Ward 2 Newsletter - January 2024
Issue 11
City Council Continues Deliberations on the 2024 Budget
At yesterday’s General Issues Committee (Budget), members of Council deliberated on the budget and brought forward motions to identify ways to reduce the overall increase of 7.9%.
For some context, the budget process this year is full of changes, most of them good including things like combining capital and operating budget asks, making budget presentations clearer, reducing the number of meetings, and setting up drop in sessions and FAQs for Councillors along the way. If we keep doing this work, and improving these processes, I’m confident this Council can budget better.
Of course, there were some big hiccups this year, including a budget that arrived far too late, so late that public delegates only had a couple of days to review it before speaking to Council about their suggested improvements. There also still isn’t a defined focus on equity in our budgeting, especially when it comes to our physical or infrastructure assets, but we’re getting there. We’ve started to include more “asset categories” like age and condition when considering things like when to replace sidewalks and roads, but we’re still not looking at who uses these assets and why.
Finally, I think it’s important to say that while the budget process this year nodded at our Council priorities, it didn’t map the budget directly to the priorities, outcomes, or measures of success. It’s essential for our Council priorities to be more than a document that sits on a shelf somewhere.
Mapping our priorities to the budget will ensure Council is making progress on its priorities and will make it easier to report back on them to the public effectively (similar to how I mapped the progress I made on my platform priorities last year in the 2022-23 Ward 2 Impact Report).
I’m hopeful we’ll bridge these gaps in a future budget and I will keep pushing for these improvements.
To recap for those who haven’t been watching the meetings, the City started the process off by breaking the 7.9% increase into two major parts - a municipally generated portion of 4.3% and a provincially generated portion of 3.6%.
Members of Council were asked to bring forward motions to yesterday’s meeting to identify areas for tax savings, in advance of the final budget vote on February 15. I want to commend those Councillors who joined me in moving motions yesterday to reduce the overall municipally generated tax increase including Councillors Beattie, Cassar, Hwang, and Nann. Thanks, also, to Councillor Spadafora for his motion to reduce the provincially generated tax increase and Councillors Danko, Maureen Wilson, Tadeson who suggested process improvements and put forward motions for the 2025 budget process.
Also, in case you missed it, on January 26, Council voted to cap the municipally generated portion at 4%. Things are already off to a good start. At yesterday’s meeting, Council identified enough savings to not only get us below the 4%, but also to reduce the provincially generated portion by 1%. Good news.
To summarize my involvement in this year’s budget, I was proud to be the mover or seconder on 3 motions to reduce the annual municipally generated tax increase.
Sending the Hamilton Police Services Board request back to the Board for review (Mover - Kroetsch; Seconder - Hwang) - Passed
Reducing the enhanced citywide litter program to increase service downtown and in BIA areas (Mover - Hwang; Seconder - Kroetsch) - Passed
Reviewing the phase in strategy for discretionary development charge exemptions over a longer timeline (Mover - Cassar; Seconder - Kroetsch) - Passed
I was also proud to move or second 2 motions that will have impacts on the 2025 budget -
Reviewing the potential to bring staff in house to help with road closures for open streets events (Mover - Kroetsch; Seconder - Tadeson) - Passed
Reviewing our overall use of consultants to find efficiencies and cost savings (Mover - Tadeson; Seconder - Kroetsch) - Passed
This year’s effort, including the development of a better budget process by Chair Danko and Vice Chair Maureen Wilson, demonstrated that the majority of Council is serious about doing the work of putting motions forward to reduce the tax increase, but not everyone has fully embraced this new process. I’m hopeful we’ll see robust participation from every member of Council in future years as everyone adjusts to the changes.
While we won’t know exactly how much the overall tax increase will be until February 15, I’m heartened that so many members of Council showed up to do the work this year. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this and it’s encouraging.
It’s easy to toss out a number, or throw out a suggested financial cap on the budget increase, but fiscal responsibility in budgeting ultimately comes down to looking at the budget documents themselves and putting motions on the table. When budget processes allow for this kind of rigour, we get results.
Hamilton City Centre Not a Viable Option for Safe Shelter
As some of you know, I spent some time at the beginning of this month taking two independent visits to the former Hamilton City Centre property with members of the development group, not for profit housing and shelter providers, and members of City staff.
