Ward 2 Newsletter - Issue 20
Green Building Standards Moving Ahead with Consultation
After 5 years of study and review, the City is moving ahead with plans to implement Green Building Standards (GBS) in Hamilton. This is a huge step forward and something I spoke to many residents about on the campaign trail. Residents talked to me about wanting our city to do better - to make sure that every new development that’s built is as climate resilient as possible.
I agree and it’s why I made it part of my resident informed platform and why, on October 1 when this item was before the Planning Committee, I moved the motion to accept City staff’s recommendations (with some important amendments).
Before unpacking the amendments that I introduced, here is a basic overview of what GBS are and why they matter -
GBS, sometimes called Green Development Standards, provide mandatory and optional guidance for developers to follow to make new building more climate resilient. The GBS are a kind of living document through which optional guidance becomes mandatory over time (GBS don’t apply to buildings that already exist).
This guidance is not only helpful for developers who want to build in Hamilton, but it ensures we get better buildings in our city that can mitigate the impacts of climate change and make development more resilient and sustainable including policies around stormwater, waste, urban design, bird friendly measures, and greenhouse gas emissions.
GBS are currently in place in 14 municipalities with many others starting to develop their own. I encourage you to look at the final draft report outlining Hamilton’s current plan for more information, including detailed metrics.
As excited as I am that we’re moving forward with GBS in Hamilton, I heard from hundreds of Hamiltonians who wanted the City to be bolder and to ensure the first iteration of our standards were as good as they could be (as we’ll likely have them in place, in this or a similar form, for 3-5 years).
The newly formed Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC), which I sit on with Councillors Craig Cassar and Alex Wilson, agreed with the concerns raised by residents and asked for a series of amendments to be made to the GBS to address them.
At the heart of the amendments from the CCAC was a request to be part of the consultation process. They were skipped over because the CCAC hadn’t been formed until later this year when most of the consultation had already been done. Members of the Planning Committee spoke up about why this consultation was important and City staff agreed that a short delay wouldn’t have a significant impact on the GBS.
As a result, I put forward the following amendments with Councillor Nrinder Nann -
(g) That Council direct City staff to consult with the Climate Change Advisory Committee including its Technical and Governance Working Group and Building Working Group on the following -
(i) A framework that phases in successively more stringent tiered standards over a fixed timeline with full transparency on future requirements to all stakeholders;
(ii) Emissions limits that are sufficient to require new buildings to transition to efficient, low-emissions technology now or in the future; and,
(iii) Alignment with Hamilton’s Climate Action Strategy to achieve net zero by 2050 and avoid fossil fuel lock-in.
These amendments were supported by a vote of 11-0 at the Planning Committee and were ratified by City Council on October 9.
Any recommendations from the consultation process with the CCAC will come back to the first Planning Committee meeting in 2025 and I’ll update everyone when I learn more about what may change as a result. I’m excited for Hamilton to lead the way on GBS in Ontario and am hopeful the consultation will yield meaningful results.
City Council Summary - October 9, 2024
The Council debates leading up to October 9 centred around the addition of 272 new shelter beds, parking penalty increases, new record access policies for members of Council, and the future of the City’s golf courses.
Addition of 272 New Shelter Beds
General Issues Committee - September 18, 2024
City Council - September 25, 2024
As I wrote about in the last issue of my newsletter, City staff recommended Council approve the addition of 80 temporary outdoor shelter beds and 192 indoor shelter beds (split evenly between Wards 2 and 3). In a series of votes, some unanimous and others in a vote of 12-4 and 12-5 (I’ll outline the votes below), the plan was approved by Council on September 25. I was disappointed to see a small block of Councillors vote against City staff’s professional recommendations without any evidence or fact based objections and, more importantly, without proposing any solutions or alternatives. I’m hopeful these Councillors will start to come to the table with proposals to address their concerns rather than using their “no” vote to prevent the City from moving forward. As for the plan for a temporary outdoor shelter at Barton-Tiffany in Ward 2, I remain concerned and still have mixed feelings about it. I listened carefully to City staff and asked detailed questions about it. They said it would remain a temporary measure, which I was grateful to hear. That reassurance has given me some confidence about how the plan will develop in the coming weeks and months, but I’ll reserve my comments until a detailed plan is available for consultation. To that point, residents have been in contact with the Ward 2 Team and I asking for details of the plan and sharing their concerns. We’ve passed all resident feedback on to the City staff who are coordinating the planning. At this point, it’s important to allow City staff the time they need to develop a plan to share with the public before engaging with residents on the details. Information detailing the planned temporary outdoor shelter site at Barton-Tiffany will be forthcoming along with an outreach and engagement plan. The financial approval necessary to move forward has been approved by Council, as has the direction to develop a plan, now we just need to be patient while the City and its partners work out the details. Trying to rush things is risky in a situation like this and part of this plan will likely involve the movement of hundreds of our neighbours. As we know from experts, any forced movement of encampment residents can be dangerous. This work must be approached with care. The City will ensure there is broad public notice of the plan and that ways to engage about it are shared with everyone as soon as possible. I look forward to being part of that engagement and will keep Ward 2 residents posted when I have more information to share.
