Hoath Alleges City of Hamilton has a Lack of Integrity

Greg Hoath , Business Manager International Union of Operating Engineers Local 772 ("IUOE"), has advised The Hamiltonian that the City of Hamilton is commencing arbitration this afternoon at 5:30pm before an arbitrator.

Mr. Hoath advises that compensation is at stake and advises that "despite the commitment from the City to not engage in any preliminary arguments of the arbitrator’s jurisdiction to rule, that is exactly what we will hear tonight. I believe strongly the City of Hamilton should be exposed for their lack of integrity."

The arbitration is key component of concluding the eight week water strike. The Hamiltonian is in the process of inquiring about an open to the public Zoom link, so that any public member can attend the meeting. We will update this page if we receive the details. 

Note: In the spirit of fairness, we reached out to the city for comment. 

Media Release: City of Hamilton’s Office of the Auditor General completes Cyber Security Follow Up Audit

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton’s Office of the Auditor General OAG) completed Phase 1, Pre-Breach Analysis of their Cyber Security Follow Up Audit. This Phase 1 report is the first of four reports which together, form the follow-up to the OAG’s initial Cyber Security Audit, which had been completed in April 2021, prior to the City’s cybersecurity incident in February 2024.

The initial 2021 Audit revealed critical weaknesses in the City’s security posture and recommendations were made by the OAG (at the time, known as the Office of the City Auditor). Efforts to engage third-party remediation were initiated by the City but delayed in the period following the results of the 2021 Audit and the cyber incident (February 2024), resulting in limited remedial action and minimal progress being made to improve the City’s security posture by the time of the breach.

Phase 1 of the Cyber Security Follow Up Audit focused on pre-breach analysis and assessed the City’s progress since the initial 2021 Audit. It reviewed governance structures, staffing and leadership continuity, training and awareness programs, technical readiness, and incident response training.

Key observations within this Audit include:

Persistent understaffing in key cybersecurity roles which limited the City’s ability to manage and implement security controls

Frequent leadership turnover disrupted prioritization and delayed execution of strategic security initiatives and key risk mitigations

Recommendations from the 2021 cybersecurity audit remained largely unimplemented at the time of the breach due to lack of resources, leadership continuity and institutional support

The lack of a centralized governance and mature cybersecurity program led to fragmented practices and policy inconsistencies

The City’s risk management program did not proactively identify and address risks across existing and emerging programs and services

End-user training focused only on basic awareness and lacked advanced education on cybersecurity and more specifically, security personnel had not received formal training or upskilling since 2020

“Attention to cyber security is important and efforts need to be sustained and ongoing,” said Charles Brown, Auditor General “The six key observations we made during Phase 1 of the Follow Up Audit explain the limited progress the City was able to achieve following the initial 2021 Cyber Security Audit. Our findings underscore the reality that Information Technology is complex and requires the successful coordination of people, processes, planning and governance.”

Phase 1 also identified pre-breach strengths of the City’s cybersecurity, which include:

Efforts to improve the visibility of cybersecurity had been ongoing for a few years

A Cyber Incident Response Plan which aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cybersecurity framework

An emergency response plan to coordinate across departments and maintain service continuity

Active recruitment for cybersecurity professionals to address resource gaps

Hamilton Water’s resilience and readiness in terms of its security and operational technology

Quick Facts:

The OAG’s Cyber Security Audit in April 2021 overall objective was to assess many areas of the City’s Information Technology network.

A planned follow-up to the April 2021 Audit was to occur in 2024, however, the cybersecurity incident took place which caused a delay and modification to the original scope of the review.

Additional Resources:

Report: AUD21004 Cyber Security Audit | April 22, 2021
Report: AUD21004 (c) Cyber Security Follow Up Audit, Phase 1: Pre-Breach Analysis Report | October 2, 2025
Appendix "A": Cybersecurity Incident Pre-Breach Analysis | September 18, 2025

Truth & Consequences- Cyber Security Corrective Measures

In a previous piece published by The Hamiltonian (see it here), we argued that the City of Hamilton must take appropriate action—up to and including the termination of staff—against those responsible for creating a weakened security environment that allowed cyber criminals to penetrate the city’s systems. This breach severely compromised essential services the public is entitled to receive.

While such an outcome is never celebrated, accountability is essential. Negligence and failure to safeguard the public’s interests must carry consequences. As we noted earlier, the repercussions of this failure were not minor but severe, and they continue to be felt across the city.

One must ask whether the City would have taken the necessary steps absent the public pressure brought to bear by The Hamiltonian and by other media outlets. To the City’s credit—and giving them the benefit of the doubt—we now present their recent press release, in which they outline the measures taken in response. Notably, the release specifically acknowledges terminations.

We sincerely hope this marks the beginning of a cultural shift within City Hall—one in which the interests of the public are placed firmly and consistently at the forefront.