We looked in every nook and cranny and thoroughly evaluated whether or not what remains of the structure could be used to help alleviate some of the suffering being experienced by Hamiltonians who have been deprived of housing.
Sadly, we learned that it’s not possible to use this space safely in the short term, and likely not at all before it’s demolished. I’ve been asked why, so I’ll explain the barriers in as much detail as I can -
All of the plumbing has been physically disconnected, including some of the piping and other infrastructure
All of the central electrical infrastructure has been removed and salvaged for scrap metal
The main space under consideration for use would have to be walled off from the rest of the building in a secure manner
There are other minor issues like the need to clean up spaces, replace drop ceilings and drywall, install fire mitigation measures to keep everyone safe, and do some general basic renovations.
Ultimately, the cost to get the space up and running, estimated to be nearly $1m, and the several months required to complete all of the work, means it’s not a viable option.
It’s a cost prohibitive amount to spend on a structure that may be demolished in less than a year and may only be used for a few short months when it’s finally up and ready.
I’m grateful to the development group, who were accommodating, thoughtful, and eager to help throughout this process but it’s clear that we simply got there too late. By the time the development group decided to postpone demolition, the plumbing and electrical had already been removed entirely.
If it’s helpful to know, the use of the Hamilton City Centre by the Hamilton Police Service and the Canadian Police College over a 3 week period did not significantly impact the potential use of the space as a shelter. And, though it might not have been the purpose of the tour, I found some interesting artefacts during my time there, including one that has since been donated to the Hamilton Public Library’s Archives.
This isn’t the end of the story. This was a valuable lesson - timing is an important part of making unconventional projects work and if we’re committed to trying, we’re going to have to try differently.
In the future, if the City wants to maximize the use of spaces up for demolition, it’s going to have to be a bit more proactive. In short, we’re going to have to get there before the building is prepared for demolition. I’ve already been in contact with City staff to discuss policies and procedures we could put in place to identify these opportunities as soon as they’re available and before internal demolition gets underway. I look forward to bringing something forward and will keep everyone updated as things come together.
In the meantime, and in response to many inquiries about the Barton-Tiffany lands, and now that agreements with the Aeon Studio Group are moving forward with more certainty, I will be meeting with City staff in the coming days to discuss what may be possible there. Any planned development on or adjacent to the lands is many years away, so I’m hopeful these lands can be used in the meantime. I’ll report back publicly when I know more.
Ward 2 Safe Streets Map Launched
The long awaited Ward 2 Safe Streets Map has been released. I’ve been speaking about it for a while at town halls and in correspondence with residents. This first version, which we will be updating and improving, is aimed at collecting more information from residents and actioning timelines for safe street interventions across Ward 2 in time for the 2025 and 2026 budgets.
As you have seen in your neighbourhoods, we’ve already been underway on sidewalk repairs and some safe street improvements, but we haven’t been able to expand the safe streets program we’d been planning on until now.
If you click on each of the pins on the map you’ll be able to see what work has been completed, what’s coming soon, and what’s going to take a little while. I’m hoping to hear from you if you think something on the map is missing, the information is incomplete or inaccurate, or you just think we need to take another look at something or invest to speed it up.
Over the next few months we’ll be having detailed meetings with City staff, including some neighbourhood walks, to ensure that we’re ready to address the most persistent and inequitable issues in Ward 2.
For those curious how we’ll be making decisions about where to install infrastructure with the limited resources available to us - we’ll be using data about the condition of our assets (roads, bump outs, curbs, sidewalks, and speed cushions) and the City’s equity framework - IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility). Some neighbourhoods are already better served by traffic calming measures including speed cushions (commonly known as speed bumps), other neighbourhoods are not.
I’m also hopeful, in the remaining years of this term, we’ll be able to pilot more unique interventions like raised and pinched intersections. These features would have significant impacts in busy places on Bay Street North, Cannon Street East, MacNab Street North, and other underserved roadways in neighbourhoods where there are obvious inequities.
