Before the Ballot- With Ward 7 Candidate and Incumbent Esther Pauls

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot featuring Ward 7 candidate and incumbent, Esther Pauls.

Looking back on your current term, what accomplishments are you most proud of in Ward 7? Please elaborate.

Hamilton has seen a lot of changes and challenges since my first term started in 2018. I’ve stood my ground on the collective views that Ward 7 residents have asked me to represent, whether it be putting an end to encampments in parks, steadfast support for the Hamilton Police Service whose job keeping residents safe is increasingly more dangerous and demanding, pushing for road rehabilitation and increased safety, and making Ward 7 parks the very best they can be. These things take tenacity and time to bring to fruition and don’t happen overnight. But as I look back at where things were when I started in 2018, I’m grateful for the progress we have made in Ward 7, with the City’s help and with the involvement of Ward 7 residents.

I’m excited about two new affordable housing complexes opening soon (one in late fall of 2026 and the other opening next year).

As Hamilton’s senior population increases, Ward 7’s Macassa Lodge refurbishment and additional wing offers 64 more beds to some of our city’s most vulnerable.

Everyone knows I’m deeply passionate about park enhancements, and of all the park improvements I’ve championed, I’m especially proud of Inch Park’s All Abilities Playground which will be ready this year. Children of all ages and physical abilities will be able to enjoy this park as a community space they all feel safe and supported in. Children whose physical abilities may prevent them from enjoying other area parks will be able to play and enjoy this park. I don’t know of any others like it anywhere in the Niagara area.

Looking back on your current term, what things do you wish had gone differently? Please elaborate.

I definitely wish we’d been able to reallocate funds to our roads in greater amounts and sooner – Hamilton infrastructure is overdue in overhauls! I think this past winter has made that fact more obvious than ever.

There are several taxes that have been imposed upon residents that I was surprised got passed. While I voted against these taxes, knowing the increased financial burden they would place on people already struggling in these times to make ends meet, they were voted in by the majority of Council. These include the Hamilton Vacant Unit Tax and the Hamilton Storm Water Tax (the latter expected to be implemented in 2027). On the VUT, specifically, I feel the implementation and the time needed for some-17 employees to monitor VUT vacancies (and the annual burden on residents to have to file repeatedly) is just too much.

I wish – and continue to hope – we had better coordination and support from the Provincial and Federal governments to more properly address houselessness and the barriers to housing that often accompany it (like mental health, addiction, unemployment).

Residents across Hamilton continue to express concerns about affordability, infrastructure, and public safety. What specific priorities would define your next term if re-elected?

I want our next budget – and the process for implementing it – to look much different than this year’s. Not only do we need ample time to see proposed budget figures, but we also need staff who are knowledgeable in their respective departments and divisions to suggest specific cuts and recommendations to Council.

Public safety is something that Council cannot fix all on its own. Police resources are key to addressing public safety in any municipality, and Hamilton is no different. If we expect increased public safety to happen in the face of increased criminal activity, then it stands to reason we need additional police resources (people and tools) to match the increase in crime. For example, Hamilton Police Service created a specially-trained Intimate Partner Violence unit to address the many calls the department receives. I think this was an important step in addressing public safety.

What distinguishes you from potential challengers seeking to represent Ward 7 in this election?

I can’t speak to the platforms or view of potential candidates but assure you as to my own campaign philosophy: I have down-to-earth life experience as a mother of four grown boys, former small business owner, and nearly life-long Hamiltonian. I know this city like the back of my hand and have invested my entire adult life in making it better (as my work over several decades with numerous charities and fundraisers will attest).

I have spent eight-years getting to know Ward 7 residents and issues. Several of these issues are ongoing and I’d love to be in office next term to see them to fruition. If re-elected I can hit the ground running with Chapter 3 – no orientation needed!

Also importantly, I believe common sense is crucial to leadership decision making. I’m not afraid to express views that reflect that cornerstone philosophy. Respect for ALL is also at the core of who I am and how I conduct myself. While my opinions may differ from others, I never resort to belittling, humiliating, or chastising another person for these differences. And finally, I have always seen my role as an elected official as an act of servitude to those I represent. I make myself available in-person and by phone to address resident concerns, night and day. I show up to support them at fundraisers or gatherings, thrilled to have a platform as Councillor to help make a difference to their event. The trust residents have placed in me is sacrosanct and my greatest motivator. My heart is on my sleeve. What you see is what you get, and I know many of my residents appreciate that I’m both accessible and on their level. No pretense.

If re-elected, what would success look like for Ward 7 by the end of your next term?

What an exciting question! I think about this constantly.

It’s taken years to get the Rymal Road extension to the point of near construction, where we are now. I will dance on the new pavement when that section of road is widened and finally re-opened!

There are changes coming to T.B. McQuesten park that I’m hoping to reveal ideas for soon, but suffice it to say once they happen it will make McQuesten park a destination park for all of Hamilton.

As a Police Services Board member, I am passionate about being as up-to-date as possible as to the city’s safety challenges versus our HPS ability to address them. Crime is something we can fight together. Police need the tools to do this and as our front-line barrier against crime I remain committed to working with HPS to give the Service all we can as a city to help them keep US safe.

I would also very much like to see – and will push for – greater additional supports for the houseless population as we address housing issues. I’ve always maintained that housing itself isn’t enough. People facing barriers to housing often also face other obstacles, which are not separate from the housing challenges, but directly related to them. Be it problems finding work, with mental wellness or addiction/substance abuse, these are often part-and-parcel to much of what houseless people are facing. I will continue expressing this view in Council and hope that next term we can do much more to support and help people with these substantial and relative barriers to housing accessibility and their ability to maintain their homes.

How can voters contact you or learn more about you, in the context of this election?

I welcome residents to contact our campaign office at:

Campaign Phone Number: 905-975-7786
Campaign Office of July 13, 2026: 398 Mohawk Road East, L8V 2H7
Campaign E-Mail: esther_pauls@icloud.com

I will also be knocking on every door in Ward 7 in the coming months and posting about when to expect me where.

I can be followed on social media and will let people know what neighbourhoods I’ll be in and when, at these campaign social media sites:

IG: ReElectEstherPaulsWard7
X: ReElectEPauls
FB: ReElect EstherPauls

My campaign website address (soon to be published) is reelectestherpauls.com.

Thank-you Esther for engaging with Hamiltonians in The Hamiltonian!