# CANON.md
## Hamilton 2092 Guidebook — Canonical Reference

**Purpose:** Single source of truth for all canonical facts, names, dates, species, locations, and protected content in the guidebook. Read this file first before making any edits — it eliminates the need to re-audit chapter files for verification.

**Last updated:** 2026-04-09

**Companion file:** `CANON.json` contains the same facts in structured form for tool access. When facts change, update **both** files. Prose-only changes (narrative notes, changelog entries) only touch `CANON.md`.

---

## 1. CHARACTERS

### Primary POV Voices (Four)

**Nia Crosby**
- Age: 33 (born ~2059)
- Role: Cultivation Coordinator, Dundas Valley
- Chapter anchor: Ch2 Transit
- Expertise: mycelium fabrication, living-systems integration, MELA maintenance rhythms
- Family (Easter egg): parents Ed and Ana; siblings Ale, Lucy, Sandra; cat Luna
- Where she appears:
  - Ch1 §1.1 (arrival field note — "I see it before I see the city")
  - Ch2 §2.2 "Dawn on the Guideway" field note
  - Ch2 §2.5 "The Name Orenda" field note (referencing Thomas)
  - Ch2 §2.13 "The Mycelium Stain" + "Every MELA line" field notes
  - Ch3 background references only (Jem's lab, Ch6 Compact letter production)
  - Ch6 §6.7.1 mycelium cultivation work (third person)
  - Ch7 glossary entry

**Ravy Ryan** (NOT Ravi Anand, NOT Ravi Kapoor, NOT Ravi Patel — all earlier draft surnames)
- Age: 48, born 2044
- Role: Harbour Steward, Waterfront Ward
- Chapter anchors: Ch3 Residential (primary), Ch5 Ecology (secondary)
- Expertise: harbour ecology, Indigenous stewardship integration, field observation, water reading
- Mentor: Thomas (surname withheld)
- Easter egg: former student Kyle now at North Shore station
- Where he appears:
  - Ch3 §3.1 opening quote (A home is the slowest kind of water — re-voiced from Nia)
  - Ch3 §3.13 "Dawn on the Harbour" field note
  - Ch3 §3.15 reading the water reflection
  - Ch5 §5 opening quote ("The manual you hold describes a city that breathes")
  - Ch5 §5.5.3 Lake Sturgeon failure narrative
  - Ch5 field note "The Return" (October 2089)
  - Ch6 §6.3.5 machined spring for Jem's toaster
  - Ch7 appendix A0 labour legacy quote
  - Ch7 glossary entry

**Elena Adeyemi**
- Age: 54, born 2038
- Role: MELA Assembly Chair
- Origin: born in Lagos, trained as engineer, chose governance
- Chapter anchor: Ch4 Civic
- Expertise: governance mediation, human-technology symbiosis, Grove social dynamics
- Where she appears:
  - Ch4 §4.14 "Day in the Life" field note
  - Ch4 §4.15 "Asking the Sensors" field note
  - Ch4 §4.15 "The Decision That Felt Wrong" field note
  - Ch7 glossary entry

**Jem Her** (NOT Ah Her, NOT Mira)
- Age: 24/25 in 2092
- Role: Bio-Computing Lab, Chedoke Ravine Ward; archivist, West Harbour Memory Collective
- Chapter anchor: Ch6 Fabrication
- Mother: Sarah Her (bioelectric systems engineer, first stable non-invasive bioelectric interface 2081)
- Mentee: Kai (19, commercialization tension); Kairo (newest apprentice, 16)
- Signature object: toaster repaired forty-seven times (mother's, since 2067)
- Where she appears:
  - Ch3 §3.14 "Living Materials and Home Technology" field note
  - Ch6 §6.1 opening quote
  - Ch6 §6.3.5 "The Toaster Repaired Forty-Seven Times" field note
  - Ch7 Appendix opening quote
  - Ch7 A0 historical scaffolding quotes
  - Ch7 glossary entry (listed under "J")

