Our Downtown Streets Must be Safe for All Who Use Them
I joined dozens of cyclists downtown on October 6, 2023 as part of a memorial ghost ride from the West Harbour GO Station to the corner of James Street North and York Boulevard where a cyclist was killed the previous week. Ride organizers transported and then placed a ghost bike there as a memorial.
It’s happened far too many times in our city as of late. It was a somber ride but also a chance to come together in solidarity to recognize, and protest, the needless death of another vulnerable road user on our downtown streets - an important reminder of why so many of us continue to fight for the realization of Vision Zero in Hamilton.
In part, it spurred a conversation at the October 2 meeting of the Public Works Committee where I put a motion forward asking for a review of this intersection and an acceleration of the review of right turns on red lights citywide.
The motion also called for more leading pedestrian and bicycle intervals at intersections, which “give cyclists a head start on the green phase and make them more visible to turning motorists”, which has proven to be more successful in making streets safer than banning rights on reds at some intersections.
But this isn’t enough, and as a City Councillor representing the downtown core where there are too many unsafe streets, I am committed to doing more. I promised, when I was running for this job, that I would take street safety seriously. Pedestrians, parents pushing strollers, and people using mobility devices, bikes, ebikes, and scooters all deserve to be able to get around our streets safely. These road users are much more vulnerable to injury or death than someone operating a motor vehicle and we must do everything we can to protect them.
It’s why the Ward 2 Team and I have been tracking street safety requests since I started in this role last November. We’ll be releasing a map, as soon as we can, detailing what we’ve heard from residents about problem areas, what City staff have had to say in our meetings with them about those areas, and the schedule we are working with to improve things in the short, medium, and long terms. It will be interactive and include fairly detailed notes.
Every single corner of the core needs improving in one way or another and redesigning our streets is the only way forward. City staff have been very clear that they will recommend changes based on the new Complete Streets Design Guidelines which focus on designing safe and complete streets instead of relying solely on speed limit signs, stop signs, and police enforcement.
Our office has also asked City staff to start reviewing intersections comprehensively, rather than basing their recommendations solely on the nature of the suggestion proposed to them. In the past, if a resident reached out and asked for a stop sign to be installed, this would trigger an analysis of whether or not that stop sign was warranted, but would not necessarily include a safety audit of the entire intersection.
This approach was a missed opportunity, in my view. We didn’t empower our expert staff to look at why the intersection was deemed to be unsafe in the first place - to look at some of the root or upstream causes.
As we move forward with more comprehensive intersection reviews, City staff will be able to consider all of the variables that could contribute to unsafe streets and to make holistic recommendations to improve safety more broadly. I look forward to being able to provide more details in the near future about improvements to our downtown streets and ask, if you have any suggestions, to send them to Ward2@hamilton.ca.
Affordable Housing Funding in the Hamilton Context
Housing is the defining issue of our times. No matter who you are or where you live, the housing crisis is impacting you. If you’ve been deprived of housing and forced to live outside, you’re feeling it more keenly than the rest of us, but many residents are struggling to avoid being forced onto the streets in the current housing climate.
I’ve written extensively about housing since I was elected to office last November and I’ve tried my best to outline how Hamilton got here and what the City can do to manage this crisis until the Provincial and Federal governments step up to do their part.
At the moment, they’re not keeping up with the in year investments being provided at the municipal level. It’s why I decided to create the chart, above, outlining the $146.6m that has been allocated to affordable housing and homelessness in 2023 so that residents could more clearly see the complete picture.
A quick glance at the chart will make it clear that the City of Hamilton is contributing almost $5m more than the Federal and Provincial governments combined. This raises a number of important questions, mainly why cities are being left to pick up the slack because other levels of government have dropped the ball. As everyone who lives in Hamilton knows, the only way to increase municipal spending on affordable housing is to increase taxes. It’s not a sustainable means to accessing additional funding. The two senior levels of government need to treat this like the crisis it is.
In fact, the lack of a serious commitment from the Federal government is one of the reasons I was eager to meet MP Jenny Kwan earlier this month along with Ward 3 City Councillor Nrinder Nann. We were joined by representatives from the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Hamilton ACORN, and YWCA Hamilton to talk about how MP Kwan, in her role as NDP Caucus Chair, could get the ball rolling at the Federal level and try to convince the ruling Liberal government to step up.
