Peacefully on location on King Street West in its sixth year, surrounded by loyal staff and customers.

Parent to scorching Habanero Hot Sauce, Paper-Bag Tortilla Chips, renowned Pulled-Pork Burritos and Dirty Herb’s Chili (which did not survive infancy).

Child of Ewan McLachlan and Joe Catanzano.

Predeceased by the north-most section of Ann Décor (nee Chez Bon Bon).

After an ominous period of advertising “For Rent,” Jimmy’s opened its doors on Jan. 26 for the last time. A long-sufferer of neighbourhood animosity, Jimmy’s finally threw in the towel to the grief of McMaster students and local Mexican cuisine aficionados alike.

Former short-time employer of a certain Silhouette Managing Editor, who thanks Jimmy’s for all the memories: food experiments, the Arkells and that extra 5 lbs. that took a while to burn off.

Winner of the Silhouette’s 2011 “Drunk Food Duke-It-Out” playoff bracket for best place for a late-night snack.

Last-burrito-server to Noah Ciglen, who is the envy of all Silhouette employees for being there for Jimmy’s final moments, and for getting extra tomatoes and free guacamole.

Jimmy’s will be lovingly remembered by all weekend (and day) drunk twentysomethings in the area of King and Marion, and hungry Editors on Wednesday nights.

No formal funeral arrangements have been made; individual mourning in the form of refried bean and tortilla consumption is appropriate.

Reincarnation in the Hamilton area is widely anticipated.

In lieu of flowers, donations to your local gastroenterology clinic would be appreciated. Online condolences can be made at: www.thesil.ca.

Just before midnight on Thursday, Nov. 1, Sterling Street near Haddon Avenue was awash with the flashing blue and red of police cruisers, which were responding to an armed robbery incident at a Westdale student house.

In the home, four males and one female, ages 20-22, were taken by surprise when suspects described to Hamilton police as all male, black and in their early twenties entered the premises. One suspect armed with a knife and another, allegedly, with a firearm demanded that the students empty their pockets and turn over all their belongings.

“The targeted items that were taken were electronic items and cash,” said Sergeant Terri Lynn Collings of Hamilton Police Services. The people in the home complied with the intruders’ demands, and then the suspects fled from the home.

Although the burglars were carrying weapons, the students were not injured and did not require medical attention when emergency services arrived.

Lydia Vanderkooy, an upper-year McMaster student who resides near the house, commented that there “must have been about 20 cops cars lining the street on Sterling from Haddon to Cline area.”

The normally safe area of Westdale has been the target of several alarming incidents of late, most notably the sexual predator who was reported in the area in July and the petty thief who mugged several Hamiltonians in August.

As of Nov. 7, no suspects had been apprehended for the armed robbery, and police were still piecing together the details.

“We’re continuing to find out exactly what happened there, and why,” said Collings.

By: Devra Charney

 

3 out of 4 beans

Address: 1020 King Street West (in Westdale), 905-777-8100

Hours: Monday – Friday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Coffee in Westdale often means one place: My Dog Joe. On any given day, this locally and independently owned coffee house is packed with students huddled over laptops and friends catching up over a cup of joe (pun intended). Food produced locally or on premises, accompanied with an eclectic collection of used furnishings and paintings by local artists, accounts for MDJ’s appeal to hip university students – and the free WiFi doesn’t hurt either. Due to its popularity among students and members of the community, it can be difficult to find a seat on weekday evenings, and so a placard at each table gently reminds customers to limit their stay to 45 minutes during peak hours.

Owners Alice, Bruce, and Roger proudly proclaim on their website that they “sell only fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee” and use “as many local, natural and organic products” as possible. Although this pushes most drinks and baked goods onto the more expensive side of the scale, there are still affordable options available. A variety of teas ($1.75) complements pricier drink options such as flavoured mochas  ($4.15). A stylized blackboard menu bills the food as “hearty and healthy,” ranging from decadent treats, like the vegan macaroons ($1.50), to full meals, like the four-cheese and spinach quiche ($7.75).

Their three-cheese Panini ($3.95) is what keeps me coming back on a regular basis. Like all of their Panini options – which include Turkey and Brie ($7.95), free-range chicken ($7.95), and vegetarian ($5.95) – it is grilled on a 9-grain bun with garlic mayo. Served with ketchup on the side, it has all the comfort of homemade grilled cheese, but with a gourmet flare. House specialty muffins are available in sweet ($2.50) or savoury ($2.75). Moist and dense, the cranberry-blueberry muffin is bursting with juicy berries and yet subtle in its sweetness. For those seeking an alternative to standard coffee (large $2.09) Caramel-vanilla ($4.15) balances the flavour without overpowering it. Along with most of their other specialty drinks, it is available either hot or iced.