### The Fifth Character (Not a POV narrator)

**Thomas (surname withheld by request)**
- Age: 94 in 2092, born 1998
- Haudenosaunee elder; territory: Six Nations of the Grand River
- Role: knowledge keeper, mentor to Ravy Ryan
- **CANONICAL RULE: Thomas never narrates in first person.** He is always quoted, recalled, or referenced by other characters.
- **CANONICAL RULE: His surname is withheld by request.** This is the author's design gesture honoring positionality concerns.
- Key moments:
  - Ch1 §1.13 "A Word from Thomas" (extensive quotation)
  - Ch1 §1.14 closing field note quotation
  - Ch2 §2.5 referenced by Nia in Orenda field note
  - Ch4 §4.15 referenced by Elena ("How many sensors does a forest need to be a forest?")
  - Ch5 §5.4.1 Waste Pigeon comment
  - Ch5 §5.4.5 invasive species quote ("The land decides who belongs")
  - Ch5 §5.5.3 Lake Sturgeon failure ("The fish are telling you something...")
  - Ch5 §5.6.1 Indigenous knowledge reference
  - Ch5 §5.6.3 equinox ceremonies reference
  - Ch5 "The Return" field note — walking with Ravy at Red Hill Creek
  - Ch7 timeline 2079 quote
  - Ch7 glossary: "Thomas (surname withheld by request)"
  - Ch7 acknowledgments: author positionality note

### Minor Named Characters

- **Priya Osei** — arrived 2087, Grove 14, Ch1 arrival field note
- **Rosa Deluca** — Nia's elder/mentor at La Ferme (referenced in Ch2 Mycelium Stain)
- **Sarah Her** — Jem's mother, bioelectric researcher; never married (mentioned)
- **Kai** — Jem's mentee, age 19, commercialization tension
- **Kairo** — Jem's newest apprentice, age 16 (Easter egg)
- **Kyle** — Ravy's former student, now at North Shore station (Easter egg)
- **Amara Osei** — Thermal Courtyard resident since 2078 (Ch3)
- **Amara Okafor** — Stewardship District 6 Basin Assembly delegate (Ch4)
- **Yuki Tanaka** — Lower City / Eastern Grove resident (Ch3, Ch4, Ch6)
- **Rosa Martinez** — night-shift harbor aquaculture worker (Ch2)
- **Nico** — Stoney Creek ward delegate (Ch4 Easter egg)
- **Ari** — older delegate, traditional medicines concern (Ch4 Easter egg)
- **Noah** — younger delegate, Orenda privacy concern (Ch4 Easter egg)
- **Chen Wei** — Upper City District 3, fabrication node user (Ch6)
- **Marcus Okonkwo** — systems engineer, productive conflict with Nia (Ch character research files)
- **James Okonkwo** — Elena's former partner (Ch character research files)
- **Yolanda Crosby** — Nia's La Ferme mentor, elder farmer (referenced)
- **Josephine Blackwood** — (1998–2087) showed Thomas the salmon paths (Ch5 dedication)
- **Alejandro Hernandez Guzman** — real author, referenced as 2026 design student who created the Multi-Lens (Ch2 §2.11.3, Ch6 §6.10.1, Ch7 glossary)

### Faculty Acknowledgments (Real People)

- Claire Ironside
- Angela Iarocci
- James March
- Renee Alleyn

---

## 2. CANONICAL DATES

### Pre-Transition Historical (Real)

| Year | Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1792 | Head-of-the-Lake Purchase (Treaty 3½) | Historical |
| 1816 | George Hamilton registers town site | Historical |
| 1847 | Hamilton incorporated as City | Historical |
| 1910 | Stelco founded (Steel Company of Canada) | Historical |
| 1919 | Hamilton General Strike | Historical |
| 1946 | Stelco Strike (81 days) | Historical — NOT 1910 |
| 1960 | Bruce Trail established | Historical |
| 1985 | Hamilton Harbour designated Area of Concern | Historical |
| 1990 | Niagara Escarpment UNESCO Biosphere Reserve | Historical |
| 1992 | Hamilton Harbour RAP adopted (BARC) | Historical |
| 2001 | City amalgamation (Hamilton + 5 municipalities) | Historical |
| 2004 | Stelco filed for creditor protection | Historical — NOT "bankruptcy 2007" |
| 2006 | James Street North Arts Crawl launches | Historical |
| 2007 | U.S. Steel acquires Stelco | Historical |
| 2009 | Supercrawl launches | Historical |
| 2022 | Randle Reef Containment Facility complete | Historical |
| 2024 | Cleveland-Cliffs acquires Stelco ($2.5B) | Historical |

