Upcoming Talk

Transportation Futures: Aviation and Light Rail for Hamilton and Elsewhere

Hamiltonians for Progressive Development invites you to hear Dr. Richard Gilbert, author of "Hamilton: the Electric City", on January 10 ^th at FRWY Café (333 King Street East, at Wellington). Dr. Gilbert will be talking about the future of transportation in an energy-constrained world, with particular emphasis on the prospects for air travel and light rail transit. This free evening seminar begins at 7:30 pm with Dr. Gilbert's talk, which will be followed by a panel discussion led by guest moderator Nicole MacIntyre; panelists will be Scott Stewart (General Manager of Public Works for the City of Hamilton), McMaster professor Nicholas Kevlahan, and Lynda Lukasik of Environment Hamilton.

Dr. Gilbert was commissioned by the city in the summer of 2005 to do a study on how Hamilton should respond to rapidly rising energy prices. At that point oil was selling at under $65 a barrel; this week it reached $100 a barrel. Dr. Gilbert predicted that prices will rise much further over the next decade as global production is no longer able to meet demand, and concluded that it is likely that gasoline prices will reach $4 a litre by 2018. Consequently, he called on the city to focus upon energy in all planning decisions and recommended that a more detailed follow-up report be prepared.

Last month, Dr. Gilbert and Simon Fraser University professor Anthony Perl released a new book called Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight without Oil, which proposes responses to "an early peak in world oil production and profound climate change resulting in part from oil use." The seminar on January 10 ^th will explain Dr. Gilbert's ideas, with specific emphasis on issues of particular concern to Hamiltonians.

Time: January 10, 2008, 7:30 pm

Place: FRWY Cafe, 333 King Street East (at Wellington Street), Hamilton

Cost: Free