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Chris Erl

@chriserl.ca
1.5K followers 335 following 57 posts

#HamOnt forever • writer, researcher, nerdy queer • He/Him • McMaster+TMU+McGill alum. • Newsletter @ theincline.email • linktr.ee/ChrisErl

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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 28/09/2026
"It's getting nasty", Bay Observer editor John Best writes, as he posts the addresses of @cameronkroetsch.bsky.social's supporters, disparages the CBC's reporting, and approves comments calling myself and a host of community members "parasites" and "grifters". #HamOnt bayobserver.ca/its-getting-...
bayobserver.ca
It's getting nasty outside as municipal election heads into final month - bayobserver.ca Hamilton, Burlington and GTA
A sure sign that the municipal election is in full swing is the beginning of black ops where opposing candidates get creative in casting shade on one another. CBC Hamilton apparently took the bait in ...
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The Incline @theincline.email · 24/09/2026
No new Incline today, but definitely check out the CBC Hamilton coverage of the 2026 #HamOnt municipal election. Highly recommended for staying up-to-date with the state of the races across the city!
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 11/08/2026
For anyone keen on some brief historical background on industry in #HamOnt, check out my classic newsletter piece from 2023, "Children of the Plume": theincline.email/p/children-o...
theincline.email
Children of the Plume
Breathe mindfully, plus by-elections!
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 27/07/2026
#HamOnt: oh no we can't build 60 units of affordable housing on an underused parking lot and ensure 12 units will go to veterans and that they'll be accessible to people priced out of the housing market won't somebody think of the defenceless cars waaahhhhhhhhhh New York:
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Margaret Shkimba @margaretshkimba.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Are they giving Stoney Creek voters false hope? open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
open.substack.com
The Battle of Stoney Creek 2.0
The affordable housing planned for the parking lot on Lake Ave. in Stoney Creek has hit the news again, just in time for the silly season of a municipal election
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 11/07/2026
I have such incredible anger at this decision. Campaigns are being given advice that leads them to violate #HamOnt city policies that the IC themselves said are confusing. This is outrageous. I'm absolutely livid.
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
ChatGPT posters and flyers are polluting real life and driving me insane. Please respond to this with the worst ones you've seen irl. I'll post some in the thread www.404media.co/we-are-livin...
404media.co
We Are Living in a ‘ChatGPT Flyer Pandemic’
"Hey if this is your flyer, I’m not going, I’m not donating, I’m not sharing. Don’t ask me."
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 07/07/2026
If the #HamOnt councillor/mayoral candidate doesn't want "buildings to languish", then he should support proven solutions: stronger regulation, tough penalties for absentee/corporate speculators + land profiteers, more municipal investment in heritage, & expropriation. Actions > populist signaling.
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Rodney 🚧🚇 @chanface.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Provincial Conservatives: We’re expanding the airport and destroying the island & waterfront whether you like it or not. Just like we destroyed the Science Centre & Ontario Place. Fuck you. Federal Liberals: Yasss sissy that landing 🏳️‍🌈💨🛬🏙️ we’ll paint the runway rainbow to replace Hanlans Beach 😍😍
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 27/05/2026
#HamOnt is *raging* about the proposed AI Data Centre at Burlington+Gage, but here's a little Municipal 101 for context: • Proposal is at the Committee of Adjustment (CoA) • CoA *IS NOT* City Council • CoA *IS* a 7-member quasi-judicial citizen tribunal • CoA will discuss proposal June 4 at 9:30 AM
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
AOC on possibly running for the Senate or President: They assume my ambition is a title or a seat. My ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country. Presidents come and go, elected officials come and go, single payer healthcare is forever.
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 08/05/2026
Let's see if I've got this: A right-wing #HamOnt mayoral candidate gets *multiple* profiles in the local paper AND a 1,100 word write up in the National Post where his inaccurate claims earn NO pushback... ...but no one asks questions during the campaign launch for the candidate leading the polls?