### Transition Era (Speculative, Canonical to Guidebook)

| Year | Event | Source Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Transition begins / guidebook written (real-world author frame) | Author's 2026 framing |
| 2034 | West Harbour swimming reinstated (first time in over a century) | Ch5, Ch7 timeline — existing canon |
| 2038 | Storm Elara destroys GO Lakeshore West corridor | Ch7 timeline |
| 2041 | **First Flood** (West Harbour, 2,400 homes damaged) | Protected date |
| 2041–2050 | Sector NM remediation begins (former Stelco furnace yards) | New |
| 2044 | Summer heat dome kills 34 in Hamilton | Ch7 timeline |
| 2045 | First OrgoBot pilot in Sector K | Ch7 timeline |
| 2045 | **Harbour partial swimming designation** (Confederation Beach / Beach Strip) | New — added this session |
| 2047 | Hamilton-Toronto Coast Rail opens | Ch7 timeline |
| 2048 | Grimsby Accord (Feb 12); Indigenous co-governance formalized | Ch7 timeline |
| 2048–2050 | The Dark Years (infrastructure collapse) | Ch7 timeline |
| 2050 | The Renaissance begins | Ch7 timeline |
| 2053 | **Hurricane Mara** (Category 3, catastrophic damage) | Protected date |
| 2055 | Great Rewilding of Hamilton Harbour launches | Ch7 timeline |
| 2058 | Dish Protocol formally adopted | Ch7 timeline |
| 2058 | **Hamilton Harbour delisted as AOC** — all 14 BUIs resolved; full swimming designation | Ch7 timeline (expanded this session) |
| 2058 | Compact Invitation Letter distributed (March 21 spring equinox) | Ch7 timeline |
| 2058 | Great Lakes Autonomy Accord | Ch7 timeline |
| 2060 | **Ecosocial Compact** ratified (61% referendum) | Protected date |
| 2061 | Last Hamilton City Council meets | Ch7 timeline |
| 2061 | Lake sturgeon first reintroduction attempt (premature) | Protected date |
| 2061–2065 | **Climate Migration Wave** — city-proper crosses 1.1M / broader Basin 1.4M | Revised 2026-04-09 |
| 2065 | **Hamilton as Climate Destination; MELA Phase II commissioned** — ~1.4M city-proper / ~1.9M broader Basin | Revised 2026-04-09 |
| 2062 | **Bioregional Compact** formally established | Protected date |
| 2063 | City of Hamilton ceases to exist as legal entity | Protected date |
| 2063 | First fully operational MELA station opens (Main/King) | Ch7 timeline |
| 2067 | Commons gas supply ends / Last Shift Whistle | Ch7 timeline |
| 2067 | **Bayfront as destination** — officially primary public swimming zone | New — added this session |
| 2070–2071 | MELA Phase I complete | Ch7 timeline |
| 2071 | Steward Protocol activates | Ch7 timeline |
| 2071 | Lake Sturgeon reintroduction attempt #1 fails | Ch5 |
| 2072 | Orenda Network city-scale maturation | Ch7 timeline |
| 2072 | **Population Milestone** — city-proper ~1.6M / broader Basin ~2.2M | Revised 2026-04-09 |
| 2074 | Lake Sturgeon reintroduction attempt #2 fails | Ch5 |
| 2075 | Bioregional Mesh Treaty signed | Ch7 timeline |
| 2078 | **Sector K Orenda Fountain Station opens** | New — added this session |
| 2079 | Lake Sturgeon reintroduction succeeds (using Mississauga oral knowledge) | Ch5, Ch7 timeline |
| 2079 | Lake sturgeon breeding population established | Protected date |
| 2080 | Tripartite council structure formalizes | Ch7 timeline |
| 2084 | **Cold Snap** — 6-day thermal failure in Sector K | Protected date |
| 2086 | **Thermal Democracy Protocol** adopted | Protected date |
| 2086 | Eastern Grove completed | Ch4 |
| 2088 | MELA Eastern Gateway extension complete | Ch2 |
| 2092 | **Hamilton Realized** — Tenth Generation from Confederation (1867) | Protected date |

### Post-2092 Speculation

| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2150 | Silent MELA stations fully realized |
| 2167 | Treaty Renegotiations |
| 2231 | Orenda Coil network develops genuine city-level consciousness |
| 2232 | Orenda Coil formally seated on Convergence Council (first non-human delegate) |
| 2292 | Tenth Generation writes letter to Eleventh (Chapter 8) |

---

## 3a. CLIMATE & WEATHER (Canonical — added 2026-04-05)

**Baseline climate:** +4°C above 2026 baseline (net warming). Summer peak: +7°C above baseline; July average: 34°C. Winter: January average: +5°C above 2026 baseline. Grounded in Cakmak et al. 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada 2023, and Michigan Tech 2022.

