What's your favourite Christmas gift?
Placeline Hamilton
Everybody has a favourite Christmas gift (or Hanukkah, or some other celebration ... we're not leaving anyone out here). So, we here at Placeline Hamilton asked a number of well-known Hamiltonians about their favourite of all time. Listen as they explain why they remember that gift - in many cases, many years later.
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Why do kids have so much trouble with math?
Placeline Hamilton
Year after year, EQAO scores show our kids are having a tough time with math. It's a vexing problem for schools and a concerning one for these students' futures. By why is it such an issue? Who's to blame? Is it fixable? (aka: ) is one of Ontario's best math tutors. She talks about what's going on and what can be done. If you're a parent of a kid in school, you're going to want to hear this one.
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Kojo Damptey talks taxes, spending and political divides at Hamilton city council
Placeline Hamilton
There are plenty of opinions about what’s going on in Hamilton and down at city hall. Placeline Hamilton is a place where you’ll hear a variety of them. Including this episode. Kojo Damptey is an instructor at McMaster, an activist in the local community, a musician and has been a political candidate. With the early draft of the city budget set to be released, he talks about his thoughts on taxes, spending, council, the mayor and even battles between the left and the right. And whether real solutions for the city’s problems can be achieved with a council has philosophically divided...
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The World Cup draw is this week. What will a game ticket cost you?
Placeline Hamilton
This is a huge week for soccer. On Friday, the World Cup draw will be held. It’ll determine not only who has a tougher or easier run to a championship, but also who Canada will play. This is particularly intriguing to those around here, since a number of games will be played just down the road in Toronto. On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, Canadian soccer Hall of Famer John McGrane chats about the incredible price of tickets, whether the reported $380-million price tag to co-host is worth it, the impact on soccer in this area - and how much you might make if Canada was to host Italy in...
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Can TD Coliseum really be a catalyst for the downtown?
Placeline Hamilton
The reviews were almost unanimously positive when Paul McCartney re-opened the renovated TD Coliseum the other day. People loved the concert and people seemed to really like the re-imagined building. But that's just the start. It's long been argued that this facility is supposed to be a catalyst that will bring the entire downtown back to life. It'll be the thing that leads to cleanup and spawns development. Can that really happen? Lou Frapporti of the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG), which is part of the private-sector consortium behind the renovation that has pitched this...
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Hunting Grounds: The Spectator's Susan Clairmont on new true crime series
Placeline Hamilton
It's one thing to write about crimes in the Westdale area that went on for seven years as Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont did in a series called Hunting Grounds, laying out the story of men peeping on women, videotaping them without their knowledge, and in some cases sexually assaulting them in the area around McMaster University. But finding a balance between writing it in a compelling way while also maintaining enough of an emotional distance so as not to be consumed by the horrible details is a challenge. One Clairmont has had to navigate for years writing about the worst crimes in the...
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What is the role of universities in 2025?
Placeline Hamilton
Between the tens of thousands of students who attend and the staff who are employed there, McMaster University has a huge impact on the Hamilton community. Susan Tighe was installed as the school's new president a few months ago. On this episode of Placeline Hamilton, she talks about the role of universities in 2025, challenges facing schools and whether students today are too easily offended on campus. Also, what's Mac doing with the old Hamilton Spectator building just off the highway, anyway?
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Will 2026 bring another 'change' election?
Placeline Hamilton
We are roughly a year away from the next municipal election in Hamilton. Which means those who are thinking of running for mayor (and in some cases, council) almost certainly have the wheels in motion by now. Who will be running? What will be the main issue or issues? And will this election bring the kind of change the last one did? John Best is back to chat about what city hall might look like by the time we go to bed on Oct. 26, 2026.
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Expect to be 'shocked' by changes at TD Coliseum
Placeline Hamilton
Paul McCartney won't be the only thing people are wanting to see in Hamilton on Nov. 21. Those going to see the former Beatle in concert will also be eager to check out the newly renovated TD Coliseum in which he'll be performing. Eighteen months and $300 million later, the GM of the place says folks will be "shocked" when they see the changes. What can people expect from an old arena that's been given a new life? The building's senior vice-president and general manager, Nick DeLuco, joins Placeline Hamilton to give a rundown.
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Local hockey fixture Don Robertson joins Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame
Placeline Hamilton
This week, five new members of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame were inducted. Among them was longtime hockey fixture Don Robertson. In a chat with Placeline Hamilton about minor pro leagues and teams back in the day when Slap Shot felt less like a fictional movie and more like a documentary, Don tells some tales. About fans and players brawling in the stands, players who could barely skate and even one incident in Collingwood that's almost too ridiculous to be true.
info_outlineMusic can improve performance when running, bring memories back to people with dementia and even work in pain management. How can a bunch of notes have this kind of power? Music therapist Rachael Finnerty of McMaster University explains the magic.