Ward 2 Newsletter - Issue 37
May 6, 2026
More than 110 Meetings and Events Held in this Term
When I ran in 2022, I committed to doing more public engagement. It’s one of the things I heard most from Ward 2 residents when I was knocking on doors during the last election. Residents told me they wanted their Councillor to personally hold more events, meetings, and town halls, so they could have the opportunity to connect face to face.
I’m proud to say, as of this past week, we’ve held more than 110 meetings and events during this term. The Ward 2 Team and I have visited every nook and cranny of Ward 2 to bring news, updates, information, and opportunities and to get feedback and listen to residents tell us what matters most to them.
It’s been a serious undertaking and we’ve learned a lot along the way.
We also held different types of events throughout the term. My aim was to try to hold as many types of meetings and events as possible, with the goal of being inclusive. Here’s a breakdown of the meetings I held, by type.
We also confirmed some information we knew coming into this work. The Corktown neighbourhood continues to be the most difficult place to plan meetings due to the lack of public meeting space, with the North End not too far behind.
The Bennetto Auditorium in the North End is being refurbished to address this, in part, but there aren’t enough public spaces in Corktown. It’s why we hosted more events in Durand, which is close to Corktown, and at City Hall, so meetings were more accessible to residents in Corktown.
Here’s a breakdown of meetings by neighbourhood, compared with the population in those neighbourhoods.
I want to offer a huge and heartfelt thanks to not only the Ward 2 Team, who helped me to plan and execute these meetings, but the Ward 2 community for attending them. We’ve engaged with thousands of residents through our meetings and events, with attendance ranging from a handful to hundreds at a time. I hope to be able to host a few more before the term is over.
As a reminder, Councillors are not allowed to use City funds for anything, including mailers and meetings, after August 31 so there will be hard stop then.
Final Ward 2 Community Grants Distributed
At Council on April 22, the final round of Ward 2 Community Grants were approved. Since its inception, the program has helped more than 100 community organizations in Ward 2 with small grants of up to $5,000.
The money for these grants comes from the discretionary area rating reserve program that was started in 2012 for each of the original eight wards in the old city of Hamilton. The key differences I introduced to this program when I was elected were transparency and accountability.
In the past, when funding was provided it was provided at the sole discretion of the Ward Councillor. There was neither a process nor criteria for submissions, no scoring methodology to evaluate them, and in some cases no requirement to provide receipts for how the money was actually spent.
At that time, spending was reported in the year following the issuance of the grant through the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee. The titles for items were often short, with no explanations for most of the spending, and there was no requirement to be more accountable.
I was determined to change that to make things fairer, more transparent, and more accountable when it came to public money.
In 2022, the Ward 2 Team and I worked with City staff to design a process that was fair, accessible, established submission criteria including maximum grants of $5000, not for profit status, to be spent in Ward 2, and demonstrated a clear community benefit.
I also developed a scoring system based on merit, impact, and need - this level of rigour was new to the process. The resulting Community Grants program has vastly improved the transparency around how discretionary funds are used in Ward 2.
Everyone downtown knows there’s a deep need for a program like this. Not for profit and community organizations are chronically underfunded, especially coming out of COVID, and have to compete with one another for even smaller funding allocations like these. During economically unstable times, they’re less likely to receive donations to help offset reductions in grant or government funding because people can’t afford to donate.
Over 2023, 2024, and 2025 we approved grants quarterly. We did this by creating, for the first time in the City’s history, a well advertised and public application process. We did things differently this year as I reported in a previous edition of the newsletter due to the municipal election.
Everyone who received grant funding only did so once they provided receipts to back up their purchases. If things cost less than originally proposed, the remaining funds were returned to the program - another first.
I’m happy to add that at least five of my colleagues have now created similar grants programs based on the Ward 2 Community Grants model with many more of my colleagues using the policy language we created when awarding individual grants.
I’m very proud of the fact that by keeping the grants to a maximum of $5,000, our program has ensured that every single eligible group who applied and that met our funding criteria was able to receive a grant.