**Note on infrastructure temperatures:** Fountain zone comfort ranges (25/29/33/37°C) are engineered system values — do NOT adjust these to match ambient climate figures.

**Seasonal averages (2092 Hamilton):**

| Season | Months | Avg daytime high | Avg overnight low | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | June–early Sept | **34°C** (July avg) | 22°C | 12–15 heat wave days >35°C/yr (4× 2020s); swim season Jun–late Sept |
| Autumn | Sept–Nov | 17°C (Oct) | 8°C | Longest season; peak colour early Nov; salmon run Oct; Signal Butterfly southbound |
| Winter | Dec–Feb | **+5°C above 2026 baseline** (Jan) | −4 to −5°C | 3–4 weeks continuous snow cover (vs 12–14 weeks historically); Lake Ontario ~20 days ice cover/yr; occasional cold snaps (2084 = −25°C) |
| Spring | Mar–May | 16°C (Apr) | 6°C | First buds mid-March; full leaf-out early May; migration peaks late April |

**Thresholds and alerts:**
- Heat Advisory: 32°C
- Heat Warning: 35°C
- Growing season: 40–60 days longer than 2020s baseline (starts mid-March, ends mid-November)
- Annual precipitation: similar to 2026 total, but concentrated in more intense storm events separated by longer dry periods
- Great Lakes water levels: +0.4–0.8 m by 2100 (Michigan Tech 2022)

**Protected narrative beats:**
- October is "the new September" — warm enough for outdoor meals through most of the month
- Winter is "mild and variable, unrecognizable to anyone who remembers the twentieth century"
- Cold snaps still happen and are dangerous *because the city no longer expects them* (justifies the 2084 Cold Snap + 2086 Thermal Democracy Protocol)
- The climate is "warmer most of the time, more volatile" — not a uniform improvement

**Where this appears:** Ch1 §1.8 "Weather Rhythms" (full seasonal breakdown); referenced in Ch5 §5.8 Climate Adaptation; grounded in back-matter/03-research-citations-v2 climate citations.

---

## 3. POPULATION (Canonical Figures — REVISED 2026-04-09)

**The growth story is dramatic, because the narrative demands it. Hamilton did not stay flat from 2026 to 2092 — it became a climate destination, and MELA was built because the city had to carry a tripled population.**

- **2021 Census:** 594,074 (real)
- **2026 baseline:** ~750,000 (real projection, 738,458 rounded)
- **2051 Official Plan target (real):** 853,130
- **2061–2065 Climate Migration Wave:** Basin surpasses 1.1M city-proper / 1.4M broader
- **2065:** ~1.4M city-proper / ~1.9M broader Basin
- **2072 Population Milestone:** ~1.6M city-proper / ~2.2M broader Basin
- **2092 Hamilton Realized (LOCKED):** **~2M city-proper / ~3M broader Basin**
- **2292 projection:** **6.5–7.0M broader Basin** — Hamilton as continental Great Lakes metropolis

**Growth curve justification:** The 2092 figure represents a city that roughly tripled its population since the 2026 baseline of ~750K, driven by:
1. Climate migration from the US Sun Belt (2054–2057 Southwest Exodus; see timeline)
2. The harbour becoming swimmable again (2045 partial, 2058 full delisting)
3. Post-industrial land transformation (Steelport → Sector NM residential)
4. Hamilton's emergence as a climate-resilient bioregional hub
5. Bioregional Compact attracting new residents who want Dish Protocol governance

**This is why MELA exists.** A city of 750K doesn't need a radical biosynthetic transit organism. A city that tripled its population in three generations, absorbed climate migrants, and rebuilt its entire waterfront — that city needs MELA. The population arc is the infrastructure justification.

