Before the Ballot: Questions for Hamilton's Next Mayor

In this instalment of Before the Ballot: Questions for Hamilton's Next Mayor, our question for the month of June centres around Hamilton being a sanctuary city.

In 2014, Hamilton City Council adopted an “Access Without Fear” policy allowing undocumented or non-status residents to access certain municipal services without fear of being reported to immigration authorities. Hamilton became one of the first Canadian municipalities to formally adopt such a policy. 

The following is our q/a with Mayoral Candidate Scarlett Gillespie:

Q, Over time, Hamilton has increasingly been described and treated as a ‘sanctuary city,’ largely through council policies and administrative approaches that received relatively limited public attention or broad civic debate at the time they were implemented.

Supporters argue such policies reflect compassion, inclusion, and public health considerations. Critics, however, question the impact on municipal resources, housing pressures, taxpayer burden, and public confidence in immigration and enforcement systems.

As Mayor, would you support Hamilton continuing to operate as a sanctuary city in principle and practice? Why or why not? And how would you balance humanitarian considerations with growing concerns surrounding housing affordability, infrastructure strain, social services capacity, and property tax pressures facing Hamilton residents today? Do you believe Hamiltonians can afford to remain a sanctuary city?

Ms. Gillespie's reply:

Yes, I support Hamilton remaining a sanctuary city in principle, because I believe people should be able to access basic municipal services, emergency support, healthcare pathways, housing assistance, and community resources without fear of discrimination or being denied dignity based on immigration status.

At the same time, I also understand why many residents are asking difficult questions about affordability, infrastructure strain, housing availability, public services, and taxpayer capacity. Those concerns are real, and dismissing them outright would not be responsible leadership.

The reality is that Hamilton’s housing crisis, healthcare pressures, infrastructure backlog, and rising costs were not created by immigrants or vulnerable people seeking support. These issues have been building for decades through population growth, underinvestment in affordable housing, rising living costs, stagnant wages, strained healthcare systems, and policy failures at multiple levels of government.

My position is that humanitarian values and responsible governance are not mutually exclusive. Hamilton can remain compassionate while also demanding better planning, stronger infrastructure investment, more housing supply, and fairer funding support from provincial and federal governments.

As Mayor, my focus would be:Expanding affordable and supportive housing supply
Improving infrastructure and transit planning
Strengthening accountability around city spending including reducing waste
Advocating for increased provincial and federal funding instead of downloading costs onto municipalities

I also think honesty matters in this conversation. Municipalities cannot carry every responsibility alone. Cities across Canada are being asked to manage increasingly complex housing, healthcare, migration, addiction, and affordability challenges without sufficient resources or authority from senior governments.

Hamiltonians deserve leadership that acknowledges both truths simultaneously:People are struggling and worried about affordability and public services.
Vulnerable people still deserve dignity, safety, and access to basic supports.

A strong city does not abandon its values when times become difficult. It plans responsibly, invests wisely, and works to ensure the city remains livable, sustainable, and humane for everyone who calls Hamilton home.

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

Note: This question was sent to all registered mayoral candidates and their responses will be published as we receive, them. 

Want to see the entire Before the Ballot series, thus far? Click here to go there.