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 06/05/2026
wow yeah maybe somebody should spend six years writing a dissertation on political parties at the local level in Canada www.tvo.org/article/anal...
tvo.org
ANALYSIS: Toronto needs political parties | TVO Today
We already have them in all but name. It’s time we quit lying to ourselves.
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 13/04/2026
Today's long-anticipated "school board overhaul" legislation shows that community pushback works. Ontarians said loud and clear that they did not want to lose elected school board trustees and we *won*. Our democracy might be in trouble, but it persists ✊ #onpoli www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Ontario capping number of school trustees per board, creating new oversight roles | CBC News
Education Minister Paul Calandra is planning sweeping changes to the province's English school systems, including capping the number of elected trustees for boards and creating oversight roles centred...
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 05/04/2026
Headlight survey! Survey on headlights! Questions on car light too bright! Car make too light much bright car light! Sorry, got excited. Transport Canada is collecting opinions on road user experiences with headlights that are too bright. tc.canada.ca/en/corporate...
tc.canada.ca
Canadian experience with vehicle headlights and glare at night
Transport Canada wants to learn how headlight glare affects road users and what vehicle or lighting features may influence how people experience it at night.
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 30/03/2026
Editorial: Here’s why Avi Lewis is the wrong choice to lead the NDP – by a centrist Liberal
thebeaverton.com
Editorial: Here's why Avi Lewis is the wrong choice to lead the NDP - by a centrist Liberal
By Martin Kearns, man who has never voted NDP once in his life This weekend the NDP chose Avi Lewis as their leader. And as much as it pains me, a Liberal commentator who loves Mark Carney and would n...
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 23/03/2026
Imagine what it would be like to have a Premier who cared as much about all of Ontario as Ford does about the 0.06% of the province's landmass that is part of the City of Toronto? #onpoli
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 18/03/2026
A trio of Canadian fascists paid Nigel Farage (far-right Brexit leader & possibly the UK's next PM) to film a video trying to goad #HamOnt Mayor Andrea Horwath into attending a racist comedy show. We have to tackle hate in Hamilton, even when it's this stupid. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Newly unearthed Nigel Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogans
Exclusive: Analysis of more than 4,000 of Reform UK leader’s paid-for Cameo videos also shows they contain misogynistic remarks and antisemitic conspiracies
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ℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I've been around Ontario long enough to know that whenever they dangle booze in front of the voters like keys in front of a baby they're about to do something *unbelievably* corrupt. At THIS level of "Drinks Some Beer, Losers", I have to imagine Algonquin Park is becoming a chemical weapons plant
Ford government to allow ‘bring-your-own’ alcoholic beverages at outdoor public events
By Richard Southern

Posted March 17, 2026 6:30 am. Last Updated March 17, 2026 6:31 am.
It will soon be bring-your-own-booze in Ontario.

The Ford government will soon be allowing provincial residents to bring their own alcoholic beverages to outdoor public events, 680 NewsRadio has exclusively learned.

Starting on April 30, Ontarians can bring their own booze to municipally designated cultural or community events, including farmers’ markets, movie screenings, art exhibits, and neighbourhood festivals. Currently, only organizers of live sporting events can obtain this type of tailgate permit.
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 10/03/2026
The amount of work the next government will need to do to reverse the illogical, irresponsible, irrational actions of the Ford Government will be immense and can't start soon enough. #onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1172382...
globalnews.ca
Ford government confirms 75% reduction in number of conservation authorities | Globalnews.ca
The province announced the changes at an event on Tuesday, marking a minor shift from a previous plan to reduce the number of conservation authorities down to just seven.