**Old canon (retired):** "~1.5M city-proper / 2.0–2.2M broader Basin" was the previous 2092 figure. Revised upward to ~2M / ~3M to reflect a true tripling of the 2026 baseline and to strengthen the MELA infrastructure justification. Corrected in the 2026-04-09 session.

**Protected note:** Do not write "150,000" (old thesis baseline) anywhere. Do not revert to "750K city-proper" as a 2092 figure — that is now the 2026 baseline, not the 2092 endpoint.

---

## 4. SPECIES BINOMIALS (PROTECTED)

Use exactly these binomials everywhere:

- **Steel Bark Oak** — *Quercus ferruginea*
- **Luminous Root-Weave** — *Mycelium luminosa*
- **Harbor Bat** — *Myotis portus* (no subspecies designation)
- **Signal Butterfly** — *Papilio notificans*
- **LuxNavigator** — *Lux navigator* (lichen)
- **Harbor Heron** — *Ardea portus* (Ch3/Ch4) — note: Ch5 and Ch7 still use *Ardea portus hamiltonii* subspecies; inconsistency to resolve if targeted
- **SynthBee** — *Apis synthetica* (biomimetic dual-function device, NOT "hybrid pollinator")
- **Filter Moss** — *Bryum purificans*
- **Glasswing Dragonfly** — *Anax vitreus*
- **MycoHamiltonia** — *Mycorrhiza hamiltonensis*
- **RepairBacter** — *Bacillus reparans*
- **Carbon Capture Kelp** — *Laminaria carbonivora*
- **Memory Fern** — *Osmunda memorialis*
- **Thermal Lily** — *Nymphaea thermophila*
- **Glass Reed** — *Phragmites crystallinus*
- **Circuit Vine** — *Parthenocissus electronica*
- **Signal Grass** — *Andropogon signalis*
- **Filter Finch** — *Spinus filtrans*
- **Waste Pigeon** — *Columba recyclica*
- **Escarpment Fox** — *Vulpes escarpa*
- **Thermal Moth** — *Actias thermalis*
- **Circuit Spider** — *Argiope circuitrix*
- **Remediation Beetle** — *Chrysolina remediatrix*
- **Nitrobacter Hamiltonii** — *Nitrobacter hamiltonii*
- **Compost Accelerator** — *Thermobacter rapidus*

---

## 5. KEY CONCEPTS & ACRONYMS

- **MELA** — Maglev-Electric-Light-Autonomous (the transit system). NOT "More-than-human Escarpment Landscape Assembly" (old character research file name — discarded). Elena's title: **MELA Assembly Chair**.
- **Dish Protocol** — governance metabolism based on Dish With One Spoon Wampum Covenant; four foundational principles.
- **Orenda Network** — distributed biosynthetic intelligence network; name used with permission.
- **Orenda Coil** — household interface unit (distributed 2074–2077).
- **Grove** — primary residential typology (8–24 dwellings around shared courtyard); 71% of residents live in Groves; 23 Groves across city; Eastern Grove has 4,200 residents.
- **Basin Assembly** — tripartite city-wide governance body (Human Chamber + Steward Chamber + Long Voice Chamber + Indigenous Co-Governance Partners).
- **Seven Generations** — 175-year impact assessment horizon.
- **Long Voice** — role at every governance scale; argues for unborn future generations.
- **Breach Protocol** — most serious escalation mechanism (invoked 4 times since 2058).
- **Repair Tribunal** — 7 humans + 3 Steward reps, handles inter-Grove disputes.
- **Thermal Democracy Protocol** — adopted 2086 after 2084 Cold Snap.

---

## 6. GEOGRAPHY (Canonical)

### Seven Bioregional Districts
1. **Sector K** — Orenda Fountain Plaza ONLY (Confederation area, Orenda Fountain Station, civic hub). Sector K is NOT the industrial hub — that is Sector NM. Sector K Orenda Fountain Station opens 2078.
2. **The Harbor District** — ecological/civic heart, Pier 8 amphitheatre, Great Rewilding.
3. **The Lower City** — historic downtown below escarpment, James Street North corridor.
4. **The Escarpment District** — vertical transition, Chedoke Ravine, Bruce Trail.
5. **The Upper City** — plateau above escarpment, Ancaster/Westdale/Mohawk corridor.
6. **The Agricultural Belt** — Glanbrook, Binbrook, rural Stoney Creek.
7. **The Watershed District** — Red Hill Creek, Chedoke Creek, daylighted creeks.

