Ward 2 Newsletter - Issue 36
March 30, 2026
Ward 2 Infrastructure Projects Installed this Year
After putting forward motions in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and allocating Ward 2 Area Rating Reserve funds to a number of local street safety projects, some are being installed this year. The work of getting these projects from motion to installation was explained in a recent newsletter. We’re finally at the construction stage for some projects, which were prioritized based on resident feedback, including the following by neighbourhood (where links are included below, I’ve shared a formal design drawing) -
BEASLEY
Pedestrian Crossovers and Intersection Pedestrian Signals - Cannon Street East and Elgin Street; Mary Street at Beasley Park; Mary Street and Wilson Street
Road Repairs - James Street and King Street - to repair the ruts caused by heavy bus traffic
Road Resurfacing - Catharine Street North from Cannon Street East to Wilson Street
CENTRAL
Intersection Reconstruction - James Street North and York Boulevard
Pedestrian Crossovers and Intersection Pedestrian Signals - James Street North at West Harbour GO Station; Queen Street South at George Street
Road Reconstruction - York Boulevard from Hess Street North to Hughson Street North
Road Repairs - John Street South and Jackson Street East - to repair the ruts caused by heavy bus traffic
Safety Review - Bay Street North - the review was completed this year, with projects to begin this year and next year
Sidewalk Repairs - James Street North, Hess Village
Traffic Signal - Barton Street West and Queen Street North
CORKTOWN and STINSON
Intersection Reconstruction - James Street South and Augusta Street, MacNab Street South and York Boulevard
Pedestrian Crossovers and Intersection Pedestrian Signals - Stinson Street at West Avenue South (Carter Park)
Road Resurfacing - Hunter Street East from Wellington Street South to Walnut Street South; Wellington Street South at Forest Avenue
Speed Cushions - Freeman Place, Kingsway Drive
Stop Signs - Louisa Avenue and Kingsway Drive
Underpass Improvements - Catharine Street South and Hunter Street East - Lighting and pigeon netting
DURAND
Pedestrian Crossovers and Intersection Pedestrian Signals - Herkimer Street at Park Street South; Robinson Street and Queen Street South; Bold Street and Bay Street South
Road Resurfacing - Bold Street and James Street South; Charlton Avenue West from Queen Street South to James Street South; Hess Street South from Aberdeen Avenue to Hunter Street West
Safety Review - Bay Street South - the review was completed this year, with projects to begin this year and next year
NORTH END
Pedestrian Crossovers and Intersection Pedestrian Signals - James Street North and Wood Street
Raised Intersection - Bay Street North and Strachan Street West at the entrance to Bayfront Park - this is the first complete raised intersection being installed in Hamilton - the linked design drawing is not complete as it needs to incorporate all features of the multi use trail including cycling, but I wanted folks to see the draft to get a sense as this is new to the city
Safety Review - Bay Street North - the review was completed this year, with projects to begin this year and next year
Sidewalk Repairs - Strachan Street West, potentially including portions of Bay Street North and MacNab Street North (to be confirmed)
There’s a lot of work planned for this year, and I do expect there will be delays due to weather and other conditions, as there are every year, but I’m excited to see this work finally coming online after years of motions and investments from area rating reserves.
By the way, if you received a speed cushion petition and haven’t responded yet, please do. Not responding doesn’t count as a no vote. Your vote on whether this work proceeds is important, so please use the QR code to access the survey and fill it out with your vote as soon as possible. This is hyper local democracy in action and we want to hear from everyone who is impacted.
Future Plans for Eastwood Arena Coming in May
As you may have seen in the media, or through a public statement I posted on social media, Eastwood Arena will temporarily close as of April 15. Like last year, the Arena needs to be closed on a short term basis as a result of serious safety concerns. It continues to deteriorate due to a significant lack of investment since 1986. The City will be reporting back in May about the Arena’s future.
Like many Hamiltonians, I’m deeply saddened by what’s happened to Eastwood Arena and dismayed that the proper investments weren’t made in this facility and a plan wasn’t put in place before it got to this worsened state in 2022.
It was clear the Arena needed support in advance of the Pan Am Games coming to Hamilton in 2015, so I don’t know why, when those discussions started in 2011, the Arena wasn’t prioritized.
We can’t go back and undo the damage done, but I’ll do everything I can to keep the Arena open as long as possible. There’s been a rink for ice and non ice sports in Eastwood Park for more than a century. It matters to continue that tradition and build back new and better.
Complete details are available in my public statement, including why this is happening and what the City plans to do. You can also read coverage by the Hamilton Spectator, including a letter to the editor I wrote addressing misinformation about how we got here.
Inside Baseball - Notices of Motion
Over the last week of March, I put forward six Notices of Motion to the Public Works; Planning; General Issues; and Audit, Finance and Administration Committees so I thought it was a good time to talk about notices, why they matter, and how they work. For reference, here are links to the Notices I brought forward this week so you can see what they look like and what’s coming to the Committee table in April -
Investment in a New Downtown Washroom - Public Works Committee - March 23, 2026
Reducing Demolition by Neglect - Planning Committee - March 24, 2026
Review of Contract Work - General Issues Committee - March 25, 2026
Winter Response for People Living Unsheltered - General Issues Committee - March 25, 2026
Municipal Price Index - General Issues Committee - March 25, 2026
Financial Accountability in the Administration of Grant Funding - Audit, Finance and Administration Committee - March 26, 2026
A Notice of Motion is defined as “a written notice received by the Clerk’s Office advising Council that the Motion described therein, respecting a matter not already on an agenda, will be brought forward by a Member of Council at a future meeting of Council”.
In short, it’s a heads up to Council that something’s coming.
Often, Councillors will do something called “waiving the rules” to suspend the Notice of Motion, which transforms it into a Motion to be voted on, on the spot. To do that requires the support of two thirds of Council. I’ve done it, here and there, but rarely, and mostly in situations where there was urgency.
With respect to the Notices of Motion I put forward recently, while the issues are important, they can wait until the following meeting of the Committee.
Providing notice is important, and a healthy part of the democratic process, not only to ensure members of Council have more time to consider something, but also so members of the public can offer up feedback and changes before a motion is put forward for a decision to be made.
If you have feedback about any of the motions above, please send it to me directly at Cameron.Kroetsch@hamilton.ca before April 8, when it’s due to the office of the City Clerk.
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 Community Meetings page.