Here are just a few of the programs that were funded through Ward 2 Community Grants -
In 2023, the Hamilton Community Peregrine Project received a grant to upgrade the cameras they use to monitor the chicks that hatch each year and to invite the community to watch right along with them. One of their cameras was 23 years old and desperately in need of replacement. They were approved for a Ward 2 Community Grant and the installer donated a camera and mount, which reduced their need and maximized the value of their grant. There are currently four eggs in the nest at the top of the Sheraton. The chicks will hatch in early May and you can watch them live as they grow and begin to fly.
In 2024, Free Play for Kids received a grant to help cover the transportation costs for game day celebrations at the Central Memorial Recreation Centre. Free Play for Kids is a free after school program for kids that promotes social and emotional learning through physical activity and sport. Once a week they attend a game day celebration, where they test their skills and practice teamwork, and the grant helped make sure kids could get there.
In 2025, Open Heart Arts Theatre received a grant to facilitate a program called Land, Place, Home - A Theatre and Storybuilding Initiative for Newcomers. They ran the program in collaboration with other Ward 2 based organizations, including the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company, Hamilton Artists Inc., and ABRAR Trauma and Mental Health Services. They provided a safe and welcoming space for newcomers to share their stories, improve their language skills, and meet their neighbours. Some of this work culminated in a play they put on during Frost Bites.
In 2026, Community Connection and Recreation Network of Hamilton (CCRNH) will receive a grant to assist with weekly arts-based programming and music lessons for residents of Residential Care Facilities (RCF) in Ward 2. CCRNH was created in response to emerging research that shows RCF residents experience social isolation due to poverty and stigma, and isolation is associated with poorer housing outcomes in communal living settings. This programming will allow them to engage with their neighbours, find social connection, and improve their quality of life.
A complete list of all grants awarded in this term of Council is on my website. If you have questions about this program, applications, or the use of funds to support community organizations, please send me an email at Cameron.Kroetsch@hamilton.ca.
Road Repaving and Sidewalk Repairs on James Street
It’s construction season in most of Ontario right now, and Hamilton’s no exception. That means you should expect to see temporarily closed sidewalks, lanes, and entire roadways closed over the next several months. It’s a minor inconvenience, usually for a few days or weeks at a time, but the improvements to our sidewalk and roadways are felt immediately.
In this term of Council, I’ve committed the largest portion of the funds available to me to sidewalk and roadway improvements, including street safety improvements. This has been the number one issue raised with the Ward 2 Team and I and the one with the most consensus across age, neighbourhood, and socioeconomic status. Whether you drive, walk, roll, or bike to get where you’re going, safety is important to everyone who lives in and visits Ward 2.
It’s important to acknowledge that we have a very long way to go when it comes to sidewalk, road, and other safety improvements downtown. The lack of investment in this community in previous terms of Council has put us behind the proverbial eight ball and it’s going to take many years to dig ourselves out of the deficit we’ve been left with.
I announced, in my last newsletter, where I expect projects to be happening this year across Ward 2 and I’ll keep you updated as projects are being constructed so you’re aware and can get out and see the work first hand.
One of the first repaving projects completed is from Bold Street to Duke Street on James Street South. This work connects to underpass work on Hunter Street as part of a series of underpasses that are being improved including John Street South (last year) and Catharine Street South (this year).
For those who have been walking up and down the rest of James Street, particularly on James Street North, you’ll have noticed that the City is completing a major restoration of the sidewalks from Wilson Street to Cannon Street. There are plans, not yet confirmed, to do some work in Hess Village; the North End on Hughson Street North, Strachan Street, MacNab Street, and Bay Street; and Central along Bay Street North. I’m also hopeful we can do some sidewalk repairs in front of the former City Centre mall on James Street North this year as well, but I’m waiting to hear back from staff about whether or not that’s possible.
I’ll continue to keep you updated as projects progress downtown. I know many residents have been asking for this work to be completed, long before this term of Council, and I’m committed to getting as much done as possible in this term.
City Council Summary - April 22, 2026
The Council decisions on April 22 included financial accountability for grant funding, winter response for people experiencing homelessness, a Municipal Price Index (MPI), reducing demolition by neglect, and moving forward with a new downtown washroom.