How did the General Issues Committee vote on motions and amendments related to the addition of 272 new shelter beds?
Establishment of 80 temporary outdoor shelter beds
In favour (12) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Danko (mover), Horwath, Hwang, Kroetsch, McMeekin, Nann (seconder), Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Against (4) - Francis, Jackson, Pauls, Spadafora
Hiring 7 full time (equivalent) staff members to help manage the new 272 shelter beds
In favour (11) - Beattie, Cassar, Danko (mover), Horwath, Hwang, Kroetsch, McMeekin, Nann (seconder), Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Against (5) - Clark, Francis, Jackson, Pauls, Spadafora
Direction to City staff to report back on changes to the Encampment Protocol in Q1 2025
In favour (12) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Danko (mover), Horwath, Hwang, Kroetsch, McMeekin, Nann (seconder), Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Against (4) - Francis, Jackson, Pauls, Spadafora
Parking Penalty Increases
Planning Committee - October 1, 2024
City Council - October 9, 2024
At the September 17 meeting of the Planning Committee, City staff were asked to review fines for folks who park on a sidewalk or in a bike lane and consider raising them to match those in other municipalities. They were also asked to come back with recommendations on how to review all our municipal fines related to parking to see where other improvements could be made. On October 1, City staff proposed a plan to review improvements and recommended raising fines for vehicles parked in bike lanes and on sidewalks up from $33 and $80 respectively to $200 for each offence. City staff will be coming back with a report that evaluates how to address commercial vehicles and those who engage in this dangerous behaviour multiple times. I’ve spoken out on this issue many times. If our City is committed to ensuring that cyclists, of all abilities, can use bikes to get around then we have to allow them to do it safely. Not everyone is an experienced cyclist and some people may not react quickly or know what the right choice is when faced with jumping up on to a sidewalk or going into a live lane of traffic to avoid a vehicle in a bike lane. Similarly, folks with mobility issues, parents pushing strollers, and pedestrians trying to get around by foot should not be forced off downtown’s already narrow sidewalks into live traffic because someone feels entitled to park on a sidewalk. I’ve seen many accidents and far too many close calls downtown as a result of vehicles in bike lanes or on sidewalks. We deserve a safe, walkable, and bikeable downtown. While fines will not solve all of these problems, I’m hopeful these increases will deter this behaviour and lead us to better design interventions to make our streets safe for everyone who wants to use them.
How did the Planning Committee vote on raising fines for parking on sidewalks and in bike lanes?
In favour (10) - Beattie, Cassar, Danko, Hwang, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Nann, Tadeson, A. Wilson (seconder), M. Wilson
New Record Access Policies for Members of Council
Governance Review Sub-Committee - September 13, 2024
Audit, Finance and Administration Committee - September 19, 2024
City Council - September 25, 2024
In 2023, I put forward a motion to ask City staff to review the policies used to permit members of Council to access confidential reports. To be honest, this is a bit complicated, but I think it’s worth unpacking. There are two kinds of confidential reports - (1) reports that we receive as part of everyday business in Closed Sessions of Council and Committee meetings, (2) reports that were approved in a previous term of Council that relate to work that’s happening in this term. Up to now, accessing the second type of report has been very difficult. Under the existing policy, members of Council were permitted, under supervision of City staff, to look at a paper copy of a confidential report and nothing else. Note taking was not permitted. For obvious reasons, including memory retention, this was not an accessible way to look at a document. And, honestly, it didn’t make sense to provide unfettered access to some confidential documents but not others. If members of Council can be trusted to keep documents confidential, that should be across the board, not on a case by case basis. Thankfully, as a result of the motion I put forward, City staff came back with a new process through which members of Council could make requests to see confidential documents from previous terms of Council. Now, we can ask for access to these documents, receive access to them electronically, and take the time we need to review them thoroughly. This will help when reviewing contracts, leases, and confidential reports from previous terms that have an impact on work happening now and in the future. It’s a small step forward, but an important procedural change worth implementing to make our work easier. The easier it is for us to understand issues and review them closely, the better informed our decisions on behalf of residents will be. That’s not only good for decision making, but it’s an important part of a functioning democracy.