The only variable factor at My Dog Joe is the service. While many servers are knowledgeable and attentive, some give me second thoughts about staying. Upon asking for less ice in my drink, I was given an abrupt “No,” followed by a condescending, “that’s what the recipe calls for.” My receipt was then crumpled and discarded before I could ask for a copy. Despite occurrences like this, though, polite service is just as common. Many servers are willing to accommodate customers’ needs, and in compensation for this incident, I was given a voucher for a free coffee on my next visit. It is the consideration of servers like this, coupled with consistently high quality food and drinks, that ensures I remain a regular customer.

By: Jaslyn English and Mary Ann Boateng

 

On Sunday Sept. 23, McMaster hosted its first Open Streets event - a day in devotion to the idea of closed off streets making a more open community. The event lasted from late morning to late afternoon, running in conjunction with Open Streets Hamilton happening on James St N.

Open Streets Hamilton brings together different communities within the city in an attempt to bridge the gap between residents, small businesses, cultural organizations and special-interest groups.

The McMaster event featured a closed off portion of Sterling Street, turned completely pedestrian for the day, as well as a campus section stretching the length of University Ave. from the student center to the edge of the BSB field.

The Hamilton event is part of a broader movement in various cities across North America. According to its website, openstreetsproject.org, the object of Open Streets is to “temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing, and socializing.”

Hamilton has been running the event biannually on James St North since spring 2010, and this is the first time it has come to the McMaster campus.

Mary Koziol, former MSU President and Assistant to the President on Special Community Initiatives, was one of the organizers of the event.

“We started the project because we wanted to eliminate some of the barriers people perceive to be around campus,” she said of Open Streets. “We wanted a way to welcome community members onto campus and vice versa.”

University Ave. was lined with booths representing several clubs, organizations, and events within McMaster itself. The campus was also equipped with a stage for live performances.

The festival continued down Sterling Street, where booths of many Westdale shops as well as community-based organizations were located. This area of the event promoted the idea of outer-campus community that Westdale provides for McMaster’s students.

“I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces,” said the vendor at the Hotti Biscotti table, commenting on the similarities between this event and Clubsfest, hosted during Welcome Week on the McMaster campus.

Nate Walker, owner and operator of Nate’s Cakes, an eco-friendly alternative to the food truck, explained how vendors benefit from a festival like Open Streets.

“The event provides me the opportunity to know all the university students, he said on Sunday. “Festivals like this are where it’s at… If [it] happens again, I will definitely come back.”

Vendors and community members alike remarked that the event brought the community together, a notion mirrored by McMaster president Patrick Deane’s message recorded before the event took place.

The president saw the event as “bring[ing] down the boundaries between the university and the community” and was hoping for a “cross-pollinating effect” between McMaster and the broader Hamilton area.

While there was a diversity of age groups and walks of life from both the university and neighboring communities, the event failed to grasp the attention of the “broader Hamilton community” that the President was seeking to attract.

“It’s too bad there aren’t more people,” remarked a Westdale woman to her family, two hours after the event had started.

Yet after using one of the every-half-hour shuttles equipped with its own student tour guide, and taking in the atmosphere of the downtown portion of the event, it became evident that a crowdless, laid back vibe was as much a part of the Open Streets project as were the street vendors, and added to the neighborhood feel of the event.

McMaster participated in Open Streets as part of its celebration of the University’s 125th anniversary, but Koziol hopes the festival will continue in the coming years.

“What we are trying to do is a better job of opening our arms and welcoming the community and creating more and more partnerships and a broader network so that people don’t see McMaster as a community in itself but as just one part of this broader tapestry.”

Alvand Mohtashami
The Silhouette

Westdale hosts mix of students and permanent residents, providing a campus-town feel. Yet along with that comes a frustration from both groups, as students want to experience the freedom of being away from home and residents seek a quiet and clean environment.

While resident reactions to this past Welcome Week vary depending on the street, community events like PJ Parade and Community Clean-Up have given students a stronger first impression of the community entering the school year.

However, it is through the school year that tensions can build up.

