After 8- with Ward 8 Councillor Candidate Frank Lenarduzzi

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

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

First I can't start without reflecting on the recent shooting in our community (Zen Lounge 69 Jon St S) and the tragic killings in the USA. I hope I can play a role in helping our community find solutions to these issues. I'm calling for Discipline, Structure and Compassion to address the violence we see today.

I’m not in favour of defunding the Police to spend more on Social Justice issues. I believe high youth unemployment is one contributing factor to an increase in crime We need to teach kids at an early age that gangs and gang violence is a dangerous way of life and taking a life is something you can undo. For those that use guns we need to make incarnations automatic to send a stronger deterrence. MP and former Olympian Adam van Koeverden grew up in social housing. His single-mom dropped him off at my former Canoe Kayak Club. The Club waived his fees and he blossomed. He attributes his success to Club discipline, structure and compassion.

Not since, Confederation has this Country faced such National Disunity. More than 150 years ago Canada had the vision to unite East & West with a Railroad. That vision forged our Country. While mistakes were made and land was acquired without permission we need to learn from the past. With indigenous support and the support of all Canadians we need a National Housing Strategy to stimulate growth and create wealth for the Nation much like the railways did. Think globally and act locally.

Housing and a predicted economic slowdown seems to be the greatest challenges facing Ward 8. We have seniors looking to downsize by planning their next retirement move, with limited options. We have high youth unemployment and those with jobs seeking to enter the housing market and we have those that recently entered the housing market only to find house prices falling and housing costs, taxes, etc increasing. The answer to all these issues is growth. Growth will lead to prosperity and prosperity will create wealth to address our social issues.

We have a plan to stimulate growth. The Harvest is plentiful. We are blessed with great lands but the labourers are few. We already started by using retired builders to teach the next generation of workers. We formed a Not-for-Profit group to build Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) anywhere. Our offer to help the City of Hamilton with the sites on the Bayfront, Lake Street in Stoney Creek, West side of Garth St and the OH Grounds (Fennell & West 5th) has fallen on deaf ears. It seems our expertise carries little in value.. Maybe it is ageism on the part of the City. You can decide.

A drive in virtually any part of the City can easily identify open land that can and should be developed. So what is the issue holding us back from putting more shovels in the ground? City Planners are stuck with outmoded thinking on this issue, as identified by several of the By-Election Candidates like Glenn Davies that has been through the building process and has 1st-hand knowledge of the issues with Planners at City Hall. It also applies to the demolition of homes like those on Upper James that took much too long to get demolition approvals. Buildings at the end-of-life that clearly should be condemned should not get a Fair Rating by City staff just to prolong the planning process and increase redevelopment time and costs. I have seen the bureaucracy at work in Ward 11, the home of our Social Club, which was denied Federal Funding to investigate Sustainable Affordable Houses (SAH) at no cost to the City because they did not like the location. City rejected our plans, with no details given, despite receiving over $50k in Grant support and over $200k in-kind support that could have been transferred to other locations. Instead, they made unrealistic demands that increased costs well beyond the Club's limited financial resources. The zoning is Open Space, like a private park with plenty of room for a housing Pilot and our proof-of-concept. The Open Space is not being farmed and development was supported by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) providing we maintained our 20 acre woodlot, which was agreed to since the woodlot was outside the planned expansion. Our Ward 11 councillor initially supported our application but quickly retracted to take the City Staff position of blocking even a Study of our advance housing concept. The City position is that the Rural Hamilton Official Plan (RHOP) and zoning does not support the development, which is false. A review of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan (RHOP) shows the potential for future infill development to support the Agricultural Systems, like migrant-worker housing, or expanded recreational uses, wineries, etc. The Question is building seniors housing on Club lands that are already zoned for seasonal camping qualify as supporting the Agricultural System? When farmers retire they are forced to the City's Urban areas for their senior-living experience. We think some limited senior housing does qualify under the RHOP, especially during a housing crisis. Ironically the City's own Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap is a “Whole of Hamilton” response to our current housing crisis. Unfortunately the 35 page document does not include Rurals Wards in their Whole of Hamilton approach to housing. In fact the RHOP predicts a drop in the Rural Hamilton population from approximately 44,000 to 42,600 persons by 2031. If this is true then, it is just another example of poor City planning. Our Club is not alone in their desire to help address the housing crisis. Shady Acres on 2526 Guyatt Rd, is another social club in Ward 11 it is considering housing options for their members and others to enrich the Hamilton Seniors Community.