For a little more guidance, the map is broken down into the following categories - Traffic Calming, Pedestrian Crossovers (PXO) and Intersection Pedestrian Signals (IPS), Painted Crosswalks and All Way Stops (AWS), Traffic Signage, Intersection Reviews, Bike Lanes, and Miscellaneous. Each area lists projects that have been identified and classified by City staff, including some that have been completed already.
If you’ve emailed us in the past and don’t see your issue on the map, it may be that we have not reviewed it in detail with City staff as yet or we’re waiting for more information before we release the details publicly. Regardless, please be in touch with us if you have suggestions, corrections, or additions at Ward2@hamilton.ca.
I will do everything I can in this term of Council to make our streets safer for everyone who uses them.
Website Feature - Community Councils
A developing part of our website is the section on Community Councils found on our Public Meetings page (which has been significantly updated since last year). I’m introducing them to you not only so you can consider joining one, but so you know what work we’re doing to engage communities in this way.
Tenant Council - We started planning for our Tenant Council last year and have since convened about 20 tenants from different parts of Ward 2 to begin planning a Ward wide Tenant Survey to find out what issues are impacting the nearly 30,000 people who rent their homes in Ward 2 (making up a staggering 77% of Ward 2’s population). We’re currently in the process of conducting a detailed cataloguing all of Ward 2’s apartment buildings and plan to distribute the survey in the coming months. We’re planning two future meetings - the first to help tenants to organize themselves into apartment building tenant associations and organizations and the second to disseminate the results of our survey and talk about next steps for turning residents’ concerns into public policy and direct advocacy to other levels of government.
Youth Council - We’re hoping to form a Youth Council later this year and to recruit potentially interested members at the first Hamilton Youth Town Hall (HYTH) in March. The HYTH is being planned in coordination with the City of Hamilton and Councillors from Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, and 13. We’re inviting students to City Hall to talk to their elected representatives, tell us what matters to them, and find ways to action their top issues and concerns. We’re hoping to make this a larger annual event that includes all City Councillors and the Mayor but decided to start off with the central, east, and west parts of the City. If you’re a young person, between 14 and 29, and interested in participating, please consider coming out to City Hall on Saturday, March 2 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
Neighbourhood Association Council - This Council has been meeting since early last year, every other month, to discuss issues raised by formal neighbourhood or community associations from each of Ward 2’s six neighbourhoods. It’s an opportunity for me to meet with organized groups of volunteers who are holding important annual events to engaging with their neighbours and who want to come together to find common ground to organize, push for policy, and make our City better. The members of the NAC include the -
Corktown Neighbourhood Association - Corktown NA
Heritage Council - This group has not officially started yet, but recruitment through an open application is happening until February 5. If you’re interested in joining, please fill out a quick application. The goal of the Heritage Council will be to help expand the work being done to monitor heritage properties in Ward 2 and establish a terms of reference to define other work. Some members of the community have reached out to suggest a number of different things this group could do and I’ll be bringing all of those ideas forward when the Council has its first meeting in the spring.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
This section itemizes important upcoming Committee and Council meetings 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. It also lists any important upcoming community and City events. City meetings are held in Council Chambers unless otherwise indicated.
For other Committee and Council Agendas and Meeting Notices, please subscribe to “Council & Committee” updates directly through the City’s website.
Cleanliness and Security in the Downtown Core Task Force - Thursday, February 1 - City Hall 192 / 193 - 9:30am
Inaugural meeting of the 2022-26 term of Council
Hamilton Black History Month Launch - Thursday, February 1 - City Hall - 12:00pm
Hamilton Winterfest POP! Launch - Thursday, February 1 - Jackson Square - 6:00pm
Winter Bike Day - Friday, February 9 - Gore Park - 7:30am
Beasley Winterfest - Saturday, February 10 - Simone Hall - 2:00pm
Hamilton Police Services Board - Special - Tuesday, February 13 - 12:00pm
2024 Hamilton Police Services Board Budget
General Issues Committee (Budget) - Thursday, February 15 - 9:30am
Tax Supported Budget and Financing Plan (FCS24002)
City Council - Special - Thursday, February 15 - after GIC (Budget) concludes
Ratification - Tax Supported Budget and Financing Plan (FCS24002)
Reverend John C Holland Awards - Saturday, February 24 - LiUNA! Station - 5:30pm