As we travel along the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Niagara, we pass the Hamilton Harbor and some steel works. Hamilton was founded in 1815 by George Hamilton, son of Robert Hamilton who was a politician and veteran of the war of 1812. In the 1820’s a canal was built that allowed for access between Burlington Bay to roads through the Niagara Escarpment. This canal turned the area into a significant port. Many industries set up shop here. To this day, Hamilton is a highly unionized working man’s city. Over the years, due to the world financial situation, many business left the Hamilton area. The main industry that stayed was steel production. Hamilton is the largest steel manufacturing city in Canada. 60% of all the steel in Canada is produced here. One of the main steel mills, formally Stellco, bought out by US Steel in 2007, is over a hundred year old and still in operation. It hosted over 6,000 employees at its peak. Hamilton is the steel and metals manufacturing Capital of Canada.