After 8- with Ward 8 Councillor Candidate Andrew Fedurko

As we continue with our After 8 coverage of Ward 8 Councillor candidates, enjoy our chat with Andrew Fedurko.

What do you believe are the greatest challenges that face Ward 8, and what will you do to address them?

The greatest challenges facing Ward 8 are housing growth, traffic and road safety, and access to services. Developments like those on Upper Wellington and Caledon show the pressure to add housing, but without proper planning we risk overwhelming schools, roads, and transit. Traffic congestion and excessive vehicle noise on Upper James, Mohawk, Garth, and Upper Paradise continue to frustrate residents and reduce quality of life. Accessibility is another major concern, whether it is for seniors, youth, or those with mobility challenges. We saw this with poorly planned road expansions and short-term fixes that only shifted the problem instead of solving it.

My approach is not to make promises that sound good, but to build solutions that actually work. I have done this in Ward 8 already, through my work with Femme Gaming where I helped create inclusive and accessible programs for youth who are often excluded from mainstream spaces, and through my partnerships with the YMCA where we raised significant funds for youth programs on the Mountain and also supported their downtown men’s and women’s programs through both fundraising and food drives. These efforts were not restricted by gender or demographic, they were about ensuring every resident had access to the supports they need. I will bring this same model to City Hall, combining program development experience with transparent reporting through a public dashboard so residents can see decisions, spending, and outcomes in real time.

Beyond the needs of Ward 8, what are some city-wide initiatives or problems the city is facing more broadly, that you hope to help address? How would you contribute to the resolution to those problems?

Across Hamilton, the biggest issues are housing affordability, climate resilience, and transparency in decision-making. Equally important is the city’s track record of failed or poorly managed projects. The Red Hill Valley Parkway asphalt scandal, where evidence of unsafe road conditions was buried and repaving later cost taxpayers tens of millions, is one of the clearest examples of what happens when transparency is missing. Residents are still paying for that mistake, both financially and in lost trust.

My approach is different. I have managed projects at scale in both public service and education, and I know how to build accountability into every stage of planning and execution. If Hamilton had a public-facing dashboard, as I promise to make my first priority as councillor, when the Red Hill decisions were being made, residents and councillors alike could have seen the data and demanded action before it turned into a crisis. The same applies to housing, climate, and infrastructure projects across the city.

Ward 8 is already a leader in sustainability, with the Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation and the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College. These prove Hamilton can deliver bold projects that succeed, but we need that same level of accountability applied city-wide. That is the leadership I bring, evidence-based decision making, proven fundraising and program-building experience, and a commitment to ensuring that Hamilton’s next major projects are models of success, not case studies in failure. My role on Council will be to ensure that the city’s next major initiatives follow that model of success, transparent, accountable, and fiscally responsible, not another Red Hill that the taxpayers' will foot the bill for.

There are many people running for the position of Ward 8 Councillor. What do you offer that makes you the best pick?

I have lived in Ward 8 and I work in Ward 8. I spend my money on groceries and entertainment in Ward 8, and I have faced the same frustrations with traffic, noise, and access to services as other residents. What sets me apart is not only this lived experience, but also my academic background. I hold a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBA in Project Management, and a certification in product development, giving me the skills to manage complex systems and deliver accountable results.

What further sets me apart is a track record of building programs and raising funds that deliver measurable results for our community. I helped create inclusive youth programming in Ward 8 in partnership with Femme Gaming, I partnered with the YMCA to support both Mountain and downtown programs, and I was on the planning committee for Hockey Helps the Homeless where in its first year in Hamilton we raised over $300,000 for local charities and $95k for our local YMCA. Just this summer we put another $50,000 into Ward 7 and Ward 8 through events at TB McQuesten Park and Mohawk. I was the only candidate involved in planning these events and to make a campaign speech at them.

These are the kinds of partnerships with Hamilton’s largest stakeholders that I have already delivered in Ward 8, and they demonstrate the leadership I will bring to City Hall. While other candidates are making vague promises, I am offering proof. I have shown through my work that I can manage partnerships, balance complex systems, and deliver outcomes. My years of public service and program development experience mean I am prepared to deal with the scale and complexity of city decisions.

Hamilton’s problem has not been a lack of ideas, but a lack of delivery. Too often, projects have been announced with big promises, only to fail residents in execution. I have chosen to run a carbon-neutral, no-paper campaign because I believe leadership must be demonstrated in practice, not just promised in words. While others make vague commitments, I point to a record of results and the systems expertise to scale those results to Council.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about you, your campaign, and how to reach you?

My campaign is about responsibility, transparency, and results. I have spent my career building programs that expand access and improve services, and I have raised millions of dollars through partnerships and community projects that directly support Hamilton residents. I am running a carbon-neutral, no-paper campaign because I believe in leading by example.

The City of Hamilton has a track record of losing public trust through secrecy, mismanagement, and failed projects. I am offering something different: accountable leadership that residents can measure. If elected, I will implement a public-facing dashboard so residents of Ward 8 can see exactly what their councillor is doing and whether outcomes are being delivered.

I encourage you to follow my latest posts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fedurko.

I also encourage you to listen to my appearance on the 155 Podcast with Joey Coleman, along with those of my opponents, so you can compare for yourself the differences in public speaking, confidence, and the depth of skills and experience I bring to this role.

If you would like to learn more, visit www.fedurko.com, email me at fedurkoward8@gmail.com, or text me at 289-401-5972.

If you would like a lawn sign or to volunteer, please reach out. Every action of support helps us build the momentum to bring accountable and transparent leadership to Ward 8.