### Sector NM (New)
- Former Stelco lake-facing furnace yards
- Remediation begins 2041–2050 (new timeline entry)
- Residential corridors; carries nearly 1/5 of Basin population
- Introduced Ch3 §3.1 (new this session)

### Real Hamilton Landmarks Referenced
- **Dundurn Castle** (c.1834, heritage anchor, escarpment western approach)
- **Royal Botanical Gardens** (est. 1941, National Historic Site 1994)
- **Cootes Paradise** (largest freshwater marsh on Lake Ontario north shore)
- **Confederation Park** (93 hectares, east Hamilton)
- **Bayfront Park** (16 hectares, 1,800m shoreline — new in 2067 as destination)
- **Randle Reef** (remediation completed 2022, permanent ecological memory site)
- **Pier 8** (adaptive reuse, waterfront community hub)
- **Beach Strip** (4-mile peninsula separating lake from harbour)
- **James Street North** (Arts Crawl corridor since 2006, 87th edition in 2092)

---

## 7. PROTECTED CONTENT (DO NOT CHANGE)

These cannot be altered without explicit user instruction:

1. **2026 references in artist statement** — the author (Alejandro) is writing from 2026 framing the guidebook as a 2092 artifact. Intentional layering.
2. **2292 references** — easter egg. Pun on author's experiential design work and the Shattered Lens provocation. Do not remove, do not flag as inconsistent.
3. **"Thomas (surname withheld by request)"** — Thomas never narrates in first person. Ever. Only quoted, recalled, or referenced.
4. **All canonical dates above** (First Flood 2041, Hurricane Mara 2053, Ecosocial Compact 2060, Bioregional Compact 2062, city ceases 2063, Lake sturgeon first attempt 2061 / success 2079, Cold Snap 2084, Thermal Democracy Protocol 2086).
5. **All species binomials** listed in Section 4.
6. **Population figures (LOCKED):** ~2M city-proper, ~3M broader Basin (for 2092). Intermediate: 2065 ~1.4M city / ~1.9M Basin; 2072 ~1.6M city / ~2.2M Basin. 6.5–7.0M broader Basin for 2292. The 2026 baseline is 750K. See Section 3 for the full growth curve.
7. **SynthBee definition:** "biomimetic dual-function device" or "biomimetic device serving dual functions as pollinator and environmental monitor." Not "hybrid pollinator," not "engineered bee."
8. **MELA acronym expansion:** Maglev-Electric-Light-Autonomous. Elena's title: MELA Assembly Chair.
9. **Stelco chronology:** "filed for creditor protection in 2004; acquired by U.S. Steel in 2007" — not "bankruptcy 2007."
10. **1946 Stelco Strike** — not "1910 steelworkers' strike."

---

## 8. FILE MAP

### Working Directory
`/Users/alejandro/.openclaw/workspace/thesis/Finals/guidebook/FinalEdited/`

### Working Files (where edits happen)
- `front-matter/01-title-page.md/.html`
- `front-matter/02-dedication.md/.html`
- `front-matter/03-artist-statement-v2.md/.html` ← includes "A Note on Extraction" coda
- `front-matter/04-guidebook-home-v2.md/.html`
- `front-matter/05-timeline-v2.md/.html` ← 121+ events including new climate arc
- `front-matter/06-toc.md/.html`
- `chapters/01-introduction-v2.md/.html`
- `chapters/02-transit-v2.md/.html` ← §2.1 reordered function-first
- `chapters/03-residential-v2.md/.html` ← opening re-voiced to Ravy; Sector NM anchor
- `chapters/04-civic-v2.md/.html` ← §4.1 reordered function-first; Sector K anchor
- `chapters/05-ecology-v2.md/.html`
- `chapters/06-fabrication.md/.html`
- `chapters/07-appendix-v2.md/.html` ← Thomas glossary; acknowledgments
- `chapters/08-epilogue-v2.md/.html`
- `back-matter/01-historical-maps.md/.html`
- `back-matter/02-inspirations.md/.html`
- `back-matter/03-research-citations-v2.md/.html`

