Earlier this week, The Hamiltonian sent a direct and simple question to every member of Hamilton City Council and to Mayor Andrea Horwath.
The question was not complicated, political, or rhetorical. It concerned one basic matter of public accountability: whether Hamilton taxpayers are entitled to know how much the ongoing water workers’ strike has cost the City to date.
We provided each councillor and the mayor with a clear link to our recent article, “To Tell the Truth,” which outlines months of unfulfilled commitments from senior city staff who, as far back as the summer, indicated that financial disclosure would be made public in October. October came and went. We are now well into November. No information has been released.
In light of that, The Hamiltonian asked each elected official two straightforward things:
Do you agree that taxpayers have the right to know how much this strike has cost so far?
What actions have you taken, or will you take, to ensure that this information is made public?
We set a reasonable deadline: end of day Friday, November 14, 2025.
As of the time of publication, not a single councillor — nor the mayor — has responded.
The silence is striking. This is not a question about confidential negotiations. It is not a question about personnel matters. It is not a question that jeopardizes the bargaining process. It is a question about financial transparency — a responsibility that rests squarely with those elected to represent the public interest.
It is worth recalling that the water workers’ union (IUOE Local 772/HOWEA) has put the city on notice that they will take legal action, if the city does not release this information.
Not too long ago, the lack of transparency and evasiveness related to the Red Hill fiasco and the polluted water disaster, proved to be pivotal factors in some councillors not being re-elected. There is a lesson to be had in that outcome.
Perhaps we are driving toward another game show metaphor: Truth or Consequences.
The Hamiltonian is not going. away. We will continue to ask the tough questions and publish both favourable and unfavourable articles pertaining to the goings on at City Hall.
Sometimes tough. Always fair. Hamilton's tastemaker.
The Hamiltonian
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