Over the course of the discussions at the meeting with MP Kwan it became clear that Federal funding isn’t leading to improved affordability and is often producing a level of “fake affordability” - so called affordable rents set at 100% or 125% of the current market rates. While MP Kwan’s party is not in government, I appreciated her willingness to continue to speak to these issues and to make the case for Hamilton. We have many shovel ready projects, proposed by not for profit housing providers, and are embarking on an ambitious plan that requires massive amounts of funding from our government partners to acquire existing affordable housing stock to prevent things from getting worse.
I’m optimistic, with a looming Federal election, that housing will be a major priority. Every municipality needs bold leadership from the Premier and the Prime Minister on these fronts because if the chart above looks like this a couple of years from now, we’re going to be in danger of falling too far behind to catch up.
Ward 2 Neighbourhood Greenspaces by the Numbers
City staff in the Parks division recently put out the first ever Hamilton Parks Master Plan. It was not only a plan for how we’ll continue to ensure that greenspaces keep up with density, but a comprehensive analysis of the state of the City’s parks, especially those in greenspace starved areas like downtown Hamilton.
It was an important read and a stark reminder that most of the areas identified as having the highest need for additional greenspace are in Wards 2 and 3. In fact, in Ward 2, only the North End and Central neighbourhoods are deemed to have enough greenspace for neighbourhood’s population.
As we all know, with the booming development happening downtown, the cranes in the sky are going to add at at least 3,000 to 5,000 new residents to the Ward 2 community in the coming 3-5 years - think Pier 8 in the North End (1,645 units), the Design District in Beasley (925+ units), Television City in Durand (625+ units), and the Metro Condominiums in Corktown (700+ units) to start.
It likely won’t surprise anyone to know that the neighbourhood most in need of greenspace, by the numbers, is Durand (followed by Corktown, Beasley, and Stinson). Durand has a 2021 population of 12,423 residents, most of whom rent their homes, and the only park in the neighbourhood is Durand Park (with under 2 acres of total greenspace).
It’s a quandary, and one that will be difficult to manage unless we prioritize it, so I’m grateful that City staff have added this to their workplans. It definitely means getting creative and, where it’s possible, pushing developers to think about public space and City staff to pursue land acquisition for greenspace wherever possible.
In the Beasley neighbourhood, there’s a planned expansion of Beasley Park that will almost double the size of the park and has the potential to create links to greenspaces in the North End.
For those neighbourhoods caught between the escarpment and Main Street, namely Durand and Corktown, it’s a lot trickier. Simply put, as the densest parts of our city, there simply isn’t enough existing land to ensure adequate greenspace for residents. It’s an equity issue and a serious one at that.
It’s why for many, the conversion of Main Street to two ways and the eventual traffic calming that’s being planned across major arterials in Ward 2 has the potential to provide some relief.
It will allow people to get between neighbourhoods more safely, especially those with greater access to greenspace. I’ll be working closely with City staff on this over the next few years and will report back here, and elsewhere, as plans for additional greenspace emerge.
This process will require deep engagement with neighbourhoods and, likely, some difficult decisions. I look forward to talking to downtowners about this and to making meaningful plans during this term of Council.
Website Feature - Committees
As I’ve said in previous updates, I sit on a lot of City committees. In fact, I wrote a thread about it on X, where I explained why I chose to sit on so many and why I think this work is important. I encourage you to read it to gain more insight about my role as a member of committees and how this work is essential to representing Ward 2 residents.
What you may not know is that I’ve dedicated a part of the Ward 2 website to keeping residents informed about the committees I sit on, what my role on those committees is, and how to find out more about their work and the meetings that I attend.
I’m currently on 42 active committees either as a Member, Chair, Vice Chair, or Appointee. I’ve been asked, a number of times, to talk through the different roles for committees, so here’s a brief synopsis.
As a Member of a committee, I have voting privileges and can put forward and second motions but don’t have a formal role or duties. This is the role I have on the majority of the committees I sit on. Examples of committees of which I am a Member include the Art Gallery of Hamilton, CityHousing Hamilton, Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee, and Hamilton Police Services Board.