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Avi Lewis @avilewis.ca · 02/03/2026
Hamilton! Join me March 9 for an evening of movement-building. This campaign is about returning the NDP to its roots as the party of the 99%, standing with workers and empowering the grassroots. Bring a friend! Reserve your spot now: avilewis.link/hamilton
An evening with Avi Lewis and friends in Hamilton. March 9, 7–9PM at Germania Club, 863 King St E. RSVP: avilewis.link/hamilton
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 02/03/2026
It's 2029. Potholes on Barton swallow three more cars today as kids & racoons fight in the crumbled ruins of rec centres. From the ghost town of #HamOnt City Hall, Councillor Whitehead's mic is cut when he calls Mayor Cooper's 2.5% tax increase "basically communism". www.thespec.com/news/council...
thespec.com
Rob Cooper joining race for Hamilton mayor
Ward 8 councillor says affordability is the top issue
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The Incline @theincline.email · 25/02/2026
Keanin Loomis is running for mayor of Hamilton #HamOnt #YHMvotes2026
Keanin Loomis announcing his mayoral candidacy in front of The Westdale Theatre in Westdale on February 25, 2026.
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 17/02/2026
Ontario is being run into the ground by a premier who thinks boomerisms are a substitute for policy smfh
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Nrinder Nann @nrindernann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
ATTN: Ward 3 & Main St neighbours. Councillors who live no where near you are trying to stop Main St safety & complete streets interventions this budget. I know families who lost loved one or experienced critical injuries and will continue to fight for you. Pls email ward3@hamilton.ca to connect.
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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Canadian friends: today is *the very last day* to buy a membership in the NDP and have a say in who the party's next leader will be. Only members can vote in March. On climate and economic justice, we need a strong third party. Don't sit it out! act.lewisforleader.ca/become-an-nd...
act.lewisforleader.ca
Join the NDP to Vote for Avi
Become a member of the NDP! Members can vote in the party's leadership race to elect a new leader.
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Margaret Shkimba @margaretshkimba.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I’ve been away from Substack, and other social media platforms for almost three months. Here’s why. open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
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Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 21/01/2026
For CBC Arts, I wrote about why I think Canada needs to revel in the beauty of its weirdest impulses www.cbc.ca/arts/canadia...
cbc.ca
OPINION | Canadian TV needs to get weird again | CBC Arts
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, English Canadian screens were filled with bizarre, fever dream-like shows. Writer Niko Stratis argues that we need to back to that
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 20/01/2026
From a Canadian military publication: hybrid warfare includes "cyber warfare, economic coercion/blackmail...disinformation campaigns & psychological warfare" When will our federal gov't show the courage to recognize the imminent threat we face and take steps to isolate the rogue state to our south?
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The Incline @theincline.email · 17/01/2026
Today on The Incline → David Lewis's early political campaigns in #HamOnt, Avi Lewis's run for the leadership of the #NDP, and politics in this messy moment. theincline.email/p/a-sea-of-c...
theincline.email
A sea of change
David Lewis in Hamilton, Avi Lewis in the race, and politics in this messy moment
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Avi Lewis @avilewis.ca · 11/01/2026
Under my leadership, the next time the NDP holds the balance of power in parliament, we’ll have one demand: proportional representation. Sous ma direction, la prochaine fois que le NPD détiendra la balance du pouvoir au Parlement, nous n'aurons qu'une exigence : la représentation proportionnelle.
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The Incline @theincline.email · 08/01/2026
Today on The Incline → When it comes to crime in #HamOnt, it's a case of feelings vs. facts. And with #YHMvotes2026 on the horizon, some on the city's political right are going all-in on feelings. theincline.email/p/crime-story
theincline.email
Crime Story
In an election year, some are hoping feelings beat facts about crime.
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Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Co-sign. Given this & the long-standing neglect of Canada’s post-secondary system, it’s hard not to think that spending billions to attract foreign researchers is more about assuaging Canada’s epic inferiority complex (look how many real scholars we got!) than advancing the Canadian research sector.
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Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Fresh Start Wilf Perreault 2023
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The Incline @theincline.email · 30/12/2025
Today on The Incline → An end-of-year check-in and a reflection on the loss of a dedicated community champion in #HamOnt. theincline.email/p/the-public...
theincline.email
The Public Trust
A check-in from The Incline and a reflection on the loss of former HWDSB trustee Judith Bishop.
