With Mayoral Contender, Scarlett Gillespie

Scarlett Gillespie,  has entered the race for mayor of Hamilton, adding a new and unconventional voice to an already developing contest that includes incumbent Mayor Andrea Horwath, 2022 runner-up Keanin Loomis, and Ward 8 Councillor Rob Cooper. Gillespie is the founder and executive director of the Sex Workers Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton and has spent several years advocating for marginalized communities, housing rights, harm reduction, and social supports within the city.

Known in many advocacy and arts circles under the name Jelena Vermilion, Gillespie has been recognized locally for her activism and community work, including receiving a YWCA Women of Distinction Award. A resident of Ward 3, she has also worked as a researcher and personal support worker with training in palliative, geriatric, and psychosocial care. Gillespie says her campaign will focus on housing, tenant protections, climate justice, and strengthening arts and culture, while presenting her candidacy as a voice for working-class Hamiltonians.

Here is our interview with Ms. Gillespie

Many voters may be encountering you for the first time. How would you introduce yourself to Hamiltonians who are not familiar with you?

I’m a Hamilton resident in Ward 3, a community organizer, a YWCA Women of Distinction award recipient, and non-profit leader who has spent many years working directly with people who often fall through the cracks of public systems. Through my work with the Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton and other community initiatives over the past decade, I’ve focused on practical problem-solving, harm reduction, and connecting people with services that improve safety and stability. 

My advocacy work has also led to concrete policy outcomes in Hamilton, including supporting the YWCA Hamilton in securing $100,000 in City funding to conduct a gender-based safety audit and contributing to the October 9, 2024 amendment of Hamilton’s Municipal Code of Conduct, which added Section 14 to By-Law 16-290. This amendment requires members of Council and of its local boards to make honest statements, prohibiting knowingly false or misleading communications, and mandating that elected officials conduct their communications with colleagues and the public in a respectful manner that maintains public confidence and avoids threatening, intimidating, offensive, or abusive conduct.

My work in community safety and civic engagement has also been recognized by Hamilton Police Service leadership, including receiving Chief of Police Frank Bergen’s challenge coin.

I am running for mayor because I believe Hamilton needs leadership that understands the realities people are facing on the ground and is committed to building solutions that work for everyone. 

You have spent years advocating for marginalized communities through SWAP Hamilton. How would that advocacy experience translate into governing a city the size of Hamilton?

Advocacy work requires listening carefully to people living in all areas of our city, from all walks of life with different perspectives and experiences to build partnerships, and navigate complex systems. In non-profit leadership, I’ve had to coordinate with municipal departments, healthcare providers, community organizations, and residents to solve real problems with limited resources. These skills of interpersonal collaboration, accountability, and practical problem-solving are directly applicable to municipal governance. A city works best when leadership listens to communities and brings different stakeholders together to find workable solutions for the greater good.

You have spoken about representing the working class. In practical terms, what policies would you pursue to improve the lives of working-class residents in Hamilton?

Working-class residents are being squeezed by housing costs, rising expenses, and uncertainty about the

future. My priorities would include strengthening affordable housing strategies, improving transparency around development decisions, investing in community safety and public health approaches that actually reduce harm, and ensuring city services are accessible and responsive. I also believe we need to examine how municipal decisions affect everyday residents whether that is transit, housing, or local economic development, and ensure policies are focused on stability and opportunity for working families. Here are more concrete examples:

Housing and Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness

I would prioritize policies that expand affordable and non-profit housing, strengthen tenant protections, and increase transparency around development decisions. This includes accelerating affordable housing builds on city land, supporting non-profit and co-operative housing models, and ensuring that new development includes meaningful affordability. Homelessness in Hamilton and across Canada has been a crisis for a long time, and meaningful solutions must go beyond temporary or reactive measures. My approach focuses on increasing supportive and affordable housing, expanding access to mental health and addiction services, and improving coordination between housing, healthcare (such as the Greater Hamilton Health Network), and social supports. The goal is to move people into stable housing with the support they need to remain housed, rather than relying on short-term responses that simply shift the problem elsewhere and out of sight, prolonging suffering. The other goal is also to properly maintain our current housing stock and to prevent another situation like CityHousing Hamilton's neglect of the Jamesville property.

Air Quality in Ward 3

We know from the Code Red report that where one lives in Hamilton has a direct effect on one's longevity of life. Simply put, nobody should have to suffer their lifespan being less simply because of their economic status or where they happen to reside within Hamilton. The soot issue in Ward 3 is a longstanding concern and residents deserve transparency and accountability. I support stronger environmental monitoring, public reporting of emissions, and working with provincial regulators to ensure industries are meeting their obligations. Residents should not have to wonder what they are breathing in their own neighbourhoods. I would actively consult with Environment Hamilton on best environmental practices, including looking into limiting the exhaust emissions from industrial manufacturers. 

Addressing Drug Use and Addiction

Public substance use is a public health issue as much as a community safety issue. We need to follow the empirical evidence and expand harm reduction, treatment access, and recovery supports through agencies like the Positive Health Network and others while also addressing the root causes such as housing instability and unaffordability, lack of income, trauma, and poverty. Effective responses combine healthcare, prevention, and community support rather than relying on enforcement alone. We need to resume the distribution of harm reduction supplies, which helps to improve public health and helps to reduce more violent behaviours. Ultimately, people struggling on the streets need to be shown care and compassion, being given tools to better their situation, not just to be blamed for being visible while struggling. Everyone deserves to feel safe in Hamilton.

Supporting the Arts Community

Hamilton’s arts community is one of the city’s greatest strengths. Creative industries are incredibly important to the local economy and cultural identity. I support strengthening arts funding, ensuring the Hamilton Arts Awards ceremony continues its legacy, protecting and expanding creative spaces, and ensuring artists and musicians have opportunities to live, work, and perform in the city. Supporting festivals, venues, and grassroots cultural initiatives are also an important part of this. I believe Hamilton has a potential to be a funground of world-class entertainment, and this vision is impossible without artists, performers, and creators.

Reducing Food Waste and Supporting Food Security

The amount of edible food that goes to waste while many residents struggle to access meals is deeply concerning. I have volunteered at the Eva Rothwell Centre in their clothing room and their food bank and I have also accessed the Good Shepherd Venture Centre, myself in the past. I support partnerships between grocery retailers, food recovery organizations, and community agencies to redirect usable and unspoiled food to food banks, soup kitchens, and community programs. Expanding local food recovery initiatives can make a meaningful difference. This may also involve tweaking policies so that leftover food can be donated without any fear of liability. 

You have said your campaign will emphasize city hall accountability. What specific changes would you like to see in how decisions are made at city hall?

Hamilton residents deserve a city government that is transparent, responsive, and accountable. I would like to see clearer communication around major policy decisions, stronger public engagement processes so residents have meaningful input, and greater transparency in how public funds are allocated. Trust in local government depends on residents feeling that decisions are being made openly and in the public interest.

Hamilton voters will be comparing several different visions for the city. What is your long-term vision for Hamilton if you were to become mayor?

My long-term vision is for Hamilton to be a city where people can afford to live, where all communities feel safe and supported, and where residents trust that their local government is working for them. Hamilton has incredible potential including strong neighbourhoods, a resilient workforce, and a history of working-class people coming together to solve problems. With thoughtful leadership and a focus on practical solutions, I believe we can build a city that is more equitable, more transparent, and more responsive to the needs of its residents. 

Thank-you Ms. Gillespie for engaging with Hamiltonians in The Hamiltonian!