As Chair of a committee, I have the same privileges as a Member, but I am also responsible for ensuring the efficient facilitation of meetings and am usually required to represent the committee formally, call meetings, and attend sessions in advance to review agendas. I am currently the Chair of the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee, Community Benefits Protocol Advisory Committee, Hamilton Farmers’ Market, and the Hamilton Waterfront Trust.
As Vice Chair, I assist the Chair in their duties when they are unavailable and take over their role during meetings when they need to speak or put forward a motion. I am currently the Vice Chair of the Accessible Transit Services Review Sub-Committee, Governance Review Sub-Committee, and Grants Sub-Committee.
As an Appointee, I am there to represent the City of Hamilton, but not to take on any formal roles or to vote on decisions. I am currently appointed to represent the City at the Climate Change Advisory Committee, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, Downtown Hamilton BIA, and the International Village BIA.
The assignment of Chairs and Vice Chairs happens annually, so there will be a refresh of these roles at the beginning of 2024. I look forward to supporting my colleagues as they take over some of these roles in the new year and to continuing to step up to do this work where my skills can benefit Council.
Upcoming Committee and Council Decisions
This section itemizes important upcoming Committee and Council decisions in case you wish to delegate, watch a meeting live, or send in correspondence to the office of the City Clerk at clerk@hamilton.ca. They’re listed by Committee and date.
For other Committee and Council Agendas and Meeting Notices, please subscribe to “Council & Committee” updates directly through the City’s website.
Public Works Committee - Monday, October 30 - 1:30pm
Report - Wild Waterworks and Confederation Beach Park - Future Direction - PW23067
Report - Opportunities to Partner with Educational Institutions to Plant Trees - PW23066
Motion - MacNab Street South Lighting Enhancements (Ward 2)
Planning Committee - Tuesday, October 31 - 9:30am
Report - Provincial Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan - Public Engagement 2023 Summary Report - PED23046(d)
Report - Airport Employment Growth District Transportation Master Plan Update - PED17175(a)
Motion - A Bylaw to Regulate the Distribution and Display of Graphic Images
General Issues Committee - Wednesday, November 1 - 9:30am
2023 Economic Development Workforce Strategy - PED23194
Entertainment Venues Municipal Capital Facility By-Law - PED18168(k)
Planning Committee - Tuesday, November 14 - 9:30am
Application - 45 storey Tower, Block 16, Pier 8
Upcoming Events and City Notices
For a list of City Notices directly impacting Ward 2, including encroachment applications, temporary road closures, and watermain repairs, visit our website.
QUARTZ! Queer Art Hang - November 2 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm - Art Gallery of Hamilton
Hamilton Day - November 4
CityHousing Hamilton Town Hall - 89 King Street East - November 4 - 11:00am to 1:00pm
General Issues Committee (Budget) - Public Delegations - November 6 - 3:30pm to 8:00pm - City Hall
28th Annual Sam Lawrence Dinner - November 10 - 6:30pm to 10:30pm - LiUNA Station
Neighbourhood Town Hall - North End - November 13 - 6:30pm to 9:00pm - Hamilton Room at the Central Branch of the Hamilton Library
Grey Cup Music Festival - November 16 to 19 - James Street North
Indwell Town Hall - 15 Picton Street East - November 18 - 11:00am to 1:00pm
Neighbourhood Association Council - November 21 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm - City Hall 264
Handmade Hamilton - November 25 and 26 - 11:00am to 5:00pm - Theatre Aquarius
Neighbourhood Town Hall - Durand - November 30 - 6:30pm to 9:00pm - City Hall
Updates from the Last Issue of the Ward 2 Newsletter
This section provides updates on things I wrote about in the last issue of the newsletter. The article names are the same, including links, so it’s easier to keep track of what’s new.
Sidewalk Repairs Under Way Across Ward 2
The repairs that were scheduled to take place have been completed, for the most part. There will still be needs for landscaping, filling in gaps, and setting up a plan for the next 3 warm seasons to get as many sidewalks repaired as possible. We also received some feedback about the process from some who were concerned about the disruption these repairs may cause. I will be meeting with folks in community, especially those who have mobility issues, early next year, to develop a plan for priority areas in Ward 2. If you would like to send in any suggestions for repairs in your neighbourhood, please continue to send them to Ward2@hamilton.ca so we can track them.