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Chris Erl @chriserl.ca · 23/12/2025
Doug Ford's government uses a lot of "D" words to justify their actions. But they're undermining the most important “D” word of them all - democracy. #onpoli #ontpoli (Totally forgot to post this yesterday when it was published, but here's a gift link to my latest in The Spec: tinyurl.com/533jm9rm)
thespec.com
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IF @mapleleafsfan.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
This is maybe old news at this point, but peeps in #hamont should not go to any other businesses owned by these union-busters. That means don’t patronize: Mulberry Coffeehouse Paisley Coffeehouse and Eatery Donut Monster Redchurch Station 1 Coffeehouse (in Grimsby)
cbc.ca
Hamilton café Democracy closes suddenly, laying off workers months after unionization | CBC News
In October, workers at a popular Hamilton café signed their first collective agreement. The location closed this week, leading some to wonder if it’s in response to their unionization efforts. The own...
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Clare Blackwood @clareblackwood.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Oooh the worst boys you know are fighting
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The Incline @theincline.email · 10/12/2025
Of the 620 comments on the #HamOnt Jamesville MZO that were deemed acceptable to publish, the breakdown is: Pro MZO → 88.9% Anti-MZO → 5.5% Mixed* → 5.6% * mixed, meaning generally supportive, but with requests to adjust what is approved or focus more on affordable/supportive housing
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Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
I’m having trouble squaring this announcement with the fact that, at least in Ontario, universities are in a decades-long underfunding crisis that governments are refusing to address and in many cases are making worse.
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Lewis For Leader @lewisforleader.ca · 09/12/2025
50 days to build something bigger. If you’ve been fired up by this campaign, why not make it official? Join the NDP and help elect @avilewis.ca. The last day to join is January 28, 2026.
A graphic that says: 50 DAYS LEFT / Get your NDP membership before January 28th, 2026 to vote for Avi as our next leader.
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Jason Lamb @jasonlamb.org · 03/12/2025
My #SpotifyWrapped is out...and once again all the data is wrong. I wrote a post on how 'Spotify has a (Meta)Data Issue'. www.jasonlamb.org/blog/spotify...
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The Incline @theincline.email · 01/12/2025
Today on The Incline → After a wall goes up in front of the #HamOnt Salvation Army, many in the community wonder if its days are numbered. A long look at the past, present, and future of the York Boulevard shelter. theincline.email/p/the-perks-...
theincline.email
The perks of being a walk-through-scaffolding-flower
Charity, entertainment, order.
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Lewis For Leader @lewisforleader.ca · 28/11/2025
If you want @avilewis.ca as the next leader of the NDP, you must become a member of the party by January 28, 2026. Sign up here: avilewis.link/join #cdnpoli #ndp
60 days left: Get your NDP membership before January 28th 2026 to vote for Avi as our next leader.
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Ward 2 Hamilton @ward2hamilton.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
November 15 marked a full three years in my role as Councillor for Ward 2. Every year, around this time, I write about another year gone by, what I’ve learned in this job, what people tell me when they see me at a meeting, stop me in the street, or share their thoughts with me in an email. #HamOnt
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Marit Stiles @maritstilesndp.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Here's the moment I was kicked out of the legislature yesterday.
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Lewis For Leader @lewisforleader.ca · 10/11/2025
Momentum is growing. Join the movement: lewisforleader.ca/join #cdnpoli
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The Incline @theincline.email · 10/11/2025
Today on The Incline → A mayoral poll drops one year out from the #HamOnt municipal election that signals the mood of the city's electorate. PLUS poll-by-poll results from the federal election and what they might mean. theincline.email/p/poll-by-poll
theincline.email
Poll by poll
A mayoral poll and detailed results from the federal election for your Monday morning.
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Maureen Wilson 🇨🇦 Ward 1 Councillor, Hamilton @ward1wilson.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Join us for an enlightening evening on October 14, as we explore Treaty history with the esteemed historian, Rick Hill. Tickets are FREE. Everyone welcome—registration required. simpli.events/e/treaty-his...
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The Incline @theincline.email · 03/10/2025
Today on The Incline → A long look at the #HamOnt Ward 8 council by-election. theincline.email/p/but-first-...
theincline.email
...but first it’s Ward 8.
A long look at the Ward 8 by-election
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