Here is the press release:

Strengthening Accountability in Technology and Security

HAMILTON, ON – As part of our ongoing commitment to accountability and transparency following the cybersecurity incident, the City of Hamilton is taking intentional steps to reinforce trust, protect digital technology and security infrastructure and safeguard information and the reliability of City services.

To further enhance our cyber resilience, we have taken several actions and implemented several changes to put a structure in place that is more capable of addressing critical needs:

Enhanced Accountability and Dedicated Departmental Leadership: Realigned the Information Technology (IT) Department to report directly to a newly created Chief Information Officer (CIO) role that provides strategic leadership in advancing our technology capabilities and ensuring our systems continue to meet the needs of the organization and community.

Stronger Focus on Security: Recruited the City’s first Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to further enhance our focus on safeguarding information and systems, who will lead enterprise-wide efforts in security risk management, compliance and monitoring.

Leadership Changes: Made changes to several management-level staffing positions, including terminations. As with many organizational realignments, these changes were necessary to support the new direction and objectives. While the City cannot comment on individual personnel matters out of respect for privacy and legal obligations, all decisions were made with the long-term interests of the City and our residents in mind.

Ongoing improvements to digital safeguards: Introduced enhanced security protocols, such as multi-factor authentication and improved monitoring, to strengthen cybersecurity resilience and protect systems from future threats.

Leadership and Structural Changes Drive Digital Resilience

The leadership transition marks a critical milestone in the City’s “Build Better and Stronger” initiative, launched in direct response to the February 2024 cybersecurity incident. As we rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, we are taking deliberate steps to strengthen digital resilience, efficiency and smart investment in public systems.

“We’ve taken this challenge as an opportunity to rebuild, strengthen our systems and improve how we serve the community,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “The cyber incident was devastating for the City and our community, and we acknowledge that as a result we lost trust. This work is about more than technology - it’s about building back that trust and being more accountable and transparent as we deliver the secure, dependable services our residents rely on.”

By applying lessons learned, holding ourselves accountable and implementing systemic change, the City is ensuring our infrastructure is secure, our operations are dependable and our services remain uninterrupted.

With renewed leadership, strengthened accountability and a clear vision, the City is building a safer, more resilient digital future that Hamiltonians can trust and depend on.

Quick Facts:

On February 25, 2024, the City of Hamilton was the target of a deliberate and aggressive cybersecurity attack. A well-organized group of cybercriminals broke into City systems and caused significant disruption to City services and operations.

The ongoing investigation into this cyberattack is led by the Hamilton Police Service, with support from provincial and federal agencies.

Responding to and recovering from this incident, cost the City approximately $18.3 million through June 2025. To manage these costs responsibly, a three-year funding plan was introduced as part of the 2025 Tax Budget. This plan uses existing project funding and prioritizes resources to reduce the long-term impacts on taxpayers.

Additional Resources:

Web page: City of Hamilton | Cybersecurity Incident: Recovery & Transformation

Media Release: City of Hamilton | Cybersecurity Update: City provides more incident details

Deafening Silence

In a recent article published by our friends at The Hamilton Spectator, Horwath Resigns from Police Board, Mayor Andrea Horwath was given an opportunity to explain her decision to step down from her role on the Police Services Board. While she cited scheduling conflicts as the reason, the decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, including social media commentators, at least one political science scholar, and even a sitting councillor.

The Hamiltonian does not share in that criticism. We have expressed that sentiment to the Mayor directly. However, we do believe it is fair to ask how the Mayor determines relative priority among her various commitments. Specifically, what criteria led her to conclude that her role on the Police Services Board was the most appropriate one to relinquish?

To that end, we posed the following question to the Mayor:

Mayor Horwath:

Your recent decision to step down from the Police Services Board, citing scheduling conflicts, has generated considerable speculation. Some in the community have questioned whether scheduling alone was the true reason for this choice.

The Hamiltonian is not in that camp but believes it is fair to ask: how do you determine relative priorities when weighing your commitments? Specifically, were there not other obligations that could have been set aside in order to continue prioritizing your role on the Board?

Can you please clarify the reasoning behind your decision?

Please note: We have received your press release on this topic, but our questions go beyond the information in the release. As such, we would appreciate a reply to our questions above. 

The Mayor's office respond as follows:

Good morning, Mayor Horwath will not be proving anything further. 

Subsequent to receiving what can best be described as a non-response, The Hamiltonian conveyed to the Mayor’s office that this was regrettable. We truly believe it is unfortunate. Our approach throughout has been neutral, granting the Mayor the benefit of the doubt while refraining from joining those who have chosen to condemn her.

In this instance, however, her silence is deafening.

Notwithstanding, if Mayor Horwath reconsiders and wishes to respond to our question, the door remains open. 

Editorial Note: The image of Mayor Horwath accompanying this article is not an authentic photograph of the Mayor. It is an A.I.-generated image that Mayor Horwath had no part in.