### Final Flat Folder (sync target)
`final/` — all files copied here after each round of edits.

### Key External Research (preserved, referenced)
- `/Users/alejandro/.openclaw/workspace/thesis/guidebook-html/Hamilton_Urban_Development_2026.html` (5090 lines — real 2026 baseline research)
- `/Users/alejandro/.openclaw/workspace/thesis/guidebook-html/research-citations.html` (1289 lines — source citations)
- `characters/shared/character-profiles.md`, `character-journey-maps.md`, `character-relationships.md`, `pov-character-profiles-framework.md`, `maker-character-research.md`

---

## 9. CHANGELOG (since last audit)

**Locked decisions sync (2026-04-09):**
- Population updated: 2092 city-proper raised from ~1.5M → **~2M**; broader Basin from 2.0–2.2M → **~3M** (roughly triples 2026 baseline of ~750K; strengthens MELA infrastructure justification)
- Intermediate milestones added: 2065 ~1.4M city / ~1.9M Basin; 2072 ~1.6M city / ~2.2M Basin
- Protected content #6 updated to reflect new locked figures
- Sector K corrected: no longer described as "Industrial Heart Transformed" — **Sector K = Orenda Fountain Plaza ONLY**; disambiguation note added (industrial hub = Sector NM)
- Climate baseline updated: +3°C → **+4°C** above 2026 baseline; July avg updated 30°C → **34°C** (+7°C above baseline); January now stated as +5°C above 2026 baseline; infrastructure Fountain zone temps explicitly protected from ambient adjustments
- Thomas surname: already correct as "Thomas (surname withheld by request)" throughout — no change needed
- SynthBee binomial: already correct as *Apis synthetica* throughout — no change needed

**Population dramatic-curve revision (2026-04-05, post-audit):**
- Revised 2092 population from 750K/1.1-1.3M to **1.5M city-proper / 2.0-2.2M broader Basin**
- Revised 2292 population to **6.5-7.0M broader Basin**
- Reason: old canon had essentially flat growth from 2026 to 2092, which contradicted the MELA infrastructure justification narrative. New curve makes the climate-migration story visible in the numbers.
- Updated: 05-timeline-v2 (2061-2065, 2072, 2092 entries + new 2065 Hamilton as Climate Destination entry), 01-introduction-v2 §1.4 and Grove share, 03-residential-v2 Grove share and Sector K %, 07-appendix-v2 2090 entry and glossary, 04-urban-development-research Section 1
- Expanded Confederation / broader harbour swimming language in timeline 2045 and 2058 entries

**Final audit pass (2026-04-05):**
- Fixed remaining old character names in presentation files (Elena Varga → Elena Adeyemi, Ravy Patel → Ravy Ryan, Nia Okonkwo → Nia Crosby) in: artist statement (MD+HTML), guidebook home (MD+HTML), TOC HTML, timeline 2074 entry (MD+HTML)
- Fixed "1910 steelworkers' strikes" → "1919 Hamilton General Strike, the 1946 Stelco Strike" in artist statement
- Updated artist statement provotype section to remove character-specific artifact ownership (the provotypes now belong to the reader; all four narrators are listed in a single paragraph)
- Updated guidebook home to introduce all four POV characters (Nia, Ravy, Elena, Jem) plus Thomas as the fifth non-narrating presence
- Updated TOC to reference four voices (not three)

**Session 2026-04-05 (Sonnet 4.6 / Opus 4.6 1M):**
- Task 1: Re-voiced Ch3 opening field note Nia→Ravy
- Task 2: Reordered Ch2 §2.1 and Ch4 §4.1 — function leads, philosophy coda
- Task 3: Renamed "Thomas Skyhorse" → "Thomas" across all 8 chapter files + appendix glossary + acknowledgments (author positionality note added)
- Task 4: Added harbour swimming/climate migration timeline events (2045 partial swim, 2058 full delisting+swim, 2061–2065 migration wave, 2067 Bayfront destination, 2072 1M population)
- Task 5: Added Sector NM (Ch3) and Sector K (Ch4) geographic anchors; Sector NM remediation 2041–2050 and Sector K Orenda Fountain Station 2078 timeline entries
- Task 6: Added "A Note on Extraction" coda to artist statement
- Task 7: Planted family easter eggs — Ed/Ana/Ale/Lucy/Sandra/Luna (Nia); Kyle (Ravy); Nico/Ari/Noah (Elena); Kairo/Blue (Jem); Tommy (Grove balcony)
- Built CANON.md (this file)

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