Far more than a local history, this book invites readers to consider how the choices they make about the natural world today will shape the cities and communities of tomorrow. In 1865, John Smoke braved the ice on Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, to spear some bass for dinner and, he hoped, get a few extra to sell on the side. The local fishery inspector, eager to protect the area’s dwindling fish stocks, arrested him. The local magistrate then convicted Smoke for fishing on the Sabbath and chastised him for thinking he was at liberty to do as he pleased “with Her Majesty’s property."With this anecdote, Nancy Bouchier and Ken Cruikshank launch their history of the complicated relationship between Hamilton Harbour and the people who came to reside on its shores. From the time of European settlement through to the city’s rise as an industrial power, townsfolk struggled with nature, and with one another, to champion their particular vision of “the bay" as a place to live, work, and play. The outcomes of those struggles reflected the changing nature of power in an industrial city. From efforts to conserve the fishery in the 1860s to current attempts to revitalize a seriously polluted harbour, each generation has sought to create what it believed would be a livable and prosperous city. Bouchier and Cruikshank bring the dynamics of this history to life by drawing on a treasure trove of archival materials enriched with colourful anecdotes from the city’s past. | The People and the Bay by Nancy B. Bouchier, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters