Ward 2 Newsletter - Issue 28
July 23, 2025
Province Now Accepting Comments on Jamesville MZO
CityHousing Hamilton (CHH), the Mayor, and I have continued to push for a resolution to the appeal of the Jamesville project filed by CN Railway in 2023. After repeated attempts to settle with CN, the City, CHH, and the developer have asked the Province to step in to order a resolution.
The Federal government has refused to stop CN’s appeal, despite conversations with local Members of Parliament. It’s important to note CN has been granted the ability to file appeals by the Federal government, even though CN is no longer a government entity (CN was privatized in 1995 and Bill Gates has been its largest single shareholder since 2019).
The Province has a formal process to submit requests for them to intervene in a housing project through what’s called a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO).
Earlier this year the City asked the Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to issue such an order to get this project moving through an MZO. Our submission to the Ministry included a copy of the plans we released last year in an effort to spur CN to settle the matter.
This isn’t a silver bullet but we’re hopeful it will spur either CN to settle or the Minister to act. It’s important to get this project underway. The longer it’s delayed, the longer it will take to see affordable housing return to the site. Development at Jamesville will not solve our housing crisis, but it will help. It will also turn what’s become a blight in the North End neighbourhood into a vibrant place for residents to live. That’s something we’re all looking forward to.
The next steps for the developer are to demolish the former housing units. At present, the developer is in the process of getting its ducks in a row and ensuring it has the proper permits to do just that. While I don’t have exact timing, it’s finally on the horizon. I’ll keep everyone posted when I have a clearer timeline and I’ll continue to do what I to push this forward and communicate about it as soon as I know more.
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As an aside, I know it can be confusing trying to figure out which level of government does what and who to contact. To help with that, I’ve put together a PDF for Hamilton outlining the major responsibilities of each level of government and who to contact if you need help.
Gore Park Community Outreach Moving to City Hall
This Saturday, July 26, Gore Park Community Outreach (GPCO) will move to the City Hall parking lot. This will help to ensure everyone has access to washrooms, waste can be disposed of more readily, those who need food can line up more safely, and pedestrians who want to get around on the sidewalks near Gore Park can do so more easily.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, GPCO set up in Gore Park to help people. It started out small and has grown to upwards of a thousand people attending the weekly Saturday event.
When this first started during the pandemic, it was done so without coordination through the City. When I was elected in 2022, I approached City staff, GPCO organizers, and the Gore Park community to learn more about the program.
I heard from City staff there were liabilities and risks and the event was creating a precedent for similar groups handing out food and clothing.
I heard from organizers there were no washrooms on site, they were concerned about safety for everyone lining up, snow clearing was inconsistent, and the area of Gore Park they were using was at capacity.
I heard from the Gore Park community that it was difficult to get around the area, especially with a mobility device, due to overcrowded lines on adjacent sidewalks. I also heard from the Downtown BIA who said it had become more difficult to conduct year round programming in Gore Park.
As a result of these conversations, City staff and I have been working with GPCO over the last year to find a more sustainable solution on City owned or leased property nearby. The closest and most accessible location to address the concerns raised was the underutilized parking lot at City Hall (the eastern part of the lot).
I’m hopeful this will help everyone who attends GPCO on Saturdays in Gore Park, and the surrounding community, including the Downtown BIA. This solution has balanced the needs of everyone involved and I’m deeply grateful to City staff who have taken on this additional work and have been diligent in making sure everyone’s needs have been met.
Our city is home to many thousands of compassionate and caring volunteers and I continue to be proud of the resilience, care, and love we show to one another in the downtown community.