What does all this (RHOP) have to do with Ward 8? Ward 8 has some zoning issues. Zoning Matters. Just like our Ward 11 example, a simple Committee of Adjustment application can often solve minor zoning changes, if supported by the City and the local residents. Most of the homes in Ward 8 are about 1/2 Century old and approaching their end-of-life. Single-family zoning no longer exists. Duplex zoning has replaced it, basically across the Nation. Local zoning issues, setbacks and demolish permits are all issues that need to be addressed at the community level. It is not for City Planners to tell us how and where to live. Former Mayor Vic Copps did not see from City Hall a Burning Bush on the Mountain and climbed up the Mountain to return with Zoning By-Laws carved in stone. It is for us the Ward 8 residents to decide how and where we wish to live.

The normal building permit process is for the homeowner, developer or agent to bring their plans or ideas to the City for feedback. I would like to advocate for the City to be more proactive in offering building options to Ward 8 homeowners, whether they want to replace or renovate their dwellings or add a Garden Suite etc. We need creative solutions that are supported by the City and zoning changes to accommodate more housing options for Ward 8 residents. For example, an empty-nester might want to stay in their home and renovate it to make it more livable for their particular circumstance. They might also explore funding support under the initiatives recently announced by Ottawa. Homes can be replaced by a duxplex, which is more suited to the homeowners needs with the other half rented or sold in an agreement that releases funds to better enjoy retirement. These novel retirement living options are receiving interest from banks and trust companies. A Win-Win scenario for homeowners.

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?

As previously mentioned the housing issue is both City wide and Nation wide in scope. Here are a few examples of improving the lives of Hamiltonians without increasing costs or Municipal Spending. Pier 6-7 has been on the market (For Sale) for almost 5-years. We inquired about availability and failed to get an adequate response. The planning of the site goes back to Mayor Bob Bratina days. What is the issue here? We have a plan for the site. 

One of our approaches is to build Smart, Sustainable (Net-Zero Housing) for Seniors making 30% affordable at 80% of Market Rents and the rest 70%, at Market Rates or slightly above Market Rates. We feel our low-cost luxury living will attract empty-nests to sell their homes and create an additional family living unit once they move (a Win-Win Scenario). In addition, we are working with colleges and universities to help train our youth using retired workers to lower both the cost to build and youth unemployment. When we presented our case to the City it was rejected. NIMBY was the reason given. It seems the City does not want Social Housing at the Pier 6-7 sites. They want for-profit development and Market Value for the four identified sites. We made a Market Prices offer on Pier 6-7 and are still waiting for a reply. It seems the City can shunn some groups without giving a reason.

On a lighter note. I would suggest that we explore Overnight Camping at the Binbrook Conservation Area and the Confederation Park, like the Town of Oakville has on the East End of Bronte Provincial Park. They have Yurts, showers and fully laundry facilities for camping at a local level. Something like this might help families enjoy a vacation close to home. The other thing that the Town of Oakville has achieved is a 40-bed emergency shelter run by the Salvation Army in the heart of the Town, by location the facility in Employment Lands to overcome NIMBY opposition. The facility is located close to a Fire Hall, Police Station and the Town's Bus depot surrounded by light manufacturing and non-retail businesses. This is something I would propose for Hamilton's employment lands as a low-cost way of providing emergency shelter to the most vulnerable using discipline, structure and compassion.

