientele built by word of mouth, Barr’s cooking shows on Cable 14, her cookbooks and her food.

“I think our food is good because we’re not celiacs, ” she said. “We just expect food to taste good and the (gluten-free) food that’s being mass-manufactured out there is just awful, pasty with no nutritional value.”

She has just secured contracts with several hospitals to supply their cafés with prewrapped cookies and other treats. There’s also a market for her frozen pastas and hors d’oeuvres.

- By Lisa Grace Marr

Local non-profit strives to help businesses improve their profitability

Where to start?

Sandi Stride of Sustainable Hamilton

Some practical tips:

1. Take a look at energy use.

Many companies find they can easily generate as much as 10 per cent savings without any capital investment — often just with a change in behaviour. Reducing energy consumption produces big savings — and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Reduce waste.

Reducing and recycling operational waste can generate remarkable savings while also driving innovation and creating a healthier environment for your community.

3. Engage employees.

You’ll be amazed at the ideas they’ll come up with. Make sustainability “the way things are done here.”

It’s time to focus on Innovation — the art of the possible

Website shines a light on investment and building activity in Hamilton

Chris Farias

Joyce Swaby, owner of It's A Food Thing on King William, serves Caribbean-inspired fare. Photo: Gary Yokoyama/Hamilton Spectator

A huge array of exciting new restaurants have recently opened in the core, lighting Hamilton’s eating scene on fire

Meredith MacLeod

The Hamilton Spectator

These are good times for foodies in downtown Hamilton.

Established restaurateurs are opening new locations, newcomers are offering fresh fare and there is an upswing in ethnic cuisine, including Korean, Peruvian, Caribbean and Croatian.

Dishcrawl has started events in Hamilton and popular TV food shows Eat Street and You Gotta Eat Here have made several stops to show off local eateries.

Jackson Square will soon unveil an Asian-inspired grocery store and new gourmet burger joint and has recently welcomed chicken wing icon Anchor Bar.

The Lister will soon be home to a European-style café and a 1920s-inspired New York-style steakhouse is planned to open late in the summer. Along with all that are plans for The Mustard Seed grocery co-op, still scouting downtown locations.

Sarcoa arrived last summer offering upscale waterfront dining.

The lower city is rapidly gaining a culinary reputation, from its celebrated food truck culture and hugely successful rallies, upscale coffee houses and some highly successful homegrown offerings, such as The Bread Bar, Rapscallion and Harbour Diner.

Those join the core’s venerable landmarks, including The Black Forest Inn, Shakespeare’s and The Capri.

Paven Bratch is aiming to make Radius such an institution on James Street South.

The Radius Café opened a year ago, a dining component launched last fall and sometime this spring patrons will be able to eat on a 200-seat multi-level patio.

“It’s the right time for Hamilton, especially downtown,” said Bratch, whose partner is wife Bela. He says the city’s active social media community is playing a big role.

“It’s on fire here. I think it’s a catalytic. You’ve got that kind of drumbeat you never could have without social media.”

Radius is located in what was once the home of city builder Isaac Buchanan at the corner of James and Augusta. The ceilings, which soar 16 feet, are the original tin. Huge windows face the street and there is exposed brick, heavy beams and the work of edgy Hamilton artists on the walls.

Paven Bratch, owner of Radius Cafe and general manager Scott Leslie in the dining room.

This is Bratch’s first restaurant foray after making a career in marketing. Radius is linked to his 100-acre farm in Carlisle which will grow much of the produce.

The menu is “urban casual,” stressing local ingredients in season and house-made preparation, says general manager Scott Leslie. Hamiltonians know their food, he says, and actively promote their favourites.

Juan Castillo, co-owner of Culantro on King William, has been overwhelmed by the support shown for his Peruvian restaurant.

“All the feedback is great. Plates empty, that’s what I want to see.”

A native of Lima, Castillo has an extensive food background, including 20 years in San Francisco. He says there is much about Hamilton that reminds him of California’s city by the bay.

“I knew I wanted to be in Hamilton. I didn’t know I would be introducing people to Peruvian cooking. I just wanted to do something I have a passion for.”

In addition to a range of independent eateries, Glen Norton, manager of downtown renewal for city, says he knows of a couple of large chains looking for downtown sites.

“I think they’re feeling the buzz that downtown is benefiting from new hotel suites. And there will be 2,000 new condo units over the next few years and these are typically people who go out to eat more often.”

As well, art crawl events have drawn people from Hamilton’s suburbs and outside the city who are discovering a new side to the downtown.

“I think people are discovering it’s a good choice to come downtown and the restaurant owners want to get in while locations are available and rents are down,” said Norton.

Kristin Archer, who writes the I Heart Hamilton blog, says she can’t keep up with the city’s new offerings.

“There is such a variety that if you walk down one street, you’ll find such diversity.”

There have been a number of new Korean offerings, including U Shao Korean BBQ on John Street, Alirang at Main and Locke and Cho Sun OK on King Street, and the addition of a Burrito Boyz on King facing Gore Park.

There are plans, too, for a second location of Locke Street hot spot Chuck’s Burger Bar downtown and a new gourmet grilled cheese shop at King and Hess.

A jobless stint last year convinced Chanry Thach that she doesn’t have to go to Toronto for good food.

“I was always recommending Toronto restaurants to my friends,” said Thach, who commutes to a Toronto hotel for her job as an assistant food and beverage manager.

When she had time to explore the Hamilton she didn’t know after 10 years in the city, she started The Hungry Gnome blog to document what she found.

“The food scene is getting more active. There are so many little places that don’t always get the love they deserve … It’s amazing the quality that’s here.”

Kathy Drewitt, executive director of the Downtown Hamilton BIA, says the majority of the 34 new businesses opened in its jurisdiction in 2012 are restaurants, bringing the total to 190. She’s aware of a number of more that are coming, including a new eatery in the former Junction space on King William.

“I think it’s a testament to the city’s efforts to get more people to live downtown. That contributes to more confidence.”

David Hanley says it was an easy choice when he began to scout for a new Dishcrawl location in Ontario.

“I’ve been knocked out by the calibre of restaurants and the volume here,” he said.

“People from outside are stunned by it.”

Dishcrawl Hamilton hosted its first event on Locke Street in March and another on Hess Street in April. Diners register for $60 and sample three items at four restaurants in a night. Participants don’t know their destinations until they arrive at a meeting point.

The organization started in San Francisco and has spread across North America.

Hanley says he sees strong collaboration between restaurants and a social media community that supports establishments.

“People enthusiastically boost Hamilton businesses and restaurants. You don’t see that anywhere else.”

The next Dishcrawl Hamilton event, James Street South May 21, is sold out. There are some tickets left for James Street North on May 28.

mmacleod@thespec.com

905-526-3408