Street Safety Motions Finalized for July and this Fall
As I reported in my last newsletter, I’m bringing forward a number of street safety motions this month. If you haven’t seen them yet, I have put forward four motions for the July 28 meeting of the Public Works Committee (with dates for installation in brackets where they’re known) -
Pedestrian Crossovers (PXO) - $200,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves
Cannon Street East and Elgin Street (2025) - to help residents cross Cannon Street East to get to Beasley Park, Dr. J.E. Davey Elementary School, and the Beasley Community Centre
James Street North and Wood Street (2025) - to correct an installation done previously without a pedestrian crossing to help residents cross James Street North
Stinson Street and West Avenue South (2025) - to help residents cross Stinson Street between Central Memorial Recreation Centre and Carter Park
Stuart Street at Hess Street North (2026) - to help residents cross from connecting sidewalks across Stuart Street
Hunter Street West at Park Street South (2026) - to help residents cross from the back entrance at City Hall into the neighbourhood and to get to the Central Elementary School
Guise Street West at MacNab Street North (2026) - to help residents cross to the Waterfront Trail across Guise Street West
Intersection Pedestrian Signals (IPS) - $1,200,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves
James Street North at the West Harbour GO Station (2025) - to help residents and visitors cross James Street North to and from the GO Station
Wellington Street North and Ferrie Street East (2026) - to help residents from Ward 3 get to Bennetto Elementary School in the North End
Wilson Street at Mary Street (2026) - to help residents cross Wilson Street to get to Beasley Park, Dr. J.E. Davey Elementary School, and the Beasley Community Centre
Queen Street South at George Street (2026) - to help residents cross to and from the Hess Village business district
Queen Street South at Robinson Street (2026) - to help residents cross Queen Street South to get to HAAA Park, Kanétskare Elementary School, and the Kanétskare Recreation Centre in Ward 1
Herkimer Street at Hess Street South (2026) - to help residents cross Herkimer Street
Robert Street at James Street North (2026) - to help residents cross James Street North where there is an existing concrete crosswalk (a similar intervention is being considered for Vine Street at James Street North, for a future motion)
Speed Cushions - $84,000 from from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves. Speed cushions are planned for Caroline Street South (Durand), Elgin Street (Beasley), Ferguson Avenue North (North End), Ford Street (Corktown), Freeman Place (Corktown), Grove Street (Corktown), Hughson Street North (Beasley), Hunter Street East (Corktown), John Street North (North End), Kingsway Drive (Corktown), MacNab Street (Central, Durand, North End), and Markland Street (Durand). All speed cushion installations will be subject to the completion of a neighbourhood petition and are planned for installation in late 2025 or early 2026.
Road Resurfacing - $1,500,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves. This road resurfacing work is subject to individual budgetary approval and a final review by staff. City staff are targeting completion of this road resurfacing in 2025 and 2026. Resurfacing on King Street West is already scheduled for 2025. Many of these resurfacing projects will ensure the road is in better condition for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
King Street West from James Street to Bay Street (2025)
Intersection of James Street South and Bold Street (targeting 2025)
Intersection of King Street West and Summers Lane (targeting 2025)
Intersection of Main Street West and MacNab Street South (targeting 2025)
Catharine Street North from Cannon Street East to Wilson Street (2026)
Charlton Avenue West from Queen Street South to James Street South (2026)
Hess Street South from Aberdeen Avenue to Main Street West (2026)
Hunter Street East from Wellington Street South to Walnut Street South (2026)
Forest Avenue from Aurora Street to Wellington Street South (2026)
Wellington Street South from Forest Avenue to Charlton Avenue East (2026)
These interventions are part of a series of improvements, in addition to this year’s sidewalk replacement program, that includes the pedestrianization of King William Street this summer, the closure of James Street North for Friday Art Crawls, the relocation of Gore Park Community Outreach to City Hall, the closure of Hess Village to vehicle traffic for the Hess Village Winter Market, and the City’s ongoing evaluation of the closure of Hughson Street South through Gore Park to vehicle traffic.
The City is currently in the process of completing an In Service Road Safety Review (ISRSR) for all of Bay Street in Ward 2. That means any motions related to or connected to Bay Street will have to wait until later this year, likely this fall, including my motion for safety improvements to some Ward 2 bike lanes. More on those when the ISRSR has been completed.
City Council Summary - July 16, 2025
The Council decisions on July 16 included online voting in municipal elections, recycling for businesses in Hamilton, and City funding for Ward 2 anchor institutions.
Online Voting in Municipal Elections
Audit, Finance and Administration Committee - July 10, 2025
City Council - July 16, 2025
Online voting is a controversial topic for some, despite the fact that 217 municipalities, or nearly half of all cities in Ontario, use them in some form or other for their municipal elections. This year, Hamilton joined them when it used online voting for the Ward 4 Trustee By-election. A whopping 45% of those who cast ballots in the by-election chose to do so online - it’s something residents want. When the City Clerk reviewed the results of the by-election and checked in with elections staff he found there were no irregularities, no instances of fraud, and no complaints from voters about serious problems with the online voting process. Despite that evidence, City Council voted against approving the use of online voting in the upcoming Ward 8 by-election or in the 2026 municipal election. It’s unfortunate. I have regularly been asked by seniors, folks with disabilities, and busy parents for a more accessible voting process. They’ve rightly pointed out residents can renew their driver’s license or health card or file their taxes online, securely, through government websites. I admit there are definitely some security risks to mitigate, but the City Clerk committed to reviewing them, including any impacts of the cybersecurity incident, before going ahead. I’m hopeful City Council will revisit this in the next term and approve it. Making our elections more accessible is better for everyone.