How did the Governance Review Sub-Committee vote to receive City staff’s Information Report outlining the new process?
In favour (6) - Clark (seconder), Danko, Hwang, Kroetsch (mover), Nann, M. Wilson
Future of the City’s Golf Courses
Emergency and Community Services Committee - September 19, 2024
City Council - September 25, 2024
Councillor Maureen Wilson put forward a motion earlier in this term to ask for a report back on the City’s municipally owned golf courses. For those who don’t know, the City owns and operates three municipal golf courses. There are two in Ward 1 - Beddoe and Martin (they make up the Chedoke Golf Club), and one in Ward 4 - King’s Forest Golf Club. The report was extremely illuminating and answered many questions about the City’s operation of these golf courses. I found the questions from my colleagues really helpful, especially those from Councillors Clark, Hwang, and Maureen Wilson, who all asked about the report data and the sustainability of these operations. I highlighted what I thought was a missing component of the City’s Information Report, namely how the use of this land stacks up against other potential uses when we consider issues of equity and accessibility. To put it another way, who plays golf and who gets the most benefit from this land? Conversely, who needs access to more greenspace in our city and how would they benefit from the use of this land? Land for greenspace is scarce, so we’re going to have to get creative if we plan to maintain enough of it for everyone in Hamilton (as the Hamilton Parks Master Plan aims to do). If I accept the conclusions in the report, that King’s Forest is a “gem” and should be preserved, then it follows that repurposing the other two courses in Ward 1 to expand greenspace, and perhaps even build more affordable housing, is an important consideration. As the Councillor representing a Ward with a deficit of greenspace, and the most folks living as renters in apartment buildings, new greenspace assets in an adjacent Ward would go a long way. Councillors Tammy Hwang, Maureen Wilson, and I all spoke at the meeting about putting a motion forward in the future to explore some options and I’m hopeful we can work collectively on something that will help to make our city more equitable and enjoyable for all.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
This section lists upcoming meetings, community and City events, and Ward 2 town halls. To read Committee and Council Agendas and Meeting Notices, please subscribe to updates directly through the City’s website.
Local Meetings and Events
Senior of the Year Awards - October 15 - Michelangelo’s - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
gritLIT - Jane Urquhart in Conversation with Annette Hamm - October 16 - Art Gallery of Hamilton - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Barton Street Functional Design Study - Public Information Centre - October 17 - Westinghouse HQ - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Hamilton Film Festival (HFF19) - October 18-27
Green Venture Native Plant Giveaway - October 19 - 125 Picton Street East - 10:30am to 1:30pm
Association of Municipalities of Ontario Healthy Democracy Forum - October 19-20 - Westin Harbour Castle
Save Our Sites - October 21 - City Hall - 11:30am
HamOnt Youth Summit - October 22 - Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board - 8:30am to 3:30pm
What Can Make Us Feel Safe - October 24 - Cotton Factory - 7:00pm to 10:00pm
hArt Dance Film Series - October 25 - The Westdale - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Punk Rock Flea Market - The Halloweener - October 27 - Cotton Factory - 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Greater Golden Horseshoe Diversity Awards and Luncheon - October 30 - Art Gallery of Hamilton - 11:30am to 2:00pm
Art Exhibits, Installations, Performances, and Events
We’re All Neighbours Here - Helping Hands Street Mission - October 17-19 - Powell Park
Music of the Movies - Tribute to John Williams - October 19 - Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra - 7:30pm
Nightfall - Stephanie Vegh - until October 26 - Centre[3]
The Master Plan - Michael Healey - October 30 to November 16 - Theatre Aquarius
The book of [un]Happiness - Olivia Shortt - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
The Gold Boxes - Ravinder Ruprai - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
Sent from a Distant Party - Sal Shivji - until November 2 - Hamilton Artists Inc.
Foreign Dreams - Simranpreet Kaur Anand, Conner Singh VanderBeek - until December 14 - Workers Arts and Heritage Centre
Jan Wade - Soul Power - until January 5 - Art Gallery of Hamilton
Radha S. Menon - Touched by Devi - until January 5 - Art Gallery of Hamilton