As part of the Climate Change Advisory Committee for the City of Hamilton I hear many of the ideas being proposed by City Staff to fight climate change. At one meeting a presentation was made regarding the need for battery storage by the Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO). Planning staff have confirmed that they did not support the proposal through the IESO’s LT1 RFP procurement process. However, the IESO has announced a subsequent procurement for additional energy storage capacity through the Long Term 2 Capacity Request for Proposals (LT2 RFP). The City should consider the recent plant Closure of Dofasco's' wire mill as a potential site for much needed battery storage being proposed and funded by the IESO. It can be a revenue source for the City. This will support the Provincial & Municipal objectives for using clean-electricity to fight Climate Change. I have worked on the Thermal Energy Storage Project funded by the IESO, Hydro One and Newmarket Hydro with the help of McMaster University. I am familiar with the IESO funding model and could assist City Staff in securing a site for Hamilton. I also support more transmission projects to better connect abundant low-cost hydro electric power in Manitoba and Quebec (See IESO Website for details). The "nation-building" projects slated for speedy approval includes a small modular reactor (SMR) for the Darlington Nuclear site. They should have also included a DC link with Manitoba to bring four-times more power to Southern Ontario at half the cost of a SMR. This will support our commitments to solving the Climate Change Crisis (Smell the Smoke) with Clean Electricity. Transmission lines are built with steel towers, galvanized steel wire and aluminum. Products that could create jobs for Hamiltonians. Thus, we need to make a Municipal Resolution in Support of IESO proposals on both storage and DC transmission from neighbouring Provinces, to support Green Growth in Hamilton.

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

I have building and planning expertise that provides an insight into how the housing industry works, from both a builder's perspective and as an engineer researching novel and creative building systems. I hold patents on advanced Ground-Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) and continue to support the industry seeking new installation techniques to lower install-cost. The main thing is that I successfully applied for Federal Funding to support SAH. What people don't realize is that we can apply for these Funds, Grants and low-interest loans to build much needed housing. I know how to secure these funds.

If we keep sending the same people we will get the same results and things are getting worse not better. The time seems right for a change.

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

I can be reached by Email: Frank.LenarduzziWard8@gmail.com or by phone at 416-996-3539. The Website: https://terrapowersystems.ca/ is currently under development.

Big is not Always Better:
Private developers are generally not innovators. They are good at building what they did yesterday and resist change like Green Building Standards. It seems because of delays brought on by City Planners, Big developers tend to build taller and taller buildings with smaller and smaller living space. We need both the Big Developers and Small Builders, like we had in the past, to drive innovation and creativity.

This is not just coming from me. In a speech given by Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition at Canada’s Competition Summit 2023. He plainly stated that Entrepreneurs and businesses, especially small enterprises, like us who are the lifeblood of the economy are being harmed by restrictive policies. He was referring to the three levels of Government. By extension we could draw parallels to the City's restrictive decision to not support us. Mr. Boswell was hired by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to find better solutions to growing issues that face the Canadian economy. I am suggesting that we all give his ideas credence. Greater zoning flexibility is a start and mix-use planning will encourage Green Growth supported by Federal Funding (FCM & CMHC).

Canadian Bill of Rights - Enjoyment of Property
City Hall needs to be reminded that we are protected by Federal Law to; “the right of the individual to … enjoyment of property”, and the right “not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law.
The Provincial Planning Act recognizes this limitation in their documents. Municipal planning documents do not. Is Abuse of Dominance by the City a problem? I asked Law Professor and MP Anita Anand if Hamilton has gone too far. Her answer was; no one has used our Bill of Rights to challenge a City By-Law. My hope is that we can find ways to work cooperatively with City Staff and avoid a legal debate. A good start is for the City to move from Business as Usual to Crisis Management Mode to explore all options and use community engagement is their decision making.

Schlegel Deal with Inwell, Mohawk College and the Province announced, July 31st
The transfer of public land to the private sector does not seem to be an election issue for Ward 8. These are the questions I sent to City Staff without any response:
Can anyone at City Hall shed light on the Government of Ontario plans for the former Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital at 290 Fennell Ave West, just west of the St. Joseph’s Healthcare West 5th Campus?

When did the City know about the deal, announced publicly on July 31st?
What are the plans for the Mountain Brow Land given to the City by the Province?
Was this a sole-source deal or open to completion?
Why was a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) needed?

Why do they (Schlegel) need to wait until spring next year to get a shovel in the ground? Nothing about the greening of the site was announced. Rarely does the End Justify the Means in an Open Democracy. Just shine some light on the deal so we do better next time. All Hamiltonians deserve an explanation.

The housing crisis is not just a local issue it is a National Issue? We need to raise awareness of the issues with both Local and National media outlets.
Steve Paikin of Paikin Podcast does not feel it is a National issue. We hope he changes his mind on this important issue.