How did Council vote on implementing online voting in municipal elections?
In favour (5) - Hwang (seconder), Kroetsch (mover), Nann, Tadeson, A. Wilson
Against (9) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Francis, Jackson, McMeekin, Pauls, Spadafora, M. Wilson
Recycling for Businesses in Hamilton
Public Works Committee - July 7, 2025
City Council - July 16, 2025
The Provincial government recently announced it would be taking on expenses usually paid for by cities - the collection and disposal of recyclable materials. You’ve likely seen an announcement about this or received mail from the City about this change. It was a little too good to be true, unfortunately. The Province didn’t go far enough. In short, they took on recycling for everyone except a group of properties they deemed “ineligible”. That group of properties includes -
industrial or commercial properties (all businesses in Hamilton)
not for profit organizations
municipal buildings or facilities (e.g. arenas, libraries)
daycares
places of worship
commercial farms
campgrounds or trailer parks (without permanent or seasonal households)
That’s a large group who were left out by the Province and it put the City in a difficult position. City Council was given the opportunity to either continue doing recycling collection for these ineligible groups, or force them to contract private companies to do this work on their own. Council voted to continue the service. While it will definitely reduce the amount of savings we had anticipated when the Province decided to take over this work, I’m glad Council voted to continue this service for those who are ineligible for the Provincial program. Asking each individual business, church, mosque, or farm to seek out a contract for waste disposal would have been an undue burden and likely would have discouraged many from participating in recycling programs altogether. It’s important we do everything we can as a city to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills.
How did Council vote on continuing recycling for businesses in Hamilton?
In favour (13) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Francis (seconder), Jackson, Kroetsch, McMeekin, Nann, Pauls (mover), Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Conflict (1) - Hwang
City Funding for Ward 2 Anchor Institutions
Audit, Finance and Administration Committee - July 10, 2025
General Issues Committee - July 9, 2025
City Council - Audit, Finance and Administration Committee Minutes - July 16, 2025
City Council - General Issues Committee Minutes - July 16, 2025
In July, I moved four motions to support downtown anchor institutions, including a recommendation from City staff to change our funding relationship with the Art Gallery of Hamilton to right an historical wrong. Long story short, the City owns both the gallery’s art collection and the building it operates from. Up to now, we have been expecting the gallery to foot too much of the bill. The City should have continued to increase funding to the gallery, year over year, and because it didn’t we have to catch up now and adjust our funding structure. This will ensure the gallery can continue to operate and offer its excellent programming to the community.
Here’s a complete list of the funding allocated and the source of the funding -
Art Gallery of Hamilton - 2025 funding of up to $1,500,000 with $1,300,000 coming from the Tax Stabilization Reserve and $200,000 coming from the Municipal Accommodation Tax Reserve; annual funding of in kind services to the gallery, for regular building repair and maintenance, in the amount of $801,093; and an annual funding of $1,725,556 (this was previously $1,000,000 managed through the City Enrichment Fund)
Hamilton Public Library - redesigning and updating the Central Library
Children’s Area for up to $200,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves
Theatre Aquarius - roof repairs for up to $261,000 (total cost for roof repairs is $590,000) and small capital repairs for up to $39,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves
Hamilton Artists Inc. - gallery lighting for up to $25,000 from Ward 2 Area Rating Reserves
A thriving downtown is as much about the viability of small businesses and safe pedestrian spaces as it is the cultivation of arts and culture. I’m grateful Council approved this funding and I’ll continue to do everything I can to help the arts thrive in Hamilton.
How did Council vote on funding for Ward 2 anchor institutions including Hamilton Artists Inc., Hamilton Public Library, Theatre Aquarius, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton?
In favour (13) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Francis, Jackson, Kroetsch, McMeekin, Nann, Pauls, Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Against (1) - Francis (Art Gallery of Hamilton)
Upcoming Meetings and Events
This section lists upcoming Ward 2 public meetings including town halls happening over the next few months. Some of this information may change closer to the meeting dates, including times and locations.
To read Committee and Council Agendas and Meeting Notices, please subscribe to updates directly through the City’s website or visit the City’s Committee Calendar.
For more on what’s happening in the downtown community, check out event listings from The Vibe Hamilton, Hamilton City Magazine’s regular events listing, and the Ward 2 website’s Public Meetings page.
August 23, 2025 - Community BBQ - Beasley Park - 12:00pm
September 15, 2025 - Small Business Town Hall - 7:00pm
October 14, 2025 - CityHousing Hamilton Town Hall - 7:00pm
November 25, 2025 - 2026 City Budget Town Hall - 7:00pm