Kenneth Moyle is a 12-year homeowner in Westdale and a board member of Ainslie Wood Westdale Community Association (AWWCA), an advocacy group for permanent residents in the community. He cites the two main concerns of residents as being loud noise and messy properties.

“McMaster and undergraduate life are part of Westdale. When you live in Westdale, you’re living around families, just as you did at home. The same rules of common courtesy still apply now that you are in a house of your own.”

While not all student houses are disruptive, the inconsiderate behaviour of a few can put a bad label on all student houses. Still, Moyle insists it would be hard to find residents who want all the students to go away.

The McMaster Students Union, conscious of the relationship between students and Westdale residents, runs a service called the Student Community Support Network (SCSN) to help develop a sense of community in the Westdale area.

Erika Richter is this year’s SCSN Coordinator and organizes the Resident Buddy and Snow Angels programs, which provide students with volunteer opportunities to connect to residents. These programs complement Hamilton 101 and By-Law 101 initiatives that teach students about common considerations of living off-campus.

The programs keep Westdale a balanced neighborhood, Richter says, and keeps conflicts from developing. She urges students to experience the city and get to know the community, as this will enrich the student experience and provide a different perspective on student life.

“When you make an effort to be a good neighbour, you’re helping to keep Westdale a place where students and permanent residents want to live,” said Moyle, “and what you do can effect Westdale and McMaster for years to come.”

Hamilton Police are searching for a male suspect who they believe is linked to at least two sexual assaults on King Street West and in the Dalewood and Traymore area.

Police have released a composite image of the suspect and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.

The most recent assault occurred on July 28 near the intersection of Paradise Rd. and Longwood Rd. A woman was walking alone at 2 a.m. along King Street W. when a male attacked her from behind, then stabbed and sexually assaulted her. The victim broke free and was taken to hospital, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released.

The suspect is described as a white male in his twenties, about six feet tall, with short, dark hair and a tanned complexion. Police believe the suspect, who was last seen running eastbound on King Street W., sustained a facial injury during the attack.

Investigators have linked the suspect to an earlier assault, which occurred on April 21 at approximately 3 a.m. near Traymore and Dalewood. A woman was grabbed from behind, pushed to the ground and sexually assaulted. To prevent the victim from dialling 911, the suspect took her phone, which was later found nearby.v

The victim did not sustain any severe physical injuries.

In the April 21 incident, the suspect was seen running toward Dalewood Ave. along Traymore Ave. He is described as a white male in his twenties, 5 feet 5 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a dark hoodie and dark track pants.

Despite the height differential, Detective Sergeant Maggie Schoen said investigators “were able to link the same suspect to both incidents based on other descriptors provided and his M.O.”

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Scott Moore at (905) 546-4614 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Terry Sullivan, Director of McMaster Security Services, said they will continue to monitor the situation.

“We are in constant contact with the Hamilton Police and will be circulating the bulletin of the suspect,” said Sullivan.

Unrelated to the sexual assaults, four armed robberies took place in Hamilton’s west end last week. The incidents occurred in the Ewen Rd. and Rifle Range Rd. area, at the intersection of Broadway St. and Ward Ave, in the Victoria Park area and in the area of Bowman and Baxter St. In each case the armed bicyclist took out a handgun and demanded valuables from his victims.No one was physically harmed during these robberies.

The suspect is described as a white male in his twenties with a thin build, wearing dark clothes and sometimes a baseball cap.

Police have increased patrol units in the city’s west end in response to the assaults and robberies.

“Students in the area should be aware of what’s happening in the community,” said Det. Sgt. Schoen.

“The more informed they are, the better witnesses they will be.”

McMaster officials say safety alerts and new information in the sexual assault investigation will continue to be updated on the McMaster Security Services website.

As the Phoenix continues to pursue a liquor license for the move to its new location, a few Westdale residents are taking the opportunity to push back against problems of noise and damage caused by drunken students in the area.

A group called Parents Against Drunk Students (PADS) purchased a quarter-page advertisement on page A13 of Saturday’s edition of The Hamilton Spectator, proclaiming that “McMaster Students Want More Alcohol On Campus.” The ad warned that the relocation of The Phoenix will lead to a more rowdy neighbourhood.

“What A Great Idea,” said the ad, sarcastically. “Let’s Increase The Volume Of Drunk Animal House Students Spilling Into Our West Campus Streets." The ad claimed that the bar has the potential to "make Sterling Street a Party Street," and made comparisons to the problems with student drinking in London and Kingston.