Moving Forward with a New Downtown Washroom
Public Works Committee - April 13, 2026
City Council - April 22, 2026
Plans for a new downtown washroom were advanced at the beginning of this term and some initial feasibility work was done to locate it at Ferguson Station. It was quickly determined this wouldn’t work, so the conversation shifted to a new location. After some consideration, John Rebecca Park was chosen as a potential location. This motion shifts the funding already allocated to Ferguson Station to studying the feasibility of installing a washroom at John Rebecca Park. The plan is not to build a brick and mortar building, but for something that’s standalone and potentially self cleaning. If we’re able to install and support this location, we’ll look at using this funding, and future funding, to install more washrooms downtown to support the community.
How did the Public Works Committee vote on reallocating funds for a new downtown washroom?
In favour (12) - Beattie, Cassar, Cooper, Francis, Hwang, Jackson, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Nann, Pauls, Tadeson, M. Wilson (seconder)
Reducing Demolition by Neglect
Planning Committee - April 14, 2026
City Council - April 22, 2026
The Ward 2 community has been concerned about vacant buildings, including vacant heritage buildings for a very long time. Unfortunately, Council did not give City staff the resources they needed to address these issues. As a result, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented loss in our built heritage downtown. As the City’s heritage representative, it’s been a big concern during this term of Council. This motion will seek to fill in the gaps when it comes to enforcement and prevention but it will also allow City staff to more actively address concerns around buildings that are in serious disrepair.
How did the Planning Committee vote on pursuing a more aggressive plan to address vacant buildings, including vacant heritage buildings?
In favour (8) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Cooper, Francis, Horwath, Hwang, Jackson, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Nann (seconder), Pauls, Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Winter Response for People Experiencing Homelessness
General Issues Committee - April 15, 2026
City Council - April 22, 2026
After the situation this winter with the warming centre at the Bennetto Recreation Centre, I committed to North Enders that we’d do things differently in the future. In part, this motion will respond directly to that concern, but it will also address the issues we’ve had with warming centres in general. We’re in a situation now where the Provincial government has taken tools off the table, not for profit funding has left Ward 2, and we have an ongoing need for supportive housing and shelter. The City needs a better coordinated plan to address these issues next winter.
How did the General Issues Committee vote on my motion?
In favour (16) - Beattie, Cassar, Clark, Cooper, Francis, Horwath, Hwang, Jackson, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Nann, Pauls, Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson (seconder), M. Wilson
Municipal Price Index (MPI)
General Issues Committee - April 15, 2026
City Council - April 22, 2026
Councillors often compare our annual budget increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which reflects average cost increases for goods and services that the average Canadian household depends on - groceries, clothing, shelter, and alcohol. These costs, while they do have an impact on the City’s budget, are not inclusive of the costs for chemicals, concrete, asphalt, paint, and steel, which can have a much bigger impact on the City’s budget, but we don’t have a Municipal Price Index (MPI) to help us understand how those costs are rising. My motion asks staff to come back with a plan to introduce one, which I’m very much hoping Council will approve so we can start making apples to apples comparisons during budget time.
How did the General Issues Committee vote on exploring a Municipal Price Index?
In favour (10) - Cassar (seconder), Horwath, Hwang, Jackson, Kroetsch (mover), McMeekin, Pauls, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson
Against (5) - Beattie, Clark, Cooper, Francis, Spadafora
Financial Accountability for Grant Funding
Audit, Finance and Administration Committee - April 16, 2026
City Council - April 22, 2026
Although the Ward 2 Community Grants funding process is accountable and has several financial controls built into the process for its administration, there’s no requirement, across the board, for this to be in place. This motion will ensure grant funding is only distributed once there are receipts filed for expenses or other paperwork to ensure a proper audit trail.
How did the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee vote on improving accountability for grant funding?
In favour (7) - Beattie, Clark, Hwang (seconder), Kroetsch (mover), Spadafora, Tadeson, A. Wilson, M. Wilson