“It’s a group of concerned citizens that border along the boundary of McMaster University who are very afraid that students will throw eggs at their houses if their names are published. It’s happened before,” said Lou Ferro, the lawyer and Westdale resident who authored the ad, about PADS.

The Phoenix is set to move from its current spot in Wentworth House to the Refectory building, above Bridges Cafe, over the summer. The ad, though, claims that McMaster students are campaigning for “Another Bar On Campus,” not mentioning that the move will result in the closure of the current Phoenix. The new spot is closer to the centre of campus, further from the Westdale neighbourhood, and will hold a liquor license for fewer people.

“When you compare the old Phoenix to the new Phoenix, it’s a whole new situation, a whole new bar concept," said Ferro. "The new Phoenix is a modern, heavy-duty, big-sized bar with a business plan that greatly overshadows the old bar. When you take the new bar, it’s a whole different entity. They may be calling it The Phoenix, but it’s not rising as a Phoenix. It’s rising as a whole new bar.”

The Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association (AWWCA), which would normally represent concerns like these of permanent residents, has not chosen to take a stance against the bar.

“I know that there are some people that, from a community point of view, are looking at it more intensely than others,” said Jay Parlar, president of the AWWCA, speaking to The Silhouette in February. “They’ve come to the Board, asking the Board for support for what they’re doing, and we can’t.”

PADS targets the Association in the ad, saying that their decision was a poor one.

"AWWCA doesn’t have any right to say anything about anything that doesn’t affect them, because it’s 200 feet from the bar that's being affected, and most of AWWCA’s membership lives beyond the sphere on influence of this bar. It’s the Sterling and Forsythe triangle that we’re worried about," said Ferro.

PADS appears to be a reincarnation of Westdale Against Drunk Students, which staged a rally in 2006 to campaign for the closure of TwelvEighty, then called Quarters.

“We don’t have any faith in student management of the bars,” said Ferro, explaining that students don't have the experience needed to serve alcohol responsibly.

The Phoenix has been on campus for 43 years. In that time, the McMaster campus has always hosted two or more student bars.

“Students are students. Nobody’s arguing with their right to drink alcohol, but when a university or association puts them all in one spot and creates this mass, it’s a dangerous thing – not only for the neighbourhood, but for the students as well,” said Ferro.

Compiled by Farzeen Foda, Alex Rockingham and Karianne Matte

 

A mess at Hess: overcrowding leads to fines

One crazy night in Hess Village stirred up months of chaos for owners of two downtown Hamilton nightclubs. Last winter, two Hess establishments faced legal action for overcrowding during an all-ages event, which violated fire code regulations. The investigation concluded on Oct. 31, resulting in a final penalty of $1,000 for the operators of RokBar Night Club, and $2,000 for the owner of Elixir Night Club & Lounge, both located on Hess Street South. Fines for such violations may reach tens of thousands of dollars, but because the nightclubs admitted to their faults, the fines were reduced.

 

Westdale muggings unfruitful for suspects

A series of potentially related muggings in the Westdale area has Hamilton police seeking the help of residents in identifying culprits. On Oct. 27 around 11:30 p.m., two similar street muggings occurred, with matching suspect and vehicle descriptions, while three Nov. 1 muggings also had matching descriptions. Police are investigating the Oct. 27 events in the area around Longwood Rd, King St. W., Haddon Ave. S. and Main St. W. Though the suspects were armed with what’s being described as a tire iron or pipe, no victims were injured, and in all three cases, the suspects fled empty-handed. Anyone with insight on the matter is encouraged to contact Det. Jo-Ann Savole at 905-546-3818 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 

Bad drive ends up in bunker

At 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 5., Hamilton police found a man passed out behind the wheel of a small SUV in a sand bunker on the Hamilton Golf and Country Club course.  Police say that the man, heavily intoxicated, drove onto the course, crossed a green and a fairway, hit a shed and then finally ended up trapped in the bunker. The 22-year old, who was charged with impaired driving, blew more than two times the legal alcohol limit.

 

Poppy thief

A thief who is specifically targeting donation money meant for Canadian veterans is menacing the city of Hamilton. The so-called “Poppy-Box Thief” began a spree of robberies on Tuesday morning at a Tim Hortons in Stoney Creek at around 5:30 a.m, ordering a coffee then stealing the poppy donation box. The suspect has since repeated the act at three more Tim Hortons locations in the Hamilton area,  making off with half a dozen boxes.